The quantification of the higher education gives us a sense of order, but does it tell us what we really need to know?

By Valerie Crespin-Trujillo, EPS 518

Reaction Blog for October 6, 2014

In 2011, The New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell turned his mighty pen on the college ranking system developed by the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR). In The Order of Things, Gladwell argues that quantifying the value of postsecondary institutions is challenging, but the proxies used by USNWR as measures of quality education are based on the value judgments of those who developed the methodology. He goes on to argue that rankings are taken seriously especially at a time when there are concerns over the accessibility and affordability of college, but they represent certain ideologies about education and there is no “correct” formula for ranking colleges and universities. As consumers of education, we are comforted when we can simplistically compare “University X” to “University Y” based on a score, but understanding what is behind the score poses the challenge.

Larabee (1997) writes about three ideologies Americans hold about public education: democratic equality (to prepare people to be informed citizens); social efficiency (to train workers for the economy); and social mobility (for individuals to compete for social positions). These ideologies are viewed through the lenses as citizens, taxpayers, and consumers. Just as statisticians at USNWR use their judgment to rank colleges and universities, we base our beliefs on the purpose of education by taking one of these three positions on education and we continually disagree about the goals schools should promote. What is problematic to Larabee is the viewpoint that the purpose of education is social mobility is becoming dominant and we are emphasizing credentials, college reputation, grades, and degrees over the knowledge gained through education and the collective good. This concern can be demonstrated in the commodification of higher education through performance-based funding formulas and college rankings. In the United States, we have forced institutions to attempt to achieve a variety of goals that are sometimes in opposition of one another. The result is poor performance of an overburdened system.

Attempts by the federal and state governments to capture the performance of colleges and universities through funding models or a ratings system will be a challenge as long as there are competing values within the system, such as college as a public vs. private good, the specific missions of institutions in different sectors of higher education and the unique populations they serve, and how to properly measure educational outcomes and what those outcomes should be. Placing a value on higher education that impacts the level of funding institutions receive, the score given to a college or university, and potentially the amount of financial aid that is available for students is a serious endeavor with great risk. Interpreting this information with accuracy will be a challenge for parents and students who are trying to glean some meaning from the college rankings and report cards available to them.