NCLB For Colleges & Universities

Look out, higher education. It looks like standards and accountability are headed your way -- and not just for schools of education (Panel Explores Standard Tests for Colleges).

We know you won't like it, and will do your best to make it seem like a very bad idea. The higher ed lobby is in some ways much more powerful than the K12 lobby. But that doesn't make it such a bad thing to think about.

The current system, based largely on regional accreditation, asks remarkably little of postsecondary institutions in return for millions in federally-subsidized student aid and institutional grants (roughly a third of all higher ed money is federal, according to the article).

In the meantime, college dropout rates are notoriously high, especially during the first two years, completion rates are sometimes surprisingly low, and skill levels and knowledge of college grads are not always what you would expect.