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College Ranking Reality Check

Leon Baranovsky — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:28:07 +0000

A new Washington Monthly higher education website says the publication intends to “steer the national conversation about higher education away from a maniacal focus on elite schools that is the abiding obsession of the mainstream press and towards the less selective (but often wonderful) rank-and-file colleges and universities where most Americans actually get their educations.”

Along with the website, Washington Monthly released its own college rankings, their alternative to U.S. News & World Report’s rankings. Washington Monthly evaluates schools based what they are doing for the country. The three criteria — improving social mobility, producing research, and promoting public service.

World’s Best Colleges

Leon Baranovsky — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:20:12 +0000

“When U.S. News started publishing their college and university rankings 25 years ago, no one predicted the influence these lists would acquire as both a consumer tool and a force for accountability in American higher education,” says the publisher.

Whether you’re college bound or simply curious, you can see college rankings by location or subject by checking out U.S. News & World Report’s World’s Best Colleges and Universities rankings, based on the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. America’s Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools, and even Best High Schools are also ranked on this site.

Students Fail History… Take the Test

Leon Baranovsky — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:48:00 +0000

The line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .” is from:
A. The Federalist.
B. The Preamble to the Constitution.
C. The Communist Manifesto.
D. The Declaration of Independence.
E. An inscription on the Statue of Liberty.

This is one question of 60 on a test of “civic literacy” given to over 14,000 college freshmen and seniors. The average score for freshmen was 50%, reported USA Today, saying “Students don’t know much about history, and colleges aren’t adding enough to their civic literacy.”

“One of the things our research demonstrates conclusively is that an increase in what we call civic knowledge almost invariably leads to a use of that knowledge in a beneficial way,” says Josiah Bunting, chairman of ISI’s National Civic Literacy Board [the folks who gave the test]. “This is useful knowledge we are talking about.”

It is interesting that the students tested were chosen, in part, because they attend colleges that did well in the US News & World Report ranking. You can check the article and ISI’s web site for more detail.

By the way, I managed an 83.3% How well do you do on the test?

(Here’s a freebie, the answer to the question above is D. The Declaration of Independence.)

Ranking Community Colleges

Leon Baranovsky — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:43:00 +0000

Did you know “43 percent of college freshmen begin their education at two-year institutions”? Nonetheless, community colleges don’t get the respect they earn.

Via The Quick and the Ed, Kevin Carey points to his Washington Monthly essay on America’s Best Community Colleges. Mr. Carey discusses why 4-year colleges get all the attention, points to some reasons why community colleges should get a lot more respect, and argues that — like 4-year colleges — community colleges should be ranked. Mr. Carey gives us his own Top-30 list. “Great teaching can happen anywhere,” he concludes, “and if America is to succeed in the future, it needs to happen everywhere.”