Giving Compass' Take:

· Higher education institutions are looking to create an accountability mechanism that will realign schools’ focus toward improving student outcomes while tackling the leaky graduation pipeline. In order to prepare students to enter the workforce with all the skills and degrees needed to succeed, The 74 suggests reviewing the pitfalls of the No Child Left Behind Act.

· How can NCLB serve as a guide for higher ed reform?

· Read more about higher education reform.

When I switched from federal K-12 policy to federal higher education policy two years ago, I assumed moving from one issue area to the other wouldn’t be that hard.

I quickly learned that while both of these policy areas share a topline interest in improving school systems, the two worlds couldn’t be further apart. Like oil and vinegar, water and electricity, or pineapple and pizza (although some may disagree), it became clear to me that the federal K-12 and higher education policy conversations simply don’t mix.

And that’s a shame, because there are a lot of lessons to be learned.

One clear example is currently percolating in higher education: After years of accepting results that are middling at best, there appears to be a newfound focus on strengthening federal oversight for our nation’s colleges and universities. This includes exploring how we can increase transparency to better understand how specific subgroups of students are being served, tackling higher ed’s leaky graduation pipeline so that more students are prepared to enter the workforce with the skills and degrees they need to succeed, and creating an accountability mechanism that realigns schools’ focus toward improving student outcomes.

Read the full article about reform in higher education by Tamara Hiler at The 74.