The Education Conservancy, is an American educational non-profit organization headed by director Lloyd Thacker. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage It describes its goal as being "committed to improving college admission processes for students, colleges and high schools. " [1]
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Criticism of college rankings
In May 2007, a movement criticizing the practice of college rankings was initiated by Thacker. Criticism of College and university rankings (2007 United States refers to a 2007 movement which developed among faculty and administrators in American Institutions of It follows previous movements in the U.S. and Canada (by schools in the 1990s such as Reed College, Stanford University, Alma College, as well as a number of universities in Canada in 2006) which have criticized the practice of college rankings. Criticism of College and university rankings refers to movements which developed among faculty and administrators in American Institutions of Higher Education as The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Reed College is a private, independent Liberal arts college located in southeast Portland Oregon. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in This article is about Alma College in Alma Michigan For historic Alma College in St Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
The Presidents Letter (dated May 10, 2007), developed by Lloyd Thacker of the Education Conservancy, was sent to college and university presidents in the United States in May 2007. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The letter does not ask for a full boycott but rather states that:
- while we believe colleges and universities may want to cooperate in providing data to publications for the purposes of rankings, we believe such data provision should be limited to data which is collected in accord with clear, shared professional standards (not the idiosyncratic standards of any single publication), and to data which is required to be reported to state or federal officials or which the institution believes (in accord with good accountability) should routinely be made available to any member of the public who seeks it. [2]
Instead, it asks presidents not to participate in the "reputational survey" portion of the overall survey (this section accounts for 25% of the total rank and asks college presidents to give their subjective opinion of other colleges). The letter also asks presidents not to use the rankings as a form of publicity:
- Among other reasons, we believe [. . . ] rankings: imply a false precision and authority that is not warranted by the data they use;obscure important differences in educational mission in aligning institutions on a single scale;say nothing or very little about whether students are actually learning at particular colleges or universities;encourage wasteful spending and gamesmanship in institutions' pursuing improved rankings;overlook the importance of a student in making education happen and overweight the importance of a university's prestige in that process; and degrade for students the educational value of the college search process. We ask you to make the following two commitments: 1. Refuse to fill out the U. S. News and World Report reputational survey. 2. Refuse to use the rankings in any promotional efforts on behalf of your college or university, and more generally, refuse to refer to the rankings as an indication of the quality of your college or university. "[3]
List of colleges and universities
Twelve college and university presidents originally signed the letter in early May. The following List of colleges and universities which have signed the Presidents Letter refers to a 2007 movement criticizing the practice of college rankings which developed [4] The letter currently has sixty-one signatures, though others may be added at a later date. [5]
Debate
A debate concerning the decision of the Annapolis Group to offer an alternative set of data as part of a current movement which challenges commercial college rankings was published as a podcast in the 25 June 2007 issue of Inside Higher Ed. The Annapolis Group describes itself as "a nonprofit alliance of the nation’s leading independent Liberal arts colleges " It represents over 100 Liberal arts Criticism of College and university rankings (2007 United States refers to a 2007 movement which developed among faculty and administrators in American Institutions of A podcast is a series of audio or Video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated Download Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Inside Higher Ed is a free daily online publication that covers a variety of college and university issues The debate was between Lloyd Thacker, director of the Education Conservancy, who is a well known critic of the U. S. News rankings, and U. S. News editor Brian Kelly. The debate was moderated by Inside Higher Ed reporter, Scott Jaschik. [6]
Yale conference on college rankings
On 25 September 2007, the Education Conservancy will sponsor the daylong conference, "“Beyond Ranking: Responding to the Call for Useful Information. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. " The event will be hosted by the Yale University Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The conference will focus "on developing alternatives for providing students and families with information about colleges". The conference is by invitation only and will include, "education leaders, including college presidents, the heads of associations, and researchers, who might help ponder how a national, Web-based information system would work, what data it would include, and who should design and finance it, among other questions. " [7]
Notes
- ^ The Education Conservancy.
- ^ Presidents Letter (May 10, 2007).
- ^ Presidents Letter (May 10, 2007).
- ^ Battle Lines on ‘U.S. News’. Inside Higher Ed (07 May 2007). Inside Higher Ed is a free daily online publication that covers a variety of college and university issues Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Presidents Letter. Education Conservancy.
- ^ Jaschik, Scott (25 June 2007). Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Debate: Top Critic vs. ‘U.S. News’ Editor. Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed is a free daily online publication that covers a variety of college and university issues
- ^ Education Conservancy Plans Forum on College Rankings. Chronicle of Higher Education (20 July 2007). The Chronicle of Higher Education is a Newspaper that represents a source of news information and jobs for college and university faculty and administration Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
See also
External links
- Official Website
- The Rankings Rebel - BusinessWeek
- It Took Awhile, But Some Presidents Are Now Listening to Pleas for Admissions Reforms - Chronicle of Higher Education
- Another way in:Ex-counselor working toward less-stressful college admissions - Boston Globe
- Searchable Database of Every U.S. College