Education Next – Robert Kelchen and Lanae Erickson
“After decades of slow growth, the share of young Americans completing college has increased to 48 percent in 2019, from 39 percent 10 years earlier. What accounts for the rise? Are more students clearing a meaningful bar for graduation, or are colleges and universities engaging in credential inflation and lowering their academic standards? This question could be central as Congress prepares to reauthorize the Higher Education Act—given the current interest in using degree completion as an accountability metric linked to the disbursement of federal funds.” (more)