Higher Education Accreditation

Is the accreditation system “broken” as claimed by successive Secretaries of Education and some recent reports? This book addresses this question head-on, asking whether accreditation is indeed in need of radical reform, and whether the agencies’ authority should be curtailed; or whether in fact the changes now underway – that accrediting agencies contend ensure rigorous and consistent standards and degrees that are a reliable gauge of student attainment – are moving the academy and the nation in the right direction. In a sweeping and ambitious book, Paul Gaston deploys his knowledge and experience as a peer reviewer for three regional accrediting agencies, a former board member and chair of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, and his involvement in the early stages of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, to go beyond the polemics to explore whether a strategy that builds on the emerging values and good practices can achieve the substantive and positive improvements the public is demanding.As an introduction for readers new to the debate, he provides a brief overview of the development of accreditation, its terminology, and structure, describing how it currently works, and what it has achieved; and offers insight into the proliferation of the missions of accreditation – as well as the multiplicity of stakeholders with an interest in its outcomes – to question whether the mandate of accreditation should, as some contend, be expanded, or particular missions reassigned or abandoned. This established, he undertakes a dispassionate analysis of the arguments and recommendations of critics and supporters of the current direction of accreditation to identify common ground and explore constructive ways forward, paying specific attention to current and potential reforms of the three sectors of higher education accreditation: the seven regional accrediting associations, the national accreditors, and programmatic, or “specialized” accreditation. The book concludes by outlining a comprehensive approach to reform. His proposal would preserve practices that already work well while advancing important changes that can be incrementally implemented. The result would be a higher education accreditation structure more cost effective, more efficient, more transparent and accountable, and more responsive to institutional and public needs.

In the book the editors bring together the expertise of different stakeholders to illustrate the complexities of the accreditation system and to map the critical issues that must be navigated goind forward

Accreditation at our nation's institutions of higher education has undergone dramatic changes in the past decade. Harland G. Bloland was an insider during the establishment of a new organization, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This book chronicles his unique experiences with the players, processes, and history involved in CHEA's creation. Harland G. Bloland, in this new title from the American Council on Education (ACE)/Oryx Press Series on Higher Education, chronicles his rare, insider experiences with the players, processes, and history involved in creating the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Bloland was present at the meetings of the National Policy Board and the Presidents Work Group as they set the parameters for the creation of CHEA, the crucial entity that recognizes accrediting agencies for colleges and universities across the United States. Reviewing the past accrediting oversight of FRACHE, NCA, COPA, and CORPA, and then following the progress of CHEA through its first year and attending its board meetings, Bloland has constructed a unique, complete history of the accrediting process. Institution and organization creation theory, borrowed from the field of sociology, provided the basis for his research. His analysis concerning the obstacles and possibilities confronted by a new organization helps to characterize CHEA and previous accrediting organizations, and to answer the following questions: BL What is accreditation and why is it important? BL What is the social and political context within which CHEA was developed? BL What occurred in the process of creating CHEA? BL What roles do accreditation and CHEA play in American higher education? BL What were the issues that CHEA and accreditation faced in its infancy? BL What is the current state of CHEA and accreditation?

Beginning with the earliest efforts to regulate schools, the author reveals the rationale behind accountability and outlines the historical development of how US federal and state policies, accreditation practices, private-sector interests, and internal requirements have become so important to institutional success and survival

This volume presents a rich account of the development of accreditation and evaluation in 20 European countries. It shows how accreditation is becoming a main mechanism in the steering of higher education across Europe. The book is unique in its analysis of forces driving towards the spread of different models of accreditation in the emerging European Higher Education area.

The Would Over Quality Assurance Is An Evolving Mechanism. This Book Is An Attempt To Record Those Developments.

Historically, accreditation in higher education developed as a part of the evolution of the American higher education system, at a time when it was becoming problematic that no single point of control or central body existed to set educational standards. In the late 19th century, there was no consensus on the content of the educational programs offered by postsecondary educational institutions or the distinctions between educational offerings at secondary and postsecondary institutions. Because the boundaries were unclear, the first voluntary association of postsecondary institutions was formed in 1895 to define the difference between high school and college and to develop some guidelines and procedures for peer review as a condition for membership. Over time, a number of regional associations formed whose membership was contingent on accreditation. The associations established separate accrediting bodies or commissions that were responsible for developing standards and passing on the institutional qualifications for membership. By the early 1970s, all but a small percentage of the degree-granting institutions of higher education were either accredited or applicants for accreditation. The United States does not have a centralized authority exercising singular national control over postsecondary educational institutions. The states assume varying degrees of control over education, but in general, institutions of higher education (IHEs) are permitted to operate with considerable independence and autonomy. Consequently, the character and quality of IHEs' programs can vary widely. The role of accreditation in higher education, therefore, is to help ensure a level of acceptable quality across the wide array of programs and institutions in higher education. This book discusses the background, issues and considerations of accreditation of higher education.

A brief history of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation -- Preface -- The challenge of quality to higher education in the decade to come -- About accreditation -- The co-evolution of accreditation and higher education in America -- Accreditation and the academy -- Self-governance in the United States -- Accreditation and government -- CHEA recognition of accrediting organizations -- Taking stock of accreditation -- Into the future. -- Appendix A. Accreditation and the courts -- Appendix B. CHEA Tenth Anniversary Commission -- Appendix C. CHEA Board of Directors -- Glossary of Acronyms.