ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
Americans are very well-schooled. Well-educated is another matter
According to a recent Wall Street Journal/University of Chicago survey, 56 percent of Americans now think college is not worth the...
Most college ranking systems, like the U.S. News & World Report, do not evaluate what students actually learn in the classroom. What Will They Learn? is the only rating system that examines the course catalogs of each school to provide an urgently needed, alternative assessment based on an institution’s core curriculum, the program of study that all students share. ACTA’s research team also collects data on several indicators that predict student success after college, including student-to-faculty ratios, campus-specific student loan default rates, graduation rates, the state of free expression on campus, and cost of attendance.
Some Key Findings:
Why It Matters:
What Will They Learn? has been documenting for the last 13 years the crisis of weak core curriculum requirements. In addition to helping students choose the right college for the right reasons, ACTA works with college and university leaders on campuses around the country to strengthen curricula and raise academic standards.
“Fires are burning all over the academy: Tuition is skyrocketing, campus protections for free speech are crumbling, and students are learning less and less,” said ACTA President Michael Poliakoff. “It’s no wonder confidence in higher education is falling. Campus leaders owe it to their students to improve the academic experience so that graduates are prepared for professional success and informed citizenship”
“Choosing the right college or university is one of the most important decisions young people make,” said Jonathan Pidluzny, ACTA’s vice president of academic affairs. “Unfortunately, most college ranking systems drive prices up without improving the quality of education being delivered. That is why we built a college choice tool focused on what schools are actually teaching.”
Find the 2021–2022 ratings here. Visit our interactive college choice tool here.
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Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
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