Listen to the experts on ACTA's Higher Ed Now podcast
Initiative
State Reports
What benchmarks can states use to measure the effectiveness of their public higher education systems? ACTA’s series of state report cards provide in-depth analysis.
In this episode, Armand Alacbay, Vice President of Trustee and Legislative Affairs at ACTA, and Jerry Malitz, former Chief Information Technology Officer for the Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences, take a look at how federal education data can be used to understand your school’s performance relative to peers.
Tuition and fees have demanded an increasing percentage of Florida’s household income and saddled many Florida graduates with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. I strongly agree with [ACTA’s] final report recommendation calling for the university system to continue to hold the line on tuition.
—Rick Scott, former Governor, State of Florida
What We’re Doing
Each report card examines trends in academic standards, affordability, student performance, and resource utilization, and highlights best practices for governing boards at public institutions of higher education across the state.
General Education
ACTA’s reports examine the general education requirements at each public college and university in the state in order to answer the question of whether college graduates will acquire the critical liberal arts skills and knowledge needed for success in career, citizenship, and community. ACTA also looks for evidence of the use of nationally-normed assessments to measure student progress in gaining core collegiate skills such as formal writing and analytical reasoning.
Intellectual Diversity
Intellectual diversity is the very lifeblood of higher education. When the free exchange of ideas ceases, only indoctrination and intellectual stagnation will remain. Accordingly, through student surveys and analysis of campus practices, ACTA gathers information and reports whether students and faculty are free from coercion, intimidation, and indoctrination and whether their institutions foster or restrict vigorous academic inquiry and discourse.
Cost and Effectiveness
The price of tuition has skyrocketed over the past few decades—and ACTA’s state reports show how these costs affect everyday households as a rising percentage of median household income. Our analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education reveals how institutions are spending their money, tracks changes in graduation and retention rates, and analyzes whether institutions are efficiently using their classroom and laboratory space.
Governance
ACTA’s reports assess the structure and procedures of governing boards and highlight best practices. We evaluate the extent to which trustees and regents execute their fiduciary responsibilities and examine both their successes and shortcomings in furthering accountability and transparency in public higher education.
EXAMPLE OF TOGGLES
American University
Washington, DC
The Ashbrook Center
The Ashbrook Center, founded in 1983, is an independent center based at Ashland University. The center serves students, middle and high school teachers, and the public, offering a Scholar Program for undergraduates, an online master’s program for teachers, and regularly hosting speakers. The Ashbrook Center also produces a wide range of publications, including the wonderful book 50 Core American Documents, a compendium of key documents in American history. Its current executive director is Jeffrey Sikkenga.
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
The Ashbrook Center
The Ashbrook Center, founded in 1983, is an independent center based at Ashland University. The center serves students, middle and high school teachers, and the public, offering a Scholar Program for undergraduates, an online master’s program for teachers, and regularly hosting speakers. The Ashbrook Center also produces a wide range of publications, including the wonderful book 50 Core American Documents, a compendium of key documents in American history. Its current executive director is Jeffrey Sikkenga.
Ashland University
Ashland, OH
The Ashbrook Center
The Ashbrook Center, founded in 1983, is an independent center based at Ashland University. The center serves students, middle and high school teachers, and the public, offering a Scholar Program for undergraduates, an online master’s program for teachers, and regularly hosting speakers. The Ashbrook Center also produces a wide range of publications, including the wonderful book 50 Core American Documents, a compendium of key documents in American history. Its current executive director is Jeffrey Sikkenga.
Boise State University
Boise, ID
The Ashbrook Center
The Ashbrook Center, founded in 1983, is an independent center based at Ashland University. The center serves students, middle and high school teachers, and the public, offering a Scholar Program for undergraduates, an online master’s program for teachers, and regularly hosting speakers. The Ashbrook Center also produces a wide range of publications, including the wonderful book 50 Core American Documents, a compendium of key documents in American history. Its current executive director is Jeffrey Sikkenga.
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.