General Education
ACTA Launches 12th Edition of Core Curriculum Report
Washington, DC – The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released the 12th edition of its signature publication What Will They Learn?...
Some 365 colleges and universities earned an “A” or a “B” for requiring a well-rounded course of study for their students, an annual report finds.
Just 23 schools got an “A” for requiring students to take courses in six of the following seven subjects: composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, math and natural science, according to “What Will They Learn? 2020–2021” by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
More than 130 institutions got a failing grade.
“The pandemic is upending higher education and forcing families to pay more attention to the value proposition of a collegiate education,” the council’s president, Michael Poliakoff, said. “Students must be educated to think critically and be prepared to navigate an uncertain career path.”
“The schools that score well graduate expert learners who are prepared for their first job and ready to confront the new challenges they will face in their fifth or 10th position,” Poliakoff added.
The report also found:
The council also noted recent studies show liberal arts colleges offer students a high return-on-investment because a well-rounded curriculum fosters the development of critical thinking, communications and inter-cultural skills needs in the modern workplace.
The report also detailed how various stakeholders can be involved in creating a more well-rounded curriculum:
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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