The idealism of the information age has given way to serious concerns about the proliferation of misinformation, which travels faster than you can say “retweet.” Americans rely on their institutions of higher education to provide students with the knowledge they need to question prevailing orthodoxies and think critically about important issues facing the nation. Many colleges promise their students a liberal arts education that will prepare them for demands of living in a pluralistic society and set them up for life-long success. But do they fulfill that promise or leave educational quality up to chance? What Will They Learn? is the only college ratings guide that evaluates the quality of general education programs—the courses that every student must take in order to complete their degree. The findings are sobering: Of over 1,100 colleges and universities surveyed, over half have significant gaps in their curricula, leaving students at a disadvantage come graduation. Lackluster educational quality contributes to widespread doubt about the value of a college degree, especially as tuition climbs and graduates struggle to make payments on their student loans. What Will They Learn? 2017-18 and its interactive companion website WhatWillTheyLearn.com, can help orient students, parents, and trustees as they consider what educational quality looks like in 21st century America. See if your college makes the grade!
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni today released the sixth edition of the What Will They Learn? ratings. At a time when 87% of employers believe that our colleges must raise the quality of students’ educations in order for the United States to remain competitive globally, and four in five Americans say they believe […]
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni today released the seventh edition of the What Will They Learn? ratings. Early this year, in a Gallup survey of universities, nearly 100% of provosts said they felt their institutions were either “very effective” or “somewhat effective” at preparing students for the workforce. But a survey of employers […]
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni today released the sixth edition of the What Will They Learn? ratings. At a time when 87% of employers believe that our colleges must raise the quality of students’ educations in order for the United States to remain competitive globally, and four in five Americans say they believe […]
For any incoming college freshman, stumbling onto campus the first day has to be a disorienting experience. There’s so much you don’t know, ranging from where to eat to where your classes are to why your roommate insists on only changing his socks every three days. But there are certain things the university requires you […]
There is a crisis of civic education in America today. For the last 20 years, study after study has shown that most Americans lack a basic understanding of the country’s history and political institutions. America’s Knowledge Crisis: A Survey of Civic Literacy, shows that college-educated Americans do only slightly better than those without a four-year […]
In a bit of good news for this Thanksgiving, it appears that many would-be shapers of education policy are plugging for the return of civics to the curricula of schools and colleges. The bad news is that many of the prime movers and shakers behind a “new civics” still cling to the old progressive hostility […]
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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