Education Department’s renewed plan to list and shame low-value colleges draws concern
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
January 11, 2023
For-profits worry about being targeted, while others fear the plan will contribute to the narrative that higher ed’s benefits are purely financial.
About a decade ago, then-President Barack Obama devised an ambitious plan to rate all American colleges, with the goal of publicly embarrassing bottom-placing institutions that burdened students with high debt loads and low earning potential.
Many college leaders soundly rejected the system and it never materialized. When the College Scorecard debuted a few years later, it didn’t include ratings. But flash forward to today, and Obama’s vice president, current President Joe Biden, seems to be pursuing a pared-down version of the same concept.
