Is There a Role of the Federal Government in Defining Value?

Rapid growth in college debt and families’ out-of-pocket expenditures on higher education, along with complaints from employers about the preparedness of the people they hire, have intensified questioning about the value of postsecondary degrees and credentials.

This week’s episode of The Key explores a report from a high-powered group of policy makers, college leaders, researchers and others that proposes a new way of judging whether colleges and programs are providing a good return on investment to their students – with a particular focus on whether they’re ensuring equity. The report comes from the Postsecondary Value Commission, which was convened two years ago by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This episode, which is sponsored by the Gates Foundation, features three perspectives on the report. Two are members of the commission: Margaret Spellings, secretary of education under President George W. Bush and former president of the University of North Carolina system, and José Luis Cruz, provost at the City University of New York System and incoming president of Northern Arizona University. The third is Tamara Hiler, director of education at the think tank Third Way.

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Co-founder and Editor Doug Lederman.