What Are We Really Measuring?
“Who’s on first…What’s on second…I don’t know’s on third…” ~ Abbott and Costello
If you are one who looks forward to the annual U.S. News and World Report College Rankings as a guide to the best school for yourself or your high schooler, you might want to pause and consider the impact of a school’s “reputation” on its rank…a suspect qualitative measure which accounts for 25% of its rank–more than any other single factor of ranking. Just like the “goodwill” factor on a company’s financial statement, it is highly arbitrary and often inflated with its own aura of self-importance. This “made-up” number (or in this case the U.S. News ranking) is most certainly skewed toward the recognizable and well-known. who has not heard of Harvard, or Coca Cola?
But is this important when choosing the “best possible” for an education? Hmmm…
Here is what research has found:
- scores and rankings based on reputation don’t correlate with factors such as resources or graduation rates
- the best way of having a good ranking is to…already have a good ranking (as Inside Higher Ed describes it: rankings beget rankings)
- the quality of education does not likely track a “ranking”
- rankings have an “anchoring” effect…once the rank is made, it is slow to change
While a case can certainly be made why Princeton provides a better education than the local community college, I am of the mind that the best education are the foundational requirements of sound primary and secondary (middle and high) schools. We made an early decision to insure that our three children received very sound education through the 12th grade. Now, with our twins facing May graduation, they will attend colleges which may not have “awesome” rankings, but will provide them with a truly awesome advanced education.
I don’t know about you…but I don’t even look at the rankings, much less rely on them…and neither should you.
Loading ...
Bill Muhlenfeld's Profile
Follow me on Twitter
{ 0 comments… add one now }