Blogs:

As far as K-12 education, there is no doubt that Obama administration has infused essential innovation and progressive methods. Millions have been inspired greatly by Race to the Top driven administration policies.

When it comes to higher education however, there is no hint of the visionary leadership we find in K-12. In fact need for reform and innovation is much higher than for secondary and primary schools in our country when it comes to higher education.

Over the last three decades, the increase in post secondary education costs is twice that of inflation. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, our four year school national graduation rate is around 50 percent and associate degree program graduation rate is less that 30 percent.

This is a miserable situation as compared to performance of high schools that enjoys a graduation rate of 70 percent. It is a pity that enthusiastic students who graduates from K-12 are sent to drop out factories.

Chicago public schools were formerly run by our present secretary of education Arne Duncan. He had a strong and vibrant vision for K-12 schools. The same is significantly missing when it comes to higher education.

There is a lot of talk about producing an additional 10,000 doctors and engineers every year to regain our position as the most education nation in the world by our President Obama. His vision is however not supported by any coherent strategy.

Severe budget cuts are being executed by state institutions and community colleges that rely on local and state funding. The only way out for institutions is to limit access. They are forced to limit enrolment in high demand areas and even shutting down some medical schools.

There is increasing evidence that the economic competitiveness of our nation is constantly being compromised with stagnating graduation rates and skyrocketing tuition fees. One of the reasons for the slow evolving national higher education policies could be the fact that most of our policymakers have studied in elite schools such as flagship state institutions or Ivy League colleges.

It is evident that these elite schools that form only 5 percent of our nation’s universities are incapable of addressing the urgent need for reform and progress. Our nation today needs to educate thousands of doctors, engineers, accountants, nurses and manufacturing managers. The mission of the balance 95 percent of our universities differ from that of the elite schools.

There has been an overwhelming infusion of funds into higher education by politicians and an equally overwhelming enrolment of Americans into higher education in a bid to get jobs. However,  the blunder politicians and lobbying groups commit is to invest in attributes measured by the elite schools such as real estate, research and rankings.

These measures certainly do not directly impact student learning and outcomes. They also do not in any way drive jobs. This is the sole reason for the high rate of drop out. Essential skills are lacking in those who do graduate.

Though it is not an easy task creating higher education standards overnight, the critical need of the hour is to provide those 18 million students who attend 95 percent of non-elite universities an outcome based measurement system along with the annual indirect and direct government subsidies amounting to $100 billion.