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The
original policy paper created by ACTA was intended as a primer for policymakers on lessons learned from decades of experience
with the federal system of higher education accreditation. In the 14 years since the first publication of its initial paper
Can College Accreditation Live Up to Its Promise? the current iteration states flatly that not much has improved
or changed a system that is growing more archaic by the day. At that time the authors found that accreditation did
not ensure quality (it still does not), was not protecting the curriculum from serious degradation (It has gotten worse and
the degradation has only accelerated) and was giving students, parents, and public decision-makers almost no useful information
about institutions of higher education (the lack of information has seriously worsened).
The new 2016 updated
investigation finds that things have only become worse. Congress allegedly wants to insure that federal student aid funds
do not go to "fly by night" operations but Congress and its mindset is not on improving higher ed but battling with
states over Common Core. But there are other and better ways to achieve better results in higher education and they are again
highlighted in this ongoing research publication called
ACTA >>>>>>>>>
