"Disruption in the U.S. Accreditation Space" by Judith Eaton

Judith Eaton, who was also on my panel at the Parchment Summit on Innovating Academic Credentials, just published this policy brief that addresses some of the same issues I raised in my previous post, but she focuses on a factor I barely mentioned: the role of the government in accrediting institutions. She makes this important point:

"The U.S. federal government has now taken on primary oversight of accreditation, overlaying the longstanding independent operation of these organizations. Government is expanding and deepening its examination of how accrediting organizations operate. It is now probing the performance of accrediting organizations based on its–not accreditors’–expectations of the effectiveness of accredited institutions and programs....

"Government taking the lead in accreditation also means that government, not accreditation, is taking the lead in how quality is defined, the second major change. This is in contrast to relying on the definitions of quality that accreditors have been using for many years, reflected in standards that are required to achieve accredited status."

Some of what Judith Eaton mentions may be undone by the new Trump administration, or at least, will likely be neglected by them.