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Bipartisan College Transparency Act Aims to Improve Data on Postsecondary Outcomes

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The bipartisan College Transparency Act, recently reintroduced by Senator John Hickenlooper and 19 of his Senate colleagues, aims to modernize the current college data reporting system by requiring comprehensive reporting of student outcomes including enrollment, completion, and post-college earnings across colleges and majors. The bill seeks to make higher education more transparent by providing parents and students with the tools to decide which school or program is the best fit. The University of Colorado President Todd Saliman applauds the reintroduction of the bill, stating that it will give students and parents the tools they need to make informed decisions about cost and quality across academic institutions and programs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The bipartisan College Transparency Act aims to improve and expand data on postsecondary outcomes available to students and parents to inform their decisions on college and career training.
  • The bill would require comprehensive reporting of student outcomes, including enrollment, completion, and post-college earnings across colleges and majors.
  • The bill seeks to make higher education more transparent by providing parents and students with the tools to decide which school or program is the best fit.
  • The bill would modernize the current college data reporting system, which is burdensome for institutions to navigate and provides very little practical information for students and families.
  • The bill would create an updated system to close gaps in college data reporting and present the collected data on a user-friendly website for students and families.
  • The University of Colorado applauds the reintroduction of the bill, stating that it will give students and parents the tools they need to make informed decisions about cost and quality across academic institutions and programs.
  • Senator Hickenlooper previously introduced the bill in the 118th Congress and sits on the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).
  • The bill would report information back to the states and colleges to encourage them to implement new strategies to support student success.

Statistics:

  • The bill requires educational institutions to report their data to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
  • NCES would be responsible for securely storing student information and working with federal agencies to generate comprehensive reports with the collected data.
  • The bill aims to provide parents and students with the tools to decide which school or program is the best fit.

Sources:

  • Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper
  • Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
  • University of Colorado President Todd Saliman
  • Full text of the bill is available HERE (no date mentioned)

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