A federal government initiative to rate public colleges and universities has been undertaken by the U.S. Department of Education. Performance measures for K-12 education have been part of the federal funding initiative for many years with such programs as No Child Left Behind. However, ratings for colleges and universities by the government or not-for-profit organizations have not been developed. To learn more about the federal initiative two Web sites will be helpful-the U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov/college-affordability/college-ratings-and-paying-performance) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) (www.sheeo.org). Use these Web sites and other resources to complete this case.
Required
a. What is the purpose of and who will primarily be affected by the U.S. Department of Education's proposal to rate colleges and universities?
b. What is PIRS?
c. What are the three key metrics that will be used in the rating system?
d. When is the rating system projected to be implemented?
e. What are some strengths and weaknesses of such a system?