As students headed back to classrooms this month, front of mind for me as a mother and lawmaker is Utahns’ access to a quality education. Trends like online school and educational apps for smart phones have expanded learning opportunities and opened doors for students at every level.
My experience serving on the Public Education Committee and as vice chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee in the Utah House has exposed me to some of the struggles students and their families face in the digital age.
Unlike other states, Utah is leading the way when it comes to arming prospective higher ed students with information they need to make smart decisions about their future. Talented Utahn educators and tech developers worked together to create tools and apps that help Utah families compare data about different postsecondary programs.
But much of the data that exists surrounding key metrics of a university or technical school’s student success rates are generally unreliable due to decades on no formal oversight or guardrails. There is a clear need for more transparency in the nation’s higher education system.
Unfortunately, the outdated reporting requirements and unclear outcome accountability has given some bad actors in our state’s postsecondary education system a pass to collect tuition checks without regard for student outcomes. The limited information that is available to the public on student outcomes show red flags in completion rates.
The typical institution in Utah has an eight-year completion rate of only 46% at four-year institutions according to the U.S. Department of Education. Whether you’re attending a technical college, a two-year or a four-year program, students deserve to know if a school is poised to help them graduate and compete in the workforce. It’s time to adapt our policies and pass student-focused reforms to increase transparency and accountability in institutions that are responsible for preparing the next generation of skilled workers.
We have an acute shortage of labor in key industries that can be addressed through our higher education system. I strongly believe the availability of skilled labor is a key factor in enticing industry to locate and expand in Utah. Strengthening our higher ed system is one avenue for expanding our pool of highly skilled workers.
But state lawmakers cannot accomplish this alone, we need help and leadership from Utah’s representatives at the federal level to shed light on key outcomes at higher education institutions. Passing student-focused reforms like the College Transparency Act is the right thing for Washington to do. Standing up for students is the right thing to do, regardless of political affiliation.
The CTA would establish a student-level data network with information on student outcomes, including enrollment, completion and post-college success across colleges and programs. Our higher education institutions support these changes that are long overdue. As we brace for a spike in enrollments over the next few years, now is the time to act.
The technologies exist, the data is available, students and parents are expecting data accessibility to help them make informed college decisions. In Utah, successful public-private partnerships like Keys to Success — a gamified, incentive-based college and career exploration mobile app used by almost 100,000 high school students — is hampered by the outdated data collection policies of the federal government.
I applaud Sen. Mitt Romney for his support of student focused reforms and urge those in the nation’s capital to pass this critical piece of legislation. Increased accountability in our postsecondary education system will lead to the best outcomes for our students and our economy.
State Rep. Melissa Ballard, North Salt Lake, has served on the House Public Education Committee, Transportation Committee and Criminal and Law Enforcement Committee and is the current vice chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee. She has also served on the Governor’s Utah Education Commission for the past two years.
