U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today delivered remarks at the semiannual meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). She underscored the importance of transparency in higher education and highlighted the need to provide families with valuable information about institutions so parents and students can make informed education decisions. Following are her prepared remarks.

Thank you. I appreciate this opportunity to talk to you today. I'm grateful to have such an accomplished group of advisors. You've all worked on issues of access, accountability, and workforce development. Together, you have nearly three centuries of experience serving students and families.

NACIQI is hardly a household name. But whether or not they know it, millions of students and taxpayers count on this body to maintain quality in postsecondary education.

The accrediting process that we oversee helps maintain public trust in higher education. It began more than a century ago as a voluntary agreement to provide a threshold standard of quality. Today, it's the primary safeguard for millions of students and billions of taxpayer dollars.

All of us know that our higher education system is in a period of transformation. Where a college degree was once a sign of privilege, it's now all but a prerequisite for opportunity. As a result, our postsecondary system is now called upon to serve a larger, more diverse group of people with diverse and ever-changing needs who are entering into an ever-changing labor market.

As higher education changes, so must our accreditation system. Instead of only looking at process, we must work to emphasize results. The need for these changes is already overdue. And it will only grow more important and urgent as we move ahead.

You and I are charged by the Congress and the President with ensuring that this process rests in capable hands and that it serves students first. Together, we recognize authorities on institutional quality. In turn, they decide which colleges earn accreditation, and thereby become eligible for tens of billions of student and taxpayer dollars.

We are the only independent gatekeepers in the accrediting system. Without us, the process would be organized and governed by the same people it's meant to evaluate.

We do not expect medical or financial professionals to do their work without independent oversight. And we share a fiduciary duty and a statutory duty to serve consumer and taxpayer interest in higher education, just as we do in other fields. Students rely on us to oversee issues from student outcomes to student lending.

As any manufacturer will tell you, it's more effective to exercise quality control at the front end than to inspect defects at the finish line.

By law, student learning is a core part of accreditation. Unfortunately, students are often the least informed, and the last to be considered. Accreditation remains one of the least publicized, least transparent parts of higher education—even compared to our Byzantine and bewildering financial aid system.

Most students don't know that different types of accreditation exist until they encounter hurdles. Every year, millions repeat coursework because their credentials don't transfer. As a result, billions of dollars are wasted, not to mention lost time, productivity, and talent.

Accreditation remains veiled and confusing even for many within the higher education community. My department and the Congress have heard from many who have little knowledge of how they're being judged. If institutions are placed on probation, they may not know what's required to return to good standing.

Further, the great variation in how accreditors understand and interpret their role may have the unintended consequence of limiting options for students—particularly in these dynamic times. As institutions add new locations, launch distance education programs, develop new degrees, and undergo changes in ownership, the lack of consistent standards can impede their ability to meet marketplace demands.

As demand for higher education grows, these issues become more and more urgent. And NACIQI's role is essential. Transparency in due process and decision-making is critical not only for this body but also for accreditors. Students and institutions need and deserve more openness, transparency, and consistency.

We brag that our system of higher education is the finest the world has ever known. From research universities to community colleges, the range of offerings is unparalleled.

I've been proud to lead delegations of university presidents to Asia and Latin America. Everywhere we go, we talk about the diversity of American higher education—diversity that makes us the envy of others around the globe.

We at the U.S. Department of Education have never, and would never, work to undermine that diversity or excellence. I attended the University of Houston. It would be nearly impossible to equate my experience with yours at Boston College, Crystal, or with the different experiences of many other students nationwide.

Every institution has its own unique strengths and attributes. But on behalf of consumers, be they students, families, or institutions, we have the right and the responsibility to ask for more and better information.

In any enterprise, informed consumers can make smarter choices. The more knowledge students have, the easier it is to find the school that suits their needs. And the easier it is for taxpayers to see what their investments yield.

In this information age, consumers want to know, how will this college serve my aspirations? And at what cost? These are reasonable questions, especially because a college education is often one of the most important, costly, and time-consuming investments ever made.

I'm heartened that many in higher education are beginning to answer this call. They're anxious to tell their stories and share the amazing opportunities they're offering. James Madison University's website says, "Some say their education programs are successful.... at JMU, we can prove it!"

Nearly 20 years ago, institutions in North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and other states began publishing student achievement data. And this past October, a coalition of 19 college systems and 16 states announced that they will begin sharing information that has never before been publicly available, including graduation rates for nontraditional and low-income students.

We owe it to students and families to reinforce these efforts. As one of my critics has said: "We're educators—if you feel that there is not enough information out there, well, by golly, we'll give it to you."

That's exactly what my commission on higher education called for. Particularly because institutions already have most of this data—we just need to work to make it more widely known.

To help the process along, my Department recently awarded a $2.4 million dollar grant to help institutions measure student achievement in ways that speak to their own unique missions. These measures will not, and should not, ever constitute a one-size-fits-all system.

Let me repeat: no one-size-fits-all measures. No standardized tests. All I ask is that institutions be more clear about the benefits they offer to students. Through the accrediting process, we can help bring this about.

If we do our jobs well students will be able to base their actions on a more full and complete understanding of their options. Policymakers will be better able to assure taxpayers that institutions receiving their support are reputable and effective. Governors and state legislators will be better able to direct their resources. Employers will be better able to see that graduates are prepared to do their jobs. And university leaders will be better able to refine and improve their offerings.

I realize that achieving these goals is an extremely difficult task. That's all the more reason to be ever-mindful of our responsibilities to students and families.

If you ever doubt the need or appetite for your mission, consider the U.S. News college rankings. It's been called the "swimsuit edition" of postsecondary reporting. Within 72 hours of its release, the U.S. News website was viewed 10 million times.

There's a reason why this magazine is so popular. As I said before, families know that selecting and paying for college is one of the most important and costly decisions they will ever make. They need and deserve the best information to guide them. And they should be able to get it from the people who make our higher education system the envy of the world.

Thank you.

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