"To succeed in our ever-changing, ever-flattening world, students need critical thinking and problem-solving skills—the kind that our higher education system has always excelled at providing. At the same time, we're counting on institutions like yours to adapt and grow to serve more students of every age and background... because it's not just the world that's changing; our nation is changing, too. And we must ensure that higher education is keeping pace." "We expect transparency and accountability for our tax dollars in almost every area of our government—from housing to health care to K-12 education. But in higher education, we've invested tens of billions of taxpayer dollars over the years and basically just hoped for the best." "We must continue this national dialogue on how we can strengthen higher education to best meet the needs of our students in the 21st century. Our aim is simply to ensure that in a new era of global competition, higher education remains the path to the American dream, and that more Americans have access to it."

		More Resources Symposium Website

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today delivered remarks at the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative's National Symposium on Postsecondary Student Success at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Following are her prepared remarks:

Thank you, Michael [Nettles] for that kind introduction. You've devoted your entire career to ensuring that students of every age, race, and background have the opportunity to succeed in college, and along the way, you've helped improve the lives of millions of people in our country. I'm honored to be here with you and so many outstanding administrators, researchers, and policymakers to talk about how to define and measure success so that America's higher education system remains the finest in the world.

Thanks to people like you, higher education has long been one of the undeniable strengths of our nation. In quality, diversity, and character, it's the envy of the world. American universities have been the incubators of great ideas, the birthplaces of great inventions, and the testing grounds of great individuals—all thanks to their great tradition of questioning long-held assumptions, testing new theories, and refining newer and better ways of getting the job done.

The rigorous inquiry and analysis that have defined the academy for generations are now more important than ever. As Harvard's Interim President Derek Bok told you yesterday, "College students are... competing for the first time with very bright, ambitious people all over the world who are... anxious to get their share of the largest and most successful economy in the world."

To succeed in our ever-changing, ever-flattening world, students need critical thinking and problem-solving skills—the kind that our higher education system has always excelled at providing. At the same time, we're counting on institutions like yours to adapt and grow to serve more students of every age and background... because it's not just the world that's changing; our nation is changing, too. And we must ensure that higher education is keeping pace.

Nearly two-thirds of all high-growth, high-wage jobs created in the next decade will require a college degree; a degree only one-third of Americans have. Unlike when I was growing up, you now need a high school diploma and a couple of years of college to succeed as a mechanic or plumber or electrician.

Meanwhile, college tuition increases are outpacing inflation and family income... and even doubling the cost of health care! Of those who do attend, only half will graduate on time... and many will be so saddled with debt they can't afford to buy a home or start a family.

As a mother of a college sophomore, I want to know why ... and I know other parents do too!

We expect transparency and accountability for our tax dollars in almost every area of our government—from housing to health care to K-12 education. But in higher education, we've invested tens of billions of taxpayer dollars over the years and basically just hoped for the best.

That may have been acceptable when you could make a good living off the sweat of your brow, but now, the absence of information means we can't answer basic questions families have during the college selection process.

For example, how long will it take to get a degree? Will this institution prepare me for the field I want to work in? And how much is this education really going to cost? When my daughter applied to college two years ago, I found it challenging to get the answers I needed. And I'm the Secretary of Education!

You can find plenty of rankings and college guides, but you're out of luck if you want to find an answer to the question that matters most: How much are students learning? A recent report showed that instead of gauging student success, the most popular college rankings are "almost entirely a function of three factors: fame, wealth, and exclusivity."

That's certainly of little or no help to the 2 million lower income students who will not be able to attend college this year because they can't afford it... or to millions more who are discouraged by skyrocketing sticker prices that often don't reflect the actual cost of attendance.

The lack of data also hurts institutions. As Lewis and Clark College President Thomas Hochstettler put it, "we in academia know remarkably little about what emerges from the vast and diverse system of higher education"—for example, why students drop out, what predicts their success or failure, and how to help a more diverse student body succeed.

We can't answer these questions without better information—and you're the people who can work to provide it.

Higher education leaders like Tom Bailey of Columbia University, George Kuh of Indiana University, Jim Hearn of the University of Georgia, and Donna Alvarado of the Ohio Board of Regents have been grappling with these issues for a long time. And already, states like Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas are using data to measure how well students are doing in the classroom and on job market.

As we look to the future, I'll do everything I can to support the good work you're doing. With the help of my bipartisan Commission on the Future of Higher Education, I recently announced my plan to make higher education more accessible, affordable, and accountable.

The plan includes steps to bring high standards and accountability to our high schools... so that colleges and universities like yours can minimize time spent teaching basic skills students should have learned in high school. It would also increase need-based financial aid, and make the entire aid system much easier to navigate.

But today I want to focus on data—because you're the data experts, and our country urgently needs your help.

We live in the "Information Age." If you want to buy a new car you go online and compare a full range of models, makes, and pricing options. And when you're done, you'll know everything from how well each car holds its value down to wheel size and number of cup-holders.

The same transparency and ease should be the case when students and families shop for colleges, especially when one year of college can cost more than a car!

That's why I want to work with colleges and universities to create a privacy-protected higher education information system. More than 40 states already have systems like this in place, but they are 40 islands unto themselves... and because they vary, it's hard to compare results from one to another.

That kind of localized system may work when you're dealing with kindergarten through 12th grade, but it's not helpful when it comes to college and you're trying to compare options: in-state versus out-of-state, public versus private, community college versus four-year.

The information would be closely protected. It would not identify individual students, nor be tied to personal information. Armed with this data, we can re-design my Department's existing college search website to answer critical questions such as: How much is this school really going to cost? How long will it take to get my degree?

Some people don't believe that success can be measured in higher education—and many have said as much—but not you. This symposium culminates years of research on how high-quality measurement can improve learning and teaching.

Of course, we all know that education is not a one-size-fits-all enterprise. Success means different things to a 22-year-old full-time student than it does to a 45-year-old part-time student... and success for a trade school differs from success for a graduate program. Diversity and customization have always been among our system's greatest strengths, and we must preserve them. Not every aspect of the educational experience can be measured and compared. At the same time, we should certainly be able to ask institutions whether they're meeting their own unique goals.

Better information will help students and families be smart consumers, and help policymakers and college administrators do a better job managing the system and serving their most important clients—students. And you're the people who can provide it.

I call on everyone here to help make this system a reality. We at the Education Department are committed to supporting your efforts. As part of my higher education plan, we'll provide matching funds to colleges, universities, and states that collect and publicly report student learning outcomes. No institution will be required to participate, but those that do will reap the benefits of data to show off their strengths to prospective students and alumni... and to show legislatures and taxpayers how much their investments accomplish.

I look forward to meeting with higher education leaders over the coming months to identify the needs of their members. And this spring, I'll convene a summit to discuss the full slate of recommendations, our progress, and specific responsibilities going forward... and I want people like you to be front and center.

When it comes to our children's futures, I like to say, "In God we trust; all others, bring data." In K-12 education, we've seen the benefits of transparency and accountability for a long time. When it comes to higher education, families, taxpayers, and administrators deserve to know they're basing decisions on the facts about a university, not its fame.

We must continue this national dialogue on how we can strengthen higher education to best meet the needs of our students in the 21st century. Our aim is simply to ensure that in a new era of global competition, higher education remains the path to the American dream, and that more Americans have access to it.

Thank you, and I'd be happy to answer your questions.

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