[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 614 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 614
Strongly supporting the quality and value of diversity and innovation
in the Nation's higher education institutions, and strongly disagreeing
with the President's proposal to create and administer a Postsecondary
Institution Ratings System.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 10, 2014
Mr. Goodlatte (for himself and Mr. Capuano) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Strongly supporting the quality and value of diversity and innovation
in the Nation's higher education institutions, and strongly disagreeing
with the President's proposal to create and administer a Postsecondary
Institution Ratings System.
Whereas the Nation's diverse higher education system, which includes community
colleges, public and private four-year colleges, faith-based colleges,
research universities, career training schools, work colleges, land
grant universities, historically Black colleges, women's colleges,
Hispanic serving institutions, institutes for the arts, and many other
specialized institutions, offers opportunity and innovation in
postsecondary education and for lifelong learning that is unmatched
anywhere in the world;
Whereas this diversity of institutions reflects the plurality and history of our
people, and the diversity of the Nation's ideas and ideals;
Whereas many of these institutions are the intellectual homes to our great
traditions of faith, social service, research, arts and humanities, all
flourishing in the Nation's free marketplace of ideas;
Whereas public, private non-profit, and for-profit institutions all compete in
the marketplace for students causing postsecondary institutions to
constantly innovate and adapt in order to meet the evolving needs of the
Nation's students;
Whereas the Department of Education already collects large amounts of data and
metrics each year from postsecondary institutions with much of this
information made publicly available to prospective students, but not in
a useful way;
Whereas most States are better equipped to distribute meaningful information
regarding the postsecondary institutions within their borders;
Whereas the Federal Government has focused its investment in higher education in
providing grants, loans and work-study funds to help low and middle
income students, who are academically qualified for college and who are
willing to work hard, attend college, but has left the choice of
institution, and the responsibility of effort for success, up to
students and their families;
Whereas institutions that educate students who receive these funds are and shall
continue to be accountable for the appropriate use of those funds, and
must already go through private accreditation, State authorization, as
well as Federal eligibility certification processes to be able to
participate in the Federal student aid programs;
Whereas the amount of Federal aid a student receives is determined by Congress
through need analysis formulas in the Higher Education Act and through
the annual appropriations process, and may only be adjusted on a case by
case basis by a campus Financial Aid Officer, and may not be adjusted by
the Administration;
Whereas the development of a Postsecondary Institution Ratings System has been
proposed by the current Administration to rate and compare the value of
colleges, and to base the amount of need a low-income student receives
not exclusively on need, but, also, on the Administration's rating of
the college that student chooses to attend;
Whereas the Administration has suggested this rating system will put a
particular emphasis on graduates' earnings, suggesting that institutions
that produce graduates who go into public service, the military,
ministry, non-profit work, or who stay at home to care for family are
somehow less worthy of support than institutions that produce graduates
who go into more lucrative fields;
Whereas the Administration has said the rating system will also give
consideration to graduation rates of traditional students, thereby
disadvantaging institutions that have a mission to serve students who
are first generation to college, persons with learning disabilities,
veterans and other adults who are resuming education while also working
and caring for families;
Whereas a rating system built around a handful of factors chosen by the
Department of Education is likely to lead to greater standardization,
less choice, and less innovation;
Whereas a rating system built around a handful of factors chosen by the
Department of Education is reductionist in nature and will overlook many
of the qualitative benefits that accrue to individuals and communities
from a college degree, including, but not limited to, greater civic
participation, better health, greater appreciation of the arts and
culture, and critical reasoning skills; and
Whereas a Federal rating system will likely carry an image of validity that will
mislead the people of the United States on college choice, decrease the
ability of colleges to openly compete with each other in the
marketplace, and replace the free choices of students and their
families, informed by their values, with monetary measures determined by
the Federal Government: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) students and families should maintain the right and
responsibility of determining where to enroll for postsecondary
education;
(2) the Federal Government, in conjunction with States and
accreditors, has a responsibility to ensure that the
significant taxpayer funds that are invested in student aid
each year are appropriately spent, and has tools such as
program reviews and eligibility and certification procedures
that should be better targeted to those purposes;
(3) the Federal Government also has a positive role it
could play in making information available to enable informed
choices about postsecondary education available to prospective
students and the Administration should work collaboratively
with the higher education community to make that information
more consumer friendly and accessible to those students and
their families; and
(4) the Administration's proposal to rate postsecondary
institutions through an oversimplified Federal rating system
that is not supported by postsecondary institutions, statute,
or by the House of Representatives, will lead to less choice,
diversity, and innovation, and should be rejected.
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