NC Higher Education Report Card

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ncinsider.com #2 COLLEGES ASSESSED: The cost and quality of higher education varies significantly depending on where people live, according to a report by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The report assigned letter grades to the 50 states based on five criteria. The group found "the benefits from higher education in America are unevenly and often unfairly distributed," said Gov. Jim Hunt, chairman of the center's board of directors. The report, "Measuring Up 2000," graded each state's public and private universities and community colleges on preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and benefits. The group found that "the benefits from higher education in America are unevenly and often unfairly distributed," said Gov. Jim Hunt, chairman of the center's board of directors (John Wagner, McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, 12/1). North Carolina received an A for affordability, but got a D for participation -- the number of high school graduates going directly to college -- and a D-plus for economic benefits from higher education. The state received a B for college preparation, a score that pleased Hunt, and a B-plus for the number of students completing college within five years. The report tried to put a price on performance gaps between whites and other ethnic groups. It estimated, for example, that if all ethnic groups in North Carolina had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total personal income in the state would be $8 billion higher, and the state would collect an additional $2.8 billion in taxes. The group acknowledged one shortcoming. While the report provides several measures of quality, it doesn't show how well college students are learning. Officials had hoped to include such a grade but discovered no reliable data is available nationwide. The full report and details of the state's grades can be found at www.highereducation.org.

-- Andrew Payne (andrewpayne@wknc.org), December 01, 2000


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