Senator Mike Lee discussed his vision for conservative education reform that would provide aspiring students and professionals greater access to federal aid and innovative educational programs at the Heritage Foundation Tuesday.
The Utah senator addressed the importance of helping more Americans obtain post-secondary education in today’s economy, and how the current makeup of the federal student loan and accreditation systems is standing in the way.
“Some combination of higher education and vocational training should at least be an option for just about everyone who graduates from high school,” Lee said. “Yet today, the federal government restricts access to higher education and inflates its cost, inuring unfairly to the advantage of special interests at the expense of students, teachers, and taxpayers.”
Because eligibility for federal student loans is tied to federal accreditation, eager students and teachers, transformative technologies, and cost-saving innovations are all “shut out,” according to Lee.
To open up the market, Lee announced he is introducing the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act, which would give states a new option to enter into agreements with the Department of Education to create their own, alternative accreditation systems. The effect would be to help provide new, flexible education and training options for students who qualify for federal aid.
Specialized programs, individual courses, apprenticeships, professional credentialing and even online courses would be accredited, opening up opportunities for non-traditional students to earn a degree. Such ‘a la carte’ education and training would allow a wide range of organizations, from businesses and trade groups to churches and charities, to offer qualified, specially targeted courses.
“Imagine having access to credit and student aid for a program in computer science accredited by Apple or in music accredited by the New York Philharmonic,” Lee gave as an example.
Expanding the market this way would not only allow organizations and potential students new avenues in education they otherwise would not have, Lee argued. It also would create some healthy competition with existing ‘brick-and-ivy’ schools — which Lee granted “will always be the backbone of our higher education system.”
“But they shouldn’t be the only option,” he said. “If these new models were to succeed, they would create a virtuous cycle. Traditional colleges would be impelled to cut waste, refocus on their students, and embrace innovation and experimentation as part of their campus cultures.”
The Utah Republican said that this is exactly what conservative reform in education should look like — “an open, affordable, innovative higher education system to better serve and secure all Americans in a global information economy.”
