Higher education is finally getting some attention from Republicans in Congress.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R- Fla.) introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity (HERO) Act Wednesday, the House companion legislation to what was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Mike Lee (R- Utah).
The HERO Act would allow states to create their own accreditation systems for higher education institutions. They could create systems and industry-based accreditation boards that could rate alternative institutions, programs, or even individual courses under the act.It would not to replace the current regional accreditation bodies.
Right now federal dollars can only be used at accredited colleges and this would widen the numbers of institutions and programs that would qualify for aid.
DeSantis believes this would make college more accessible and affordable.
“As the cost of higher education continues to rise, putting a burden on our economy and middle class families, students and families would benefit from alternatives to traditional brick-and-ivy institutions,” DeSantis said in a statement.
“Allowing Title IV funds to flow to education programs accredited by state systems will help our nation’s students to pursue the skills and education that they need to succeed in their chosen fields. Congress should empower states with the ability to accredit programs that will better serve the education needs of students. This reform could usher in an era of innovation in higher education that will make the acquisition of advanced skills readily attainable at affordable prices.”
Lee said that the problem with the current system is that the government has just continued to throw money at the problem, but never thought innovatively about how to change it.
“The basic problem with our higher education system isn’t a lack of funding from the American taxpayer, but a lack of imagination by Washington policymakers,” Lee said in a news release.
“For far too long the arbiters of education standards and the gatekeepers of student loan funds have presumed that a bachelor’s degree conferred by an elite, four-year institution is the only standard with which all higher education options must be judged. The HERO Act solves this problem by allowing states to create their own alternative systems of accrediting Title IV-eligible higher education providers, enabling our post-secondary education system to become as diverse and nimble as the job-creating industries looking to hire.”
