"This policy paper is intended as a primer for policymakers on lessons learned from decades of experience
with the federal system of higher education accreditation.
It streamlines, updates, and expands ACTA's 2002
investigation, Can College Accreditation Live Up to Its Promise? At that time the authors found that accreditation
did not ensure quality, was not protecting the curriculum from serious degradation, and was giving students, parents, and
public decision-makers almost no useful information about institutions of higher education.
Recounting recent
stories from the "front lines," this new investigation finds that things have only become worse. Congress rightly
wants to ensure that federal student aid funds do not go to "fly by night" operations. But there are other and better
ways to achieve that result, and they are outlined in this publication." ACTA/January 2007
