Higher Ed Transparency: Through a Glass Darkly?

Are colleges and universities providing misleading information to the public? Are the two public online databases (U-CAN and VSA) to which they voluntarily submit their performance data "either inadequate or deliberately ineffectual," as Bethany Stotts asks? In their March report, Education Sector and the American Enterprise Institute address these allegations in depth. They fault both the higher education institutions and the two "clearinghouses," to the extent of calling for the mandatory submission of relevant data from campuses. Claims of transparency -- where there might be little or none -- deserve much more scrutiny. Kudos to the ES and AEI for taking on this vital issue.