I’ve been surprised at the reaction to my earlier plea for accreditation reform (see below) with more than a few people contacting me offline to offer support but in doing so, revealing that they did not feel able to say this out loud in their own schools and departments. That is truly worrying. IF we cannot openly discuss this because of fear among faculty, then something is really wrong. Nearly as worrying, but probably with an ironic twist, it was pointed out to me that the Williamson Report of 1923 invoked the need for ALA-related accreditation as the schools of the time were felt to be unable to raise standards. Well now look where we are.
I seem to find myself on the same side as the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, ACTA, though a close reading of their various publications gives me pause. Let’s just say, we share the same concern that accreditation no long ensures quality, and leave it there.
The real point though is that everyone, in principle, believes accreditation should ensure a certain standard of educational experience. When then, did this setting of standards become so tied to processes of endless review and targets that show so little relevance to real world needs? Maybe ACTA are not so far off when they state that too often accrediting agencies act as monopolies, are a costly nuisance and offer no guarantees of quality. Surely it’s time to revisit this whole mess?