Rebuilding Accountability in Higher Education
It’s time to measure what counts.
Robin Capehart
Aug 31
The Burden of Expectations
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American higher education operated under a clear double standard. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) faced a unique set of challenges that predominantly white institutions (PWIs) did not experience.
Researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) call this the “burden of expectations.” Under this double standard, Black institutions had to constantly prove their educational value, administrative quality, and student success to outside critics.
During this era, early HBCUs faced intense scrutiny. This weight of expectations came from three main areas:
Social Pressures: Active public debates of the time questioned whether higher academic education was practical for African Americans. Because of these widespread doubts, HBCUs felt constant pressure to show that their academic programs met high standards. Students also knew that their personal achievements would directly affect the standing and reputation of their school.
Political Pressures: Lawmakers across the country frequently questioned the funding, relevance, and necessity of HBCUs. Because public support was never guaranteed, these schools had to continually prove their worth to maintain their operating budgets and official charters.
Economic Pressures: HBCUs routinely received far less public funding than established white colleges. Despite operating with much smaller budgets, fewer facilities and limited resources, they were expected to deliver an education equal to well-funded public universities.
Despite these resource gaps and extra hurdles, early HBCUs maintained high academic standards. They became leading centers for higher learning and professional training. Ultimately, they produced a major share of the nation’s highly skilled and highly-regarded doctors, lawyers, teachers, and business leaders.
Today’s Drop in Public Confidence
Today, public trust in the value of a college degree is rapidly dropping. A recent 2026 Gallup poll highlighted this growing public skepticism. The study revealed that only 38% of U.S. adults expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education. This was a noticeable drop from 57% in 2015.
This decline in confidence was just as sharp among people who held a college degree, falling from 56% down to 36% over the same period. This figure is virtually the same for those without a college degree (35%).
Much of this public skepticism stems from a growing belief that colleges fail to prepare graduates for the workforce. Employers frequently express concern about the actual skills of recent college graduates.
A national study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) supported this point. The study found that only 33% of business leaders believe colleges and universities are doing a good job preparing students for the challenges of today’s global economy.
A primary cause of this trend is the loss of the burden of expectations that once drove higher education. Today, most colleges operate without clear standards set by state lawmakers, governing boards, or oversight agencies.
Outside of specific professional fields like health care and law that require licensing exams, colleges face very little pressure to prove that their students are actually learning. When institutions are not held to clear standards, their drive to achieve excellence fades. This lack of accountability leads to a decline in the overall quality of education.
Why Current Accreditation Systems Fail
Colleges typically point to accreditation as proof of their quality and academic rigor. Accreditation is an official quality review that universities undergo to confirm they meet basic operational standards. However, a closer look shows that this process fails to ensure real accountability or academic success.
Accreditation agencies focus almost entirely on process and compliance rather than student learning outcomes. During an evaluation, accreditors inspect an institution’s resources, governance structure, course catalogs, faculty credentials and student support services. While these factors help set a baseline, following a set process does not mean students are receiving a great education.
This compliance-focused system creates several major problems:
Checklist Mentality: A college can check every official box regarding staff credentials and campus facilities while still falling short in teaching students effectively.
Lack of Outcome Measures: Traditional accreditation reviews rarely evaluate whether graduates possess actual workforce skills or job capabilities.
False Security: Accreditation creates a surface-level appearance of accountability without verifying if the university is fulfilling its primary mission to educate and prepare students for the future.
This issue is made worse by the absence of real consequences. Reports from the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) point out that higher education lacks a system of rewards for strong performance or penalties for poor performance. Without active scrutiny, rewards for success or penalties for failure, a university’s focus on actual student learning and job readiness steadily weakens over time.
Five Ways to Measure Educational Quality
To rebuild public confidence and improve educational standards, state lawmakers, university governing boards and college presidents need to establish clear, transparent and measurable expectations focused directly on student learning. Instead of relying on passive accreditation checklists, leaders should implement five practical tools to measure true educational quality:
1. Competency-Based Assessments: Rather than relying solely on traditional letter grades or classroom hours, colleges should test students directly on their mastery of specific skills and knowledge areas. This provides a clear, objective picture of what students have actually learned.
2. Employer Feedback: Universities should regularly gather structured feedback from companies and managers who hire recent graduates. Conducting systematic surveys and interviews with employers offers direct insight into whether students are truly prepared for the modern workforce.
3. Post-Graduation Outcomes: Instead of measuring success by graduation rates alone, institutions should track what happens to students after they leave campus. Key metrics should include job placement rates in relevant career fields, starting salary levels, and rates of career advancement over time.
4. Student Feedback: Current students offer important first-hand insights into the daily learning experience. Regular surveys can help university leaders identify strong teaching practices as well as areas that need immediate improvement.
5. Lifelong Learning Opportunities: Higher education should support and value programs that serve adult learners who return to school throughout their careers. Recognizing universities that offer continuous learning opportunities helps institutions better serve their surrounding communities.
By combining these clear metrics with an active system of rewards and consequences, state leaders can encourage colleges to focus squarely on student growth and career readiness. Early HBCUs demonstrated that high expectations can inspire remarkable achievement and push institutions toward excellence. By restoring strong standards and holding modern colleges accountable for real results, we can improve the quality of higher education and better prepare graduates for the modern workforce.
Robin Capehart served thirteen years as president of two universities. He is currently a Senior Consultant with Collegiate Consulting.