The Unwatched Watchdogs: How the Department of Education Fails to Properly Monitor College Accreditation Agencies

This report lays out a vision for redesigning the federal process of reviewing accreditation agencies to ensure that the Education Department conducts thorough investigations that accurately assess whether these agencies are demanding good student outcomes from the colleges they accredit. Today, the Department of Education is far less focused on student success than it is on whether accreditors comply with arcane compliance rules, such as submitting board member resumes, which is why the review process is sometimes derided as mere “box-checking.” The report begins with an overview and history of the Department of Education’s recognition, or approval, process of accrediting agencies. It then discusses challenges and provides recommendations for addressing them.