School daze - Letters

Washington Monthly, Nov, 2001 by Robert Embry, Jr.

Thank you for your excellent article on U.S. colleges and universities ("Broken Ranks," September 2001). As past president of state and city boards of education and president of a foundation largely devoted to pre-college education, it has troubled me that, unlike K-12 schools, colleges and universities offer no information as to the job they are doing in educating undergraduates. In addition to U.S. News, pressure for such information could be exerted by ongress (a condition for receiving federal loans and grants) and/or state commissions of higher education, which could require it.

As to your excellent point on "time on task," you might have noted how the college school year has shrunk. A study a few years ago found that the average number of instructional days at the top colleges had fallen from 192 in the 1960s to 168 today. K-12 public schools in Maryland are required to be open 180 days.

ROBERT EMBRY, JR.
President, The Abell Foundation
Baltimore, Md.