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Time to end colleges’
‘arms race’ of spending
Kudos to Colin Diver for his critique of U.S. News and World Report’s ill-conceived rankings of American educational institutions (“Why we should liberate students from tyranny of college rankings,” Page A7, April 26). As someone who has spent a career in higher education, I can attest to the corrupting effects these rankings have. Among other things, they have contributed to an “arms race” of spending that has driven up costs.
U.S. News rankings started in 1983. Between 1980 and 2019, college costs rose 169%. Earnings for workers 22-27 years old increased by 19%. The rankings are not the sole cause for the college-cost increase, but they play a part while motivating students to seek admission to schools that are more expensive than those that actually would meet their needs just as well or better. The quality of the educational experience differs from school to school much less than you might think.
America is the only country where people place school decals on their cars.
Thomas Sponsler
Moraga
Source: www.mercurynews.com