Measuring Up
Purpose For this Assignment, you will briefly research higher education in your home state (Virginia) and write a 2-page summary to be submitted by the last day of Unit 2. Every state in America has a different way of structuring and regulating higher education within its boundaries, and radical, surprising differences can exist between the way things are done in the colleges and universities in one state versus the practices of another state. Even neighboring states can be entirely different in their organization and regulations for their educational institutions. It is, therefore, a very good idea for you to understand the condition of higher education in your home state. Instructions Begin by accessing a well-known indicator of colleges and universities in each state, Measuring Up. It will give you a profile of your state’s practices, and the relative well-being of higher education there. You should have reviewed this report in the Unit 1 Reading. You will find the 2008 Measuring Up Report, the most current issue available, at http://measuringup2008.highereducation.org/. You should cover the following points in your summary paper: • An introduction that briefly describes the state that you are covering. • Demographics for higher education in your state; for example, types of postsecondary institutions, numbers of students, graduation rates, and so forth. • The condition of higher education in your home state as determined by the Measuring Up report. • A comparison of your state against national averages from the Measuring Up report. • Your opinion of the condition of higher education in your state. Do you agree or disagree with the grade given your state in the Measuring Up report? • A list of the resources used to prepare your paper. Be sure to format your references according to APA style. Visit the Kaplan Writing Center for sample APA citations and references. The link to the Writing Center is available from the Academic Tools tab. The following resources will be helpful in researching your state’s higher education systems. •Your state department of education’s website •The National Center for Education Statistics at http://nces.ed.gov •The Council for Higher Education Accreditation website at http://www.chea.org/Directories/regional.asp This Assignment addresses the following unit learning outcome: • Describe higher education as an industry. It also addresses the following course outcome: •HE510-1: Describe the complexity of higher education in the United States and how it evolved.