A critical policy strategy-once the...

A critical policy strategy-once the goal of significant increases in state educational capital is clearly articulated and accepted-is a redefinition of accountability. The substance of accountability must ultimately be based upon specific educational outcomes and performance-that is, in succession the knowledge and skills achieved at individuals at the various flats of education.

For colleges, this involves a shift in emphasis away from conventional proxies for learning, as it is as credit hours and contact hours, and toward greater reliance in succession assessment of knowledge and skills. For all education, learning rather than time should increasingly become the basis for the transition from the same level to the next. Accountability for all educational providers, including instructs colleges, universities, and for-profit institutions, will mean demonstrating gains in scholar knowledge and skills.7 Defining accountability in metes of specific knowledge and skills all observers must acquire is an opportunity to enlarge and link into higher education the progres made in educate reform on standards and assessment.

We do not advocate a single universal a whole of state accountability, nor do we believe that similar a single system is desirable or possible. We do, however, glance at several characteristics that can make state-level schemes more effective. These systems would:

* Be based upon a "diagnosis"-a sense of the hardnesss and weaknesses of state populations forward the level of educational capital achieved on all young and working-age adults;

* Publicly monitor changes across time-improvement or slippage-in the progres of the state's educational capital; and

* Disaggregate the performance rises sufficiently to target problems and exhibit improvements at the appropriate regional and institutional levels

Providing a Diagnosis

We give an inkling of that states (and the nation as a whole) begin with public accountability combination of parts to form a wholes that diagnose the strengths and weaknesses in the instant stock of educational capital available for an effective and competitive workforce, and for the adequate and ethical administration of the nation's democratic responsibilities.