This essay from the President of Reed College discusses what it’s like to live outside (and inside) the world of college rankings, essentially asking “Are these rankings meaningful?”
https://www.reed.edu/apply/college-rankings.html
It’s a familiar story to anyone who has ever contemplated teaching to the test. As rankings/ratings/grades become more and more important, colleges/schools/students (and teachers) tend to focus more and more on those metrics, perhaps at the expense of what’s really important (whatever that might be).
A perfect rating system, presumably, would compel the rated parties to meet and expand the standard of excellence. But in practice, it seems difficult to come to a consensus about what comprises excellence, and even harder, then, to construct an appropriate rating system.
So how should we measure a college or university?
