Talk of Change Is Not Change

What is wrong with undergraduate higher education in the United States cannot be “fixed” in any of the usual senses of that word. Most recent proposals for reforming higher education miss the real point by focusing on reducing costs and increasing productivity and efficiency in one way or another. Each approach has its own fierce advocates and cynical detractors, but all of them circle the real target — the insufficient quality and quantity of learning in higher education — at some distance. The most commonly recommended strategy — infusing tough-minded business principles to improve management accountability — would produce nicer financial statements while continuing to divert attention from what is really needed: a complete rethinking of higher education.