There’s a certain irony at play, as of late, when it comes to accreditation. In Washington, the Trump administration is trying to lower barriers to entry in higher education by calling for targeted reviews of accreditors’ policies and practices. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers in a growing number of states are introducing laws requiring new K–12 schools to meet a variety of input-based requirements before they become eligible for Education Savings Account (ESA) dollars. The most visible proposed rule? Get accredited.
But accreditation wasn’t built for quality control; rather, its agencies and processes were designed to support ongoing school improvement. Counting on accreditation to ward off fraud and to ensure quality poses two major hazards. Not only might policymakers fail in their objectives, but they also are likely protecting existing institutions—and consigning education entrepreneurs to mounds of red tape that will delay and block new schools from getting off the ground.
The good news? At least one accreditor is innovating to create a less onerous process that focuses on the essentials. We can only hope states will rethink what they’re really trying to incentivize as a result.
