Can A National Student Database Cheapen The College Experience
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has proposed that the federal government create a database that includes information on outcomes for individual college graduates, such as how much money they earn after they get a degree in a particular major. That’s according to a report that a commission sponsored by the foundation released in May 2021.
I asked the U.S. Education Department if they plan to adopt the proposed database, but did not get a yes-or-no answer.
“There are currently statutory prohibitions against the department developing a new national database on student information,” said Melanie Muenzer, chief of staff for the Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal.
Muenzer said the department is reviewing the commission’s recommendations. “We anticipate more conversations with comm...