The Spaces Between Numbers: Getting International Data on Higher Education Straight
Published Nov 2009
Explains differences in data on postsecondary attainment used in international rankings and its influence on policy. The US measures attainment by institution, not system
The research report, The Spaces Between Numbers: Getting International Data on Higher Education Straight, reveals that U.S. graduation rates remain comparable to those of other developed countries despite news stories about our nation losing its global competitiveness because of slipping college graduation rates. The only major difference—the data most commonly highlighted, but rarely understood—is the categorization of graduation rate data. The United States measures its attainment rates by “institution” while other developed nations measure their graduation rates by “system.”