To achieve Greater Expectations, the National Panel strongly recommends...

enlightened public policies tied to concerted action. College learning has assumed a new centrality in our knowledge-intensive society. While the complexity and importance of the challenges presented by higher education's new role certainly warrant a long list of recommendations, the panel selected the most important and grouped them under five broad headings. They indicate commitments needed from society, as well as changes in education itself. The action steps highlighted throughout the narrative are repeated here as examples of specific initiatives through which change can occur.

Recommendations

Implement policy in support of greater achievement:

All stakeholders commit to the dual policy goals of universal access
to college learning of high quality and preparation for all students to succeed at this demanding level.

Important Action Steps:

• Produce standards and assessments that focus on intellectual capacities and reflect the complex nature of learning and learning styles.
  Initiators of action: State and federal policymakers, informed by conversations with educational leaders.
• Base institutional accountability on demonstrated student success in achieving liberal education outcomes.
  Initiators of action: State and federal policymakers, boards of trustees, accrediting associations.
• Provide sustained resources for universal readiness and college success.
  Initiators of action: State and federal policymakers, school boards.

Expect greater achievement:

Secondary and collegiate educators articulate and implement clear, aligned goals for learning to guide students purposefully from high school through college.

Important Action Steps:

• Organize regular, continuous conversations between high school and college educators about learning outcomes, curricula, and
  teaching practices.
  Initiators of action: College professors and high school teachers.
• Expect high school seniors to complete a substantial, integrative piece of independent work to demonstrate their readiness for college-level work.
  Initiators of action: High school teachers and principals.
• Create a mechanism to coordinate advanced placement, dual enrollment, and remedial college courses.
  Initiators of action: Professors from community colleges, baccalaureate-granting colleges, and universities; high school teachers; and the organizations responsible for national assessments of educational quality.
• Expect college seniors to complete an integrative, capstone experience as evidence of advanced college-level learning.
  Initiators of action: College and university professors and employers.
• Reach greater achievement on individual campuses: Colleges and universities commit to becoming intentional, learning- centered institutions and set timetables for achieving these goals.

Reach greater achievement on individual campuses:

Colleges and universities commit to becoming intentional, earningcentered institutions and set timetables for achieving these goals.

Important Action Steps:

• Each college and university sets explicit goals for student learning so academic department and general education outcomes can align with them.
  Initiators of action: College and university faculties.
• Colleges and universities implement curricula to develop student knowledge and intellectual capacities cumulatively and sequentially, drawing on all types of courses (general education, the major, electives) and non-course experiences.
  Initiators of action: College and university faculties and deans.
• Faculty members across disciplines and departments assume collective responsibility for the entire curriculum to ensure every student an enriching liberal education.
  Initiators of action: College and university faculties.
• College and university faculty members focus on important student outcomes, regularly assess student progress, base teaching on research about learning, and raise expectations of student achievement.
  Initiators of action: College and university faculties.
• Centers of teaching and learning on every campus make available significant resources to support faculty members as they assume the responsibilities of learning-centered education.
  Initiators of action: College and university deans.
• Faculty reward systems value learning-centered education.
  Initiators of action: College and university faculties and deans.
• Campus leaders place their institution's vision of liberal education at the center of strategic planning efforts and resource allocation.
  Initiators of action: Presidents, boards of trustees, chief academic officers, and deans.

Prepare for greater achievement throughout the entire system of education:

While students assume more responsibility for their studies, each college, university, and high school commits to functioning as part of a larger system to improve the level and quality of student learning.

Important Action Steps:

• Restructure the professional preparation of elementary and secondary school teachers to give them deep knowledge of the disciplines they will teach, as well as of effective teaching strategies.
  Initiators of action: Faculties of arts and sciences and education, state boards of education, education program accrediting associations.
• Reform doctoral education so college professors are prepared to be effective educators as well as scholars.
  Initiators of action: University graduate faculties, in partnership with faculties in undergraduate colleges of every kind.
• Develop robust academic advising systems to explain the high expectations of college-level learning and help students map coherent pathways through a landscape of many institutions and programs.
  Initiators of action: College and university faculty members and advisors, secondary school teachers and advisors.

Create better public understanding of the value of college learning:

All educators and other stakeholders consistently share with the public the reasons why a practical liberal education is the best preparation for all students in a rapidly changing world.

Important Action Steps:

• Initiate, participate in, and sustain public dialogues about the goals of a contemporary liberal education and how they serve individuals and society.
  Initiators of action: College and university leaders, business leaders, national associations, students, and parents.
• Create and then implement a concept of rating and ranking colleges based on success in educating students that is flexible enough to suit a broad range of institutional missions.
  Initiators of action: College and university leaders, national media, and foundations.