"For e-learners, this will be
good news in the long run, as it will likely make it tougher for
peddlers of fake degrees to stay in business."
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How Credible Are The Accreditation Agencies?
January, 2007: As the new year began to unfold, it became clear that accreditation would be a hot topic,
and one that would create heated debate between the government and the
agencies who currently accredit both online and traditional schools (
read more about top accrediting agencies).
Education Secretary Margaret
Spellings has recently pushed for a tightening of accreditation rules,
with a particular focus on measuring the performance of students after
they graduation from accredited schools. There hasn’t been an
official revision of accreditation rules since 1999, and there seems to
be little doubt that a new round of changes won’t come until
after there’s been a heated debate between Ms. Spellings, the
Congress (which seems inclined to avoid any big changes) and the 60 or
so agencies that accredit everything from major universities on down to
certificate programs in a variety of career areas.
So Long, Southern Diploma Mills Meanwhile, several states which
have been considered havens for weak schools are moving to raise
educational standards. Mississippi and Alabama, in particular, have
long played host to a number of unaccredited schools considered to be
pure “diploma mills” by most educators. Mississippi
has recently given state attorneys a green light to go after schools
that offer any degrees without approval from the Alabama Commission on
College Accreditation. Alabama, meanwhile, has announced it will take
away a loophole that currently allows some schools to operate with just
a corporate license, and no educational accreditation.
For e-learners, this will be
good news in the long run, as it will likely make it tougher for
peddlers of fake degrees to stay in business. With other havens for
fake schools still existing offshore and elsewhere, however, it remains
important that you check the accreditation status of any online degree
program before paying anything for admission.
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