Higher ed: a report card

The findings of the National Commission on Higher Education report paint a picture of the growing importance of post-high-school education in a technology-driven economy. But they also raise serious issues, financial and systemic, about the ability of people to access higher education and pay for it.

Eight years after the 2020 Commission on Higher Education highlighted similar challenges in Washington, the state still struggles with how to maintain its higher-education quality and keep it affordable. That U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, whose main charge is federal K-12 education policy, is underlining the importance of higher education as a way to improve American competitiveness is significant. The report was authored by a host of university officials and experts from around the country.

Aptly titled "A Test of Leadership," the federal report echoed some goals embedded in Washington state's higher-education master plan, including coordination between K-12 and higher-education institutions. It proposes greater accountability and transparency for colleges and universities, but supports more latitude for universities to innovate, creating programs that meet the unique needs of their communities and economies.

Spellings also supports the report's recommendation that the federal government's sprawling financial-aid programs be consolidated and the application, which can be more complicated than a tax return, be simplified.

The federal emphasis on higher education parallels two important efforts in this state, most notably Gov. Christine Gregoire's Washington Learns, which is considering education policies and funding approaches from pre-school through graduate school. Privately, the Prosperity Partnership is highlighting the need for a nimble higher-education system that can educate students with degrees in demand by industry.

In a meeting at The Seattle Times this week, the governor noted the importance of college education and work-force training in her administration's statewide economic-development approach. She would like to see research universities not just develop technology but assist more in its commercialization.

The arguments are compelling for investing more to improve the state's higher-education system, its accessibility and affordability.

The Legislature, which convenes in January, ought to be paying attention.