Politics

How Obama Reversed Course on Federal College Ratings

Published

11 years ago

July 3, 2015

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, July 2, 2015, about the economy and to promote a proposed Labor Department rule that would make more workers eligible for overtime. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

JOSH LEDERMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama dearly wanted to get the government in the business of rating colleges and universities based on value and affordability, promising a new system by 2015. Now that goal is shriveling under the weight of a concerted opposition from universities, lawmakers and bureaucrats in Obama’s own administration.

Nearly two years after the president, standing before a crowd of 7,000 at the University at Buffalo, unveiled the bold proposal as a way to curb soaring college costs, his administration has quietly but drastically scaled back the initiative. No longer does the federal government intend to use a formula to score schools based on factors like price, average student debt and graduation rates, as Obama had envisioned.

Instead, the new tool will allow prospective students to decide which factors are important to them, then draw their own conclusions from the statistics. But the Education Department declined to say which new statistics the tool will offer that aren’t already available on existing government websites.

Abandoning the original plan marked the latest in a series of stumbles for Obama’s education priorities. In his 2013 State of the Union address, Obama called for expanding access to pre-kindergarten to all American children, and in his 2015 address, he pushed a $60 billion plan to offer two years of free community college. Neither proposal has gained any traction.

The Education Department said it’s still determining what the revised college tool will look like, but that it’s still on track to roll it out by the start of the 2015-2016 academic year, roughly two months from now.

“It is anything but a retreat,” Education Department Undersecretary Ted Mitchell said in an interview. “It’s a retooling and, we think, an advance on the original concept.”

Yet Obama’s goal, as he described when he announced the plan in August 2013, was to create an alternative to private rankings like U.S. News and World Report whose formulas incentivize schools to “game the numbers” and even raise costs. Instead, Obama sought a system that prioritized whether schools are enrolling and graduating poorer students and whether their graduates succeed in the workforce.

“I think we should rate colleges based on opportunity — are they helping students from all kinds of backgrounds succeed — and on outcomes, on their value to students and parents,” Obama said. He took it a step further by proposing that Congress eventually tie a school’s eligibility for federal financial aid to its score in the new ratings system.

Resistance to Obama’s plan was swift, vehement and nearly universal.

Associations representing colleges with traditionally conflicting interests — such as community colleges and private universities — all lined up in opposition, warning the project was too complex, too subjective and too dependent on shoddy data to ever work fairly. As the Education Department mounted an extensive, lengthy listening tour across the country, college presidents warned of dire unintended consequences and implored the government to reconsider.

On Capitol Hill, the proposal drew pushback not only from the president’s traditional Republican foes, but also some Democrats. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a former education secretary and chair of the Senate’s education panel, took to the Senate floor to threaten an amendment blocking the ratings system. And in the House, Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Democratic Rep. Michael Capuano of Massachusetts — two states with large numbers of colleges — joined forces to sponsor a resolution opposing Obama’s plan.

“Do I think they would have continued if no one had pushed back? Of course I do,” Capuano said.

But for nearly two years, the administration stuck to the original plan. In a blog post in December 2014, the Education Department said it was considering rating schools as high-performing, medium-performing or low-performing and outlined a few potential metrics, but disappointed many by failing to flesh out the formula it would use to assign ratings.

Driving the decision to stick with a ratings system was Obama, who was dead-set on carrying out his original vision for the project, according to interviews with nearly a dozen congressional aides, administration officials and college association leaders. Many of them spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid criticizing the president publicly.

From the start, career bureaucrats and data experts at the Education Department said the idea wasn’t feasible, but met continued White House resistance, those officials said. Technical experts in the education industry that the administration consulted offered similar warnings. Eventually, higher-level Education Department officials grew convinced the plan was unworkable, and persuaded the White House to allow a scaled-back approach devoid of hard-and-fast ratings.

“We are right where the president wanted us to be in terms of making progress toward his vision,” said James Kvaal, deputy director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council.

University associations that had fought the proposal praised the Obama administration for taking their concerns seriously and eventually agreeing to abandon the initial plan, calling it a rare example of the government acknowledging its own missteps.

“They really did listen on this,” said Sarah Flanagan, the top lobbyist for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. “The more they looked into it, they realized it wasn’t doable.”

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Obama Plans Broader Use of Clemency to Free Nonviolent Drug Offenders

Don't Miss

Hispanic Leaders Want GOP Field to Condemn Trump’s ‘Idiocy’

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Stop the Hate Symposium Brings Oakland Together Through Dialogue, Partnership, and Community Healing

More than a meeting and panel discussion, the annual symposium serves as a powerful example of what can happen when neighbors, community leaders, and organizations choose conversation over division, and unity over silence.

Published

1 week ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Speakers and guests at the annual ‘Stop the Hate Symposium posed with Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council ambassadors. Photo by Marcus Calloway.

By Dr. Maritony Jones, Special to The Post

With the purpose of creating safer, stronger, and more inclusive communities, and in partnership with the Oakland Private Industry Council and other community organizations, the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council (OCIC) hosted the ‘Stop the Hate Symposium’ on June 13 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

The free event featured keynote speakers, breakout sessions, cultural programming, creating a space where people from many backgrounds sat together with a shared purpose.

The turnout itself reflected the urgency and importance of the topic. The room was packed with community members eager not only to listen, but also to participate. Throughout the event, speakers shared data, personal experiences, research, and practical solutions designed to address hate, violence, social inequity, and community safety.

The keynote panel featured respected leaders and advocates, including Ray Bobbitt, founder of the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG); Ryan Takemiya from RAMA; Caheri Gutierrez from the Unity Council; honorary guest speaker Oakland City Councilmember at-Large Rowena Brown and City Councilmember Charlene Wang; representatives for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, with Gia Vang of NBC serving as moderator.

The symposium also offered multiple breakout sessions that addressed issues affecting communities across Oakland and Alameda County:

Session 1, 2, 3: Building Safer and More Inclusive Communities, led by Pastor Raymond Lankfort, CEO of Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC), Jessica Kang, research manager for Stop AAPI Hate, Kara Guerra of The Unity Council, and Gabriela delaRiva of the Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation
Session 4: Talk Story: Collective Healing and Relationship Repair, presented by Ryan Takemiya, executive director of RAMA
Session 5: Sexual Violence Prevention, presented by Tunisia Owens, interim deputy director of Realized Potential
Session 6: Violent Attacks on Teens, presented by MaryAnn Alvarado, program manager of Youth Alive

Every session contributed to an important truth: meaningful change begins within communities, through honest dialogue and a willingness to work together.

One of the strongest themes to emerge from the day was the need to create more conversations and stronger partnerships—not just during times of crisis, but consistently and intentionally. Relationships among organizations, neighborhoods, and community leaders often operate behind the scenes but are not always highlighted or celebrated.

Bobbitt spoke powerfully about this issue, noting that partnerships and relationships often go unrecognized despite being essential to community progress. He pointed to examples such as the partnership between OPIC and OCHIC, emphasizing that these collaborations deserve more visibility, investment, and expansion.

Perhaps his most memorable message resonated deeply throughout the room. Bobbitt explained that when a grandparent is attacked or harmed, the impact extends beyond race or ethnicity because today’s families and communities are increasingly multicultural and interconnected.

“We are not going to see our grandparents as just Latino, Asian, Caucasian, or African American,” he shared in essence. “We are going to see them simply as our grandparents.”

Those words reflected the heart of the symposium. Hate may target one group, but pain and loss are felt by everyone. Likewise, healing and progress are shared responsibilities.

For more information about the Stop The Hate Program visit the website: https://www.oaklandchinatownchamber.org/stop-the-hate (or) https://oaklandpic.or

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Six Months in, Probate Reform Coalition Marks Progress in Protecting Elders From Financial Abuse

Despite the cited obstacles, NPRC has made some promising inroads towards their mission. NPRC has identified that nationwide the Attorneys General must be engaged and encouraged to implement oversight, protection and enforcement of the law; members find support from each other as they advocate for redress via “letters of compassion” sent to judges, nursing facilities and law enforcement agencies and members are instructed on their rights, how to take constructive action to protect those rights through access to resources that allow them to intelligently represent themselves in court.

Published

1 week ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

NPRC member Stewart E. Handte, a former Mineral County, Nevada, Sheriff and 27-year veteran of police work, currently wears an ankle monitor after he was arrested on kidnapping charges for helping his friend, Roger Hilligus, remove Hilligus’ mother, Susan Hilligus, from a nursing facility after finding her bruised and neglected. NPRC has submitted a “Letter of Compassion” for both Handte and Hilligus requesting that charges be dropped. Courtesy photo.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Probate Reform Coalition, a loose-knit national coalition of advocates, victims, and families dedicated to protecting elder rights, especially within the probate court system, was formed by the Post Newspaper Group (PNG) after more than a decade of reporting on the mistreatment of elders and the plunder of their estates.

In response, PNG Publisher Paul Cobb set in motion a series of monthly town halls to address the problem and propose workable solutions, designating it a “year of action.”

At six months, the coalition has attracted families, advocates, and experts across the nation whose strategies have proven effective in their respective states, and who are moving forward collectively with the mission of engaging judicial, legislative, and enforcement agencies to ensure elders are not exploited or abused.

“The issue of elder abuse is multi-layered”, says NPRC planning committee member Venus Gist. “Elders are our most vulnerable population, next to children, and they are easily exploited by strangers, their own family members, and the judicial system designed to protect them.”

Since January, NPRC has, via monthly virtual meetings held on the first Thursday of each month, clearly defined the issues and formulated workable solutions that can be implemented nationwide.

“There are amazing laws on the books that protect elders and their assets,” said NPRC member Zakiya Jendayi. “The problem is they are ignored, and that lack of oversight has led to systemic abuse in the Probate Court system, not just in Alameda County, but nationwide.

“The scary part is the collusion and wall of silence NPRC has encountered when reaching out to the Judicial Council, legislators, and the State Bar for assistance. It’s so obvious that one hand is washing the other, that they’re protecting each other, that it’s difficult to initiate any type of meaningful reform much less dialogue.”

Stacy Drake, a Texas member, says, “I’ve been looking for help for over 10 years with my situation, and I finally found it within the NPRC coalition. God answered my prayers.”

Broadening its reach within Alameda County, NPRC has invited Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to assist with outreach, education, and resolution.

“We hope to host an elder abuse/elder protection symposium annually, if not twice a year, to let our elders know that Alameda County and the City of Oakland are a safe place, a place where in their golden years they have no worries regarding exploitation and abuse,” said Cobb. “Society is defined by how the care for its children and elders.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

A Long Time Coming: School District Kicks Off Massive $97 Million Renovation of West Oakland’s McClymonds High School

The extensive project will involve the full modernization of the campus, including essential upgrades to building systems such as plumbing replacement (with lead abatement), seismic improvements, and modernization of heating, electrical, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Indoor spaces will be updated with new flooring, wall treatments, and upgrades to classrooms, labs, shops, and sports locker rooms.

Published

1 week ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Renderings of McClymond High School renovation. Courtesy image.

‘We gather on sacred ground,’ said OUSD Supt. Denise Saddler

By Post Staff

After being stalled for many years, the massive $97 million renovation of McClymonds High School is finally breaking ground under the leadership of the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Denise Saddler, and backed by the unrelenting efforts of the school’s parents, students, school board members, community, and alumni.

The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) held the groundbreaking ceremony on June 12 to kick off the three-year modernization project for McClymonds, a historic center of African American culture and educational opportunity in Oakland, located at 2607 Myrtle St. in West Oakland.

The overhaul will include seismic and environmental upgrades, a new turf field, and modernized campus facilities. The comprehensive transformation is financed by Measure Y, a $735 million general obligation bond approved by Oakland voters to renovate and upgrade aging school sites.

This renovation is considered a milestone for the West Oakland campus, which has operated in the same building since 1938 and has been in dire need of structural and plumbing safety remediation for years.

Speaking at the event, Supt. Denise Saddler said,

“We gather on sacred ground… that has shaped generations of Oakland leaders, scholars, artists, activists, entrepreneurs, educators like Mr. Herman Brown – one of our top math teachers. I also want to say it’s the historic home of the mighty Warriors (athletic teams). It’s a historic home of so many people.”

“This was, for Black people, our high school,” she continued “For more than a century, McClymonds has stood as a beacon of excellence in West Oakland and beyond. It’s not simply a school building; it’s a symbol of resilience, pride, community, and possibility.”

The superintendent said the legacy of McClymonds includes legendary alumni such as NBA player-coach Bill Russell, whose excellence transformed the game of basketball and whose courage helped transform the nation.

The school’s legacy also includes MLB players Frank ‘Judge’ Robinson and Curt Flood, basketball player Paul Silas and civic leaders including Lionel Wilson, a Superior Court judge and Oakland’s first African American mayor.

She emphasized that the groundbreaking was not only about honoring the past, but also about investing in the future.

“(It) represents Oakland’s commitment to the young people of West Oakland. It sends a powerful message that our students deserve facilities that match their brilliance, their talent and their dreams. “

The cafeteria also will be reconfigured, and outdoor areas will feature a new grandstand, track and field upgrades, accessible field bathrooms and concessions, and updates to the plaza, garden, and outdoor gathering areas.

Mayor Barbara Lee, who attended the event, thanked Oakland voters for passing the Measure Y bond that is paying for the school’s renovation.

Renderings of McClymond High School renovation. Courtesy image.

“It’s a good day – It’s a good news day,” she said. “The voters who (approved) Measure Y care about our young people. Today, we have the opportunity on this historic day to say, well done. Thank you to the voters for the facilities our community, our students, our teachers deserve.”

School Board member VanCedric Williams, whose district includes McClymonds, said that OUSD passed repeated school bond measures for decades, promising to renovate the school, but it did not happen.

“I just want to thank all the community (who) put pressure on the district to do right, to hold school board members accountable, and to really say, ‘We’re not going to take anything less than a renovation.’”

“When I first met Dr. Saddler, she said, ‘I have a commitment to McClymonds – I’m going to make it happen.’ And she has done something in one year that has not been done in 20 years. So, I have the belief that we’re going to get it done.”

Rising senior LaTanya Nolen, praised the school for the opportunities she has received and for the dedication of its staff.

“Every student here is treated like they matter and given opportunities to grow and build onto themselves,” she said. “We’ve gotten to do things like sports, field trips, college and career excursions, networking, and more. Our futures are taken seriously, and the people around us are always pushing us so that we are prepared for it.”

Parent Brejea Colthirst said, “Thank you to everyone who had a part in this, who helped make this possible. Together, we are building something special.”

Brian McGhee, popular McClymonds staff member and alumni, pledged to build on the strength of McClymonds’ traditions. “Mack is back. We’re going to up the enrollment with this new school. We’re going to continue to know every student’s name who comes through this school. My job as a community manager is going to continue to provide resources for our families and our students, and continue to communicate with our parents, which is huge.”