Texas Association of Business Highlights Average Texas Higher Education Rating

An organization has given Texas high marks in some areas, but not on the state’s higher education.

A press release from the Texas Association of Business Wednesday highlights Texas’ average marks from the Institute for a Competitive Workforce’s rating on student access and success in higher education.

ICW’s “Leaders and Laggards” list gives Texas a C in those categories. The schools earned a C in policy environment and innovation in online earning, but got an F in being open to new providers due to regulatory restrictions.

“Low completion rates are hurting us, especially at the community college level,” said Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business.

“I think if you tie as little as 10 percent of a school’s funding to increasing the number of students who leave with a degree or certificate that means something. Rather than just leaving with nothing, you will start to see an increase in the number of students completing degree programs, making them more likely to succeed in the labor market.”

TAB says that they plan to push for an address of the completion problem using partial-outcomes based funding for these higher education institutions.

For the entire "Leaders and Laggards" list, click here.