Are They nelated to How Much Students Learn

This study invc.tigated the relationship between college reputation, institutional financial health, and quality of education provided to the student. The study used data from a small representative sample of private fouryear colleges participating in two national assessment efforts: American College Testing's College Outcome Measures Program (COMP) which provided student mean gain data, and a higher education financial audit database which proVided financial ratios from accounting information. Each college's reputational indicator was determined from its description in Barron's "Profiles of American Colleges. " Results indicated that: (I) data showed a remarkable lack of relationship between college reputations and the value these colleges added to students; (2) though most financial indicators showed no relationship to value added to students, higher investment in administrative/bureaucratic systems and borrowing to accomplish the goals of the institutions both correlated with higher student mean gain; and (3) regardless of the source of college funds, colleges that spend less of their total expense budget on instruction have a higher reputation than those that spend more. (Contains 19 references.) (JB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. College Image and Finances