Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 4, Number 1, Spring/Summer 2019 | Page 17

Global Security and Intelligence Studies
direct discussion to remedy that. The literature on assessment in the broader area
of academia can provide some insight for the emerging discussion with the intelligence
studies field.
Assessment in the United States
Assessment of academic programs has been driven by the accreditation movement
in U.S. higher education. Starting in the nineteenth century, six regional accrediting
agencies emerged to foster course articulation between secondary schools
and higher education institutions. These private organizations were charged with
the evaluation of the academic coursework of prospective students by colleges and
universities (Harcleroad and Eaton 2005, 263). In 1918, the American Council of
Education was established as an association of higher education institutions that
were interested in standardization and the reduction in redundancies in the accreditation
process. By the 1930s, accreditation and peer evaluation among higher
education institutions had become the norm (ACICS n.d.).
The significance of accreditation grew with the participation of the federal
government in funding higher education. In 1952, the reauthorization of the
GI Bill for Korean War veterans mandated that eligibility was limited to students
enrolled at institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions
published by the U.S. Commissioner of Education (CHEA 1998). Similarly,
with the creation of the U.S. Department of Education in 1980, and under
the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the department was required to
publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary had
determined to be reliable authorities on the quality of education provided by the
institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit.
Thus, these regional and national accrediting agencies, which are accountable to
the Department of Education, were empowered with substantial oversight authority
for civilian colleges and universities.
Currently, the central nongovernmental organization in this accreditation
system is the Council for Higher Education (CHEA). Established in 1996, CHEA
is the successor to several earlier national nongovernmental associations formed
to coordinate the U.S. accreditation process for higher education. Its mission is
to promote academic quality through accreditation, and it has more than 3,000
degree granting institutions of higher education as members in the United States
(CHEA 2015). Additionally, there are other nongovernmental organizations that
assist in articulating learning standards for education degree levels and programs,
such as the Lumina Foundation.
For most schools in the United States, the path to accreditation is driven
by the program-level assessment structures that they implement. Accreditation in
higher education has been an issue of growing political prominence in the United
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