March 23, 2026

In policy circles, “accreditation reform” has quickly become the go-to solution for what ails higher education. Politicians promise a shake-up. Regulators float sweeping rewrites. Headlines warn of a coming “revolution.” But in the rush to fix higher ed, we risk misdiagnosing the problem—and prescribing the wrong cure. “Accreditation is an easy target. It’s not the…

The opioid crisis didn’t appear overnight—and it won’t disappear overnight either. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: we already know a lot about what works. The real problem isn’t a lack of solutions. It’s the painfully slow pace at which policymakers choose to act.