Accreditation: A Tool for Innovation and Excellence

For many school leaders, accreditation brings to mind reports, checklists, and compliance. But at ARISE we believe accreditation can be a tool for innovation and excellence. We believe accreditation can provide a meaningful assurance of quality without requiring every school to look like…well, a traditional school.

K-12 accreditation initially began as a voluntary peer-review system by regional associations to bring a level of standardization to secondary schools that was sorely lacking in the early history of institutionalized education. Early standards of accreditation were highly focused on inputs related to facilities, teacher credentials, and seat time. Over time, state departments–like the Arkansas Department of Education–have assumed responsibility for accrediting public schools. Funding was often tied to compliance with what increasingly became minimal standards for operation. Private schools that operated independent of state funding could also operate independent of state accreditation requirements. However, many independent schools voluntarily chose external accreditation to demonstrate quality. Some private schools choose accreditation to demonstrate alignment with a broader group of schools’ identity or mission–such as those associated with a specific religious affiliation or education model.

The education landscape in America is changing. In 2000, roughly 11,000 students participated in publicly funded private school choice programs. Today, nearly 1.5 million students from 34 states participate in publicly funded private school choice programs, with new federal legislation potentially expanding access to 50 million students. Many states require participating private schools to be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity. This expanded demand has predictably resulted in a rapid expansion of accredited private schools or schools seeking accreditation. 

We believe the modern education landscape needs a modern, outcomes-based model of accreditation that helps school leaders build excellent learning environments, offers parents clarity regarding the many different characteristics they seek in a school, and assures community stakeholders and leaders that children are safe, loved, and well-educated. Accreditation should be more than a guarantee of a minimal standard of compliance. It should be flexible enough to support innovative designs and should be a symbol of excellence-not standardization. 

Learn more about ARISE’s accreditation model and how we are changing the conversation around excellence and opportunity in independent schools.