Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP)
Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) is a national initiative that champions the importance of a twenty-first-century liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. Through LEAP, hundreds of campuses and several state systems are making far-reaching educational changes to help all their students—whatever their chosen field of study—achieve a set of essential learning outcomes fostered through liberal education. In numerous LEAP projects and activities, AAC&U partners with campuses, state systems, and K-12 educational leaders as they make these essential learning outcomes a framework for educational excellence, assessment of learning, and new alignments between school and college.
Launched in 2005, LEAP challenges the traditional practice of providing liberal education to some students and narrow training to others. LEAP engages the public with core questions about what really matters in college;connects employers and educational leaders as they make the case for the importance of liberal education in the global economy and in our diverse democracy; and helps all students achieve the essential learning outcomes. Through LEAP, AAC&U calls on the United States to “make excellence inclusive” so that all students receive the best and most powerful preparation for work, life, and citizenship.
See new data on the wage premium and "Economic Value of Liberal Education."
LEAP Public Forums are supported by generous grants from The Charles Engelhard Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and by contributions from participating and hosting institutions.
What's New From LEAP
Utah Leaders in Business, Education, and Government Gather at LEAP Public Forum
From the Governor to the Commissioner of Higher Education to the State Superintendent of Schools to the President of the Salt Lake Chamber, Utah’s leadership gathered in Salt Lake City recently for a LEAP Public Forum, Raising the Bar: Preparing Utah College Students for Life, Work, and Responsible Citizenship. These leaders came together with 100 other faculty, teachers, regents, deans, provosts, and presidents to discuss the future of education in Utah and the importance of providing all Utah students a broad set of learning outcomes essential for success in the 21st century. This event is the first public event in a series of events and activities planned as part of LEAP Utah. See press coverage of the event, and the program, with links to powerpoint presentations.
Employers Seek Higher Levels of Learning, More Liberal Education Outcomes, New Survey Reveals
Findings from a new survey of employers commissioned as part of AAC&U’s LEAP initiative were released on January 20th. More than 90 percent of employers are asking employees to use a broader set of skills and have higher levels of learning than in the past. Only one in four believe that colleges and universities are doing a good job of preparing graduates for the demands of the global economy. See the news release and full results of this and other LEAP sponsored surveys.
See news stories in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Community College Times, USA Today, and Inside Higher Ed.
Eighty-Two Educational Leaders Form LEAP Presidents’ Trust
A leadership group within the LEAP initiative, the newly formed Presidents’ Trust will engage with campus members and those outside of higher education about the core purposes and practices of liberal education. They also are providing leadership for advancing reforms in the practice of liberal education both on campus and with other groups with which they are affiliated. Among other priorities, the LEAP Presidents’ Trust will work in 2009-10 on making the economic case for liberal education and charting new directions for assessment and accountability. Learn more about the Presidents’ Trust; see news release.
AAC&U Launches New Blog on Liberal Education
As part of its signature initiative, Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP), AAC&U has launched a new multi-authored Blog that will feature postings and perspectives on "liberal education" - how it is changing, why it is so important in today's world, and what people are saying about it around the country and the world. With weekly commentary by Blog Contributing Editor, Debra Humphreys, along with guest bloggers representing a variety of perspectives, the forum will introduce readers to issues in the news important to all those who care about liberal education and its future. Visit the blog, sign up to receive postings via RSS, and add your perspectives to the expanding national dialogue on the future of higher education.
Signature LEAP Report—Read the latest version of The Executive Summary
AAC&U has released a new version of the executive summary of College Learning for the New Global Century which now includes summaries of findings from our surveys of business leaders released in 2007 and 2008. The findings detail the skills and knowledge areas on which employers want colleges and universities to place more emphasis and how and why they value a liberal education. They also highlight employers’ views on various approaches to outcomes assessment and reveal their clear support for more qualitative forms of assessment and rejection of multiple choice testing at the undergraduate level. It is ideal for initiating discussions with trustees, boards of regents, business advisory councils, and other campus or community groups.
The LEAP campaign includes three primary and concurrent strands
of activity:
A Public Advocacy initiative for liberal
education, which is being carried out nationally by the
LEAP National Leadership
Council and regionally through advocacy initiatives
in a series of partner states;
A Campus Action Network which works with
colleges and universities of every kind from across the
country and in selected partner states to articulate high
expectations for liberal education and to transparently
connect their educational practices and assessments to these
expectations;
A research initiative detailing Evidence on Learning
Outcomes, designed to provide evidence on selected
outcomes of a liberal education and periodic public reports
on progress in helping students meet twenty-first century
educational standards.
LEAP Staff Contacts at AAC&U
Coordinating Director: Bethany Zecher Sutton
LEAP State Initiatives, Campus Action Network: Susan Albertine
Advocacy and Public Outreach: Debra Humphreys
|
