Breaking Ranks

A useful primer on the pros and cons of college rankings.

Diver likens 'the homogenizing effect of rankings' on diverse colleges and universities to a Procrustean bed: not a good way to find a fit.He is conversant with all the data, and teases apart superficial measures of, say, graduate indebtedness....If educators cannot ignore the rankings, he advises, at least they can junk worthless peer rankings, resist publicizing illegitimate ones, and make accessible the full range of data on their institutions.

A lucid and comprehensive critique of the 'rankings industry'.[Diver's] treatment of the topic is superb, and I recommend it to any readers who remain undecided about whether ranking colleges is a good idea.

The book is well-structured, [Diver's] arguments are well-built, and his writing style is very accessible....What you might not expect is his honesty....Getting the opportunity to watch a university president think these matters through; to see the rationale that led to them taking a stand, and the impact that taking that stand had on their institution is gold-dust.

In Breaking Ranks, Diver walks readers through the basics of the ranking industry, its history, its growth, and the distortions that arise as institutions devise strategies to improve their positions, including the temptation to misrepresent their figures....Chapters are short and highly readable.

This book could hardly be timelier...This is a highly researched and fascinating book on the manipulative side of higher ed.

A well-written, well-referenced book...Diver has written an excellent analysis of how rankings became so powerful and has clearly identified why they are problematic and do not measure what they claim to. He describes why and how rankings have become so pervasive in the US and makes a strong argument for rejecting the rankings industry as it stands. He also proposes some ways of actually measuring the quality of education institutions provide.

A truly elegant exploration of just how important the ranking industry has become to American higher education. Breaking Ranks works in large part because of the skill and experience of the author, who knows firsthand how dangerous the rankings can be and how little campus leaders can do to change them. Diver starts with what everyone knows and worries about, revealing a host of insider secrets.

Taking a critical view of the growing influence of rankings in higher education, Colin Diver draws on a wealth of personal experience and academic research to provide rich insight into the history and consequences of these numbers. Breaking Ranks shows an insider's mastery of the intricacies of rankings and clearly communicates these complexities so that everyone can understand the uses and dangers of these metrics.

Colin Diver makes a compelling argument for comparing colleges by how well they prepare their graduates to live fulfilling lives, not by their success in the tooth-and-claw admissions game. Breaking Ranks merits a place on the bookshelf of anyone who cares about the future of higher education.

Colin Diver does more than simply argue against the utility of college rankings—though he does that with great effectiveness and a good deal of wit. He situates rankings within our larger culture and explores how they both shape and reflect the prestige-driven nature of American higher education. This is a splendid book.

The college ranking system has a near stranglehold on American higher education. Its effects are largely pernicious. Colin Diver dissects the questionable assumptions and distorting effects of this 'rankocracy' with devastating force. His meticulously researched and lucid book is essential reading for college educators and applicants alike.

Lifelong educator Colin Diver offers both a searing portrait of the pernicious ways rankings have transformed our colleges and universities and an illuminating meditation on what higher education ought to mean. Students, parents, faculty, administrators, and policy makers all have a great deal to learn from this important book.

How can you credibly rank a life experience one must exert effort in order to produce? By using popularity contest polling along with arbitrarily chosen variables heavily weighted to value privilege? You can't. Colin Diver masterfully explains why.