The Chicago School’s commitment to accountability derives from our institutional values and the principles that guide and shape higher education.  We maintain accountability through adherence to our mission and engagement within the community.

The Chicago School has embraced these accountability systems to make it easier for prospective students and other interested parties to find information on our performance and planning.  The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.  HLC regards institutions' participation in these systems of accountability not as substitutes for the more extensive use of data for analysis, planning and improvement, but as serious efforts to meet public calls for transparency.

Public Accountability

TCS maintains public accountability through voluntary disclosure on various higher education organizations’ web sites and through its own web site.  TCS participates in the following:

• UCAN (University & College Accountability Network), a consumer-information initiative designed to give, prospective students and their families concise, Web-based consumer-friendly information on the nation's nonprofit, private colleges and universities.
• College Navigator, a direct link to nearly 7,000 colleges and universities in the United States. This site allows future students to evaluate and compare institutions’ prices, financial aid, enrollment fees and academic disciplines.

Related to public accountability is disclosure of the costs of attendance, including tuition and fees and other related costs.  One significant cost of attendance is textbooks: The Chicago School strives to provide our students with access to information that will allow students to seek out less expensive sources for texts and supplemental material for courses. TCS discloses the International Standards Book Number (“ISBN”) and retail price for required and recommended textbooks and supplemental materials for each course listed on our Internet course schedule.

Disclosure of Key Institutional Data

In addition, the TCS website, www.thechicagoschool.edu provides direct public access to information regarding:

• Student enrollment patterns and demographics
• Tuition and fees
• Education and training outcomes for the Clinical PsyD program, as required by the American Psychological Association
  • Time to completion
  • Program costs
  • Internship placement
  • Attrition rates
  • Licensure statistics
  • Graduation and Continuing Enrollment Rates

Availability of Planning Documents

TCS strives for transparency in decision making processes and outcomes.  We provide information through published documents, such as our strategic plan, executive summaries and annual reports.  The following documents can be found on our website:

• Strategic Plan Progress Report
• Executive Summary of 2007 HLC Self-Study
• 2008-2009 Annual Report
  (Prior Annual Reports are also available for 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007)

Engagement with the Community

TCS makes every attempt to engage the community.  We regularly seek input from the community through our various advisory boards.  Community members serve on institutional task forces and provide input into accreditation processes, often by meeting directly with our accreditors.  In addition we work closely with community organizations by soliciting the various organizations to serve as training sites for our students.  TCS students then provide hundreds of pro bono service hours to those community organizations and the clients they serve. 

Conclusion

TCS continues to develop and implement ways to display our commitment to accountability.  We both recognize and embrace the concept of accountability and the importance it has in showcasing the integrity of our institution.