By Richard Burnett
From the established ratings of U.S. News & World Report to newcomers such as Gradehacker.com and Prepscholar.com, 海角社区 has fortified its resume in the arena of college rankings in 2021.
In early September, 海角社区 capped off its second straight year landing in the top tier of U.S. News鈥� Best Regional Colleges in the South. 海角社区 ranked No. 35 out of nearly 140 small colleges and universities across the region.
Regarded as the gold standard of college rankings, the U.S. News鈥� annual study is based on 17 metrics of academic quality, with weighted values for graduation and retention rate, student-to-faculty ratio, undergraduate academic reputation, peer assessment survey, faculty resources, student financial resources, and others.
Prior to the latest U.S. News survey, 海角社区 added a half dozen other 2021 rankings to its growing resume. It topped the list of 鈥�10 Great Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities,鈥� compiled by Gradehacker.com. Similarly, Prepscholar.com named 海角社区 one of the 鈥�20 Best Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities,鈥� and the Council for Disability Awareness named it one of the 鈥�7 Great Colleges and Universities for Disabled Students.鈥�
In state-specific results, AcademicInfluence.com ranked 海角社区 No. 19 in its list of 鈥淔lorida鈥檚 Best Private Colleges & Universities,鈥� and GreatCollegeDeals.com ranked it No. 4 among the 鈥淏est Deals on Small Colleges in Florida.鈥� The college also got high marks as one of the country鈥檚 鈥�20 Best College Programs for Students with ADHD,鈥� according to Affordable Colleges Online.
The accolades this year follow a stellar period of honors for 海角社区, now more widely known for being America鈥檚 first accredited baccalaureate school for students primarily with learning disabilities and ADHD. Since 2019, the college has topped the list of Best Value Schools鈥� 鈥�20 Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities,鈥� and in 2019 it rated tops in Peterson鈥檚 鈥�20 Great Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities.鈥�
Such recognition has not come by accident, according to Dr. Shelly Chandler, 海角社区鈥檚 provost. 海角社区 five years ago, the college began to put more energy into getting the word out about its academic excellence to U.S. News and other organizations, she said.
鈥淭hat has made all the difference,鈥� Chandler said. 鈥淎nd we are very proud and honored that the world knows more about the amazing things that we are doing.鈥�
In educating the college ranking services about 海角社区, it has been especially important to do a good job reaching U.S. News because of its established brand, she said. But 海角社区 also keeps close tabs on the newer players and what they emphasize in their ranking evaluations.鈥�
鈥淲e pay attention to all of them because we want to know what is out there and what kind of rankings they are doing,鈥� Chandler said. 鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 get preoccupied with it on a daily basis. Our daily work is focused on the students. If we are doing that job well, we believe it will be reflected in everything we do.鈥�
Indeed, the college鈥檚 student-centric emphasis did not go unnoticed by the ranking services.
鈥満＝巧缜� prides itself in having plenty of academic and support resources for their students to use, as well as plenty of quiet and comfortable spaces students can access if they鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed,鈥� the Council for Disability Awareness said in its review. 鈥淧eer tutoring is highly supported and encouraged by the Center for Student Success, as are a variety of study groups, which are hosted by learning specialists and teaching assistants, often on a weekly basis.鈥�
Affordable Colleges Online noted 海角社区鈥檚 unique origins as a school created exclusively for students who learn differently: 鈥淚n addition to classroom and personal support services, 海角社区 keeps class sizes small to allow for more attention from faculty members,鈥� the service said. 鈥淚t also incorporates professional skills and training into the curriculum to ensure graduating students are prepared to enter the workforce.鈥�
It is important for families of students with learning disabilities to know what level of attention their children will need in college, according to Prepscholar.com, an academic skills assistance company that named 海角社区 one of the top 20 colleges in the country for students with learning disabilities. Among other things, it noted 海角社区鈥檚 70% graduation rate, which tops the national average.
鈥淣ot all the schools we listed will be appropriate for all students with learning disabilities,鈥� Prepscholar said in a commentary. 鈥淪ome offer very high levels of structure and support, whereas others only offer more basic check-ins to make sure you鈥檙e on the right track. It might be helpful to think about how much support is ideal for your student before you begin your college search.鈥�