The high degree of autonomy college faculty members exercise in organizing and teaching courses suggests that faculty perceptions of educational purposes, subject matter structure and importance, and expectations for student learning are major determinants of educational success. Despite diversity and local autonomy present in its system, American higher education shows a substantial degree of coherence. Students and faculty move with reasonable ease from one institution to another. The autonomy of individual faculty members is countered by a complex network of influences: (1) prior educational and work experience and background characteristics; (2) textbooks and other instructional materials; (3) direct contact with other faculty members (e.g., curriculum committees, departmental discussions, informal contact); (4) professional literature; (5) professional associations and learned societies; and (6) the accreditation process. The first section of this paper describes the nature of the faculty network and its constraining influence on faculty teaching, educational content, and standards. The second section discusses how the effects of faculty views and expectations on student learning, as constrained by the existing system of influences, are or might be assessed. Procedures are described that would extend knowledge of the educational accomplishments of the higher education system while allowing for its diversity. (JD)