I would think that scientifically speaking, the burden of proof would be on the elite schools to show that they are superior teachers. Marketing-wise, of course

I would think that scientifically speaking, the burden of proof would be on the elite schools to show that they are superior teachers. Marketing-wise, of course they don't need to prove anything, but in any market where a brand is untouchable that brand tends to degrade. At the time I got my engineering degree, my dept was in the top 20. It was pretty clear through the entire 4 years that educating undergrads was not a serious priority for the professors or the dept as a whole; research was king. I'd be pretty open to evidence that colleges without world-renowned research are actually better teachers.