Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 1

ATTACHMENT 4BEDRE proposal for Ph.D. in Education

Policy January 2008

• Intellectual Mission• Goal & Competitors• Need for Program• Target Student Body• Course of Study• Resources: Faculty, Doctoral Fellowships, etc.• Conclusion

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 2

The Program’s Intellectual Mission

The study of K-12 education policy, based on the social sciences

and other academic disciplines, supported by empirical research.

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 3

Goal & Competitors

• Goal: – To create a top program in Education

Policy, e.g. top 10 of USN&WR in that category

• Competitors– Closest model: Vanderbilt– Others: Harvard, Stanford, Teachers’

College

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 4

U.S. News & World Report

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 5

Need for Program• Statement from department’s founding proposal:

– “There is no institution in Arkansas with the sole purpose of providing in-depth, dependable, comprehensive, systematic analyses of education reform.”

• National need, not fully met by handful of programs• Letters from Guthrie (Vanderbilt), Hanushek

(Stanford)• Excess demand at Vanderbilt:

– many highly qualified students turned away– About 150 applications for its 3 specialties– 6-8 admitted per year to its Ed’l Leadership & Policy

specialty

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 6

Target Student Body

• Education-Policy-Oriented Scholars Seeking Careers in:– Academia / think tanks / public sector

• academic openings in education policy (e.g. AEFA postings)

• 50 state education agencies and governors’ offices• Think tanks and research firms

• Minimum admissions requirements:*– Bachelors’ degree or higher– GRE combined scores of 1100, writing score of 5.0– Minimum GPA 3.0

* note: EDRE’s five current doctoral fellows hold an average GRE composite of 1310, average writing score of 5.1, average undergrad GPA of 3.40, and four hold a masters’ degree, with average masters’ GPA of 3.84.

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 7

Key Journals: Target Competencies

Education Finance and Policy (journal of the American Education Finance Association, published at MIT)

Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis(one of the journals of the American Education Research Assn)

Education NextBrookings Papers on Education Policy

Peabody Journal of Education Teachers’ College Record

General Policy Journals, e.g. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management

Economics journals e.g. Journal of Human Capital, Journal of Public Economics

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 8

Substance: Course Categories

• Core Courses (15 hrs) to establish the disciplinary base & intellectual framework

• Research Methods (12 hrs)to prepare for empirical research

• Education Reform Fields (15 hrs)to understand the pros & cons of key policy debates

• Electives (12 hrs)to pursue further specialization and research

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 9

Core Courses: Disciplinary Basis (15 hrs)

• Philosophy of Education EDFD 5353

• Economics of Education new course proposal EDRE 6023

• Politics of Educationnew course proposal EDRE 6033

• Finance and Education Policy new course proposal EDRE 6043

• Measurement of Educational Outcomesnew course proposal EDRE 6053

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 10

Research Methods (12 hrs)

• Econometrics I & IIECON/AGEC 5613 & ECON 6623/AGEC 5623

• Program EvaluationEDRE 6213(cross-list with existing course, EDFD 6613, currently taught by EDRE faculty)

• Research Seminarnew course proposal EDRE 6223

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 11

Education Reform Fields (15 hours)

• Issues in Education Policy EDRE 6413(cross-list with existing course, EDFD 5683, currently taught by EDRE faculty)

• School Choicenew course proposal EDRE 6423

• Education Accountabilitynew course proposal EDRE 6433

• Education Leadership new course proposal EDRE 6443

• Teacher Qualitynew course proposal EDRE 6453

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 12

Electives (12 hrs)

Mix of other relevant courses and directed research. Subject to approval of graduate director.

Examples:• EDAD 5053, School law• EDFD 6513, Advanced Experimental Design• EDFD 6533, Qualitative Research• ECON 6633, Econometrics III• ECON 5333, Economics of Organizations• PLSC 5163, Public Policy• PLSC 5243, Seminar in State and Local Politics

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 13

Qualifying Exam and Field Exams

• Qualifying Exam after 1st year– Written– Research methods, with applications to

1st-year content

• Field Exam in Fall or Spring of 3rd year– Written & oral components– 2 of 4 fields

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 14

Resources: Faculty

• Jay Greene, Endowed Chair and Head of EDRE Ph.D. in Political Science, Harvard University

• Robert Costrell, Endowed Chair in Education AccountabilityPh.D. in Economics, Harvard University

• Gary Ritter, Endowed Chair in Education PolicyPh.D. in Education Policy & Leadership, University of Pennsylvania

• Patrick Wolf, Endowed Chair in School ChoicePh.D. in Political Science, Harvard University

• Sandra Stotsky, Endowed Chair in Teacher QualityEd.D. in Reading Research and Education, Harvard University

• Endowed Chair in Education Leadership, to be in place by Fall 2008

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 15

Resources: Staff

• Office support– Administration and Finances: Jonathan Butcher & Catherine

Shock

• Additional staff for research projects & OEP

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 16

Resources: Doctoral Fellowships

• Funds committed for 10 doctoral fellowships• Over the last 2 years, a number of highly qualified

students have already applied to EDRE for doctoral fellowships

• 5 students have been funded by EDRE (+ 1 has graduated), and work with EDRE faculty, while enrolled in Ph.D. programs in Economics and Public Policy

• Beginning in 2008, new students would enroll in EDRE• Funding should suffice for 3 new fellows per year,

offered 1-year fellowships with anticipated renewal up to 4 years. With attrition, anticipated steady state of 10 fellows.

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 17

Resources: Research & Dissemination Funds

• EDRE has $4.5 million in research, project, and dissemination funds, generating about $200,000 per year, some of which can support grad program activities.

• EDRE has raised or been pledged almost $7 million in external research grants, some of which can be used to support grad program activities.

• The program has sufficient research funds to actively engage all doctoral students.

• EDRE-funded doctoral students have already presented research at national conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals, and received other national attention:– Performance pay for teachers– Charter school systemic effects– Effects of school accountability: test-based promotion policy

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 18

Resources: Facilities and Equipment

• Education Reform Research Lab is fully equipped, up and running, and waiting for more students.

• 9 work stations

• Currently housing 4 EDRE doctoral fellows– Others are using other EDRE resources

• EDRE Research Lab functions also as informal grad student lounge & policy research hothouse, with vibrant intellectual exchange & research germination.

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 19

Program Size

• Program Students:– 10 Graduate Doctoral Fellows (already fully-funded)– EDRE research projects allow for additional funded

students – Faculty capacity to handle paying students.

• Anticipate 10-15 students in all• Will graduate approx. 3-4 well-trained PhDs each

year• Program will have 5-6 faculty• Student-teacher ratio will be 2 or 3 to 1;

average of 1 or 2 dissertation students per faculty.• Students will also benefit from working with 4-6 MA

level EDRE research associates on EDRE projects

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 20

Conclusion• EDRE has attracted high quality students, referred by

education policy faculty and researchers across the country, due to EDRE’s faculty and financial resources.

• Funded by EDRE fellowships and working with EDRE faculty, while enrolled in other programs, these students prove that EDRE graduates will be successful scholars.

• Now that EDRE faculty chairs are nearly filled and other resources are in place, it is appropriate to establish the Education Policy Ph.D. program in EDRE, as intended.

• Letters of endorsement attest to likelihood the program “will be rated with the nation’s top ten” (Guthrie) and “bring immediate recognition to your university” (Hanushek).

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 21

Extra Slides

Appendix 1, EDRE proposal 22

Sample Schedule & Illustrative Assignments

Fall Semester 1 Spring Semester 2Econometrics 1 (ECON/AGEC 5613) Econometrics 2 (ECON 6623/AGEC 5623)Program Evaluation Finance & Ed Policy (Costrell or Ritter) OR (Ritter or Wolf) Econ of Education (Costrell)Elective 1 Politics of EducationResearch Seminar (Greene or Wolf or Ed Leader Chair) (any EDRE faculty)

QUALIFYING EXAM, AFTER SPRING TERM

Fall Semester 3 Spring Semester 4Issues in Education Policy Finance & Ed Policy (Costrell or Ritter) OR (Ritter or Greene) Econ of Education (Costrell)Sem in Ed Leadership (Ed Leader Chair) OR Seminar in Teacher Quality (Stotsky) OR Seminar in Choice (Wolf or Greene) Seminar in Accountability (Costrell or Stotsky)Philosophy of Education Elective 2 (Lucas [EDFD] or Stotsky)Measurement of Educational Outcomes (Ritter or Turner [EDFD])

Fall Semester 5 Spring Semester 6Sem in Ed Leadership (Ed Leader Chair) OR Seminar in Teacher Quality (Stotsky) OR Seminar in Choice (Wolf or Greene) Seminar in Accountability (Costrell or Stotsky)Elective 3 Elective 4

ORAL EXAM IN 2 OF 4 FIELDS, IN FALL OR SPRING OF 3RD YEAR

Fall Semester 7 Spring Semester 8Dissertation (9 hours) Dissertation (9 hours)