Johns Hopkins University
School of Education
Education Policy Practicum
Spring Semester, 2015
Location:
3rd Floor Main Conference Room, Center for Social Organization of Schools,
2701 N. Charles Street, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21218
Instructor:
Robert Balfanz
410-516-4272 (Office Hours Weekly by Appointment)
rbalfanz@jhu.edu
Class Times: 12:30 to 3:30, Thursday, Spring 2015
Credit Hours:
Course Description: In this course students will learn how national and state education policy gets
made, examine the impact it has, and learn how research findings can influence its formation.
Course Goals and Objectives
This course is designed to provide graduate students with a deeper understanding of how national/state
education policy gets made and the impact it has. It is designed as a Practicum to enable students to
learn by doing. As such, the focus is on building students capacity to connect educational research and
practice to policy formation.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will learn;
A)
How to analyze the origins and impacts of existing national/state education policies
B)
How to critique national/state education policies, and
C)
How to translate research findings and/or advances in educational practice to impact the
development of national/state education policies
D)
How to communicate their findings to policymakers
1
Required Text and Other Materials
There are no required texts for this course. Weekly reading assignments and materials will be posted on
the courses website at www.every1graduates.org
Assignments
Assignment 1- Lessons Learned: Collective Case Study of Recent Federal/State Education Policy
Initiatives.
Scenario: You have been called by the Education Policy advisor on the transition team for a recently
elected President/Governor. The President/Governor’s Chief of Staff, given all the current turmoil with
the common core, teacher evaluations, and accountability testing, is reluctant to make education policy
a top priority of the new administration. The Education Policy advisor has asked you to be a part of the
team to develop a case study and short presentation for the Chief of Staff to make the case, that by
closely examining the most recent national/state level efforts to advance educational policy, key lessons
can be distilled that will enable the President/Governor to navigate the current tricky terrain and be able
to advance successful and impactful education policies.
You will be on one of three teams-The Bush Administration/NCLB Review Team, the Obama
Administration/Race to Top-NCLB Waiver Team(s), and the Fund for Educational Excellence (Jeb Bush)
State Policy Team.
Each team will prepare a case study brief and power point presentation on their findings. You will be
responsible for preparing a 3 to 5 page section of the brief on an assigned topic and three to five power
point slides on the topic for the briefing presentation. The written brief needs to make the factual case.
The power point needs to be both accurate and persuasive. In both cases, the charge is to end from a
“Lesson’s Learned” perspective. How does this information help the incoming President/Governor avoid
the pitfalls of prior federal/state education policy efforts?
Over the course of four class sessions-a different member of each team will present on one of four
sections of the brief. For each week-each team in consultation with the instructor will identify one
article or report to be read by the class which provides context or evidence for the questions be
examined with respect to their subject – President Bush, President Obama or Gov. Bush
The four sections of the brief will be:
1) Origins of the key policy ideas-where did it come from? Who championed it? Presented Feb. 12
2) What was the existing evidence-based of effectiveness? (at the time the policy was formed)
Presented Feb. 19
3) What political/education system obstacles did its enactment face? How were they overcome?
Presented Feb. 26
2
4) What has been the impact to date? - Both the factual impact at school system level and public/key
constituent perception of its impact. March 5. Final Case Study Brief and Power Point Due for All
Teams
Assignment 2-The Education Policy Frontier: Op-ed and Key Actors Relationship Map
As a class we will explore five key educational policy topics and examine their current and potential
future direction. For one of these topics you will write an op-ed either advocating for a particular
position or arguing against it. The op-ed should follow the standard model currently observed in leading
print and on-line publications (New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Politico etc.). The
relationship map should visually show the key actors currently involved with the issue, including
advocacy and public policy group, funders, and academics. The op-ed and relationship map will be due
the week of the class discussion on the topic, for which you will also serve as one of the discussion
leaders.
Assignment 3-White Paper on Signature Education Policy for Next President
Here is your chance to influence the nation. Prepare a 3 to 5 page briefing paper-with up to 5 pages of
supporting material in an appendix, as well as 10 minute power point on what you believe the signature
education policy for the next president should be. Draw on all you have learned in the class to make the
case. Demonstrate why the policy is needed and the positive benefits it will have. Show how the policy
is built on an evidence-based foundation. Discuss the political, public, and school system challenges it
will face in getting implemented and your proposed solutions to those challenges. Title your White
Paper and conclude your power point with a tag line or phrase that will effectively communicate the
importance and intention of the policy.
Evaluation and Grading
Class Participation and Attendance- 30%
Assignment 1- 20%
Assignment 2-20%
Assignment 3-30%
3
Course Outline
Why Do We Need National/State Education Policy?
Week 1-Jan. 29- Our History with Educational Policy and Short History of National Education Policy
Week 2-Feb. 5- No Class. Small group independent work/planning time
Collective Case Study of Recent Federal/State Education Policy
Week 3-Feb. 12-Where did the Policies Come From? Who were their Champions?
-Nut and Bolts of National Education Policy 1-the Process
-Student Presentations
Week 4-Feb 19-What was the Evidence Base? What made policymakers think it would work?
-Nuts and Bolts of Education Policy-2-the Players
- Student Presentations
Week 5-Feb. 26- What were the Political/Education System Obstacles? Who opposed it and why?
-Nuts and Bolts of Education Policy 3-Communicating
- Student Presentations
Week 6-March 5- What were the Impacts?-Factual and Perceived
-Nuts and Bolts of Education Policy 4-Moblizing and Coalition Building
-Student Presentations
The Education Policy Frontier
Week 7-March 12-Next Generation Accountability Systems
-Student op-eds and relationship maps
Week 8-March 19-Spring Break
Week 9-March 26-Teacher and Principal Development
4
-Student op-eds and relationship maps
Week 10-April 2-Building the New Engine (New School Design, Charters, and School Turnaround, Reimagined Learning, Re-Designed School Districts)
-Student op-eds and relationship maps
Week 11-April 9-Meeting Non-Academic Needs of Students and Engineering School Composition—
Student Choice, Desegregation and Socio-Economic Mixing
-Student op-eds and relationship maps
Week 12-April 16-Education Finance (Social Impact Bonds, Pay for Performance, Dollars follow the
Evidence, Dollars follow the student, vouchers, Court ordered state financing)
-Student op-eds and relationships maps
Week 13-April 23- The Next President’s Signature Education Policy
-Student Presentations 1
Week 14-April 30-The Next President’s Signature Education Policy
-Student Presentations 2
Policy Statements
Academic Conduct
The School of Education defines academic misconduct as any intentional or unintentional act
that provides an unfair or improper advantage beyond a student’s own work, intellect, or
effort, including but not limited to cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, unapproved multiple
submissions, or helping others engage in misconduct. This includes the misuse of electronic
media, text, print, images, speeches and ideas. Any act that violates the spirit of authorship
or gives undue advantage is a violation. Students are responsible for understanding what
constitutes academic misconduct. (Please refer to the School of Education’s Academic
Catalog for the current academic year for more information on the School’s policies and
procedures relating to academic conduct--http://www.students.education.jhu.edu/catalog/,
see Academic and Student Conduct Policies under the Academic Policies section.)
Please note that student work may be submitted to an online plagiarism detection tool at
the discretion of the course instructor. If student work is deemed plagiarized, the course
5
instructor shall follow the policy and procedures governing academic misconduct as laid out
in the School of Education’s Academic Catalog.
Attendance/Participation
SOE Attendance/Participation Policy Statement:
“Participation in lectures, discussions, and other activities is an essential part of the
instructional process. Students are expected to attend class regularly; those who are
compelled to miss a class should inform their instructor of the reasons for absences.
Students who expect to miss several class sessions for personal, professional, religious or
other reasons should consider enrolling in an alternative course section (if possible).”
Religious Observance Accommodation Policy
Religious holidays are valid reasons to be excused from class. Students who must miss a
class or examination because of a religious holiday must inform the instructor as early in the
semester as possible in order to be excused from class and to make arrangements to make
up any work that is missed.
Academic Continuity
Please note that in the event of serious consequences arising from extreme weather
conditions, communicable health problems, or other extraordinary circumstances, the School
of Education may change the normal academic schedule and/or make appropriate changes
to course structure, format, and delivery. In the event such changes become necessary,
information will be posted on the School of Education website.
Classroom Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic adjustment,
auxiliary aid or other similar accommodations, please contact Jennifer Eddinger in the
Disability Services Office at 410-516-9734 or via email at soe.disabilityservices@jhu.edu. For
more information on the School of Education’s disability services, please visit the disability
services website (http://www.students.education.jhu.edu/disability/).
Diversity and Inclusion
Johns Hopkins University is a community committed to sharing values of diversity and
inclusion in order to achieve and sustain excellence. We believe excellence is best promoted
by being a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff who are committed to creating a
climate of mutual respect that is supportive of one another’s success. Through its curricula
and clinical experiences, the School of Education purposefully supports the University’s goal
of diversity, and, in particular, works toward an ultimate outcome of best serving the needs
6
of all students in K-12 schools and the community. Faculty and candidates are expected to
demonstrate a commitment to diversity as it relates to planning, instruction, management,
and assessment.
IDEA Course Evaluation
Please remember to complete the IDEA course evaluation for this course. These evaluations
are an important tool in the School of Education’s ongoing efforts to improve instructional
quality and strengthen its programs. The results of the IDEA course evaluations are kept
anonymous—your instructor will only receive aggregated data and comments for the entire
class. An email with a link to the online course evaluation form will be sent to your JHU
email address approximately 85% of the way through the course (typically 5-7 days prior to
the last meeting of class). Thereafter, you will be sent periodic email reminders until you
complete the evaluation. The deadline for completing the evaluation is normally one week
after the last meeting of class. Please remember to activate your JHU email account and to
check it regularly. (Please note that it is the School of Education’s policy to send all faculty,
staff, and student email communications to a JHU email address, rather than to personal or
alternative work email addresses.) If you are having difficulty accessing the course
evaluations, you haven’t received an email reminder by the day of the last class, or if you
have any questions in general about the IDEA course evaluation process, please contact
Jenna Ballard (410-516-9755; idea@jhu.edu).
Supplemental Reading List
For students interested in having comprehensive accounts of federal education policy over the past 15
years and beyond there are three good choices;
Christopher Cross (2014) Political Education: Setting the Course for State and Federal Policy 2nd Edition.
Teachers College Press: New York
Jal Mehta (2013) The Allure of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations, and the Troubled Quest to
Remake American Schooling Oxford University Press: New York
Steven Brill (2011) Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools Simon and Schuster: New
York
.
7