Entering the Backstage of Education Policy Making

Catalog description

(Formerly EDUC 479). How to mobilize evidence to support informed decisions by education policymakers? How to create public sector partnerships for research and practice? In this 3-4-credit course, students will have the opportunity to engage with policy teams around a real educational problem, providing pro-bono technical support (participation capped at 25 students). Before the course starts, the instructor will collect expressions of interest from school districts, and match groups of students to a real educational challenge for which a district needs support. Working in groups, students will produce (1) a meta-analysis, analyzing what we know about what works or not to address the problem based on existing scientific research, (2) a policy review, summarizing what we (do not) know about the problem based on public documents and expert opinions, and (3) recommendations for action, proposing a strategy for making progress towards that problem. Groups will meet with their client bi-weekly to refine their understanding of the problem, share progress towards deliverables, collect feedback, and iterate around the initial objectives as teams learn more about their problems. This course is worth 3-4 credits, meaning you might need to dedicate 9-12 hours per week, including class time. This includes participation in both full-class and group meetings, leaving approximately 8 hours for work outside of class. The course meets twice a week over the course of the Spring quarter. It consists of 3 lectures, 12 group-work meetings, and 5 client-facing meetings. See schedule for additional details. Enrollment depends on instructor permission obtained on the first day of class. Priority will be given to GSE Master's students and advanced undergraduate students.