epsa-logue, year in review, 2013 2014

The Newsletter of the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University

the e p s a l ogue 2013—2014 Volume 2 Issue 1

newsletter

A YEAR IN REVIEW

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA‐logue 2 2013‐2014

Welcome to the third installment of The EPSA-logue, the departmental newsletter of the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis.

Our newsletter’s name “EPSA-logue” stems from the suffix “logue” (origin French and Latin “logos”) and denoting discourse, written or spoken, of a specified type (e.g. dialogue, monologue, travelogue).

We hope that it will produce numerous conversations and presentations on various topics relating to education policy and social analysis.

All are welcome to participate.

Table Contents of

3 The EPSA Departmental Mission

From the Chair’s Desk

News You Can Use

Special Events

Alumni Profile: Poli cs & Educa on

The EPSA Student Advisory Council

Student, Faculty, and Alumni News

EDPE 5550, Workshop in Econ & Ed

Ed Policy Disserta on Fellowship Winners The 2013‐2014, Visi ng Minority Post‐Doctoral Fellow

An Interview with EPSA Alumnus Joe Rogers, Jr.

EPSA Gradua on, 2014

The Doctors are In...

4 6

10 12 13 14 18 19 20 22 26 28 30 TC Career Services 31 “The Suburban Promise of Brown” Conference

32 Stay Connected 33 What’s Next?

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1

The

EPSA Mission

Teachers College, already known for shaping data-driven policy choices in education circles, is the pre-eminent training ground for future education policy leaders in academia, government, communities, and the non-profit education delivery sector. The mission of The Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis is to engage in cutting edge research and teaching to address critical problems affecting education and contribute to informed analysis and action to promote educational achievement and equity. EPSA starts out with a broad and inclusive view of the kinds of issues that its faculty and students might consider important to address. Explicitly, we are interested in both formal institutions of schooling and the political, bureaucratic, organizational, economic and social factors that profoundly affect both schools and the broader educational enterprise. We are interested in the role that families, communities, and civil society can play in promoting education outside the school building walls. We have a special interest and capability in addressing issues from pre-K through higher education, in identifying ways in which laws and institutions affect education, and in understanding the growing role of private for-profit and nonprofit organizations in delivering education technologies and services. Students in this department will develop general skills of policy research and analysis, along with general perspectives on policy development and implementation that are widely applicable to other domains of public policy. Social analysis grounded in disciplinary studies in sociology, political science, and economics should inform applied policy studies and vice versa.

The EPSA‐logue 3 2013‐2014

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 4

EPSA is three years old. Parents and specialists in child development sometimes refer to the terrible twos, a time when your children are tirelessly (and exhaustingly) curious; trying out all their new skills and adventures; still undisciplined; sometimes exuberant but often frustrated. Our department’s first three years were never terrible. Even though there was a lot for us to figure out, most of the time we were enjoying the challenge of establishing new programs, new patterns of interaction, new ways to get things done.

It’s still a relief, though, to have grown up just a bit. At three years old, we’re a full-grown toddler now: with our own personality, walking and thinking on our own. Compared to our first two years, last year was a little less about chaotic discovery, more about settling in and figuring out what we’re good at and what we stand for. An example is how we think about the events and symposiums we sponsor. In February 2012 we hosted a major event celebrating the kick-off for the department. It focused on “The Future of Education Policy: The 2012 Election and Beyond ,” and brought together a distinguished panel that drew on history, research, and their own experiences to offer, as the presidential primaries were just getting under way, some new ways to filter and think about daily developments and long term stakes. It was a great success and fun to do, but also somewhat opportunistic and of-the-moment. It wasn’t until afterward, when we began to field questions about what we would be doing in 2012/2013 that we realized that this was not a one-off event but the beginning of an annual tradition of EPSA events. The following year, in “Beyond the Schoolhouse Doors: Bringing Non-School Factors into Education Policy," we brought together the editors of three groundbreaking new compilations of research about non-school factors in educational attainment and achievement, and


from the

chair ’s desk Jeffrey R. Henig, Ph.D.

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA-logue Summer 2012 5

asked then to explain what a national education policy would look like that mobilized all government agencies and policy tools rather than just schools alone. This past year, our third, we stretched our muscles and took on two events. In December 2013, we sponsored a panel focused on the emerging political backlash against testing, part of an all-day TC conference on “Testing Then and Now.” And in May we helped close out the academic year and celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by hosting “The Suburban Promise of Brown: Addressing Challenges to Sustaining Racially Diverse Schools and Communities.” These were no less adventurous than the earlier events, but by now we had a better sense of what we like to do and what we can contribute. We like to sink our teeth into big and complicated questions: topical ones, in the sense that their implications are real and immediate, but not necessarily those dominating the media, since when it comes to recognizing what will really prove to be important, the media is often a step or two behind. In recognition of their complexity, we don’t expect simple solutions. We want to focus today on things that will be on the front page next month or next year. We’re good at recognizing, distilling, and communicating about research; and even though we know that solving tough questions is not just a question of amassing more research, we believe that many important debates are being muddled due to over-reliance on instinct and ideology and we believe that institutions like TC have a responsibility to generate more and better knowledge and that more and better knowledge ultimately contribute to societal gain. Allow me one more example of how we’re maturing into our toddlerhood. This has to do with the ways in which we work with and involve our students. From the first, our students have been active participants in the shaping of the departmental culture and activities. An example is the series of “policy pop-ups” that we sponsor. The EPSA Policy Pop-Ups series is a student run group operating with funding from EPSA. They plan informal discussions on a myriad of policy issues that give both students and faculty from across departments of TC a chance to discuss what they’ve been learning in an informal setting. Each discussion is led by a different student who volunteers to facilitate. The basic idea emerged out of student discussions in EPSA classes with Carolyn Riehl and Kevin Dougherty. Those continue---in this past year, titles of pop-ups have included “The Morality of Measurement” and “Instruction, Regulation and Compliance: Can we Standardize our Way to Academic Excellence?” But we’ve also taken our first steps into involving the students more directly in the governance of the department. With leadership from 2013-2014 EPSA Senators Sam Lim and Tamara Sachs, students constituted an elected EPSA Student Advisory Council, with the purposes of promoting the social and general welfare by serving as the representative, advocate of, and liaison to the student body of the Department; gathering and expressing student opinion regarding Department issues while fostering communication and collaboration between the students, faculty, staff and alumni; promoting the diversity, community, and civility of the student body; and implementing activities that serve Department students and the larger University. We’re not done growing up. Among our planned projects for the coming year is expanding our communication and involvement with alumni and others who are following us at TC and elsewhere. With that in mind, please feel free to send an email or note if you have ideas or comments.


The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA-logue Summer 2012 6

y o u c a n u s e

AY 2014-2015,

Faculty on Sabbaticals or Research Leaves

Sharon Lynn Kagan, Spring 2015

Mun Tsang, Spring 2015

AY 2014-2015,

New Adjuncts & Instructional Staff

Dr. Amra El Sabic Rayess, Education Policy

Dr. Eleni Natsiopoulous, Sociology & Education

Yilin Pan, Economics & Education

Dr. David Wright, Politics & Education


The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 7

Important Changes to the Ph.D. requirements The PhD Committee has approved the following changes in the PhD degree requirements:

1) Effective September 1, 2014: the Statement of Total Program will no longer be required for PhD certification (the award of the Master of Philosophy degree). The statement will be replaced in future semesters as an annual student review. Further details of the student review will be specified in future announcements. 2) Beginning in the Fall 2014 semester, a three credit Teachers College course will satisfy the PhD continuous registration requirement. The former requirement of a minimum of eight points of registration per semester will no longer be required as the minimum course substitute for doctoral dissertation advisement.

Please note any of the following options will continue to satisfy the continuous registration requirements:

Dissertation advisement (_8900) PhD Defense (TI8900) the GSAS final defense fee which includes the Teachers College dissertation advisement fee An approved Personal Exemption or Waiver (with enrollment as a Doctoral Candidate , IND6000) An approved medical or military Leave of Absence Approved internships in the CCPX, CCPJ and HBSK programs

There are also changes in the personal exemption, waiver and leave of absence policy. These changes are listed in the updated PhD Requirement Bulletin. An email detailing the-se changes will be sent from the Office of Doctoral Studies. Area Committee Chair As of September 1, 2014, the PhD Area Committee Chair’s approval will no longer be required for the submission to ODS of the program plan, advanced seminar and final defense application. There are updated forms on the ODS website. The PhD defense application The PhD defense application has been updated by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The older form will no longer be accepted by GSAS. Please note that only the sponsor’s signature will be required to submit the form to ODS. The signed defense application must be submitted toODS 3 weeks prior to the defense date AT THE LATEST. A late application may be rejected by GSAS and the defense date cancelled. Updated PhD Requirements Bulletin Available on the ODS website, the bulletin reflects all updated requirements to the PhD

degree.


The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 Page 6 The EPSA-logue Summer 2012 6


AY2015-2016 Education Policy

Dissertation Research Fellowships

The Educa on Policy Disserta on Research Fellowship is open to TC doctoral

students, regardless of their department or program, whose disserta on research

has the poten al to inform societal efforts to improve educa onal opportunity,

achievement, or equity. This research should be focused on an important policy

issue at any level of government, reflect poten al for policy u lity, and show a

strong likelihood of being accepted in the most well‐respected journals. Our view

of policy relevance is a broad one, encompassing research that affects policy

indirectly by shi ing public understanding of societal challenges and

opportuni es for effec ve interven on.

Fellowship recipients are awarded $6,000 to supplement academically-related living, tuition, research, or travel expenses.

Fellowships are available to matriculating TC doctoral students who will have an approved dissertation on proposal by May 31, 2016.

Students in all departments of the College are eligible as long as their proposal meets the specified criteria.

Recipients of the fellowships are expected to present their research work at one colloquium in the spring of 2014 and to participate in EPSA-sponsored events, such as colloquia, seminars, and Policy Student Net-work activities where appropriate.

For more information and application instructions, please go to the website:

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/epsa/index.asp?Id=Policy+Fellowship&Info=Policy+Fellowship

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/epsa/index.asp?Id=Policy+Fellowship&Info=Policy+Fellowship�




The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 Page 7 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 7

Student Travel Reimbursement Awards

Each year, the EPSA Department offers a limited number of awards to students to assist in the reimbursement of expenses incurred while serving on a panel at a national or international professional conference. The maximum reimbursement is $400 and priority is given to those presenting a research paper; if there are sufficient funds, those participating in a poster session or as a discussant will be considered eligible. Eligible, reimbursable travel expenses include: air fare, train fare, hotel, parking, meals, tolls, parking, car rental, and taxi fare. For more information about how to apply, please e-mail us at [email protected]

Policy-related, student organizations at Teachers College

EPSA Student Advisory Council (EPSA-SAC)

http://epsastudentadvisorycouncil.wordpress.com/

Policy Student Network (PSN) http://www.tc.columbia.edu/epsa/index.asp?Id=Policy+Student+Network&Info=PSN-Overview

Society for Economics & Education (SEE)

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/students/see/

Society for Sociology of Education (SSE) For more info, e-mail: [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]�

http://epsastudentadvisorycouncil.wordpress.com/�

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/epsa/index.asp?Id=Policy+Student+Network&Info=PSN-Overview�




http://www.tc.columbia.edu/students/see/�


The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 10 The EPSA‐logue 10 2013‐2014

T 2013‐2014 ACADEMIC YEAR

EPSA

, , ‐ ,

.

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 11 The EPSA‐logue 11 2013‐2014

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 Page 10 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 10 The EPSA‐logue 12 2013‐2014

Emily started her education career as a Montessori Spanish teacher, dedicating afterschool hours to teaching adult English Language Learners through the Center for New Americans and coaching skiing for the Special Olympics. She is a former middle school special education teacher and program liaison for students with significant disabilities.

Teaching within the public sector made her conscious of the need for research and policy that immediately impacts student outcomes, yet is sensitive to the reality that affecting meaningful change takes time and the investment of multiple stakeholders. Combining her on-the-ground experience as an educator with an interest in politics and policy, Emily joined the department’s Politics and Education Program in 2012.

While in the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis, Emily had the opportunity to expand her leadership skills by representing EPSA on the Student Senate, co-organizing the EPSA Policy Pop-Up Discussion Series, and hosting roundtable discussions on teacher leadership and reform: “Teacher Voice: Power, Unions, and the Structure of Education Reform” and “The Biggest Bullies in Schools…Teachers Unions?”

Currently, Emily is the Director of Programs at the Rennie Center where she manages a full portfolio of labor-management initiatives including the Massachusetts Education Partnership’s District Capacity Project and Interest Based Bargaining Institute. She also is the coordinator of the Education Policy Fellowship Program-Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Institute for College and Career Readiness.

Emily holds a M.S. in Special Education from Simmons College and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

EMILY A. MURPHY Program in Politics & Education M.A., 2014

Alumni

profile

Director of Programs

Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy Boston, MA


INTRODUCING:

The Spring semester saw the formation of the EPSA Student Advisory Council (EPSA-SAC), a student-initiated advisory group which organizes student events and helps communi-cate student interests to the EPSA faculty. Founding mem-bers included Samson Lim (M.A., Education Policy, 2014) and Tamara Sacks (M.A., Sociology and Education, 2014), who also served as EPSA Student Senators. Council repre-sentatives, elected from each of EPSA's academic programs, included Ryan Heath (Ph.D. candidate, Economics and Education), Natalie Kolodinski (M.A. candidate, Education Policy), Carly Grotteria (M.A., Politics and Education, 2014) and Christopher Lim (M.A. Candidate, Sociology and Education.) The council helped to organize multiple events during the spring semester, including two EPSA Alumni Panels and networking events, three Policy Pop-Up discussions, and several socials. Additionally, they assisted with outreach to newly admitted and prospective students.

Please visit the SAC website for detailed write-ups of past events, meeting agendas and minutes, and a contact link for council members. The address is: http://epsastudentadvisorycouncil.wordpress.com/

THE

EPSA

STUDENT

ADVISORY

COUNCIL





The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 14

STUDENT , FACULTY & ALUMNI NEWS Busy lives and schedules not withstanding, EPSA students, faculty, and alumni, still find to time to write, research, present, give interviews, lecture, publish, and even win awards!


Sept. 4, 2013 Travis Bristol, Education Policy Ph.D. candidate on The Shanker Blog Travis Bristol, former high school English teacher in New York City public schools, who is currently a clinical teacher educator with the Boston Teacher Residency program, as well as a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University. His research interests focus on the intersection of gender and race in organizations. Travis is a 2013 National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellow. Read his article on The Shanker Blog, "Calling Black Men To The Blackboard". Sept. 17, 2013 Luis Huerta: K12, Inc. Running Newark Charter From "Soup to Nuts" The Associate Professor of Education tells The Star-Ledger that the for-profit company is running a public charter school without much input from the public Link: Article Sept. 25, 2013 Priscilla Wohlstetter featured in TC Media Center Twenty-one years after the first charter schools opened in Minnesota, what do we know about charter school performance in the United States? Read the full article here. Oct. 10, 2013 TC's Rebell: U.S. "Closer to Racial Equity Than We Were 50 Years Ago" Michael A. Rebell But we are much "further from Martin Luther King's vision of equal educational opportunity than we should and could be." Link: Racial Equity 50 Years After King's Speech - OpEducation Oct. 28, 2013 TC's Campaign for Educational Equity Collaborates on New Pre-K Proposal The Campaign, along with the Center for Children's Initiatives, released a comprehensive proposal to make quality preschool available in New York State. Link: Article

http://shankerblog.org/?p=8776#more-8776�




http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/newark_charter_school_contract_with_k12_inc_shows_influence_of_for-profit_companies_in_public_school.html#incart_m-rpt-1�

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news.htm?articleID=9199�

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/op_education/2013/10/racial_equity_50_years_after_k.html?qs=Michael+Rebell�



Dec. 9, 2013 Professors Jeff Henig, Sharon Lynn Kagan, and Kevin Dougherty participated in the third panel “Backlash Against Testing Today” during a day long TC conference Testing Then and Now - Building on a Legacy in Educational Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation. Link: Article Dec. 11, 2013 Priscilla Wohlstetter in WNYC's School Book blog. Love 'em or hate 'em, charter schools are going to be with us for the foreseeable future, argues TC's Priscilla Wohlstetter in WNYC's School Book Blog Jan. 6, 2014 Michael Rebell in the Daily News: Cuomo's Obligation to your Kids. TC's Michael Rebell to Gov. Cuomo "Fund Schools, not Tax Cuts." The Executive Director of the Campaign for Educational Equity writes in The New York Daily News that if Cuomo's estimated $2 billion surplus is real, the state should start paying down its $4 billion debt to schools. Link: Cuomo's obligation to your kids. Jan. 6, 2014 On WNYC's SchoolBook blog, Aaron Pallas offered five cost-conscious tips for improving NYC schools. http://www.wnyc.org/story/my-advice-new-schools-chancellor/ Jan. 10, 2014 Priscilla Wohlstetter: Helping Educators Implement the Common Core. Prof. Wohlstetter explores the Common Core topics on the Education Founders Research Initiative website. "What is helping the Common Core succeed in NYC? Is New York City on track to ensure that the new Common Core standards will address academic achievement gaps and build skills like problem solving and persistence that also are crucial to college and career readiness? What steps should the next administration take to ensure this happens? " Read her essay here and the follow-up conversation on Twitter here. Jan. 14, 2014 Former TC Sachs lecturer David Kirp cited a study co-authored by Henry Levin that found that an academic and financial support program for one community college student costing $4,000 per year reaps a "whopping" $200,000 in taxpayer benefits, in a New York Times op-ed piece. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/how-to-help-college-students-graduate.html?_r=1 Jan. 27, 2014 Michael Rebell on NY1 in news on universal Pre-K plan. NY1. Mayor Bill de Blasio says when it comes to universal pre-kindergarten, time is of essence. Prof. Michael Rebell joins the discussion on NY1 TV news. See the whole program at NY1. De Blasio Takes Universal Pre-K Plan to Albany.



http://www.wnyc.org/story/charter-schools-are-here-stay-now-lets-have-useful-conversation-about-them/�

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/cuomo-obligation-kids-article-1.1565851�

http://www.wnyc.org/story/my-advice-new-schools-chancellor/�

http://edfundersresearch.com/priscilla-wohlstetter-helping-educators-implement-common-core�

http://edfundersresearch.com/forum/implementing-common-core-nyc-right-track�

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/how-to-help-college-students-graduate.html?_r=1�




http://www.ny1.com/content/news/202549/de-blasio-takes-universal-pre-k-plan-to-albany�

The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 14 The EPSA‐logue 16 2013‐2014

STUDENT , FACULTY & ALUMNI NEWS (cont’d.)

Feb. 20, 2014 Amanda Washington, Education Policy M.A. student at the EPSA department featured in TC People section of TC News. Joe Levine introduces Education Policy M.A. degree student Amanda Washington. She talks about her interests, her family, her inspirations, her work, and her road to Teachers College. Please read Joe's article and listen to Amanda, featured in a short video. Feb. 21, 2014 Joe Rogers, Jr., a recipient of the TC Black Excellence Community Service Award 2014. Black Student Network at Teachers College held its 9th Annual Black Student Network Gala on Friday, February 21, 2014 to celebrate Black Excellence. The gala acknowledged and honored the accomplishments of unsung heroes within the Harlem and Columbia University communities. Joe Rogers, Jr., an alumnus of the Education Leadership Program, with concentration in Leadership, Policy and Politics (currently Education Policy) at Teachers Collage, was one of the recipients of the award this year. April 1, 2014 In a policy brief published by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Amy Stuart Wells wrote that so-called "colorblind" educational policies work against diverse public schools. http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/pb-colorblind_0.pdf April 2, 2014 EPSA Alumnae Speak at Reception for Admitted Students EPSA extends warm thanks to alumnae, Dana Leon-Guerrero (Sociology & Education, 2010) and Lauren McDade (Politics & Education, 2013), who were featured speakers at TC's Washington DC Admit Reception on Wednesday, April 2. The reception, sponsored by the Office of Admission, allowed newly admitted students to meet with TC alumni and learn more about their academic and professional experiences.


http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/pb-colorblind_0.pdfC:\Users\salexander\Documents\Corel�


April 4, 2014 Miya Warner, Ph.D., the recipient of the 2014 AERA Division L (Education Policy & Politics) Dissertation of the Year Award. AERA Division L (Education Policy and Politics) Newsletter has announced the 2014

Dissertation Award Winners. Miya Warner, Ph.D., a 2013 alumna of the Sociology and Education program at Teacher College, is the Dissertation of the Year award winner. The dissertation's title was "Small High Schools and Big Inequalities: Course-taking and Curricular Rigor in New York City." The selecting committee was very impressed with Miya's work and it felt that her findings on intra-district selectivity and stratification have very important implications for research, policy, and practice. Miya's dissertation was supervised by Prof. Amy Stuart-Wells and Prof. Douglas Ready.

April 23, 2014 Jill Bloomberg, Ph.D. student in Politics & Education program featured in the article on school integration in the New York Magazine. Despite the New York City's problem of deeply segregated school system, the Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn is determined not to be put in the same box. Jill Bloomberg, the third year Ph.D. student in the Politics and Education Program at EPSA, has been the school's principal since summer 2004 and she has been determined to fight the race and class divide at her school from the beginning. The New York Magazine's article from April 23 tells the story of how she set up to achieve that with a group of teachers an parents. http://nymag.com/news/features/park-slope-collegiate-integration-2014-4/index5.html May 5, 2014 Peter Bergman co-authored an opinion piece for CNN debunking reports that parent involvement adds little to student achievement. http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/05/opinion/rogers-coffman-bergman-education-kids/ June 12, 2014 Aaron Pallas urged caution on NCTQ Teacher-Absence Report in the Huffington Post. Read the full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-richmond/what-happens-when-teacher_b_5461691.html June 18, 2014 In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Senators Lamar Alexander and Michael Bennet cited Judith Scott-Clayton’s research in support of a postcard FAFSA. http:www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/opinion/simplifying-fafsa-will-get-more-kids-into-college.html?smid=tw-share

http://nymag.com/news/features/park-slope-collegiate-integration-2014-4/index5.html�




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The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 The EPSA‐logue 18 2013‐2014

EDPE 5550, WORKSHOP IN

ECONOMICS & EDUCATION

The purpose of the Workshop in Economics & Education, EDPE 5550, is to allow Economics & Education students to read and view first-hand the most recent theories, policies and methodologies in the field of economics of education. The course also seeks to prepare students for their own research and presentations in this field. The Workshop in Economics & Education offers a series of presentations and papers reflecting the state of the art in the field of economics of education. Guests from universities, international organizations, think tanks and other institutions present their latest research or policy-oriented work in the field of economics of education. Faculty and students affiliated with the Economics and Education program also present their own work.

Outside speakers during the 2013-14 academic year included Basit Zafir and Rajashri Chakrabarti from the New York Federal Reserve, Professors Dalton Conley and Sean Corcoran from NYU, Professor Peter Hinrichs from Georgetown University, Professor Susan Dynarski from the University of Michigan, Professor Benjamin Castleman from the University of Virginia, Professor Charles Clotfelter from Duke University, Professor David Deming from Harvard University, and Professor Angela Boatman from Vanderbilt University.

The EPSA-logue Fall 2012

Lauren Fox, Ph.D. Candidate Program in Sociology & Education Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis Choosing Diversity: White Parents, Demographic Change, and Suburban Public Schools Kathryn Hill, Ph.D. Candidate Program in Sociology& Education Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis Race, Trust and Public Schooling: Examining the Nature of Urban Black Parent Trust in Public Schools Miguel Martinez, Ph.D. Candidate Program in Economics & Education Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis The Impact of Ability Tracking on Students’ Stated Interest in STEM among Historically Underrepresented Groups and High Ability Students: A Multilevel Propensity Score Matching Approach Sukhminder Kauer, Ed.D. Candidate Program in Health Education Department of Health & Behavioral Studies The Relationship Between Social and Emotional Competence and Middle School Adolescent Drug Use: A Meta-Analysis Mirka Tvaruzkova, Ph.D. Candidate Program in Comparative & International Development Department of International & Transcultural Studies Understanding Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) reform and education equity issues among Indigenous populations in the Andes Leslie Williams, Ed.D. Candidate Program in Higher & Post-secondary Education Department of Organization & Leadership Realizing the paucity of opportunities for access to higher education for members of educationally underserved populations

2014-2015

Teachers College

Education Policy Dissertation Fellowship

Recipients

The Education Policy Dissertation Research Fellowship is open to TC students, regardless of their department or program, whose dissertation research has the potential to inform societal efforts to improve educational opportunity, achievement, or equity. This research should be focused on an important policy issue at any level of government, reflect potential for policy utility, and show a strong likelihood of being accepted in the most well-respected journals. Our view of policy relevance is a broad one, encompassing research that affects policy indirectly by shifting public understanding of societal challenges and opportunities for effective intervention.

For more information, go to:

http://www.tc.edu/epsa/index.asp?Id=Policy+Fellowship&Info=Policy+Fellowship


http://www.tc.edu/epsa/index.asp?Id=Policy+Fellowship&Info=Policy+Fellowship�





The Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis was pleased to host the 2013-2014 Teachers College Minority Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Robert Alcala.

Alcala, who earned his Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, sat down with the EPSA-Logue to discuss his professional and academic interests, and to describe the work he did here at TC.

“I’m interested in legal issues affecting education, including those touching on questions about equality and opportunity, and in how professionals, researchers and constituencies with interests in education engage with legal institutions over issues

affecting educational practices on the ground and in schools,” says Alcala, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on how the public discourse over legal controversies, particularly those affecting schools, serves as a source of political education. Ultimately, he would like his work to “highlight and argue in favor of a more robust and mutually informative dialogue between the two sides – educational professionals with firsthand


Bob Alcala, Ph.D.

2013-2014 TC Visiting Minority Post‐Doctoral Fellow


experience in education, and legal professionals whose activities, directly or indirectly, have an impact on educational practices.”

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in this area,” he says. “There are a lot of high-profile legal cases where you see the public legal discourse over education unfold. I’m looking to become involved in some discussions at the scholarly level and to do some focused research on legal controversies and legal advocacy by looking at materials such as amicus briefs.” These “friend of the court” briefs are submitted by individuals, groups, and organizations that are not parties to a specific case but claim an interest in the outcome. “In the past, high-profile education cases have drawn some of the largest numbers of amicus briefs,” notes Alcala. For instance, the recent Fisher case drew “a very broad range of briefs submitted by segments of society including groups directly involved in education and education research.”

Alcala first became interested in education while a student at an all-boys, scholarship-only Jesuit high school here in New York City. As a scholarship school, it brought together students of very different backgrounds from all over the metropolitan area. In that respect, Alcala describes it as “the kind of melting pot you’d expect public schools to be. You learn by being in classrooms and other activities and by making friends with people you wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance to meet.” It was there, says Alcala, “that I was first exposed to the power that educational opportunity can have in the lives of individuals.”

Alcala began volunteering in public schools as a high school student. “From that point on,” he says, “I’ve been a student or involved in schools. While volunteering, I saw how the composition and structure of schools made a difference in how and what the students learned.” Alcala majored in philosophy at Williams College, minoring in neuroscience and women’s studies. Studying philosophy helped him to develop “foundational questions about what sorts of lives we should lead, what types of citizens we want to cultivate, and what types of interactions we want citizens to have after leaving schools.”

With support from a Fulbright Scholarship and Harvard University Traveling Fellowship, Alcala was a visiting researcher at the University of the Philippines Law School’s Institute of Government and Law Reform. There, he studied education rights in the developing world – what he takes to be a subset of social, economic and cultural rights. “I was interested in why those rights, which are codified in many new constitutions in developing nations, are rarely enforced,” he said. “This is kind of an off-shoot of the other work I’ve been doing in American education law. I am interested in how one pursues educational opportunity in the developing world, and how it compares to what is being done here in the U.S.” Alcala looks forward to sharing these experiences with students at EPSA who have an interest in education law and international development, and taught a seminar on this subject in Spring 2014.

Reflecting on his time at TC, Alcala says, “What I’m finding here is that it’s so important to have a space to compare notes with others. You may be in very different roles, working on very different things, but you have a common interest that can be informed by the various perspectives you can bring to bear. Where else are you going to have those discussions if you’re never brought together?”

He feels that the interdisciplinary approach at EPSA makes the department a particularly good fit for his interests. “To have a year where there are opportunities big and small to gain insights that can inform and complement what I’m doing is incredibly valuable. Being in a department with people that I have so much to learn from is really an incredible opportunity.”

Alcala looks forward to working with students and faculty during his time at TC. “There are so many ways you learn from people who have different backgrounds than yourself,” he says. “Being placed in a setting like this, where you have the resources and the incredible talent, both in the faculty and among the students, to give time and attention to these issues is very special – not only because it is a chance to study these topics, but also because it is a chance to reflect the diversity we study.”


Pursuing an Excellent and Equitable Education: For and By Harlem

An Interview with EPSA Alumnus Joe Rogers, Jr.


M ost people have a difficult time remembering what they did in the 8th grade. Joe Rogers, Jr., an M.A. alumnus of the LPP Program (now Education Policy) and a part-time researcher and civic-engagement specialist with the Campaign for Educational Equity at TC, however, remembers that year well. In fact, his experiences at that age foreshadowed his vocation in education advocacy. Encouraged by his English teacher in a public school in Maine, he delivered a speech on educational equity and excellence at a New England oratorical contest. He was 13, but already had concerns about educational inequities he had observed in his school. In his speech, he challenged the audience to help ensure that all children receive a high quality education. The judges must have thought that was a worthy goal, because he walked away with the first place and a college scholarship. But that was just the beginning. Later, as an undergraduate student in D.C. and a tutor in a local public elementary school, he rekindled his interest in both school-level and policy-level issues. After graduation, he became an AmeriCorps VISTA and helped strengthen a university-run tutoring program serving a number of schools in “high-need” D.C. communities. Before leaving the nation’s capital, Joe also launched and managed an AmeriCorps program for a coalition of adult and family literacy service providers based in neighborhoods throughout the city.

All these experiences equipped him with an understanding of the educational needs and strengths of low-income urban communities. Taking that knowledge and those skills four hours north, he eventually found his professional home at an education non-profit in NYC and his community home in Harlem, the subject and setting of several of his favorite books in high school. His initial responsibilities revolved around helping public schools collaborate to strengthen their school library programs and modernize their library facilities. Later, he contributed to teacher diversity and recruitment initiatives and initiated a monthly staff discussion series focused on educational equity and how the organization’s work intersected with issues of race and class.

After three years of working with and learning from school-based educators and colleagues, whose professional experiences in education ran the gamut from former district superintendents to family and community advocates, he realized that he needed to deepen and broaden his understanding of the field

and develop his own theoretical framework. He believed strongly that community engagement in education, particularly in lower-income Black and Latino communities, was an essential but too often missing piece of the educational puzzle. At the same time, he felt that his focus was a mile wide and an inch deep, and he knew that he needed guidance in how educational systems interact with other social and political systems. A colleague suggested applying to the Leadership, Policy and Politics concentration at Teachers College.

That turned out to be good advice. Joe explains that any prospective applicants with a strong professional background in educational services coupled with a keen interest in the policy and political aspects of the field would find the new successor to LPP—the interdisciplinary Education Policy program—an excellent fit. For him personally, the program was so aligned with his interests and goals that, after a helpful informational interview with Dr. Luis Huerta and a period of personal and professional reflection, this was the only program to which he applied.

Earning a degree from a prestigious college provides a graduate with a good chance of finding a safe, comfortable “9 to 5” job. Joe, however, having faced poverty and other disadvantages growing up, felt called to serve as an advocate and organizer for the educationally least privileged and decided to

apply his knowledge and skills to pursuing educational equity and social justice. He soon realized that an effective organization has a greater capacity than an effective individual to bring good ideas to fruition. He further believed that Harlem could become an intergenerational educational powerhouse not through top-down mandates or charismatic leaders, but through the collective, positive actions of all Harlemites. Joe has dedicated his life to that idea.

In 2008 he founded Total Equity Now (TEN ), an organization driven and continuously shaped by Harlemites’ input, feedback, and active participation. As Joe puts it, “TEN is a shared creation that will continue to evolve with the needs of, and in response to, the community.”

Joe notes that Harlem is home to many organizations, groups, businesses, faith communities, and individuals who are doing great work in and around education. Unfortunately, he says, so many more community members are disengaged and disempowered when it comes to education and other important social issues. He adds: “Some folks see it as a lost cause. Others want to get involved but aren’t sure how to go about it. Many people simply feel that they lack sufficient time in their schedules to devote to community service of any kind. Some community members, on the other hand, have accepted the line that education is the exclusive domain of


“...an effec ve organiza on has a greater capacity than an effec ve individual to bring good ideas to frui on.”

http://www.totalequitynowharlem.org/�

professional educators and that parents and community members should leave the education of their children, our children, to the official experts."

Those types of attitudes do not stop him because he believes that when community members are encouraged and supported in contributing to the educational development of a community—sometimes through such a small but symbolically powerful act as carrying reading materials outside of their bags—they begin to understand, or they remember, both their own power and the community’s collective power to effect positive change in education. “It gives them a stronger sense of purpose and a renewed confidence in tackling community problems and strength-ening opportunity,” he adds, “all essential ingredients in the recipe for a thriving, equitable village.”

All of TEN’s initiatives are grounded in its mission statement: “engaging Harlemites as active participants and decision makers in advancing educational excellence and equity across our village.” For example, TEN co-founded and co-hosts a monthly “Education Film Screening & Community Discussion Series” using documentaries and video clips as vehicles to engage intergenerational gatherings of Harlem and Washington Heights in problem solving around educational issues affecting these communities. TEN also facilitates community problem solving workshops that encourage young people to think critically about a range of community issues and to see themselves not only as leaders of tomorrow, but as co-leaders of

today. The initiative that has garnered the greatest amount of enthusiasm and participation from community members, however, is “Literacy Across Harlem Day,” a first-day-of-every-month campaign that asks Harlemites to carry reading materials publicly and conspicuously around their community in order to celebrate and strengthen community members’ reading and learning-related identities.

Whatever Joe did not learn at Teachers College, he learns now from his every-day

experiences and the experts in his network. One lesson that occupies his thoughts more and more these days is the importance of resources, both monetary and human, in helping an organization like TEN achieve its goals. When one coordinates a volunteer-led, volunteer-driven organization fueled mostly by volunteer grit and passion, partners and supporters become even more vital. TEN is now moving to bolster that volunteer energy with additional resources in order to imple-ment and sustain the exciting projects on its horizon.

While developing its plans for long-term sustainability, TEN continues to leverage its successes and media exposure to reach and engage a growing number of Harlemites. Any free media coverage is an important tool in spreading the word about their goals, programs, and events. Big-name daily newspapers, community weeklies, blogs, radio shows, T.V. shows—they are all helpful and each has its own audience. However, consistent with TEN’s community-centered approach, Joe prizes coverage by media outlets catering to Harlemites.

What does the future hold for Joe and Total Equity Now? He says that TEN is striving to build a community culture in which every Harlemite, east to west, north to south, younger to older, is inspired to apply the best of his or her knowledge, skills, and resources to both providing and securing excellent educational opportunities for the entire community. He also hopes that, because TC is located in Harlem, more TC students, faculty members, staff and community partners likewise will contribute their knowledge, skills, and resources toward the pursuit of that dream. We wish him all the best.

For more information, visit TEN’s website: (www.totalequitynowharlem.org) and follow it on Twitter

(www.twitter.com/totalequitynow), Facebook (www.facebook.com/totalequitynow), and Instagram

(www.instagram.com/totalequitynow).


Joe Rogers, Jr. (right) explains Literacy Across Harlem Day on the corner

of 135th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem.

http://www.totalequitynowharlem.org/�

http://www.twitter.com/totalequitynow�

http://www.facebook.com/totalequitynow�




http://www.instagram.com/totalequitynow�

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 Page 16 The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 16

2014 marked the

third graduation of

students from the

newest academic

department of

Teachers College.

On Tuesday, May 21st, M.A.

and Ed.M. graduates were

conferred their degrees in

a ceremony held at St. John

the Divine. In a separate

event, on Wednesday, May

22nd, doctoral graduates

received their degrees dur-

ing a hooding ceremony at

the Cathedral.

Watching the graduates,

surrounded by family and

friends, was a proud moment

for everyone, celebrating their

hard work and commitment .

We wish them all the best and

a productive future.


Graduation Day, 2014


A peacock, of unknown provenance, attends the festivities with his unique graduation outfit.

Family and friends gather inside for the ceremony.

Faculty and administrators file into St. John the Divine Cathedral.

The EPSA staff prepare for the Graduation Reception.

After the ceremony, the happy crowd exits down the stairs of the cathedral, on to Amsterdam Avenue.


the doctors

H e r e a r e h i g h l i g h t s o f t h e t e n , n e w l y - m i n t e d d o c t o r a t e s , t h e i r


Sayu Bhojwani Ph.D. Politics & Education

Coming of Age in Multiracial America: South Asian Political Incorporation

Diss. Sponsor: Jeffrey Henig Alyshia Brooks Bowden

Ph.D. Politics & Education

Estimating the Cost Effective-ness of a National Program that Impacts High School Graduation

Diss. Sponsor: Henry Levin

Kristen Bucceri Ph.D. Economics & Education

Are Early Commitment Pro-

grams the Answer to Gaps in College Enrollment and Out-

comes by Income? The Case of Oklahoma's Promise

Diss. Sponsor: Judith Scott-Clayton

Travis Bristol, Ph.D. Education Policy

Black men of the classroom: An explora‐

on how the organiza onal condi ons,

characteris cs, and dynamics in schools

affect Black male teachers' pathways into

the profession, experiences, and

reten on

Diss. Sponsor: Carolyn Riehl

Elizabeth Chu, Ph.D. Education Policy

Out of Class and Off Track: High School Suspension in

New York City

Diss. Sponsor: Douglas Ready


are in... r e s e a r c h , a n d t h e E P S A f a c u l t y w h o s a w t h e m t h r o u g h t h e l o n g p r o c e s s .


Katharine Conn, Ph.D. Economics & Education

Identifying Effective Education Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis of Rigor-ous Impact Evaluations

Diss. Sponsor: Thomas Bailey

Peter Crosta, Ph.D. Economics & Education

Essays on the Economics of Education: Structured Transfer Programs, Enrollment Patterns, and Efficiency at Community Colleges


Fei Guo, Ph.D. Economics & Education

The Impact of Term-Time Working on College Outcomes in China


Charles Ogundimu, Ph.D. Economics & Education

Does the Mode of Entry into Teaching Matter in Teacher Retention? A Discrete-Time Survival Analysis Modeling of NYC Public School Teachers


Li Yu, Ph.D. Economics & Education

The Impact of College Quality on Early Labor Market Outcomes in China

Diss. Sponsor: Mun Tsang



Anxious about what to do after finishing your program at Teachers College? If so, you might find it beneficial to make friends with the staff of the Office of Career Services (TCCS) at 44 Horace Mann Building. TCCS provides a variety of invaluable services for TC students and alumni considering their future career or career change. Please click here to learn more about the services TCCS offers students.

The Office of Career Services offers individual career counseling appointments either in person or by phone to assist students and alumni with career development needs. If needed, one of their career counselors will review your career documents (resume, curriculum vitae, cover letter, and/or personal statement.) You can also participate in a variety of workshops to help you write first drafts of these documents or learn how to negotiate salary or even how to improve your interview performance for the actual employer during the scheduled hour-long mock interviews. The office is open for a walk-in visits. Stop by for a spontaneous (10-15 minute) counseling appointment with one of their career counselors. TCCS fall walk-in hours are on Mondays (4-6 p.m.) and Wednesdays (3-5 p.m.)

TCCS website, http://www.tc.columbia.edu/careerservices/, will also link you with resources to explore your career paths (Vault), the library of more than 1000 companies and industries (WetFeet), or transnational opportunities (Going Global). TCCS recommends joining the TCCS Alumni/Student LINKED IN Networking Event to connect with fellow students and alumni. Please click here to join.”). This network provides you with an opportunity to connect with professionals in various career fields, develop your career plans, and create professional networks in various industries.

You can also register to use the “TCCS LINK,” an online career development resource and job database, utilized to promote career opportunities and recruitment initiatives to TC students and alumni. Finally yet importantly, every year Career Office website posts TC graduate survey report. They have just posted data from 2013 survey that lists statistics of EPSA graduates.

Please make sure that you take advantage of this valuable source of data, contacts, and services. The Office of Career Services awaits you!

What can TCCS do for you?

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/careerservices/index.asp?Id=Students&Info=Student+Services�




http://www.tc.columbia.edu/careerservices/�

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/careerservices/index.asp?Id=Students&Info=Alumni%2FStudent+LinkedIn+Networking+Group�

The EPSA-logue Fall 2012 28 The EPSA‐logue 31 Fall 2012

On Friday, May 2nd, Teachers College hosted a one‐day event for policymakers, educators and ac vists to celebrate victories and iden fy major setbacks on the road to the suburban promise of Brown v. Board of Educa on. The symposium, held in the month of the 60th anniversary of Brown, was tled, "The Suburban Promise of Brown: Addressing Challenges to Sustaining Racially Diverse Schools and Communi es."

EPSA Professor Amy Stuart Wells was the primary organizer of the event. EPSA Professors Wells, Jeff Henig, Doug Ready, Michael Rebell, Luis Huerta, and Sharon Lynn Kagan all par cipated in the symposium as speakers and/or moderators .

Outside speakers included the following:

Xavier de Souza Briggs, Vice President of the Ford Founda on Sheryll Cashin, Professor of Law at Georgetown University Gloria Ladson‐Billings, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at University of Wisconsin‐Madison Jeannie Oakes, Director of Educa onal Opportunity and Scholarship Programs at the Ford Founda on and President‐elect of the American Educa onal Research Associa on

All current students, alumni, faculty, and staff of EPSA are invited to submit essays, book reviews, professional updates, special events, and information of interest for possible inclusion in The EPSA-logue

The EPSA-logue is published once per year, in the fall.

The deadlines for submission to The EPSA-logue is July 15th.

Stay

To submit, please e-mail: [email protected] and include EPSA-logue in the subject line.

Connected


B O X 1 1 , 5 2 5 W E S T 1 2 0 T H S T R E E T , N E W Y O R K , N Y 1 0 0 2 7 - 6 6 9 6

P H O N E ( 2 1 2 ) 6 7 8 - 3 1 6 5 ● F A X ( 2 1 2 ) 6 7 8 - 3 5 8 9 ● E - M A I L : E P S A @ T C . C O L U M B I A . E D U

H T T P : / / W W W . T C . C O L U M B I A . E D U / E P S A

The EPSA-logue Issue 2, Volume 1 Page 18

Follow us online:

Check the EPSA website for the latest events: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/epsa/


What’s Next?

Are you interested in supporting the department?

There are a number of ways to stay involved and provide support.

Please keep us in mind if you’d like to promote/advertise jobs, internships, and research opportunities for current students and graduates.

We have also established the EPSA General Gift Fund to support EPSA educational and research activities. If you’d like to make a donation, please make a check payable to Teachers College and write EPSA General Gift fund in the memo section and your accompanying note. Contact us for more information. E-mail: [email protected] or phone: (212) 678-3165

30 The EPSA‐logue 33 2013‐2014

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/epsa/�
