Doctor of Education (EdD) Program1

Foundations 4: Policy as a Lever for Change, EDUC 3005, CLN 18354

Summer Term 2197/2019

Class Meeting Dates: Saturday, May 18, June 1, July 6, July 27, 2019

Class Meeting Times: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Meeting Locations: Saturday, May 18th: 1500 Wesley W. Posvar Hall (WWPH)

Saturday, June 1st, July 6th and July 27th: 104 Lawrence Hall (LAWRN)

Breakout Rooms: Saturday, May 18th: Lawrence Hall rooms 232, 233, 106 & 105

Saturday, June 1st: Lawrence Hall rooms 105, 106, 203, 205 & 207Saturdays, July 6th & 27th: Lawrence Hall Rooms 209, 231, 232 & 233

Instructor: Dr. M. Najeeb Shafiq Professor of Education, Economics & International AffairsOffice: Posvar (WWPH) 5513

Email: mnshafiq@pitt.edu Phone: 412-648-1832

Assistant Harriet Wortzman, EdD Student (cohort 2017), Administrative & Policy StudiesInstructors: Email: hrp9@pitt.edu

Baeksan Yu, PhD Student, Administrative & Policy StudiesEmail: postcentre@pitt.edu

Office Hours: To make an appointment for a phone or in-person meeting, please email for an appointment. We will also be available for short unscheduled meetings after every face-to-face class. For issues regarding course content (including readings, lectures, assignments, and Response Forms), please contact both Dr. Shafiq and Harriet Wortzman. For logistical issues (including Courseweb and submissions), please contact Baeksan Yu.

1 Approved by the EdD Committee September 2018

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Grading: Letter Grade

The syllabus is a required text. Please read it carefully!

Doctor of Education (EdD)The University of Pittsburgh is a center for excellence in professional programs, and the School of Education school-wide Doctor of Education (EdD) program is grounded in this commitment to excellence. The program prepares working professionals to become leader scholar practitioners to develop specialized knowledge in their area of concentration and apply their intellectual and practical skills to address and mitigate enduring problems affecting children, families, and communities.

Program Learning GoalsAs a result of attending the EdD program at Pitt, students and graduates become leader scholar practitioners who:

1. Identify problems of practice, including questions of equity, ethics, and justice.

2. Use data to inform decisions in daily operations and improvement projects.

3. Communicate and collaborate to work with diverse communities and build partnerships.

4. Lead change that improves practice.5. Are committed to use improvement science to address problems of

practice.

Course

I. Course Overview and Goals: In this course we examine theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding policymaking and the processes by which policies are (and are not) translated into practice. Specific questions we address in this course include: How are “problems” framed to constituents and how does this influence policy implementation? How do educators “make sense” of policies in the context of their prior beliefs and experiences? What are the learning demands for individuals and organizations entailed by specific policies? All of these questions align with our goals for the course to help you, a) critique current and future policies influencing your place of practice, b) determine likely outcomes, especially as they relate to equity, resulting from policies as they are written, and c) implement or modify

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policies in your place of practice, as necessary, to achieve valued outcomes.

In order to effectively understand and evaluate policies we must establish some common understandings. In this course we consider policies broadly (i.e., both formal and informal) as “a definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary: 2a). Therefore, we assume the following features of policies: 1) there is intention to act – this involves two separate components (a) intention and (b) action; 2) there is a problem being addressed – the problem motivates the intention to act; 3) there is a goal in mind which necessitates measuring outcomes aligned with that goal; 4) there is always either an explicit or implied theory of change – the theory of action helps transform abstract language into assumed causal pathways for how actions will produce outcomes; and 5) the study and critique of policy is the study of change. Policy analysis, therefore, is an informed argument of the likelihood that desired outcomes will be achieved given all of the “IfThen” propositions elucidated in the theory of change, as well as judgments about what we know about policy implementation from prior policy studies within and across disciplines.

Over the course we will delve into various problems policies typically face during implementation. For example, we find the social sciences, and education, in particular to provide interesting case studies for policy implementation because: 1) outcomes are often either vague, highly contested, or so abstract they are not easily measured; 2) different practitioners hold fundamentally different goals (e.g., what it means to have “learned” content in a discipline); 3) theories about change and, in particular, mechanisms for change are often ill-defined and not empirically verified; 4) when there are intense demands on practitioners – it is hard to anticipate how policies influence their decisions; and 5) the more difficult it is to measure outcomes, there is equal difficulty evaluating and improving upon policy implementation.

II. Course Requirements:

Course MaterialsThere are no required textbooks for this class. The required readings will be made available on Courseweb. Students are encouraged but not required to bring readings and handouts to class. The Instructors may provide further optional readings and educational resources throughout the term. A letter grade will be assigned based on the following:

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Assignment 1: Proposal Matrix 10%Assignment 2: Outline of Final Paper 25%Assignment 3: Poster Paper

15%20%

Response Forms (2% each) 10%Saturday participation (5% each) 20%TOTAL 100%

Response Forms: Each face-to-face class, it is imperative that members of the class read the assigned readings in a timely (i.e., by the time class meets) and thorough fashion. Members of the class will be asked to fill out a Response Form prior to attending class. Completion of the Response Form is a student’s ticket to attend class. This course requirement is aimed at ensuring lively and insightful discussion during the face-to-face sessions in May, June and July. Each Response Form will be graded check plus (2 points) or check minus (1 point); Response Forms that are not submitted in class are not awarded points. Students are expected to use examples from the readings to support the responses. Hardcopies of the Response Form (preferably in Word format) must be submitted at the beginning of each class. Of the six Response Forms, students may choose to submit five. In cases where students have received partial or no credit for a Response Form, they can increase their score by submitting the sixth Response Form.

Assignments: Please note that we only provide brief descriptions of the assignments here. Throughout the term, we will provide final versions of each assignment with additional written details to guide your work. The three assignments build on each other such that your final paper and poster will incorporate the thinking and writing you do in drafts 1 and 2.

Assignment 1: Proposal Matrix DUE Sunday, June 2nd, 2019Please describe your problem of practice in 50 words or less, and then complete a matrix that is provided. Try to identify at least three (but more as necessary) policies at the local, state and/or national level that you suspect influence and/or contribute to your problem of practice. Completing this matrix is intended to help you to select one policy to focus on and analyze for your final course paper and poster. Please upload your matrix and bring a copy to class on June 1st.

Assignment 2: Outline of Final Paper DUE Sunday, July 7th, 2019Fill in the paper outline template (to be distributed) providing an overview of the following for your final poster and paper: Place of practice

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Policy you will analyze for your final paper: a policy that influences your current conceptualization of your problem of practice

Theory of action / policy levers associated with your focal policy How the policy influences educators’ work Known or expected policy implementation challenges Known or expected outcomes Known or expected equity issuesWe have built in one week (June 24th – June 30th) for you to work on a draft of Assignment#2 and to both give and receive feedback from your peers.

Assignment 3: Poster DUE Sunday, July 28th, 2019, and Final Paper DUE Sunday, August 4th, 2019 Prepare a “poster” for a poster session during the last class that

presents your analysis of the policy and its potential relevance to your place of practice.

Analyze what is known about this policy and its likely influence on your problem of practice drawing on core concepts from the course in a 10 to 12 double-spaced paper. The outline submitted for Assignment #2 should guide your analysis and writing.

We will provide sample posters on Courseweb.

Late Submission of Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted without penalty only when the student has requested – in advance– an extension from the instructional team. Extensions must be requested at least 24 hours prior to the due date for an assignment. Any extension will include a new, agreed upon submission date. No assignments will be accepted after the extension deadline has passed. Note that late assignments will have lowest priority for grading and feedback.

Saturday ParticipationTo obtain maximum credit for class attendance and participation, students must attend all Saturday classes and actively participate in all class discussions and activities.

III. Feedback and Grading Procedures:

Feedback: Feedback is essential for high quality learning and teaching. Therefore, we are committed to giving you individual, detailed, and timely feedback so that you can improve your learning on future assignments.

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Assignment Due Date Feedback Due DateAssignment #1: Proposal Matrix

Sunday, June 2nd9th , 2019Due by 11:59 pm

Sunday, June 16th23rd , 2019

Assignment #2: Outline of Final Paper

Sunday, June 23, 2019 Due by 11:59 pm

Sunday, July 7th, 2019

Assignment #3a: Poster Sunday, July 28th, 2019Due by 11:59 pm

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019

Assignment #3b: Final Paper

Sunday, August 4, 2019Due by 11:59 pm

Response Forms Various Various

Grading Scale: 94—100 A90—93 A-87—89 B+84—86 B80—83 B-77—79 C+74—76 C70—73 C-60—69 D59 or below F

G grades and I grades. Under certain conditions you may receive a ”G” or an ”I” grade for the course. The Graduate Catalog explains the difference between two kinds of Incompletes: the G grade and the I grade as:

G Grade: The G grade signifies unfinished course work due to extenuating personal circumstances. Students assigned G grades are required to complete course requirements no later than one year after the term in which the course was taken. After the deadline has passed, the G grade will remain on the record, and the student will be required to reregister for the course if it is needed to fulfill requirements for graduation.

I Grade: The I grade signifies incomplete course work due to nature of the course, clinical work, or incomplete research work in individual guidance courses or seminars.

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As of August 16, 2018, G grades after one year automatically become non-changeable NG grades (no credit, no impact on grade point average).

IV. Tentative Course Calendar

DATES AND TOPICS

READINGS MINI-PROJECT AND ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

DUE DATE

FEEDBACK

Week 1 (May 18th)

Introduction

First face-to-face session

Required readings: Resnick, L.B., Stein, M.K., & Coon, S.E. (2008). Standards-based reform: A powerful idea unmoored. In R. Kahlenberg (Ed.), Improving on No Child Left Behind (pp.103-138). New York: The Century Foundation.

Response Form 1 (formerly Mini- Project 1): While reading this week’s article, consider the following questions and write one short response (max 250 words) that responds to them. Guiding questions:

How are equity and excellence defined/conceptualized in your current educational setting (where setting is broadly defined as the organization and/or general sector—for example, higher education—in which you work)?

To what extent, and how, are issues of equity and excellence in tension in this setting?

Please upload your response on Courseweb and bring 4-5 hard copies to class. One for each member of your learning community (LC) and one that you will turn in to your instructional team.

May 18th

Learning Community in-class discussion of Response Form 1

Instructor will grade Response Form 1 by June 1st

Week 2 (May 25th)

Policy Levers and Theories of Action

Required Readings:McDonnell, L.M., & Elmore, R. F. (1987). Getting the job done:

Response Form 2:Prepare and upload a response (max. 500 words) in which you identify a policy that influences

Sunday, May 26th

Learning Community in-class discussion

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Alternative policy instruments. Educational evaluation and policy analysis, 9(2), 133-152.

Torjman, S. (2005). What is Policy? Ottawa, Canada. Caledon Institute of Social Policy.

Optional Readings:(K-12) Fowler, F.C. (2013). Policy Studies for Educational Leaders. Boston: Pearson. Chapter 1: Policy: What It Is and Where It Comes From.

(HE) Hillman, N. W., Tandberg, D. A., & Sponsler, B. A. (2015). Public Policy and Higher Education. ASHE Higher Education Report, 41(2), 1-20.

(Informal) Brisson, L., Eisenkraft, A., Flatow, I., Friedman, A., Kirsch, J.,Macdonald, M., … Witte, J. (2010). Informal Science Education Policy:Issues and Opportunities. A CAISE Inquiry Group Report. Washington, D.C.

your problem of practice and analyze it through the lens of McDonnell & Elmore’s typology of policy instruments. Here are the two three specific issues you should address:

Specify the instrument(s) that have been designed to put that policy into action.

Why are the other instruments not applicable?

Critique the capacity of the instruments to carry out the policy, noting strengths and weaknesses, based on the discussion in McDonnell and Elmore.

of Response Form 2 on June 1st

Instructor will grade Response Form 2 by June 2nd

Week 3 (June 1st)

Policy Lever and Theories of Action (contd.)

Required Readings and Viewing:Tellings, Agnes (2011). Theories and research in the field of education: An

Response Form 3:Identify an external intervention or policy and create a visual that maps it’s “theory of action.” Include no more than one page of explanation. You could use

Saturday, June 1st

Learning Community in-class discussion of Response

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Assignment 1 due

Second face-to-face session

indissoluble union (pp.9-14), in The role of theory in education (NorwegianEducation Research Towards 2020). Retrieved from Research Council ofNorway,https://www.forskningsradet.no/servlet/Satellite?cid=1253979441594&pagename=VedleggPointer&target=_blank

Linked Learning. Theory of Action Handout. Retrieved from LinkedAvailable on Courseweb.Learning.org, www.linkedlearning.org/wpcontent/.../02/PatriciaClark_DistrictSystemsSupport.pdf Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbMIhCZVW-U

Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, or other tools but if you use something less standard, please save as a PDF.

Please upload your Theory of Action and bring 4-5 copies for your Learning Community to class on June 1st

Assignment 1: Proposal Matrix Please describe your problem of practice in 50 words or less, and then complete a matrix that is provided. Try to identify at least three (but more as necessary) policies at the local, state and/or national level that you suspect influence and/or contribute to your problem of practice. Completing this matrix is intended to help you to select one policy to focus on and analyze for your final course paper and poster. Please upload your matrix and bring a copy to class on June 1st.

Form 3 on June 1st

Instructor will grade Response Form 3 by June 8th

Instructor will provide feedback on Assignment 1 by June 16th

Week 4 (June 8th)

Introduction to Policy Implementation

Assignment 1 due

Required Readings: McLaughlin, M. W. (1987). Learning from experience: Lessons from policyimplementation. Educational evaluation and policy analysis, 9(2), 171-178.

Lindblom, C. E. (1959) The science of “muddling through” PublicAdministration Review,

Please use this time to continue working on Assignment 1.

Instructor will provide feedback on Assignment 1 by June 23rd

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19(2), 79-88.

Grubb, N.W., et al. (2012). Basic Skills Instruction in Community Colleges: the Dominance of Remedial Pedagogy. Working paper from Policy Analysis for California Education. http://edpolicyinca.org/publications/basic-skills-instruction-community-colleges-dominance-remedial-pedagogy(Focus on pp.14-18 and Figure 1; skim the rest)

Optional Reading:(K-12) Fowler, F. C. (2013). Policy Studies for Educational Leaders.Boston: Pearson. Chapter 10 Policy Implementation: Getting People to CarryOut a Policy.

Week 5 (June 15th)

Practitioners as Agents in Reform Policy Implementation

Required Readings:Weatherly, R. A., & Lipsky, M. (1970). Street-level bureaucrats andinstitutional innovation. Implementing special education reform. Specialeducation at the century’s end: Evolution of theory and practice since, 89-119.

Response Form 4:In this short response (max. 250 words), think about your experience as a practitioner. Has there ever been a reform effort or policy that has been largely revised during implementation by you or your colleagues? Using Weatherly and Lipsky (1970) identify and describe at least 1 barrier from W+L that was similar to an issue you or other local personnel faced as they were trying to implement a new policy? Please upload and bring 4-5 copies for

Sunday, June 16th

Learning Community in-class discussion of Response Form 4 on July 6th

Instructor will grade Response Form 3 by June 23rd

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Thompson, T. (2016). The Special Education Charade. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/the-charade-of-special-education-programs/421578/

the July 6th class.

Week 6 (June 22nd)

Building Organizational Capacity for Meeting the Demands of Policy

Required Reading: Option AAbelmann, C., Elmore, R., Even, J., Kenyon, S., & Marshall, J. (1999) When Accountability Knocks, Will Anyone Answer? Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research.

Required Reading: Option BDill, D. D. (2000). Capacity building as an instrument of institutional reform: Improving the quality of higher education through academic audits in the UK, New Zealand, Sweden, and Hong Kong. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 2(2), 211-234.

No Response Forms but please come prepared to discuss in the third face-to-face class.

Week 7 (June 29th)

Building Organizational Capacity for Meeting the Demands of Policy

Required Reading:Beaver, J. K., & Weinbaum, E. H. (2012). Measuring school capacity, maximizing school improvement. CPRE

Response Form 5:Beaver and Weinbaum’s policy brief lays out a definition of organizational capacity that includes four key components: (1) Human capital , (2) Social capital , (3) Program coherence,

Sunday, June 30th

Learning Community in-class discussion on July 6th

Instructors

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(contd.) Policy Briefs RB, 53. (4) Resources While they use these components to analyze the capacity of schools to improve teaching and learning, we believe these four dimensions of capacity can be used to analyze the capacity of any educational organization (K-12, higher education, early childhood, informal learning organizations, etc.). For this Response Form, consider a policy implementation or program improvement effort that your organization is currently engaged in. Analyze your organization’s capacity to improve in the way intended by the program and policy through the lens of Beaver and Weinbaum’s four component capacity model. Write up a short summary (bullets are fine) that covers the above elements and identify adaptive challenges which may be creating barriers to the change. Please upload a response (max. 500 words) and bring 4-5 copies for the July 6th class.

will grade by July 7th

Week 8 (July 6th)

Examining Differential Practices and Outcomes

Third face-to-face session

Required Viewing: PBS NewsHour story: Grading Schools: How to Determine the ‘Good’ from the ‘Bad’ (2011)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QOPGHoO7UA

The Merrow Report: Teacher Shortage—False Alarm? (1999)https://www.youtube.com/

Bring a draft of Assignment 2 for an in-class discussion. Also, please bring 4-5 copies Response Forms 3, 4, and 5 to class for your Learning Community on July 6th.

Assignment 2: Outline of Final Paper Fill in the paper outline template (to be distributed) providing an overview of the final poster and paper.

Saturday, July 6th

Learning Community in-class discussion of Assignment 2 and Response Forms 3, 4 and 5

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watch?v=JgD850o8GTY

Optional Reading:(Informal) Dawson, E. (2014). Equity in informal science education:developing an access and equity framework for science museums andscience centres. Studies in Science Education, 50(2), 209-247.

Week 9 (July 13th)

Learning Communities meet with Instructors for Poster and Papers

Assignment 2 is due

Instructors will meet separately with each Learning Community for a 30-minute meeting to discuss Assignment 3 (Poster and Final paper).

Week 10 (July 20th)

Morals, Ethics, and Other Issues in Policy

Required Reading:Harris, A. (2019). Who wants to be a college president? The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/01/how-politics-are-reshaping-college-presidency/581077/

Optional Readings:(HE) Perry, A. M. (2006) Toward a theoretical framework for membership: Thecase of undocumented immigrants and

Response Form 6What are potential moral and ethical dilemmas that you anticipate as propose and implement your policy? Please upload a short response (max. 250 words).

Instructors will grade by July 27th

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financial aid for postsecondaryeducation. The Review of Higher Education, 30(1), 21-40.

(K-12) Fowler, F.C. (2013). Policy Studies for Educational Leaders. Boston: Pearson. Chapter: Policy: Power and Education Policy.

(Informal) Akiva, T., Carey, R. L., Cross, A. B., Delale-O'Connor, L., & Brown, M. R. (2017). Reasons youth engage in activism programs: Social justice or sanctuary? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 53, 20-30.

Week 11 (July 27th)

Poster Sessions

Fourth and Final face-to-face session

No Required Readings Assignment 3a: Poster Bring your prepared poster that presents your analysis of the policy and its potential relevance to your problem of practice.

Sunday, July 28th

Instructors will grade by August 13th, 2019

Week 12 (August 3rd) Assignment 3 Paper Submission

No Required Readings Assignment 3b: PaperSubmit a 10-12 double-spaced paper that analyzes what is known about this policy and its likely influence on your problem of practice drawing on core concepts from the course. The outline submitted for Assignment #2 should guide your analysis and writing.

Sunday, August 4th

Instructors will grade by August 13th, 2019

Final grades submitted by August 14th, 2019

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V. Use of Technology: This course uses a web site (sometimes called “Blackboard” or “CourseWeb,” the name of the software) provided through the University. To access the course Web site, go to http://courseweb.pitt.edu and log on using your Pitt user name and password. Or, you can go to www.my.pitt.edu and access the CourseWeb site there. For help logging onto the course, call 412-624-HELP. This help is available 24/7. The instructors cannot assist you with log-on problems.

VI. Course Format: Hybrid

A hybrid course is not a reduced-time course. According to the University’s definition of a credit hour, a one-credit course should have 14 contact hours, where a contact hour is 50 minutes of instruction.  Thus a 3-credit course should have 2100 minutes of instruction (50 minutes/hour x 14 hours x 3 credits = 42 hours), and a two-credit course has 1400 minutes or 28 hours of instruction.In addition, students are expected to spend a minimum of 1.5 hours outside of class for each in-class hour. Therefore, you need to spend 1.5 x 28 course hours = 42 hours across 11 weeks, in addition to the core of 28 hours. This includes reading, completing weekly exercises, and working on graded assignments.

VII. Policies

AttendanceRegular and prompt attendance in the Saturday class sessions is an essential part of the educational experience of the EdD program. Each course meets only four times throughout the term—missing one of those sessions constitutes a significant portion of the time for face-to-face interaction with instructors and peers. Although students are expected to attend all Saturday class sessions, working professionals sometimes find themselves in circumstances that cause them to miss these class meetings. Exceptions may be made for a required work-related commitment, illness, or valid emergency.  In such cases, students need to contact the course instructor to determine if there is any way to make up missed classwork.

If you are going to be absent for class because of a required work-related commitment, illness or valid emergency, please follow the following instructions:

1. Email the course instructor(s) with a copy to Harriet Wortzman (hrp9@pitt.edu) and your advisor with the reason for missing the class.

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2. Complete the course or instructor specific make up requirements for missed classes prior to the next class meeting.

3. Adhere to the acceptable reasons for missing class outlined in the policy above. Please note that they do not include vacation and/or personal events.

In unexcused cases, the student will automatically lose 5 points. However, with the instructor’s permission, the student may earn back some or all of the points if they submit additional work; a student may pursue this route only once during the course. Please see the instructor for further information.

Video/Skype/Zoom: The EdD program is currently piloting distance learning with students from the Out of School Learning (OSL) ARCO using a video conference service to attend class. As a pilot test, these are the only students allowed to video conference into classes and other video conferences are not considered class attendance. If you cannot attend a class, you must follow the above attendance policy.

Incomplete GradesFor this course, an “I” (Incomplete) Grade will be granted only if the student has actively attended to the course requirements but needs extended time to complete the required work to meet minimum expectations. If an Incomplete grade becomes necessary, the instructors will require you to propose a plan of action outlining how you will complete the work within no more than one term from the end of the course (and preferably a shorter period of time).

Statement on Classroom RecordingTo ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.

Disability ServicesIf you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-‐7890, drsrecep@pitt.edu. (412) 228-‐5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for these courses.

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Inclement Weather PolicyOnly the Chancellor may officially close the Pittsburgh campus of the University. The University will remain open in all but the most extreme circumstances. Cancellation of classes does not imply that the University is closed. The University offers an Emergency Notification Service (ENS) which is used to communicate with subscribers through voice, text, and email messages, as deemed appropriate in the event of an emergency. For instructions on how to register, please refer to CSSD’s website: http://technology.pitt.edu/services/emergency-notification-service. Any changes to normal University operations will be announced as early as possible through the ENS, the University’s official website (www.pitt.edu), Twitter (@PittTweet), and local news media outlets. Academic Integrity GuidelinesAll students are expected to adhere to the standards of academic honesty. Any student engaged in cheating, plagiarism, or other acts of academic dishonesty would be subject to disciplinary action. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity

Provided here is the School of Education Academic Integrity Policy . Please read the policy carefully.

The rights and responsibilities of faculty and students are described in the University’s Academic Integrity Guidelines.

Departmental Grievance Procedures

The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. When a student in the EdD program believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines (See below) by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (3) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer.

The more specific procedure for student grievances is as follows:

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1. The student should talk to the faculty member to attempt to resolve the matter.

2. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the student should talk to the relevant department chair or associate chair (if the issue concerns a class) or his or her advisor.

3. If the matter remains unresolved, the student should talk to the chair of the EdD program, Dr. Charlene Trovato.

4. If needed, the student should next talk to the SOE associate dean of students (currently Dr. Michael Gunzenhauser). If the matter still remains unresolved, the student should file a written statement of charges with the dean’s designated Academic Integrity Administrative Officer (currently Dr. Michael Gunzenhauser).

Federal and State Background Checks and Clearances

All SOE students are now required to have federal and state clearances on file if they are working with or observing children as part of any university class or requirement. We are putting in place a new system that will be in place soon to make sure that we are in compliance. For now, see how students can get their clearances.

The School of Education Policies and Forms page on the SOE website explains several policies and procedures, including academic probation, course repeats, leaves of absence, monitored withdrawal, transfer credits, and statute of limitations.

Communications

Email1. Email directly from CourseWeb or your Pitt email. We do not answer

emails that are not from a pitt.edu address.

2. Tell us who you are and help us figure out what you need: In the subject line, it helps if you mention what you need, so we can look it up and respond faster. We cannot memorize all your monograms, so please sign all emails with your name!

3. Telephone Calls or Office Appointments You may need to have a conversation about something in the course. We will arrange either a telephone “office hours” or meetings on an as needed basis. Just email us and let us know your available time/days. We will be glad to schedule a conference between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday, at a mutually convenient time.

Resources

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Education Library GuideSee this Hillman Library customized libguide, a gateway to resources for education students and faculty,

Religious ObservancesSee the Provost’s annual memo about religious observances.

EmergenciesDo you have Pitt Police saved on your mobile phone? 911 works, or Pitt Police, 412-624-2121

Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)Resources, consultation, and bias incident reporting: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/ Title IX office, resources regarding sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and sexual violence: https://www.titleix.pitt.edu/

CatalogsThe University Catalogs have comprehensive information about policies, programs, and courses. There are University-level policies and policies specific to the School of Education. Bookmark these links and review these documents periodically.

Pittsburgh Campus Graduate and Professional Studies

Student Mental HealthCounseling Center, in the Wellness Center in Nordenberg Hall: https://www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/cc/ Call 412-648-7930, any time. Sexual Assault Response: 412-648-7856Care and Resource Support Team (CARS): Email pittcares@pitt.edu or see: http://www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/cars/

Student Affairs Summary: Faculty and Staff Guide for Helping Distressed Students

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Information about the Instructors

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M. Najeeb Shafiq (Instructor): I am a Professor and Department Chair of Administrative and Policy Studies. My appointments are in the School of Education (primary appointment), Graduate School of International and Public Affairs (joint appointment), and Department of Economics (secondary appointment). As an education economist, I use large data and advanced quantitative methods to explore educational topics in low- and middle-income countries and the U.S. My recent articles have examined vouchers and social cohesion; the long term benefits of early childhood education; and higher education and social mobility. My articles have appeared in major journals in economics, education, and political science. In 2018, I contributed to the World Bank’s World Development Report. I have worked with a number of governments, ministries of education, NGOs, think tanks, and international organizations. I received my Ph.D in Economics and Education from Columbia University in 2005. Prior to arriving in Pittsburgh in 2010, I held appointments at the World Bank, Abt Associates Inc., Washington and Lee University, Indiana University- Bloomington, and Columbia University’s National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education. I was also a Visiting Scholar at the Harriet Wortzman (Assistant Instructor): I am a 2009 (B.A., Social Sciences, Minor in Public Service) graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. I have earned my MS in Fraud and Forensics and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Carlow University in 2013 and 2014. Currently, I am a doctoral candidate in the EdD program at the University of Pittsburgh. I am interested in program management and how program evaluation and analysis can strengthen learning communities. My email is hrp9@pitt.edu and my office phone is 412-624-5154. I will gladly meet with you during your lunch break as I know many students are not on campus frequently. Additionally, I can schedule a common date and time to meet in person or to communicate by phone, email, Google Hangouts, or SKYPE. My temporary office space is located in 5300 Posvar Hall (within the Department of Instruction and Learning). Have a great semester!

Baeksan Yu: I am a doctoral candidate in Administrative and Policy Studies. I am particularly interested in the mechanism of how educational and cultural contexts shape students’ identities, which in turn affect students’ coping strategies and educational or health outcomes. For instance, I investigated how a student’s free lunch status interacts with school context to affect outcomes in Korean high schools, which was published in Social Psychology of Education. As a quantitative researcher, I am also interested in the application of econometric models to structural equation modeling with simulation studies. Using a Monte Carlo simulation study (with Steven Finkel), in particular, I demonstrated that within estimates of recently developed many cross-lagged panel models are susceptible to unobserved heterogeneity. If you need to get in touch with me, you can e-mail at postcentre@pitt.edu. My office is 806 LRDC, which is located at 3939 O’Hara Street.