The Right Stuff:
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How many graduate programs can boast that 100 percent of their
graduates find jobs in their area of study? The Policy Analysis and
Evaluation Program in Stanford's School of Education can. Though only six
years old, for the past three the program has been ranked the number one
policy analysis program in the country by US News and World Report.
The program offers students two areas of concentration, one in
policy analysis and the other in evaluation. The master's in policy
analysis prepares students to formulate educational policy or conduct
policy-relevant research. The program in evaluation prepares participants
to design studies, collect and analyze data, and report evaluation
findings.
Unlike some graduate programs that rely on teaching assistants,
students are taught by Stanford faculty, who rank among the top experts in
their fields. This is possible because the program's size has been kept
small. Graduates in both programs assume positions in local, state,
regional, national, or international agencies and organizations. For
example, recent graduates are now working for the U.S Department of
Education, state departments of education, politicians, research
laboratories, foundations, and universities. (See sidebar for portraits of
Much of the credit for the program's success goes to its director,
Professor David Fetterman, who helped create the program back
in 1991. And his philosophy about what constitutes sound pedagogy
continues to shape the program today. "You have to ground strong
academic training in the real world, and you have to demonstrate
caring in all your interactions with students. Our students are the
reason we're here. We must take the time to work with
them one-on-one and in small groups, nurturing their talents and
diplomatically but firmly correcting mistakes and misunderstandings.
Everyone is expected to produce first-rate work-the stakes in education and
in society in general are too high to do any less."
At the heart of the program is a year-long project that is directly
linked to educational practice. Policy analysis students take on paid
internships with companies such as Hewlett-Packard or Apple Computer, and
educational policy and research facilities like EdSource. Evaluation
students conduct a paid evaluation project which becomes the focal point
for their course work. All of the students' readings, exercises, and
discussions use these real-world projects as a "reality check" against
which to assess what they are learning in the classroom.
A year-long seminar for all students helps emphasize the
interconnections between policy and evaluation. In addition, policy
students also attend a separate seminar where they investigate national
educational issues such as vouchers, teacher standards, systemic reform,
and privatization. "Each year we also add special topics depending on
what's most prominent," explains Fetterman. "For example, last year we
added ebonics, and the year before that we looked at the Edison Project."
When students first enter the program, Fetterman explains his
"three-tiered" training approach, which includes a focus on academics,
technology, and jobs. The three strands are carefully interwoven throughout
all areas of the program. On the program's homepage, for example, Professor
Fetterman has included links to a host of professional associations,
educational research organizations and laboratories, and employment
databases. Having all these resources at their fingertips motivates
students to begin using the Internet, learning how to conduct on-line
research, and familiarizing themselves with the wide array of job
possibilities awaiting graduates in their field.
Not only do students become proficient at conducting research on
the Internet; they also learn how to construct their own homepages. There
they "publish" information they have found on specialized topics, which is
then available to others in the program. One of their first projects is to
prepare resumes and educational policy briefs that are critiqued by
program faculty. Another project gives students experience posting messages
in their own virtual classroom on the Internet, which can be accessed by
anyone in the program.
Fetterman also coaches students on how to take advantage of
potential networking opportunities. "Oftentimes students communicate via
e-mail with experts in the field, or attend special dinners with policy and
evaluation professionals," says Fetterman. "We want students to be aware
that while they are learning about academics, it may also be appropriate to
learn about career opportunities."
The Policy Analysis and Evaluation Program is one of four degree
granting programs within the School's department of Administration and
Policy Analysis. According to Professor Michael Kirst, department chair,
the nature of the department has shifted over the past five years due to
the influx of master's degree students. "At the School of Education,
educational policy and evaluation have always been linked. In the past,
however, the link has been subtle and mostly implicit. Now we are
making the link explicit. Policy is put to the test and informed by
solid evaluation efforts, and the challenge of conducting an evaluation
is continually tested by the political realities associated with educational
policy. Programs like ours recognize this synergistic relationship, and
program directors like David help to keep us honest by immersing
students in the real world."
© 1997 School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.