Higher Education and the New Economy Ronald W. Marx University of Arizona January, 2010

1. Higher Education and the New EconomyRonald W. MarxUniversity of ArizonaJanuary, 2010

2. We have failed to educate all Americans • Enduring disparities between • Rich and poor • White and non-white

3. Black-White 4th gr. reading achievement gap (NAEP, 2007)

4. Hispanic-White 4th gr. reading achievement gap (NAEP, 2007)

5. Data for 8th grade are nearly identical • NAEP (2007) claims a reduction in 4th grade reading achievement gap, but at the current rate of gap reduction we would achieve parity….. • For Black children in 2091!!! • For Hispanic children in 2397!!! • How about school completion? • Who completes high school? • Are there differences by ethnicity?

6. Barton, 2005)

7. …..and who drops out?

8. Who can help solve these problems? • America’s k-12 system is • Enormous—almost 15,000 school districts • Decentralized and loosely coupled • Highly politicized • State education systems are not much better off • Micromanagement by legislatures & electorates • Political conflicts between chiefs, governors, legislatures

9. What about higher education? • Lots of talent • Freedom and autonomy to determine agenda • Historic commitment to teaching and service ….but do we have the resources? • States are disinvesting in higher education • Policy makers view higher education as a private good, not a public good

10. State appropriations for higher education by $1000 of personal income (Archibald & Feldman, 2006)

11. How do Ed Schools fare on campus? • UA as an example • State $ spent per • Major • Degree granted • Student FTE

12. UA College of Education State Funds Spent (FY 2008-09) Compared to….

13. The College of Education serves 5% of the students, awards 6% of the degrees, and spends 2.5% of the university’s state and tuition revenue. • …and our budget cut was 7%, which is in the highest group • In the current situation, it is not likely that education colleges will receive sufficient funds for our work to overcome the challenges P-12 education faces.

14. We don’t get much, but what about K-12? • Government investment in K-12 is enormous • $536B in FY 2005 • 83% state and local • 8% federal • 9% private (mostly private schools) • Cost per student is going up, but achievement is not

16. K-12 failures and challenges are our business. • Our role is not simply to describe and critique. Our job is to help. • How do we do this? • My answer is neither complex nor new.

17. Enter into partnerships with the right constituents • K-12 districts • Businesses • State agencies • Foundations and non-profits • Charter schools • Community colleges • Other universities

18. Benefits • Provides leverage to fund programs • Provides political support from valuable groups • Increases chances that our work will be valuable and useful for practice • Costs • Risky, will it work? • Institutional barriers • Proper role for academics? • T & P, other rewards, sanctions • More than simply talk. Must integrate teaching, research, & service missions

19. How? • Reconsider how we divide the world into our obligations • Design combined research service, teaching programs • Renew commitment to multiple research approaches • Reflect on our research metaphors • Medicine is the wrong metaphor • More like engineering, or even architecture. • These are design fields, and that is largely what we ought to be doing.

20. Education is normative. • Goals are important • Means and ends must align • Description and explanation are important….but action is essential • Design-based research is an approach that can contribute to our need to engage in action.

21. Examples from My Work • Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools • University of Arizona College of Education

22. What I Learned • Framework for research on systemic technology innovations (Fishman et al,., 2004) • Innovations must be…. • Usable-can be used to accomplish work • Scalable-spread to other teachers, schools, districts • Sustainable-take root in context beyond initial introduction

23. Applying these ideas to a college of education • Creating the right context • Partnerships with P-20 • Collaborative research • Engage in policy

24. Creating the Right Context • Recruiting people • Creating culture • Norms • Activities • Clear communications • Leadership

25. Programs & Partnerships • Pima Educational Research Collaborative • Cooper Center for Environmental Learning • Arizona Early Childhood Institute • Literacy for Life • Worlds of Words • Southern Arizona Science and Math Internship Center • Wildcat School • SOAR

26. Collaborative research • Pima Educational Research Collaborative (PERC) • Funded through dean’s office, $40-50,000 • 2:1 ratio, College of Education to district • Max $15,000 a year • Most projects are one year, some more • About 4 a year • Goal is to establish collegial partnerships that will move to additional work

27. A Case in Point • K-12 science assessments for Tucson USD • 2 year project initially • Outcomes • Collaboration on Teach Arizona • Creation of the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning • TUSD manages physical plant • CoE manages program • Now a regional resource, not only one district

28. Literacy for Life • Goal to develop a culture of literacy in Tucson region • Program elements • Awareness--communication • Advocacy—events, mobilize funding • Action—research & evaluation • COE faculty and grad students working to increase literacy in an extended neighborhood in Tucson south side

29. Partners • University of Arizona • Pima Community College • Community Foundation for Southern Arizona • Many other community agencies • Funding • Community Foundation for Southern Arizona • Jewel Lewis Distinguished Professor

30. Worlds of Words • Second largest collection of children’s & adolescents literature in the world • Brainchild of Kathy Short • Example of what talent at a research university can accomplish • Program elements • Collection • Instruction • Outreach • Conferences • Community time • School engagement

31. Funding • Donors • Grants • Volunteers • Partners • Foundations • Districts • Community agencies

32. Southern Arizona Science & Math Internship Center • Focus on early career middle & high school teachers (~25 annually) • Program elements • Industry internships at industry wages • Masters program-Colleges of Education & Science • Leverage summer work for classroom application

33. Funding • Science Foundation Arizona • Industry • Sustainability through UA business model • Partners • State agency • School districts • Industry • Raytheon Missile Systems • Sebra, Inc • Southern Arizona Gas • Southern AZ Leadership Council--TVT

34. Wildcat School • Charter middle school • Program elements • Math/science focus • Target poor, minority students • Substantial contributions from

35. Funding • Major private donor • Bill Estes • Grass roots donors who have heard about project • State funding through charter school legislation • Partners • UA colleges • Education • Science • Agricultural • Fine Arts • Pharmacy • United Way • Business community

36. SOAR: Student Access, Outreach & Resiliency • Developed & taught by higher education faculty • Jenny Lee • Regina Deil-Amen • Program elements • Service-learning course for students across campus • Mentoring middle school students • Stipends for successful completion of mentoring

37. Funding • Private donor • Helios Education Foundation • Sustainability through UA general education funding • Partners • Districts, • Charter schools

38. Coda • Our educational system is desperate • Our work must be used to help • Our financial base is weak • Cannot rely on university budgets • We must be masters of our fate • Requires us to think differently about our work • Take this opportunity to rethink what it means to be a faculty member in a College of Education