Policy Research that Got Noticed: Lessons Learned for Making Research Useful

1. Policy Research that Got Noticed: Lessons Learned for Making Research Useful • Nancy Shulock • ASHE Invited Presidential Session • November 8, 2007 California State University, Sacramento

2. The Case Study The issue The story The lessons California State University, Sacramento

3. Incoming CCC Students 1999-2000 520,407 Students No Barriers to Access Non-Degree-Seekers, 40% Degree-Seekers, 60% 206,373 Students Basic Skills, 9% Personal Enrichment, 42% 314,034 Students Job Skills, 49% Barriers to Completion Complete Certificate, Degree or Transfer within 6 Years, 24% 75,682 Students 238,352 Students Do Not Complete within 6 Years, 76% California State University, Sacramento

4. Five Policy Clusters Inhibit Completion • Enrollment-based funding • Regulation of expenditures • Restrictions on hiring • Guiding students’ course-taking choices • Student fees and financial aid California State University, Sacramento

5. Incentives for colleges to: • Minimize importance of college preparation • Maintain voluntary assessment/placement • Focus on enrollment only through week 3 • Allow students to register late for classes • Minimize course pre-requisites Incentives for students to: • Register late for courses • Avoid assessment for remedial needs • Avoid or delay enrolling in remedial courses • Take college-level courses before ready Enrollment- based Funding California State University, Sacramento

6. Forces colleges to comply by: • Hiring a mix of faculty and staff that may not be optimal for student success • Spending funds on lower priorities than those that could promote greater student success • Spending scarce time and money documenting and justifying inputs instead of outcomes Regulation of Expenditures California State University, Sacramento

7. The Story • Act 1 – The system response • Act 2 – Support begins to emerge and build • Act 3 – Follow up reports • Act 4 – Collaboration and roadshow • Act 5 – Policy change??? California State University, Sacramento

8. Act 1: Community College Reaction • “This is another typical ‘university view’ of our community colleges written by people who have no experience in our institutions.” • Authors seek to “remake community colleges into another elite university system.” • “It is clear that the authors have little or no understanding of our colleges or our students and their work is not helpful….” • “The study is insulting to community colleges.” California State University, Sacramento

9. Act 2: Support Builds • “The resistance you're experiencing is an indication of how badly the message of the report needed be delivered.” • “I was surprised at the uproar over Rules of the Game…I wonder if it was truly your findings or just that you laid all the information out in plain language that was the real cause of the controversy.” • “It seems particularly regrettable that the report has been resisted, or even seen as an attack, by so much CCC leadership.” California State University, Sacramento

10. And Builds • “There are a number of us who resent the defensive manner in which the XYZ responded to your report. In my mind, you have put critical issues on the table that we have ducked for a long time because of political timidity.” • “Please accept my thanks for your outstanding work in your report…and accept my commendation for your courage in thinking out loud, so to speak, about issues that have for years been repressed and avoided by the systematic work of institutional defensive routines.” California State University, Sacramento

11. Act 3: Follow up Reports • Beyond the Open Door • Invest in Success California State University, Sacramento

12. Act 4: Collaboration and Roadshow • Numerous invited presentations • Advisory panels California State University, Sacramento

13. Act 5: Policy Change California State University, Sacramento

14. Lesson 1 • Political Environment is Critical (Be prepared or be surprised) California State University, Sacramento

15. It’s Not What you Say – It’s What People Hear • We said: Access is not enough • They heard: Increase success by curtailing access • We said: State policies impede completion • They heard: Community colleges are at fault • We said: Multiple missions don’t prevent computing completion rates for degree-seeking students (24%) • They heard: Community colleges are like four-year institutions but with much lower completion rates California State University, Sacramento

16. Lesson 2 • Characteristics of the research and its written presentation are vital (although not sufficient to guarantee notice) California State University, Sacramento

17. Checklist of Research Attributes • Salient issue – show why it matters (scare people if necessary) • Aha! • Careful attention to clarity and design • From problems => solutions/actions • Be courageous California State University, Sacramento

18. Lesson 3 • Publishing the report is only the beginning!! (If you’re lucky) California State University, Sacramento

19. Lesson 4 • The most important audience may NOT be policymakers – even though policy change is the goal California State University, Sacramento

20. Lesson 5 • Be an academic but don’t be a critic (be a communicator; build on common values) California State University, Sacramento