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PRELIMINARY PROGRAM A Nation at Risk? Reflections on the Past and Future of U.S. Public Education 10th Annual Educational Policy Studies Conference Madison, Wisconsin March 21-22, 2013 All events in Room 159 of the Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, UW-Madison FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Thursday, March 21, 2013 8:30-10:00AM : Public Discourse on American Education             Michael Apple, Curriculum & Instruction & EPS, UW-Madison Nancy Kendall, EPS, UW-Madison Gloria Ladson-Billings, Curriculum & Instruction & EPS, UW-Madison Chair: Bill Reese, EPS & History, UW-Madison             10:15-11:45 AM: Race/Ethnicity and the Evolution of U.S. Public Education             Jack Dougherty, Trinity College             Adrienne Dixon, Univer...

On June 19, the University of Wisconsin System announced an initiative called the Flex Degree which was described as competency-based online instruction.  That day, I blogged about it , noting that while I certainly had some concerns, there were enough potential positive effects of the program to withhold full judgment either way. Friends on both sides were surprised.  Colleagues who know and respect the priority I place on access and affordability for all potential students thought I should have been more strongly supportive of the "innovative" initiative that has the promise to drive down costs.  Others, of the liberal activist persuasion, noted  Governor Scott Walker's involvement, and the strong likelihood of negative repercussions for faculty job security and the quality of education delivered.  Still, I demurred, deciding to wait to hear more. Unfortunately, information hasn't exactly been forthcoming.  I keep up to speed, reading the papers and blog...

The field of financial aid research is rapidly growing and expanding, which is a really good thing since the reliability and validity of evidence on effects pales in comparison to the magnitude of the national investment in aid.  Policymakers shoot me emails almost daily, asking "how can this be?" Well, it's expensive  and difficult  to rigorously examine the impacts of expensive, complicated programs. Financial support for aid research is often difficult to come by; seemingly because at least to some foundations and other funders, "we know it all" about aid already and need to move on. Expert researchers like Sue Dynarski and Judith Scott-Clayton know better than this, and bother to continue studying financial aid and write comprehensive reviews of existing studies on the topic for the rest of us.  I've relied on Dynarski's work continuously since my career began, and continue to be amazed at her ability to conduct incisive, beautifully executed work ye...

The search for another chancellor of UW-Madison is well underway. According to news reports, the search committee is vetting 60 candidates, sifting and winnowing these to a shorter list of people who will be interviewed off-campus, before a small group of about four comes to campus for interviews. This is a critical point in Madison's history, as we face key decisions about how we are funded, who we enroll, and how we teach.  Formulating the questions we want to ask the candidates as they go through the process is one way to think through these hard issues.  With this post, I'm hoping to spur thinking on this -- providing a few ideas to get started, and encouraging you to write in with more questions.  With any luck, the people who get to actually ask the questions will find some good ideas here. A starting point: 1. There has recently been much discussion about the polarization of the academy and concerns expressed about the impacts that a lack of political diversity mig...