OBJECTIVES

Current international educational policy in Africa, Asia and Latin America is centered on strategies necessary to achieve the global agenda of Education for All. Central to those policies is the establishment of measurable objectives, country strategies, plans of action and the means to monitor progress. The course will begin with an overview of the nature of policy formation and implementation at national and international levels, drawing on the theory and practice of policy analysis. A supporting focus of the course will analyze the concepts, experience and the current practice in creating monitoring and evaluation frameworks to guide education sector policy work. The course will also review guidelines for the preparation of national policies and their associated M&E frameworks, including various methods for creating and using indicators to measure progress toward goals.

During the course participants will:

• Study models of the policy process and understand policy formulation in the context of developing and transitional countries;

• Study and apply specific tools of policy analysis: stakeholder analysis. policy characteristics, political and institutional mapping; managing the policy process;

• Study the main mechanisms used by international organizations for implementation of education policies: MDG, MDA, PRSP, EFA, Fast-Track

• Study EFA process, indicators and progress through case analysis.

• Carry out a analysis of a policy case in a specific setting.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course will be organized into the following parts:

• Policy Characteristics & the Policy Cycle
• Tools of Policy Analysis
• International Policy Organizations and the current implementation mechanisms
• Central Policy Issues of international Organizations in Education sector
• Application to a specific policy in a specific context

The first two components will provide a theoretical framework and a set of analytic tools for looking at policy. The next two components will help to map the current global stakeholders and the discourse that sets the international education policy stage. The final section will provide the opportunity to integrate the first two components and apply them to a specific policy and context.

REQUIREMENTS     

• Readings as assigned weekly

• Four written exer­cises.

• An analysis of a particular policy issue (assigned topic) (5-8 pp.)

• Final Paper – analyzing in depth a country policy case study. (15-20 pp.)

GRADING

This course is being offered on a Pass/Fail basis with a letter grade option.  Any student wishing a letter grade must submit a written request for that option by the fourth class meeting.

TEXTS AND READINGS

The required text can be purchased at Food for Thought, a book cooperative located in downtown Amherst on the right before the CVS Pharmacy.  A set of Collected Readings will also be required. Information about purchasing the Collected Readings will be available in class.

Required Texts

Brinkerhoff, D. & Crosby, B. (2002). Managing policy reform: Concepts and tools for decision-makers in developing and transitioning countries. Bloomfield, CT.: Kumarian Press, Inc.

Collected Readings for 629. (January 2006). Xeroxed & bound set of readings.

Course Web Site – http://www.courses.umass.edu/educ629s/

Materials for the course and linkages to other sites containing useful resources will be found at the above URL. Students will need to have regular access to the web site in order to successfully carry out the work required by the course. Most of the data for cases and some of the assignments will have to come from web-based sources.     

Course Outline  

The following table provides a draft version of the planned sequence of activities for the course. I will undergo further revision.

Date	Topic	Activity	Readings : Finish by Class date listed	Papers Due on date listed
Jan 31	Course Objectives & Overview of Policy Cycle & Issues	Course objectives & overview; Policy Issues exercise	---	Purchase Text @ Food for Thought Purchase Collected Readings @ Copy Cat
Feb 7	Policy characteristics	Discussion of importance of characteristics – class exercise	Brinkerhoff (Text) - Chs 1, 7 Habte & Fuller (class handout)
Feb 14	Policy Cycle [next class in 2 weeks]	Analysis of Cycle and illustrative cases; Linkages to Research	CR 1 Haddad – Chs. 1, 2 & 3 CR 2 Stone	Exercise #1: Profile of a specific education policy
Feb 28	Backward Mapping of Policies – What really happened?	Implementation vs intent; technique of backward mapping. Cases from Wolf	Brinkerhoff – Ch. 2 CR 3 Elmore CR 4 Wolf
Mar 7	Political Context and Stakeholder analysis		Brinkerhoff – Chs. 3 & 6
Mar 14	Political & Institutional Mapping	Analyzing national and local forces and their power. Class exercise	Brinkerhoff – Chs. 4 & 8	Exercise #2: Stakeholder analysis of a specific policy issue
Mar 28	Impact of Globalization on Education Policies National Planning Processes in the International Context	Demystifying Globalization; inter-national institutions & agendas. Intro to Global Inst Schematic	CR 6 Carnoy CR 7 Ilon; Chpt 1, 2 Spring	Exercise #3: Analysis of Policy X in country Y using Institutional Mapping
Apr 4	Inter Institutions—mechanisms of educational policy	Class members report on MDG, MDA, EFA, Fast Track etc. Intro to PRSP	CR 5 Samoff; Web-based research on institutions and their policy mechanisms	Present on policy mechanisms of assigned international institutions
Apr 11	PRSP Mechanism	Analysis of PRSP mechanism, stages and outcomes. Intro to Policy Issues	CR 8 Senegal PRSP ?? CR 9 Craig & Porter	Bring PRSP case for class discussion – come with analysis and critique
Apr 18	Overview of major policy issues in education development	Presentation by groups on assigned policy issue	??Various – need readings	Exercise #4 Short paper on assigned policy issue (individual papers)
Apr 25	The Policy M & E Process	Disc of M&E; exercise on indicator development and assessment	Brinkerhoff – Ch. 12	Final project: Outline due of selected policy issue in specific context.
May 2	Strategy for Analysis of Country Case	Use of EMIS systems and EFA Indicators; Review of EFA Goals, and Progress	CR 10 Unesco
May 9	??		Brinkerhoff Chpts 9, 10 & 11
May 16	Summary & Review of Cases Project: Policy case analysis	Lessons Learned : examine process of analysis Presentations and Discussion	Selected cases presented and discussed in class	Final project: analysis of policy case study

                    

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