It's Time to Register for Spring Classes

Hello My wonderful viewers.



Well it's that time again. I must consider my next semester of classes and fast. Since this semester began I have enjoyed a number of my classes and found the information so useful when considering education policy. My current class schedule includes Applied Research Methods to Inform Policy, Evolution of Assessment, American Education Reform, and Introduction to Statistics. Specifically, my Applied Research Methods to Inform Policy course and Introduction to Statistics course reinforced some very important themes that are addressed in education research. For instance working with the null and alternative hypothesis and running regressions. So for those interested in the quantitative aspect of education policy, I definitely recommend pairing these classes. The Evolution to Assessment course has also given me a more in depth understanding of how testing (formative, summative, interim, etc.) and accountability systems play such an increment role in the education of students K-12 and the educational system as a whole. As future policy analyst I really wanted to understanding the premise behind testing taking and the high stakes associated with it.For those of you interested in this field, this curse provides a great balance between informative articles, group activities/discussions, and lectures. If you are not as familiar with the history of education or just want a refresher the n the American Education Reform class does just that. We have read books such as Dianne Ravitich's book "The Death and Life of the Great American School System," which provided insight on the multiple perspectives surrounding the U.S. school system.

Anyhow, back to the main topic of interest... Spring Semester. Currently, I am unsure of which classes I will take for the spring semester because there are so many that meet my interests. This is my goal; Audit all of the courses I am interested in taking my first week of Spring Semester and then decide on which ones I will keep. Sounds easy bu since I am required to take a certain number of education policy specific courses and electives I have to find the perfect balance. I will keep you updated on this progress.