Elizabeth Brown Writing Samples

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Elizabeth Brown Writing Sample

Writing Sample Explanation This writing sample is an excerpt of an independent project I completed with Dr. Liliana Garces at The Pennsylvania State University College of Education. This excerpt focuses on background information and some of the specific strategies for institutions to consider when documenting and evaluating racial diversity on college and university campuses. Background On June 24, 2013, the Supreme Court released its decision in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The Court upheld standing precedent that recognizes the compelling interest of postsecondary institutions to ensure campus diversity, particularly racial diversity. Post Fisher, institutions can continue to holistically consider an applicants race as one of many factors in their admissions program so long as the consideration is narrowly tailored to achieve that compelling interest. However, the Court ruled that in this case the court below had not appropriately applied the pre-established standard of strict scrutiny when reviewing the admissions program at the University of Texas at Austin. Specifically, the Court held that the court below had incorrectly deferred to the judgment of the institution in assessing whether the institutions admissions program was narrowly tailored to achieve the compelling interest of a diverse student body. Therefore, the case was remanded to the court below for further review. 1 Narrow tailoring requires that institutions demonstrate that race neutral alternatives are not sufficient and that race conscious policies are the least restrictive means needed to achieve the educational benefits of diversity. A key component of narrow tailoring, as laid out in Fisher, requires institutions to develop ongoing forms of assessment to continually demonstrate the necessity of race conscious policies. This memo focuses specifically on efforts that can document and argue the ongoing need to consider race in higher education admissions policies. Thus, in light of the Fisher decision, institutions have an opportunity to revisit policies and documentation strategies regarding racial diversity on campus. This document serves to assist institutions in understanding in developing a record of evidence that evaluates racial diversity on campus and suggests some tools to assess the continued use of race in admissions decisions. Campus Climate Assessments Many postsecondary institutions already assess their campus climate using tools like online surveys, individual interviews, and focus groups. 3, 5, 7-9 Reviewing the tools used by other postsecondary institutions assessing campus climate can prove useful in determining which methods of assessment would be most appropriate at a particular institution. Appendix A includes possible survey, individual interview, and/or focus group questions that could be used to assess campus climate.

Elizabeth Brown Writing Sample

Climate assessments are a way of measuring real or perceived attitudes, behaviors, practices, or standards as they relate to diversity on campus.5 Regular climate assessments should be conducted to understand the current state of the campus community and to assess the impact of various institutional or localized interventions as well as recent changes in policy. Institutions may use a variety of data collection tools, including surveys, individual interviews, focus group interviews, document analyses, and direct observations. 6 Climate assessments can measure specific perceptions about campus diversity and inclusion and provide opportunities for openended, qualitative responses. For instance, a recent initiative at the Harvard Business School to examine gender equity utilized some innovative tools to measure the climate for women students on campus. One such approach was to install stenographers in classrooms to guard against biased grading or attention from faculty members.12 In this case, institutions could temporarily place stenographers in classrooms to explore the possible existence of racial bias among the professor and students. Institutions should consider other initiatives that assess student interactions with their peers, faculty and staff, and intuitions in creative ways. To determine the existence of diversity to the extent that the educational benefits are realized for all students on campus, institutions should pay particular attention to the individual experiences as well as the aggregate opinions of students, faculty, staff, and other members of the university community. Institutions can then analyze the qualitative data to better understand the experiences of underrepresented groups on campus. For example, examining interactions between various racial subgroups on campus could lead to an enhanced understanding of campus racial climate.

Elizabeth Brown Writing Sample

References 1. U.S. Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division & U.S. Department of Education: Office for Civil Rights. Questions and answers about Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. Washington DC, 2013. 2. Jayakumar, U. M. (2008). Can higher education meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and global society? Campus diversity and cross-cultural workforce competencies. Harvard Educational Review, 78(4), 615-651. 3. Hurtado, S., Griffin, K.A., Arellano, L. & Cuellar, M. (2008). Assessing the value of climate assessments- Progress and future directions. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(4), 204-221. 4. Garces, L.M. & Jayakumar, U.M. (2013). Dynamic diversity: Toward a contextual idea of critical mass. Manuscript submitted for publication. 5. Rankin, S. & Reason, R. (2008). Transformational tapestry model: A comprehensive approach to transforming campus climate. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(4), 262-274. 6. Museus, S. D. (2007). Using qualitative methods to assess diverse institutional cultures. New Directions for Institutional Research, 136, 29-40. 7. Ancis, J. R., Sedlacek, W. E., & Mohr, J. J. (2000). Student perceptions of the campus cultural climate by race. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78 (2), 180-185. 8. Helm, E. G., Sedlacek, W. E., & Prieto, D. O. (1998). The relationship between attitudes toward diversity and overall satisfaction of university students by race. Journal of College Counseling. 1, 111-120. 9. Sedlacek, W. E. (2004). Beyond the big test: Noncognitive assessment in higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 10. Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California. (n.d.). The equity scorecard. USC Rossier School of Education. http://cue.usc.edu/our_tools/the_equity_scorecard.html. 11. Bensimon, E.M. & Malcom, L. (2012). Confronting equity issues on campus: Implementing the equity scorecard in theory and practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Pub. 12. Kantor, J. (Sept. 7, 2013). Harvard Business School case study: Gender equity. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/education/harvardcase-study-gender-equity.html

Elizabeth Brown Writing Sample

Writing Sample Explanation This writing sample is an excerpt of a paper from the HI ED 587: Educational Policy and Politics course at The Pennsylvania State University College of Education. This except focuses on background information regarding prior learning assessment measures in the United States and, more specifically, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Overview of prior learning assessment The concept of prior learning assessment in the United States is not a new idea and can be traced back to the increasing number of nontraditional students and veterans who sought higher education post World War II due to the GI Bill. Beginning in the 1940s, military training and courses were evaluated for their college creditworthiness by the American Council on Education, and over the last 70 years the practice has continued to expand (Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 2013). Modern prior learning assessments can take many forms, including standardized tests, course challenge exams, evaluation of military and corporate training and experience, and student portfolios. Oftentimes, the actual assessment of a students experiences is handled by a third party (e.g. the American Council on Education or the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning) for a fee paid by the student typically between $200 and $500 (Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 2013). Those students who seek out and take advantage of prior learning assessment tend to be full-time, working adults and other nontraditional student populations who often face additional financial and time-related challenges that reduce the likelihood of them pursuing and completing some form of postsecondary education (Ryu, 2013). Prior learning assessment measures are a significant asset to states and institutions looking to support adult and nontraditional students in their pursuit of higher education. A 2010 study from the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning examined the experiences of over 60,000 students at 48 postsecondary institutions and found that adult students who engaged in prior learning assessment had better graduation and persistence rates than their peers and that many of these students were able to shorten the time required to earn a degree. Understanding the broader context Today the value of postsecondary education for individuals and society is clear. Research shows that college graduates are more likely to be employed and earn more than those without a postsecondary degree (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2010). These differences between those with some sort of higher education degree or credential and those without have become increasingly pronounced since the 2008 recession (Lumina Foundation, 2013). Local communities also benefit from increased tax revenues from college graduates and college-educated adults are more likely to be civically engaged and involved in service activities (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2010). These national trends carry over to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania State Data Center, 2013a), and increasing numbers of adult and nontraditional students are choosing to pursue some form of postsecondary education to become or remain economically competitive.

Elizabeth Brown Writing Sample

Regardless of this data, policymakers, education professionals, as well as students and families have increasingly started to question the effectiveness of the higher education system in the United States. Mounting tuition costs, decreasing student aid, over $1 trillion of student loan debt, and questions surrounding the quality of higher education have contributed to this increased level of public scrutiny and continue to plague education administrators nationwide (College Board, 2013; Bidwell, 2013; Mitchell & Jackson-Randall, 2012; Arum & Roska, 2011). However, there is a national need for increasing the number of individuals with some sort of postsecondary education credential or degree. Since the official end of the recession in January 2010, jobs requiring some form of college degree or credential have grown while jobs requiring a high school diploma or less continue to diminish (Lumina Foundation, 2013). In 2011 almost 40% of Americans ages 25 to 64 had a two-year or four-year college degree and there is no clear data on the number of Americans that have earned some sort of economically valuable certificate (Lumina Foundation, 2013) The Lumina Foundation (2013) also reports that by the year 2020, 65% of all jobs in the United States will require some form of postsecondary education. These statistics illustrate the desperate need to increase the number of Americans with some form of postsecondary degree or credential. Prior learning assessment has the potential to address these workforce challenges while providing increased opportunities for individuals and meeting the needs of the national economy. National support The Obama administrations goals of improving higher education completion rates and increasing highly educated members of the workforce also support the growing movement toward prior learning assessment. For example, in 2012, $2 billion in grants dedicated to job training for displaced workers from the Labor Department required institutions to incorporate prior learning credit (Fain, 2012a). A 2013 Dear Colleague letter from the Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education encourages institutions to consider developing prior learning assessment initiatives and provides guidance on how to do so (Bergeron, 2013). Given the federal governments significant annual investment in postsecondary-level training and education and that most of these experiences happen outside of formal postsecondary institutions, it makes sense to provide students with a tool to apply their experiences to some sort of certificate, degree, or other credential (Ryu, 2013). Moreover, due to the recent initiatives of the Obama administration geared toward improving postsecondary access and completion rates, states would be wise to pursue policies like those supporting prior learning assessment that support these aims.

Elizabeth Brown Writing Sample

References Arum, R. & Roska, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Baum, S., Ma, J., Payea, K. (2010). Education pays 2010: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. College Board Advocacy & Policy Center. Retrieved from http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2010-full-report.pdf Bergeron, D. (2013, March 19). Applying for Title IV Eligibility for Direct Assessment (Competency-Based) Programs. Retrieved from http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1310 .html Bidwell, A. (2013, October 24). The rise in tuition is slowing, but college still costs more. U.S. News. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/10/24/the-rise-intuition-is-slowing-but-college-still-costs-more College Board. (2013). Trends in student aid 2013. Retrieved from http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/student-aid-2013-full-report.pdf Council for Adult & Experiential Learning. (2010). Fueling the race to postsecondary success: A 48-instititon study of prior learning assessment and adult student outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.cael.org/pdf/PLA_Fueling-the-Race.pdf Fain, P. (2012a, November 12). New momentum for old idea. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/12/lawmakers-and-foundations-pushprior-learning-assessment Lumina Foundation. (2013). Strategic plan 2013 to 2016. Retrieved from http://www.lumina foundation.org/advantage/document/goal_2025/2013-Lumina_Strategic_Plan.pdf Mitchell, J. & Jackson-Randall, M. (2012, March 22). Student-loan debt tops $1 trillion. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424 052702303812904577295930047604846 Pennsylvania State Data Center. (2013a). Education and earnings in Pennsylvania: Earnings of Pennsylvania workers reveal the importance of education. Retrieved from http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/sdc/pasdc_files/researchbriefs/Education-Earnings_RB.pdf Postsecondary National Policy Institute. (2013). Prior Learning and Competency-Based Education. Retrieved from http://pnpi.newamerica.net/prior_learning_and_competency _based_education Ryu, M. (2013). Credit for prior learning from the student, campus, and industry perspectives. American Council on Education. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/newsroom/Documents/Credit-for-Prior-Learning-Issue-Brief.pdf