Welcome to Uri Treisman's PRP! We are looking forward to having everyone in class on Thursday and kicking off the semester.
Throughout the semester we will be using this blog as a means of exchanging ideas about a range of education policy topics. Uri will go into more detail on Thursday about specific assignments related to the blog but we would like you start out by introducing yourself to everyone. Briefly introduce yourself by talking about your past experience, your specific interests in education policy, and your favorite wine and cheese (critical information to the success of the class).
To kick things off:
Prior to working at LBJ I spent 2 and a half years with the Council of Chief State School Officers in Washington, DC. There I worked on a range of projects related to state assessment systems, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and state data systems. Prior to that I worked for Congressman Cass Ballenger from North Carolina.
I am interested in a number of issues related to education including assessment policy, improving our current accountability systems, and P12-higher education connections. This past summer was my first attempt at digging into the issues surrounding college and work readiness and I have quickly realized the large number of issues it raises for policymakers. It will require us to look at number of areas from teacher recruitment and compensation to benchmarking to school redesign.
Last, you can't go wrong with a good malbec and slice of brie...
11 comments:
My name is Martha Bloem and I just moved back to Austin (where I completed my undergraduate studies) from NYC, where I was working at an academic mentoring organization called Minds Matter (http://www.mindsmatter.org). The organization has a rigorous academic curriculum that it uses to better prepare high-achieving, low-income high school students to get on the college-bound track and eventually into college. I had the incredible opportunity to work as the second full-time employee in the organization's history and saw it grow into a national entity with six chapters around the U.S.
I am interested primarily in issues related to equalizing access to educational opportunities for youth in the U.S. and abroad. My interests in international educational revolve around wanting to expose people to educational opportunities to which they may not otherwise have access in their own countries as well as through international exchange.
Finally, I will agree with Mark that you can never go wrong with a good Malbec, and while I too love brie, I can never turn down a good manchego either.
My name is Brett Turner and I also just moved back to Austin from New York City, where I was working for Teach For America. I graduated from Texas A&M in the spring of '05 and then began teaching 5th grade science through TFA in Houston at Whittier Elementary School. The experience was definitely very humbling and challenging as I got to see our education system (the good and the bad) first hand through the lens of a teacher.
I am interested in issues such as incentive pay, teacher preparedness, school structure, standardized testing and ensuing accountability issues, and early childhood education programs.
With regards to wine and cheese, I'm not to huge a fan of either and therefore wouldn't be able to offer any credible opinion on the subject.
I have been a teacher, assistant principal, and a principal. Most recently in AISD for five years at Akins High School (until July 2007). I am currently enrolled in the Cooperative Superintendency Program working to complete a doctorate-hopefully May 2009. I also work as a consultant for AISD and for a charter school in Austin.
Issues that have my attention are state and federal accountability, data use in schools, and high school redesign efforts.
My favorite wines--Riesling and Shiraz and I enjoy brie and aged swiss cheese!
Hello old and new friends.
I like the new blog format and am interested to see how it's utilized throughout this course. I hope it proves to be an effective and efficient way to share random thoughts and ideas.
Introduction to me: I came straight to LBJ after graduating from Vanderbilt in 2007 with degrees in Elementary Education and Community Development. I'm a generalist and have no specialization, portfolio or specified interest area, but my experiences and gut feelings lead me toward poverty alleviation which, for me, encompasses education, affordable housing, health care, homelessness, and youth with a related (but not directly) interest in refugee issues.
With that, I'm taking another Uri Treisman special (I learned a lot from his PRP last year) to continue pursuing my interest in education policy and to locate those select few ed. policy people floating around the LBJ School.
Oh, and I prefer a delicious Pinot noir with steak (and I like brie).
Hi, I'm Molly. I graduated from UT in 2003 with a degree in Applied Learning Development and minor in Mathematics. Since then I have taught kindergarten and high school math (including Geometry, Algebra II, and TAKS math). I am interested in ALL the topics that have been mentioned. My goal is to focus those interests over the next two years. I am a cabernet girl.
My name is Jessica Gonzales.
The first in my family to complete a college education, I have continually been fascinated by what made my educational experience so different from those of my family and what inspired me to gain a higher education. Although my personal experiences in education are limited, I volunteered in Waco ISD schools throughout college and worked on portions of a state representative's education platform during the last state legislative session.
I am eager to delve into the world of higher education preparedness and can't wait to work on this semester's project.
Additionally, I know little about wine and cheese but do adore both - more so cheese than wine.
My name is Jessica Kamphaus and I am a graduate student in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in early childhood education. I have worked at educational nonprofits in Oklahoma City, New York and now in Austin, since graduating from undergrad in 2005. I suppose I am primarily interested in issues that affect low socio-economic populations and issues related to early childhood education.
I really love most wine and cheese, but I'm currently going through a Malbec and camembert phase.
Hey all. My name is Joey Hunt. I graduated in 2006 from Lamar U. in Beaumont, TX, with degrees in math and physics. I've been in the math PhD program since then, and I recently chose to focus my research on math ed. I'm interested in understanding how students (and teachers) learn, and if I hope to have any effect on the education system, I ought to have a good understanding of how ed policy works. So here I am.
I enjoy cheese and wine, but I'm pretty ignorant of both. Maybe we can fix that this year. I can say that I especially like firm cheeses.
My name is Karina Vielma and I am happy to return to the Lone Star State and work with all of you. I took the long journey from Boston, Massachusetts where I worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, at the Office of Minority Education as Assistant Dean of Academic Programming. My role was to provide strategic programming for underrepresented students to prepare them for graduate studies and provide mentoring beginning their freshmen year.
Like Jessica, I am the first in my family to complete my college education and the only one to consider a doctoral degree. My father instilled the notion that "education would lead us out of poverty" and I find it my duty to help other young students learn about their educational opportunities.
Educational policy interests me as a portion of my education that I believe is essential to make change and understand how change happens at a large scale. More importantly, I am interested in connecting disadvantaged populations with educational opportunities that they would otherwise not be aware of, and policy appears to be the best way to reach a large population.
By no means am I experienced in the wine and cheese world. I can say that I like Riesling, and I once tasted a wonderfully sweet German wine that I have not been able to find out what it was. (Maybe you can help!) I like all type of cheese.
My name is Gilbert Zavala and I'm a second year LBJ student slated to graduate in December 2008. This course is one of my last two courses as an LBJ student and I feel privileged to have Uri as a teacher once again.
I have eight years experience in the non-profit and public sector. I graduated UT Austin and began work as a researcher/legislative correspondent for a non-profit focused on school finance and tax reform.
Immediately prior to undertaking graduate studies at LBJ, I worked as a Public Information and Training Officer for the Travis County Tax Assessor. I answered public information requests, dealt with media/press releases, and helped with community outreach/education efforts.
I had the great privilege of working with Uri in "organizing" last year's PRP on teacher pay incentives. I am working on developing a PR on school re-segregation, equity, and achievement gap issues. I'm very interested in college and workforce readiness policy and am currently the college retention program manager for a college access focused non-profit.
My favorite wines at the moment are Spanish Tempranillos and Portuguese red blends.
My favorite cheese: nicely aged Manchego, but I also like Spanish tetilla cheese. Brie and St Felicien are also tasty.
G.
Hello! I'm Jenna Cullinane. It was a pleasure to meet many of you last week.
By way of introduction, I'll mention that I've been working in the field of education policy for the last three years in Washington DC, at a non-profit think-tank called the Institute for Higher Education Policy. Although my minor in education at Berkeley (major in legal studies) focused more on primary and secondary education, my interests and expertise have shifted to the postsecondary level, including college readiness and the transition from high school to college (what an ideal class topic, huh?). I am particularly interested in addressing the barriers to access for low-income, first-generation, minority students, and other underserved populations in the United States and internationally. I would love to expand my knowledge of trends and issues facing massification of higher education in the developing world and harmonization efforts among regions such as the African Union and European Union. I've mostly been involved in "policy" from qualitative and programmatic angles and look forward to building skills to handle/analyze data.
I prefer red to white, and if I had to pick a favorite wine (with dinner), I'd probably pick a cabernet-sauvignon. If it's a hot Texas evening though, I'd probably opt for a sauvingnon blanc. As for cheese, I like Humbolt Fog.
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