Education Policy in India: A Field Study Focused on the Challenges of Managing Growth & Improving Quality

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1 Institute for Educational Leadership Washington, D.C. Global Education Policy Fellowship Program (GEPFP) Education Policy in India: A Field Study Focused on the Challenges of Managing Growth & Improving Quality 2016 Program Description Co-Coordinators: Robert J. Monson, Ph.D. Adjunct Associate Professor Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis Teachers College, Columbia University rjm210@tc.columbia.edu (203) (cell) & Daniel Schultz, Coordinator Michigan Education Policy Fellowship Program Michigan State University dws@msu.edu (517) Purpose of the Program To provide GEPFP Senior Fellows with the opportunity to study education policy in the Age of Globalization by investigating education development challenges in India, the planet s most populous country. Program Goals GEPFP Senior Fellows will: Become aware of the policy initiatives that India is taking at the pre K 12 and higher education levels, both public and private, to ensure the education system is preparing young people for a globally competitive economy. Develop a perspective on the United States and India s efforts to ensure its schools are globally competitive. Engage with leaders within the Indian Ministry of Education and other policy makers shaping the country s reforms in basic and higher education. Visit public and private as well as for-profit schools, colleges and universities in and Delhi. Develop networking relationships with influential Indian policymakers as well as a growing network of professionals working in the global education policy arena. Complete an optional policy analysis project examining an aspect of India s dual challenge of managing the growth in demand for education and improving the quality of education systemically. 1

2 Schedule of GEPFP Meetings in 2016 Note: All times reflect the Eastern Time Zone. A series of Friday two-hour meetings will be held on-line using Adobe Connect Pro, a software program that enables participants to see and hear each other simultaneously provided their computers have a webcam, microphone, speakers, and Adobe Flash Player 11.0 or later installed. Friday, August 26, A to 12:00P. Introductions, program orientation, and expectations. Overview of the program activities and timelines. Discussion of the optional policy analysis project. Facilitators Dan Schultz and Bob Monson. Readings to be discussed: Pritchett, L. (2013). The Rebirth of Education. Schooling Ain t Learning. Washington, DC.: Center for Global Development. King, C. (2015). The decline of international studies. Why flying blind is dangerous. Foreign Affairs. (July-August). Friday, September 23, A to 12:00P. Establishing a Context: Education Reform in India. Guest expert: Dr. Vibha Sharma, Educational Consultant to the University of Chicago, Delhi, India. This session will orient Senior Fellows to the unique challenges of improving access to education in world s most populous country, India. How will India modernize its K-12 schools and higher education institutions given its infrastructure and poverty? Arvind, G. Colonialism, modernism, and neo-liberalism. Problematizing education in India. In: Zhao, Y. (2010), Handbook of Asian Education: A Cultural Perspective, Book 1. Milton Park, U.K.: Taylor & Francis, pp Friday, October 14, A to 12:00P. Understanding India s History and Culture. Guest expert: Dr. Rukmini Banerji (invited), Program Officer, The Spencer Foundation, Chicago, IL. Readings to be discussed: Luce, E. (2007). In Spite of the Goods. The Strange Rise of Modern India. New York: Doubleday. Boo, K. (2012). Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. New York: Random House 2

3 Wednesday, October 27 through Sunday, November 6, Field Study in India: and Delhi. The field study in India is designed to provide Fellows with: An opportunity to develop relationships with educators in India. An opportunity to visit schools, the Ministry of Education, and other educational organizations to engage with policy makers and leaders in both basic K-12 and higher education, both private and public as well as for-profit colleges. An opportunity to have a range of experiences that would inform the optional policy analysis project. An opportunity to visit historic and cultural sites. Tentative Day-By-Day Itinerary in India OCT. 27 Thursday OCT. 29 Saturday OCT. 30 Sunday OCT. 31 Monday Nov. 1 Tuesday Nov. 2 Wednesday Nov. 3 Thursday Nov. 4 Friday Nov. 5. Nov. 6 Sunday DEPART U.S Depart the US for. Arrive one day later (Friday, October 28) in the late evening and check in at the hotel Breakfast provided. Morning orientation to the week s activities and goals for the visit. Saturday and Sunday activities will be organized on the assumption that jet lag creates the need for a transition time. Dinner on your own. Breakfast provided. Day-long visits to cultural sites and markets. Dinner on your own. Breakfast provided. Morning briefing with local education leaders. Afternoon school or college visit. Dinner on your own. Breakfast provided. Morning visit to school or college. Dinner on your own. Breakfast provided. Morning school or college visit. Afternoon flight to Delhi. Transfer to hotel. Dinner on your own. Delhi Breakfast provided. Briefing with Ministry of Education officials. Afternoon college or school visit. Dinner on your own. Delhi Breakfast provided. Morning visit to Pathways World School. Afternoon college visit. Late afternoon de-briefing meeting to discuss the week s experiences. Agra & the Taj Mahal Day long cultural tour departing early morning and return to Delhi Airport Holiday Inn early evening. Dinner on your own. DEPART NEW DELHI for U.S. Pre-dawn flight departure and afternoon arrival in U.S. 3

4 Friday, November 11, A to 12:00P. Making Sense of Education Reform in India. Post trip de-briefing facilitated by Dan Schultz and Bob Monson. Sharing experiences and reflections about India. Friday, December 2, A to 12:00p. Private schooling in India: The tension between rapid growth and providing high quality learning. Scholars argue that the growing preference for private schools needs to be understood within the contemporary socio-political context, politics of educational research, and recent shifts in educational policy. Guest expert: Optional GEPFP Policy Project Completion of an Optional Global Education Policy Analysis. Each Fellow has the opportunity to complete a written capstone policy analysis of an education policy initiative in a developing country of the Fellow s choice. Working individually, or in small (2-4 person) collaborative teams, Senior Fellows can analyze education policy in a developing country and identify any implications this challenge might have on education in the United States and/or the organization that sponsors the GEPFP experience. The focus of this brief will be identified prior to or after the October study tour. One or more researchable questions will be developed and will focus the data gathering process for the year. Post-tour Friday meetings will provide opportunities for fellows to share and discuss their findings and the likely implications they see for U.S. education. Details about this project will be provided during the August on-line orientation meeting. Suggested Readings: Arvind, G. Colonialism, modernism, and neo-liberalism. Problematizing education in India. In: Zhao, Y. (2010), Handbook of Asian Education: A Cultural Perspective, Book 1. Milton Park, U.K.: Taylor & Francis. Pp 481=502. Boo, K. (2012). Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. New York: Random House. King, C. (2015). The decline of international studies. Why flying blind is dangerous. Foreign Affairs. (July-August). Luce, E. (2007). In Spite of the Goods. The Strange Rise of Modern India. New York: Doubleday. Pritchett, L. (2013). The Rebirth of Education. Schooling Ain t Learning. Washington, DC.: Center for Global Development. 4

5 About the GEPFP Coordinators Dr. Bob Monson is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Education Leadership and Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he teaches courses in the Urban Leaders doctoral program and in the Cahn Fellowship Program for Distinguished New York City Principals. He also coordinates the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) in the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis. From 2000 to 2009, he was a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of the Education Leadership Program at Teachers College. He has provided consultant services in program development, curriculum development, leadership, and student assessment in Bhutan, China, India, the U.A.E., Latin America and at the University of Cambridge International Examinations (UK) as well as in schools and cities across the U.S. In Bhutan, he is working with the Ministry of Education and the Bhutan Olympic Committee on a country-wide implementation of a new health and physical education curriculum. Prior to joining the faculty at Teachers College, he served as a teacher, high school principal, and for 20 years as a public school superintendent in five states. He has a Ph.D. in educational administration from Saint Louis University and in 1977 was a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dan Schultz is Senior Policy and Program Advisor for the Office of K-12 Outreach in the College of Education at Michigan State University. He also serves as Director of the College of Education s Fellowship for Enhancing Global Understanding China Program. He helped develop this successful faculty and doctoral student study abroad program with Beijing Normal University and Southwest University in Chongqing. His extensive international experience includes organizing and leading study tours to China, Botswana, Bhutan and the U.K. His background includes executive leadership and policy roles in state government in Michigan, where he was Assistant State Superintendent and Director of Technology and Grants for the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan State Board of Education. He holds academic degrees in economics and education administration, and for over 30 years has led the Michigan Education Policy Fellowship Program (MI EPFP). He is the recipient of the MSU College of Education Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award, the Institute for Educational Leadership's National Leadership Award, and the 2014 International Friendship Award from Southwest University in China. Revised: 4/8/2016 5