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Summary of Findings from a Case Study of Policy Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: A Descriptive Portrait
Title
Summary of Findings from a Case Study of Policy Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: A Descriptive Portrait.
Creator
Felsher, Rivka A., Graduate College
Abstract/Description
The call for higher education reform in the U.S. intensifies as the gap between the haves and have-nots widens. Policy actors from across the political spectrum advocate for various policy solutions creating a policy environment that is complex and often contentious. In such environments, policy entrepreneurs— those individuals who advocate for policy innovation from within and without government—try to break through the barriers of incremental politics to create reform. As important as this...
Show moreThe call for higher education reform in the U.S. intensifies as the gap between the haves and have-nots widens. Policy actors from across the political spectrum advocate for various policy solutions creating a policy environment that is complex and often contentious. In such environments, policy entrepreneurs— those individuals who advocate for policy innovation from within and without government—try to break through the barriers of incremental politics to create reform. As important as this role is in structuring higher education policy, it has not yet been explored. This study fills a gap in the extant literature by cataloging the traits, values, motivation, skills, and strategies that enable higher education policy entrepreneurs at state and national levels to accomplish sustainable and innovative higher education reform. This study employed a descriptive, revelatory, singlecase study research design interpreted from the postpositivist paradigm. Data drawn from interviews with 23 policy entrepreneurs from across the U.S. were triangulated with document reviews and a multi-level coding strategy. Data were then juxtaposed against nine propositions extracted from the extant literature to derive the findings. Policy entrepreneurs in this study are creative political leaders with a passion for improving educational opportunity. They are pragmatic, resourceful, perseverant, strategic, and influential actors who don’t work in isolation; rather, they are network dependent and value collaboration, compromise, and listening. They reach across the aisle, work hard to build credibility and trust, recognize windows of opportunity, create opportunities to advocate for policy innovation, take calculated risks, and make sacrifices for their cause.
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Date Issued
2015
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005877
Format
Document (PDF)
Swimming Upstream: Summary of Findings from The Writing Hour Micro-autoethnography
Title
Swimming Upstream: Summary of Findings from The Writing Hour Micro-autoethnography.
Creator
Kamin, Fran, Felsher, Rivka A., Brittain, Kristin, Graduate College, Swann, Elizabeth G., Bryan, Valerie
Abstract/Description
This qualitative, micro-autoethnographic study explored the perceptions of four female doctoral students at FAU that made up the founding and consistent membership of a self-created, self-directed, and self-sustaining blendedlearning cohort focused on doctoral dissertation completion. The participants also served as co-researchers of this study that investigated their motivation to persist through their doctoral programs in educational leadership with a focus on the dissertation phase. This...
Show moreThis qualitative, micro-autoethnographic study explored the perceptions of four female doctoral students at FAU that made up the founding and consistent membership of a self-created, self-directed, and self-sustaining blendedlearning cohort focused on doctoral dissertation completion. The participants also served as co-researchers of this study that investigated their motivation to persist through their doctoral programs in educational leadership with a focus on the dissertation phase. This study utilized group and individual interviews, spontaneous drawing, document review, and the SDLRS instrument to collect and analyze data on the group’s formation, development, challenges, culture, sustaining factors, and outcomes. Findings show that while this group of doctoral students faced substantial challenges and distractions, their self-created cohort evolved through the stages of group development into a viable and supportive community of practice based on their learner motivation orientations achievement and affiliation, personal strengths, and strategies that included dependence on technology; meeting structure, time management techniques, rules, sharing, critiquing, accountability, artificial deadlines, and emotional support. This study fills a major void in the literature. While research exists that examine doctoral cohorts, graduate student retention factors, and graduate student peer mentoring, literature is sparse regarding the outcomes of self-created and self-sustaining graduate student cohorts. Given the high rate of attrition among doctoral students across disciplines in the U.S., the implications of this study include improvement of graduate student advising, suggestions for supportive restructuring of graduate study programs toward increased retention, and the creation of an empowering model for student cohort formation to be validated through further research.
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Date Issued
2015
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005886
Format
Document (PDF)
Policy entrepreneurship: a descriptive portrait of higher education leaders
Title
Policy entrepreneurship: a descriptive portrait of higher education leaders.
Creator
Felsher, Rivka A., Pisapia, John, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description
As the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, the call for reform in higher education in the United States intensifies. Policy actors, philanthropists, and academics from across the political spectrum work on various policy solutions, creating a policy environment that is complex and often contentious. Incrementalists claim that major policy reform is unlikely since unknown variables and inexplicable events can stall or dismantle policy initiatives. In such environments, policy...
Show moreAs the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, the call for reform in higher education in the United States intensifies. Policy actors, philanthropists, and academics from across the political spectrum work on various policy solutions, creating a policy environment that is complex and often contentious. Incrementalists claim that major policy reform is unlikely since unknown variables and inexplicable events can stall or dismantle policy initiatives. In such environments, policy entrepreneurs—those individuals who advocate for policy innovation, work for change, and help shape policy solutions from within and without government—try to break through the barriers of incremental politics. As important as this role is to the influencing and structuring of higher educational policy, it has not yet been explored. This study fills this gap in the extant literature by cataloging the characteristics and skills that enable higher education policy entrepreneurs at the state and national levels to persevere and accomplish sustainable and innovative higher education reforms over time.
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Date Issued
2015
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004367, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004367
Subject Headings
Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives, Educational leadership, Entrepreneurship, Organizational effectiveness, Policy sciences, Strategic planning
Format
Document (PDF)