Policy
Planning and Analysis for
Improving
Quality in Education Systems
May 19–31, 2008
Improving the quality of Education for All
While increasing participation and reducing
inequities remain considerable challenges for many countries, improving
quality of education for all is the most important challenge faced by educators around the world. It is critical to assure that all students acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
necessary to participate as productive citizens in their local and
global communities.
Improving educational quality requires simultaneous and systematic attention to many important issues. Quality is about student
learning outcomes and the schooling environment. It is about the qualification
of teachers and the teaching and learning process. It is about effective leadership as well as competent system management and administration. It is about the
effective, efficient, and equitable delivery of inputs as well as the distribution of outputs and outcomes. It is about creating broad-based participation in a unified effort to improve education.It is about aligning goals, objectives, and investments across all levels— pre-primary, primary, and secondary.
This two-week
seminar
at Harvard
gives participants the opportunity to to look broadly at the challenge of improving quality in education systems and explore all dimensions
of quality in education with colleagues from around the world.
What You Will Learn
This
seminar will help educational leaders to:
- Define
quality in education
- Think
broadly and systematically about efforts to improve quality in education
systems
- Understand
all dimensions of the debate about quality in education
- Identify
meaningful quality indicators
- Strengthen data and information systems on all levels to support increased quality
- Develop effective monitoring and evaluation systems
- Learn what other countries are doing to improve quality; what works
best for them, and why
Who Should Attend
Improving Quality in Education Systems is designed for policy
makers, planners, managers, researchers, and other professional educators
concerned with the
design, implementation, and delivery of quality education for all.
The seminar is most appropriate
for individuals with at least three years of experience in a decision-making
or senior management role, or as senior staff in areas like policy
analysis, research, planning, or monitoring and evaluation. The seminar is also useful for individuals who are moving into more senior positions and who will be assuming increased levels of responsibility for improving quality in education.
Fluency in English is required.
Past Participants
Educators from over 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America,
the Middle East, and Europe have attended this and similar programs
offered at Harvard
over the past 20 years. Past participants have come from:
-
Executive
and technical divisions of ministries of education
-
Executive
and technical divisions of regional and district education authorities
-
Universities
offering graduate programs in educational policy analysis, research, & planning
-
Education
sections of international development
agencies and donor organizations
-
National
and non-governmental education
and social sector institutes
Country and Institutional Teams
Ministries, educational institutions, and donor agencies are encouraged to
send teams of three to five participants. Teams offer opportunities
for shared learning and reinforcement of new ideas. They also increase the
potential for application of new insights and understandings in home countries
and institutions.
Faculty
Thomas Cassidy, Educational Chair, Harvard Graduate School of Education. His expertise
includes the design and development of information systems to support
educational policy analysis and planning as well as organizational
development and systems thinking for educators. He has extensive experience
working in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin
America.
James Honan, Senior Lecturer
on Education,
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Haiyan Hua, Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Kim Marshall , Leadership Coach, New Leaders for New Schools
Noel McGinn, Professor Emeritus of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Basan Nembirkow, Superintendent of Schools, Brockton, MA
John Portz, Professor and Chair, Political
Science Department, Northeastern University
Fernando Reimers, Ford Foundation
Professor of International Education; Director, International Education
Policy Program,
Harvard University
Paul Reville, Lecturer on Education;
Director, Education Policy and Management Program, Harvard Graduate
School of Education;Chairman, Massachusetts board of Education; President, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
Eleonora Villegas-Reimers, Dean of Education and Child Life; Associate Professor, Wheelock College
Joseph Zolner, Director, Harvard Institutes for Higher Education, Harvard Graduate
School of Education
General
Information
Format
Sessions include a variety of formats: lectures, case studies, and
review and discussion of current education reform efforts in selected countries. In addition to formal working sessions, opportunities are provided for participants to share their knowledge and experience with each other. Opportunities for individual
work and research are also offered. Participants have access to select Harvard libraries and research facilities.
Visits to local educational institutions and meetings
with local and state education officials are important elements of the program. Participants learn how education
is managed and delivered in the U.S. and how U.S. educators are addressing
the demand for improvement in education quality.
Schedule
Participants should plan on arriving in Boston on Sunday, May 18. The Seminar
begins on Monday morning, May 19, and ends on Saturday, May 31 in the
evening. Sessions are held daily from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. with a midday
break. Evenings
are used to prepare readings and assignments for the following day, to participate
in optional computer laboratory sessions, and for personal recreation.
Weekends are left open to explore the greater Boston area. Optional social
events during the program include group dinners, sightseeing, and shopping
excursions.
Program Environment
The program takes place on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Participants have access to an array of academic, cultural, and social resources
at the University, including libraries, museums, musical and theatrical productions.
Harvard Square offers a unique collection of bookstores, shops, cafes, and
restaurants, which cater to a variety of tastes and styles.
Please note laptop computers will not be provided.
Accommodations
Participants stay at a hotel with easy access to the Harvard University campus. Cost
of accommodations
is included
in the program fee for the period Sunday, May 18 through Sunday morning, June 1.
Check-out is on Sunday, June 1.
Application Process
Candidates must submit a completed application form, curriculum vitae or biographical resume, two letters of recommendation from professional colleagues and/or a person to whom the applicant reports, a personal statement of not more than 2 pages, detailing how participation in the seminar relates to your work and how the seminar will contribute to your professional development, and evidence of full financial support.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and decisions made within 2-3 weeks of receipt of a completed application. Admission decisions will not be made until all the above items
are received. Visa requirements to enter the United States
have changed significantly. Therefore, early application is highly encouraged.
Please
submit all application materials to, or for further information contact:
Jason Rabin
Harvard Graduate School of Education
44 Brattle Street, Fifth Floor
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 USA
Telephone: 1-800-545-1849
Fax: 1-617-496-8051
Email: jason_rabin@gse.harvard.edu
Fees and Cancellation
Policy
The comprehensive program cost of $8750 includes tuition, seminar materials, hotel
accommodations, health insurance, and special events. Evidence
of full financial sponsorship must be received with the application to hold
a place in the seminar. Program fees must be paid in full by April 18, 2008.
Participants are responsible for the cost of travel
between their homes and Boston. Information for obtaining a visa
will accompany the candidate’s
acceptance letter. Participants will also need funds sufficient
to cover the costs of meals, local transportation, laundry, telephone, and
other incidental expenses. An average of $60 per day is recommended.
The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right
to cancel the program at it's discretion. In the unlikely case of program
cancellation, the school is not responsible for non-refundable travel
arrangements or other planning costs incurred.
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