Running head: POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Final Paper - Policy EDLD-8435-01F, Higher Education Policy Fall 2012 Dr. Jenson Leisha Cavallaro 11/30/12 Georgia Southern University

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Introduction: What is Policy? When you hear the term policy many negative thoughts come to mind. The word policy implies that there is some sort of requirement or restriction that you must abide by; and our natural human instinct is to want to resist the attempt of control. Many think about all the rules they had to follow as a child, now as an adult we just call them policies. However, these rules and policies are put in place for a reason. The intent of any policy is to regulate activity while benefiting the most amounts of people in a fair manner (Torjman, 2005). Most policies arent in place just to exist; there is a rhyme and a reason to the madness. There isnt necessarily a right or wrong way to create or implement a policy; but it is essential that each policy implemented is analyzed before during and after in order to determine its effect. Despite the reason for each policy, the intent of it needs to match the effect it has (Schouwstra & Ellman, 2006). Just about every organization or entity has policies intertwined within it in order to function. Higher education is most definitely included in that. This paper will address the question of what is higher education policy. We will start with the basic principles of higher education policy, its purpose, and effect while delving into some current issues and policies in higher education. As with every policy, there isnt an exact science to any step in the life of a policy in higher education. There isnt even a universal accepted reasoning and process by which to come up with and propose a policy. Policy in Higher Education The first step in higher education policy is recognizing the need for some sort of control or order. Could you imagine being at an institution that had no policies? Any student would be admitted, many may not pay for their tuition (if there was even a tuition), professors could not even have a degree and those are just some very basic policies and procedures. The college

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

community would be chaos without the implementation of some rules and regulations on its campus. For the most part chaos is controlled in higher education realms, but there is still an ever-changing campus environment as well as student body. It is vital that there be a constant assessment of the institutional community to determine any new needs or complications within. Once an issue is noticed or anticipated administrators need to act and assess the need of possible new or revised policy. The increased use of technology is just one of many examples that have required administrators to come up with new policies. There are a number of different theories that institutional policies have been rooted in and tend to follow, though. Political science and sociology has played a large role in the institutional policy process (Bastedo, 2005). The theme followed by these schools of thought and theories focus on the impact of various characteristics of an organization on their decisions made rather than solely looking at the interaction of interest groups (Bastedo, 2005). In other words rather than only looking at the issue or problem between entities effected by a policy, they focus on what causes these issues and in turn try to create a policy to manage or fix a specific situation. Higher Education Federal Policy Policies arent restricted just to institutions. For instance a new regulatory policy is being implemented by the Education Department that requires colleges to obtain consent from each state they would like to extend their online education community to. Due to a large upheaval of many institutional officials the agency has determined that they will not apply punishment if institutions are acting in good faith until July 1, 2014. The government agency initially felt the need to implement the consent policy due to their worry of retaining integrity of higher education and specific state requirements of education. This policy has in turn caused a major issue and conflict, so they have amended the policy to go in full effect in July 2014. This is a perfect

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

example of being proactive in creating the initial consent policy and evaluative and reactive to the issues and unfairness brought up by affected parties. Many policies have been implemented by the federal government in higher education. One example of this is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which is intended to help by giving states some funding from the federal government intended for use in higher education programs (NCSL, 2010). Unfortunately, some states failed to utilize this federal funding towards the intended use in higher education and others saw a decrease in overall state funding which makes improving programs difficult (NCSL, 2010). The urge from President Obama to work to become the most educated world in the country has also encouraged further federal policies looking to obtain this objective. (NCHEMS, 2012). In order to meet this goal of the president, the U.S. needs to increase their degree obtaining citizens by 6% each year until the year 2020 (NCHEMS, 2012). As you can imagine this is a very lofty goal and in order to meet this goal many things need to be assessed and policies put in place to increase graduation rates. Policies to increase enrollment of underrepresented populations, better prepare students for college as well as policies focused on graduation completion would all be beneficial in reaching this goal. However, it isnt just the federal governments responsibility or even ability to implement policies; individual states as well as local colleges have the ability to implement various policies throughout the nation. Higher Education State Policy The state governance has a large amount of control on the policies at schools each individual state. States have the ability to create new policies as well as alter existing ones to address issues that arise in the state or nation. Due to the recognized needs of education in the United States, The College Board (2011) provided states with policy outlines and

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

recommendations. These recommendations assist in policy suggestions for a multitude of issues such as dropout prevention, quality of teachers, easier admission process, and even preschool education. Though some of these do not directly affect higher education they all at least indirectly impact it at some point in the life of a student. Ideally states follow these recommendations in K-12 policy making as well as higher education policies however, there are varying needs and issues in each individual state that may require different policies. For instance the loan amount given to students can greatly vary depending on state regulations for example Vermonts loan per full time student is $3,025 while Wyoming is $13,945 (NCHEMS, 2012). States that have a high student loan rate such as Wyoming may be more aggressive in their policies about student graduation as they try to diminish the large loan amount taken by students (NCHEMS, 2012). Many issues in one state are also found in various other states like college readiness, graduation rates and tuition costs. (Conley, 2012). Since the federal government cant control everything this causes lack of equality in quality of education experienced from state to state. In response to this the Common Core State Standards were created as adopted by certain states to attempt to standardize education in K-12 as well as higher education realms (Conley, 2012). Not all states have adopted these standards as it is each states prerogative whether or not they agree or want to participate. What the standards do provide clear outlines of knowledge needed by students for college readiness as well as career readiness, however, it is not fool-proof and therefore not the end all be all (Conley, 2012). Due to the struggling economy many states are facing the issue of funding appropriation. Many programs and universities as a whole have received less funding not only from the federal government but also from the state. This has really made it difficult for universities as enrollment

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

continues to increase but educational funding is decreasing. There is a push to improve our educational system and programs but without the funding it is near impossible to do so, and inevitably the individuals this truly affects are the students (Newell, 2009). Higher Education Local Policy As you would assume, policies can also come from a local level as well. There are numerous examples of this at any school you observe. A great example of a specific institutions policy that only affects that local school occurred recently here at Georgia Southern University. The implementation of a new increased student fee was passed by the Board of Regions to come into effect Fall 2013 (Tuition & Fees, 2011). Though this fee did go through a student vote, it was not a required process. The administration utilized the passing of the vote as part of their arsenal when going to the Georgia Board of Regions for approval of the fee. Again there are and endless array of policies that are implemented on a local level. These must be in compliance state and national standards and requirements, but it does leave room for a wide variety of various policies around the nation within higher education. After Implementation With the wide arrangement of ways policies can be implemented it is vital that there be an assessment and evaluation piece to these regulations put in place. As previously stated, policy in higher education focus on the impact different characteristics of an institution has and make decisions based on those impacts observed (Bastedo, 2005). This sounds good on paper but without follow up on the actual impact and change a policy has on individuals and the institution the policy may not actually do what it was intended to do. The idea that a correct policy was implemented could be found the not do anything it was intended to do and may even cause more problems than there was to begin with (Schouwstra & Ellman, 2006).

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

With that in mind it is vital that with every policy in every realm, especially higher education, that there be intentional assessment throughout and after the implementation of a policy. This consistent evaluation will tell the story of the true effect of a given policy not just its intended affect (Schouwstra & Ellman, 2006). Evaluating the true effect of a policy can be a very tedious process so it must be in the initial plan of creating the policy. In the higher education realm there can be numerous issues faced with assessment, especially with policies created by the federal government and even the state. Receiving information back from individual schools on a large scale may be a headache for national and state policies in particular but it is even more vital for these policies. As we know policies are in place to benefit the people and organizations it affects, and without assessment and evaluation especially on such a large scale we will never know if a specific policy is actually doing what it was intended for. Importance Policy can be found in every organization and is very prominent in the higher education realm. Policies can range from local to national level regulations and can impact students to administrators to an entire institution itself. Due to the decline in the economy higher education is being pressured to provide more data on impact and accountability for the educational system and programs it provides. Students are the number one priority in higher education and the policies in place should reflect this as policies should be in the best interest of the majority of the population affected (Torjman, 2005). There are constantly new policies and changes to current rules that occur year round, but it is vital to the survival of each institution as higher education could not exist without these policies.

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Leisha, Thanks for putting together your thoughts on the question I posed about What is Higher Education Policy? I think what is unique about this question is the context under which policy happens. We have learned that policy is usually about companies or businesses that set up frameworks that guide practice within that organization. So a company can set a 4-day work week policy, but it has no impact on the external environment. Public policy, as we have learned, is about policy that focuses on the public good and making life better in some shape or form for the public. So there can be a municipal policy that states that no person can be evicted from a place of residence during the winter months so that local citizens are not put on the street during freezing winter months. What makes Higher Education Policy unique is that it operates its policy within regular policy because it is an autonomous institution and it must also abide by the precepts of public policy because it operates as a public institution there to support public good. So Higher Education institutions must both create and respond to public policy that is both inward and outward looking. For example, there is Legislation 508 which is policy that guarantees the learning rights of students with disabilities. This is system-wide policy that is there for the safety and betterment of all people, but then must also be incorporated at the local institutional level based on the context of environment of that institution. So HE policy must be more unique and dynamic compared with other forms of policy because it must respond to federal/state government legislation/law, public need, learning/professional requirements, social concerns, ethics of research, economic growth, and student success. Pretty dynamic place for policy to happen! This became evident to me this semester as we went through and looked at the various policy issues impacting the American Higher Education system from politics to student debt. I do appreciate your response to this question and could tell that you

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

understand the complexity of HE policy and how it is different from other forms of (public) policy. It is so important, as you mentioned in the paper, that we understand the reality of the different forms of policy, how we go about forming policy, and the sociological realities linked to policy development and creation. The more that we recognize and understand these components, the more likely that new policy will be relevant and responsive to public need. I like that you included a few practical examples in your paper that highlighted the concept of HE policy. That was a good thing to include in the paper. I have assigned you an A for this paper. Thanks Dr. J

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

10

References Bastedo, M. (2005). Sociological frameworks for higher education policy research. University of Michigan. College Board Advocacy and Policy Center. (2011). The college completion agenda. State policy guide. Retrieved from: http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/reports_pdf/Policy_Guide.pd f Conley, D. (2012). Does common mean the same? Implementing state standards and assessment equitably and fairly. Educational Policy Improvement Center Publications. Retrieved from: https://epiconline.org/publications/document-detail.dot?id=90a77f07-cc08-459d9338-4bf03c5f1773 NCHEMS (2012). Policy tools. Retrieved from: http://www.higheredinfo.org/policytools/ National Conference of State Legislatures (2010). State funding for higher education in FY 2009 and FY 2010. NCSL Fiscal Affairs Program. Newell, M. (2009). Higher education budget cuts: How are they affecting students? CPEC Report 09-27. Retrieved from: https://georgiasouthern.view.usg.edu/webct/urw/tp3306277011151.lc3288594063141/pre viewtoc.dowebct?updateBreadcrumb=false&resetBreadcrumb=false&TOCId=33062771 87151&TOCLinkId=3306277278151#3306277278151 Schouwstra, M. C. and Ellman, M. J. (2006). A new explanatory model for policy analysis and evaluation. Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. 2006-063/2. Retrieved from: https://georgiasouthern.view.usg.edu/webct/urw/tp3306277011151.lc3288594063141/pre

POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

11

viewtoc.dowebct?updateBreadcrumb=false&resetBreadcrumb=false&TOCId=33062770 91151&TOCLinkId=3306277237151#3306277237151 Torjman, S. (2005). What is policy? Caledon Institute of Social Policy. Retrieved from: http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/544ENG.pdf Tuition & Fees (2011). Institution Fee. Georgia Southern University. Retrieved from: http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/bursar/tuitionandfees/main.htm