Shaping an Agenda for Higher Ed Research
by Bob Hass
For the past six years, the Stanford University’s School
of Education (SUSE) has been home to the National Center
for Postsecondary Improvement (NCPI). A partnership among
three of the nation’s leading research universities—Stanford,
the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan—the
center has led a national effort to examine and improve academic
management and restructuring; student transitions from high
school to college and from college to work; and teaching, learning,
and assessment in higher education institutions, ranging from
community colleges to research universities.
Coordinating this collaborative enterprise is SUSE Professor
Patricia J. Gumport, who also directs the Stanford
Institute for Higher Education Research (SIHER), which hosts
NCPI and several other research projects (see SIHER sidebar).
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of
Educational Research and Improvement, the center’s $15
million budget has enabled it to pursue an ambitious research
agenda, sponsoring nearly 100 studies and supporting the work
of 80 researchers at the three universities.
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SUNY-Buffalo Professor and National Center
for Postsecondary Improvement (NCPI) Board member Bruce Johnstone
and NCPI Executive Director Patricia Gumport discuss public
perceptions of higher education during a forum to identify national
research priorities
IDENTIFYING NATIONAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES
In its final year, NCPI is preparing a report due out in October
that identifies national research priorities for postsecondary
educa- tion. The agenda is derived from the past six years of
NCPI research and is based on a series of roundtable discussions
on the changing conditions of postsecondary education. It also
incorporates the best thinking of national experts including
researchers, policymakers, institutional leaders, and representatives
from philanthropic foundations that fund research on higher
education. The report is directed at two primary audiences,
each playing a key role in shaping U.S. higher education: institutional
leaders and state policymakers. |
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SIHER:
The Stanford
Institute for Higher Education Research
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Researchers at the Stanford
Institute for Higher Education Research (SIHER)
work collaboratively to study a range of contemporary
issues in higher education, including academic planning,
curricular change, access and college preparation. One
of the most prominent higher education research centers
in the country, SIHER researchers are known for drawing
upon concepts and methods from the social sciences.
The SIHER community includes not only faculty, research
associates, graduate students, and staff, but also visiting
scholars such as Bernadine Fong, president of Foothill
College. Current projects range from the assessment
of student outcomes by former SUSE dean Richard
Shavelson, to the impact of diversity on
students by Professors Anthony
Lising Antonio (SIHER Assistant Director)
and Kenji Hakuta.
SUSE associate professor Patricia
J. Gumport has served as SIHER's director
since 1995, succeeding founding director and emeritus
professor William Massy.
Two major SIHER projects, the Bridge Project and the
Academic Restructuring Project, have compelled leaders
of postsecondary educators and policymakers to rethink
whom they serve, how well they are serving those constituencies
and which policies and academic practices might better
support their goals. Both projects are affiliated with
the NCPI, SIHER's largest research enterprise. Further
information about SIHER's projects is available at http://siher.stanford.edu.
See
more..
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