Public Sector Structural Change in K-12 Education

This 12-credit course (offered in the fall and spring ) is cross-listed with the Law School, and and is comprised of three components: (i) A comprehensive seminar in the design, governance, regulation, democratic accountability, and systematic transformation of PK-12 school systems and allied public- and social-sector organizations. (ii) Skills training in a range of twenty-first century problem-solving competencies, including working in diverse teams to address multi-dimensional problems; design and systems thinking; collaborative inquiry; quantitative and qualitative analysis and measurement; organizational macro- and micro-design; project and product management; client-centered and policy-focused information gathering; and the presentation of professional advice to government and social-sector clients. (iii) A high-priority, professionally-guided research or consulting project on which an interdisciplinary team of graduate students provides research, design, strategic planning, and/or implementation support on matters that combine management, policy, governance, legal, regulatory, and/or technological issues crucial to the mission of the client organizationtypically, a state department of education, school district, charter school organization, school-support or advocacy group, philanthropy, or other nonprofit serving children. The seminar and skills components of the program are front-loaded in the semester to prepare students and give them, their teams, and Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) team leaders ample time to conduct client-focused project work, including by interfacing with clients throughout the U.S. and Brazil. Team assignments are based on student preferences and skills as well as client needs. CPRL covers expenses when projects involve site visits and travel. The course is taught by an accomplished team of professionals, including Columbia Law Professor and former senior official at the New York City Department of Education Jim Liebman, CPRLs Executive Director Dr. Elizabeth Chu, CPRLs Deputy Director of Quality & Improvement Dr. Kimberly Austin, and a series of guest speakers. Research and consulting projects are guided by a team of experienced directors employed full-time by CPRL who bring extensive experience in PK-12 education, law, management consulting, and other professional endeavors. These managers assure that the project work is both challenging and achievable by the student teams, and they provide students with intensive team and one-on-one feedback and personalized professional development and mentorship. CPRL applicants are asked to submit a resume, transcript, and written responses to two application prompts via CPRLs online application located on CPRLs website.