Higher, Postsecondary and Continuing Education Research and Leadership
The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis offers degrees with a focus on Postsecondary Education Leadership at the Master's and Doctoral levels. Recent graduates of the program are faculty members at research universities, researchers in research centers and consulting firms, University administrators, and a University President. The Department's focus is to develop a knowledge base that includes an understanding of the institutional context of postsecondary education, academic leadership, culture and governance, and student services administration. Program faculty have expertise in a variety of institutional types and educational contexts, including research universities, historically black colleges and universities, community colleges, vocational technical colleges, adult learning in non-traditional settings (see notes on bottom of page), and the view that education should be approached as a K-16 system. Students receive a strong foundation in research methods (both qualitative and quantitative), and an understanding of the institutional dynamics and policy context of post-secondary education.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to advance quality, opportunity, and equity in higher, postsecondary, and continuing education. We seek to promote creative and disciplined inquiry and problem solving that enhances leadership development, policy formation, and professional practices in colleges, universities, and other continuing education organizations and contexts.
Anchored in the constantly changing global and societal contexts of the twenty-first century, faculty and students engage in mutually reinforcing research, teaching, and outreach in four domains: (1) institutions and organizational performance; (2) curriculum, teaching, and learning; (3) students and student affairs; and (4) policy research. Each of these domains emphasizes inquiry and discourse among current and future researchers, college and university faculty and administrators, policy-makers, and other stakeholders.
Higher, Postsecondary and Continuing Education Faculty
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis faculty members with a higher, postsecondary, continuing or vocational education emphasis include:
Elton Crim, whose focus is the teaching, advising, and directing of HPCE graduate students. Dr. Crim also manages the electronic portfolio management system.
Clif Conrad, who conducts research on college and university curriculum - at the undergraduate and graduate levels, in the professions as well as the liberal arts and sciences. An expert on qualitative research methods as well, he has been an expert witness and consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice in major civil rights cases involving race and gender in higher education for more than two decades.
Jerlando Jackson's central research interest has been to explore workforce diversity and workplace discrimination in higher education. In addition, he conducts research on, and evaluations of, interventions designed to broaden participation for underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
Xueli Wang, who is interested in studying factors that contribute to college student success, with a particular emphasis on students beginning at community colleges. Her current and immediate future work deals with student participation and success in STEM fields of study at both four-year and two-year institutions, as well as the effect of postsecondary co-enrollment and institutional transfer on student outcomes.
Research Centers
Department faculty and faculty affiliates include directors and senior scholars of several policy research centers on campus. Many doctoral students in policy are employed at one or more of these centers during their stay at the University:
The Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education: The Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education (WISCAPE) is a relatively new center on campus designed to engage key stakeholders – researchers, faculty members, university staff, senior administrators, and community and government leaders – in an ongoing dialogue about postsecondary education. This exchange enhances the understanding of postsecondary education and its role in improving our society and our lives. WISCAPE engages key audiences through three broadly defined themes: financing postsecondary education, managing and leading the entrepreneurial university, and expanding the boundaries of postsecondary education. Students participate in WISCAPE through attendance and participation in conferences and forums, and by participating in a research circle, which brings together doctoral students around campus with research interest in postsecondary education issues. WISCAPE researchers from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis include Jerlando Jackson and Xueli Wang.
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research: The Wisconsin Center for Education Research is one of the oldest, largest, and most productive education research centers in the world. A part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education, WCER provides a productive environment where some of the country's leading scholars conduct basic and applied education research. Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis faculty with research conducted through WCER currently include Geoffrey Borman, Colleen Capper, Rich Halverson, Jerlando Jackson, Carolyn Kelley, and Allan Odden. Examples of research conducted by other faculty with an interest in educational policy issues include research on math and science education reform at the K-12 and post-secondary education levels, research on assessment and standards-based reform, and research on child care policy.
The Wisconsin Center on Education and Work: The Center on Education and Work (CEW) is a research, technical assistance, and resource provider within the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Established in 1964, the Center has a rich tradition of assisting educators and career development practitioners with program evaluation, qualitative and quantitative research, professional development training, and career resources. Through its work, the Center seeks to enhance the quality of career-related learning and outcomes for all youth and adults, including those with disabilities or other factors that challenge performance and success.
Wisconsin's Equity and Inclusion Laboratory: Wisconsin's Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei Lab) is an externally-funded research lab housed within the world-renowned Wisconsin Center for Educational Research (WCER). The Wei Lab is dedicated to design, conduct, and disseminate research that informs policymakers, practitioners, and concerned citizens on how to best promote equitable and inclusive learning and work environments in education in general, and higher education in particular. The Lab's research agenda and priorities seek to engage the most difficult and important equity and inclusion topics confronting the education system.
Examples of Recent Dissertations:
Jason Johnson. Speaking of Undergraduate Education: The Rhetoric of the Higher Learning. Current Position: Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration, George Washington University.
Lori Weyers. Do High School Academics Matter? The Graduates' Perspective. Current Position: President, Northcentral (WI) Technical College.
For more information on how to apply, contact Graduate Student Coordinator Shari Smith directly at ssmith@education.wisc.edu and see the Admissions section.
Note:
CAVE, Continuing And Vocational Education, is no longer a standing degree program at the University of Wisconsin. This area of study is currently housed within the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. Please contact the faculty members listed above who specialize in higher, postsecondary and continuing education.