Jeffrey A. Raffel

Attracting Middle‐Income Families in the Hope VI Public Housing Revitalization Program

ABSTRACT: While the growing literature on HOPE VI emphasizes the presumed benefits of income mixing these benefits are most likely to occur if middle-income families with children are drawn to these sites. But is this feasible? Our comparative case study analysis of four HOPE VI sites in Cincinnati, Louisville, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, suggests that it will be difficult to achieve the mixing of lower- and middle-income families with children. None of the four developments explicitly sought middle-income families with children as part of their marketing. Louisville’s HOPE VI site was the only one involving close collaboration between the school district, the housing authority, and city government from the beginning of the HOPE VI process. Moreover, the Louisville site was the only one successful in attracting middle-income (and not simply subsidized moderate-income) families with children. Strategies for making inner-city HOPE VI sites more attractive for middle-income families are discussed.

Administrator career paths and decision processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present qualitative evidence on the processes and forces that shape school administrator career paths.Design/methodology/approach – An embedded case study approach is used to understand more than 100 administrator career transitions within the Delaware education system. Semi‐structured interview data were collected from 48 principals and assistant principals. Coding and analysis occurred through an iterative process, revealing patterns in processes and forces influencing the careers of school administrators.Findings – While some career decisions are self‐initiated, most are influenced in part or entirely by other actors in the system, described as recruiting/tapping, requesting, reassigning, passing over, and removing. In self‐initiated decisions to move or stay, a number of “pushes” and “pulls” are identified. Findings also suggest the decision to stay‐equilibrium is driven by relationships with students and by district support.Research limitations/implications –...

Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Teacher Moonlighting.

To date, research has emphasized the dark side of teacher moonlighting, linking moonlighting to teacher alienation and attrition. Research in Delaware, however, indicates that although some moonlighters were “reluctant” and would have quit if their income were increased, a majority were “willing” and would have continued to moonlight even if their salaries were increased enough to replace moonlighting income. Differences in the motivations, type of moonlighting position, job satisfaction, life impacts, and job search activity between willing and reluctant moonlighters are reported. A constructive model of moonlighting, with related policy implications, is proposed to balance the dominant constraining view.

Looking Forward: A Response to the ASPA Task Force Report on Educating for Excellence in the MPA

Abstract The authors of the ASPA report, “Understanding Excellence in Public Administration,” have contributed to a dialogue on the future of the MPA degree. They have raised issues about the distinctiveness of the MPA degree in the context of the many degree programs offered by NASPAA schools and programs, the core values of the MPA, the professional goals of MPA programs, and the nature of the positions MPA graduates will fill in the future. In this response, the ASPA report is analyzed on three levels: concerns about the past role of MPA degrees and what their future role could be, a philosophical discussion of the role and mission of the MPA degree, and a call to action for ASPA. Within the range of MPA, public policy, public affairs, and other degree programs, for three years the NASPAA accreditation standards revision process has been shaping action on many of the issues raised in the ASPA report, and has developed a set of standards to meet the needs of the next decade. The NASPAA Standards 2009 process looks forward by indicating that the distinctiveness of programs in public affairs, public administration, and public policy lie in their missions, governance, and curriculum. The process demonstrably emphasizes public values; reaffirms missionbased accreditation to ensure a wide range of approaches to preparing students for professional public service; defines competencies that students in the field should master, given changes in the public sector environment; and requires programs to measure the achievement of these competencies.

International students in U.S. public administration programs: Profile, needs and program response

Little is known about international students in U.S. public administration programs although this clientele has greatly increased over the last decade. During the 1983-84 academic year, the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) sponsored three surveys to collect data to identify international students, their needs, and NASPAA program responses to this group. Issues such as the dispersion of students across programs, their national diversity, and student recommendations for enriching formal studies and extracurricular services are considered. Special attention is given to the educational and service needs of Third World students. Obstacles to program responses and suggestions for action by individual schools and NASPAA are presented.

Teaching Techniques of Analysis in the MPA Curriculum: Research Methods, Management Science, and "The Third Path"

Abstract In order to gain a greater understanding of the three ways of teaching qualitative and quantitative techniques, we examined course content. In this article, we propose management decision making as an alternative for the MPA graduate who may use these skills to make more informed decisions. We provide support for a quantitative decision-making course focused on building analytical skills, show that this is a path taken by several programs, and respond to several questions and issues central to teaching quantitative methods to MPA students within the NASPAA guidelines.

The Impact of Metropolitan School Desegregation on Public Opinion A Longitudinal Analysis

Little research systematically examining changes in public opinion as a consequence of the implementation of a school desegregation plan involving busing has been reported. Four surveys were conducted to measure the impact of the implementation of a court-ordered metropolitan desegregation plan on a community (New Castle County, Delaware) over seven years. Results indicate that the general population remained opposed to busing after desegregation, that busing resulted in a primarily temporary decline in public school evaluations, and that feelings that blacks were receiving equal treatment in the public schools increased over time. Although white suburban opposition to busing lessened somewhat in magnitude and intensity, city and black opposition increased. Overall, those closest to the public schools were the most likely to react relatively positively to the change.

Political Dilemmas of Busing A Case Study of Interdistrict Metropolitan School Desegregation

Metropolitan Wilmingtons schools will be desegregated in 1977 and 1978, after courtroom maneuvers and in spite of complications.

Experiments as Reforms. An Analysis of the Implementation of an Educational Experiment.

An experiment may be easier to design than to carry out. Imperfect execution produces imperfect results.