Lisa's+Session-Work+Group+3-Tinto+and+Pusser

__ Work group #3 __ -Tinto & Pusser: Building a model for student success **IUPUI members: Kristin, Danny, Ximing, Chip ** Each group member will post responses to the following questions on your group's work page. Please respond to the following: · What are the authors proposing? (Chip) As I see it, the authors are arguing (from a policymaking perspective) a shift in strategy and policy away from higher ed institution as an academic island to being part of a greater educational context, including: · Tell us why you agree or disagree with their approaches, recommendations, theories, and/or models? · Please describe how you would improve or add to the proposed project. · Post comments/feedback on one of your group members post.
 * an understanding of, link to and integration with K-12 education in curriculum, planning, policy, teacher education and development
 * a more diverse and global view of students, student bodies and a student's placement within a P-16 continuum
 * Increased communication and coordination between different slices of the P16 spectrum, along with more coordinated policy
 * (Chip) While a good first step (see below), it seems too one-dimensional, in that it seems to be looking at the problem solely through the lens of educational policymaking and a more traditional version of systems thinking. Group dynamics, cultures, and values, especially across the different structures that the proposal suggests be bridged by new policy, can differ greatly, and an authoritarian (to adopt the language of the Smart, Kuh and Tierney article) model seems relatively blind to other forces at work in the problem which this proposal seeks to address.
 * (Chip) This proposal, though it focuses attention on higher education within a greater educational system, seems to not address what much of anything from the Smart, Kuh and Tierney article, in that the issue of organizational culture (especially the differences between K-12 and higher education cultures) seem to be ignored, at least in this brief treatment. To improve this study, I think a fundamental rethinking of this study with an organizational-cultural lens seems necessary.

Please post all responses on your work group page //no later// than __12:00 pm on Tuesday, March 24__.