An interactive online database is making it easier to map the rise and fall of policy debates on Capitol Hill, and it is beginning to be used as a teaching tool in college.
The Policy Agendas Project—which got an updated user interface in September—lets users track a wide range of national political issues with detailed data on congressional hearings and voting records, press coverage, and public opinion data. Visitors to the free database can download full data sets or use Web-based software to instantly generate trend graphs. According to Bryan Jones, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin and a founder of the project, it attempts to answer one central question: “Why is it that Congress focuses on some policies rather than others?”
Researchers are beginning to answer that question by looking at the apparent link between public-opinion polls and what’s actually happening on the Hill, for instance. According to Mr. Jones, the number of congressional hearings and bills being passed in Washington tends to correspond closely with what constituents are talking about back home.
For instance, Mr. Jones found that public interest in education peaked in the late-1990s, just before passage of the vast No Child Left Behind education bill. Increased public awareness of education issues, he said, may have created “a window of opportunity” for major Congressional action on the issue.
Mr. Jones started the Public Policy Project in the mid-1990s with colleagues from the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina while researching a book on the development of policy ideas. With so much available data, he said, the researchers “were just lost when we had to put together our own measurements and story lines.”
Adopting ideas from economics researchers, they developed rudimentary software to help them quickly compare data sets. The project—which spawned similar databases in 11 countries—has since undergone a number of upgrades to its user interface and added new data sets. The still-growing project also receives financial support from the National Science Foundation.
Making the database freely accessible online has also made it an attractive research tool for political scientists, policy makers and even members of the general public. “We thought that we could make it available and generate interesting projects,” Mr. Jones said. “We did it out of our conception of what social sciences ought to be like.”
The database is also being put to use in college classrooms. Josh Sapotichne, assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University and Mr. Jones’s former student, has worked the database into the curriculum for a Ph.D. research seminar and an undergraduate political-science course. The database, he said, allows students to get a comprehensive picture of policy history without having to track down and organize the raw data themselves.
“It’s not going to do all the work,” Mr. Sapotichne said. “But it’s a fantastic starting pont.”
40 Responses to Web Site Seeks to Show What Drives National Policy Debates
luisc - November 15, 2010 at 1:21 pm
I’m very interested to see what kind of research is conducted using these data sets. While it represents a wealth of information, it’s how researchers use the information that ultimately determines their impact. I will be exploring the data myself to see what interesting nuggets of information may be contained within.
doublygifted - November 16, 2010 at 8:26 am
Far more fascinating, in my opinion, and perhaps more worthy of college research projects, would be the data pointing out what drives public opinion — surely some of Robert McChesney’s students can benefit from this data to support his excellent work, which has been ignored by the general public for far too long.
mbelvadi - November 16, 2010 at 11:58 am
Call my cynical, but it seems like a huge waste of effort to purport to use public opinion data to answer the question, “Why is it that Congress focuses on some policies rather than others?” and completely leave out all data relating to campaign donations received by the Congresspeople by special interests with regards to the issues you’re tracking. Can you really make any sense of what Congress did in the health care debate, for example, without looking at what money the health insurance industry, AMA, etc. gave to them before and during it, particularly with regard to the lack of a “public option”? Ditto for TARP and any proposed legislation that might have re-regulated the financial services industry.
culibrarian - November 16, 2010 at 1:57 pm
This may seem a bit petty, but in their datacode, using 1 for democrats and 0 for everyone else is putting independents and republicans into the same catagory. It may also be interpreted as having a bias toward progressive ideology. Pubic administration programs should be teaching critical thinking, not persuading.
pamelaj55 - March 8, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Julie, are you still teaching part time?
laker - March 8, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Wow…this is like reading my own words. I have had a nearly identical experience, to the point of wondering if you are the same Julie White I know from a well-known Upstate Technological college…
I did not attend a CC, but found myself at a four-year institution where I quickly realized there was a huge difference between “working class” – me, and “middle class”. Grad school only reinforced how “different” I could be, and I found myself at the aforementioned upstate technological university where I found kindred spirits. The blue-collar sons and daughters of Buffalo steelworkers, Rochester Kodak line-workers, and Syracuse United Technologies machinists were like me! More vocational in some respects, but they viewed education as a lever to change their circumstances. Over time, the bloom was off the rose, and I found myself dealing with a lot of entitled types saying “it costs a lot to go to school here so you owe me…”
The community college has been an inspiration. I am at a smaller, yet still sizable institution. We have limited resources, and we struggle to address the broad span of needs you have identified, but our struggles pale in comparison to our students’.
I look forward to following you. Let me know, somehow, if you are the same Julie.
Julie White - March 8, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Yes, I usually teach one course per semester, as an adjunct in sociology. Teaching gives me a different way to interact with students, and really helps keep me energized and in touch with what’s going on in our classrooms.
mmccllln - March 8, 2011 at 6:35 pm
I began doing adjunct teaching at a community college two years ago and absolutely love it. If I could find a full-time gig at a two-year school in my area, I would write, phone, knock on doors, etc., to get the job. Like you, all of my previous experience has been at four-year schools. Give me a community college any day. Please.
Julie White - March 8, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Sounds like I am one and the same! Glad to hear you’ve landed at a community college!
Julie White - March 8, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Good luck!
jdamerell - March 9, 2011 at 9:14 am
Julie, we’re lucky you decided to give MCC a try. I like what you say here about students, particularly the point about unfulfilled potential and your summary of reasons students may not stay with us.
koufax33 - March 9, 2011 at 10:23 am
Having been involved w/ both major student affairs professional associations, I’ve seen quite a bit of involvement from CC personnel and sessions related to CCs, particularly at the national conferences, however this is a recent occurrence.
Most Higher Ed/Student Affairs prep programs spend little time on community colleges, which is a shame. I’ve seen some CC’s make really good efforts to present themselves as desirable workplaces and in many instances, they are the ones hiring right now. You are right about the perceived stigma about working at a CC – that might make for a good column!
juliewhite - March 9, 2011 at 10:38 am
Thank you!
juliewhite - March 9, 2011 at 10:40 am
I agree that the visibility of community colleges is on the rise, thankfully. However, if you look at the research literature, there is a “higher ed” literature and a (mostly) separate “community college” literature, which is reflective of the relative lack of inclusion of community college issues in many of our graduate programs, as you reference.
Thank you for the column suggestion! It’s going into my “ideas” folder!
missoularedhead - March 9, 2011 at 11:36 am
I grew up thinking that CC’s were for the ‘loser’ students…the slackers in high school who couldn’t get into a ‘real’ school (the CC’s in Montana are called Vo-Techs, and they are definitely vocational). 5 years ago, needing the money, I started adjuncting at the local CC (in California, you trip over them!). Talk about an eyeopener! Not only did I have bright, engaged students, I found their perspectives profoundly refreshing, and the challenge of teaching students who might not be prepared was so very different from my students at the UC. I knew that I wanted to teach, and suddenly, here I was. And like you, Julie, it changed my life. I can’t imagine not being at a CC now.
Now, if I could just get off the adjunct track!
dmazmani - March 9, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Well said. There is so much opportunity at community colleges that have gone untapped. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Susan DeCamillis - March 9, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Hi Julie…I’m a first year doctoral student in a Community College Leadership program. Your commitment to the community college mission is encouraging — and exciting for those of us who have worked in this environment and know what good work we are doing for and within our communities. One question: As I look for a dissertation topic, is there one particular area (or I would take a couple of suggestions!!) where additional research is needed — on a national level? I’m leaning in the direction of researching transferability issues — creating a framework for community colleges to ‘standardize’ the general education courses (English, Math, Humanities, etc), with the intent of state universities accepting these courses (we do not have a state-wide educational system) eliminating course duplication, saving taxpayer dollars, etc. Any thought or other directions?
juliewhite - March 10, 2011 at 9:43 am
Hi, Susan. Congratulations on beginning your doctoral studies! The issue of transferability is a huge one, and there are a variety of ways to approach it, such as policy analysis, student experience, decision-making analysis, and more. As a near-the-end doctoral student working on my proposal, my biggest piece of advice is to make sure, first and foremost, that your topic is something that you are passionate about. You’re going to be living with it for a very long time!
Another area where there is a dearth of research is community college student affairs/student development.
If you can, I’d recommend going to a research conference to see what others are doing and to get your wheels turning. Council for the Study of Community Colleges will be holding a conference in New Orleans in April, as one suggestion.
tpia9228 - March 10, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Julie, Can you share your source for the statement “almost half of all U.S. undergraduates are enrolled at community colleges?” The link to your source didn’t work for me and I’d love to follow-up on this. Thanks.
juliewhite - March 10, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Try this: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Trends/Pages/default.aspx
tpia9228 - March 10, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Thanks.
lkaplan - March 10, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Thank you for this article. I have always been a strong advocate of community colleges. For I am a product of one myself. That is where my love of student affairs stems from. I graduated from a four year instiution with my masters in higher education last May and now I am searching for the next opportunity in this job market. I would also like to pursue a doctorate in higher education one day. I am glad you took the opportunity to explore community colleges. For they are a hidden treasure a lot of people don’t know anything about.
AbdulKareemaWheat - March 14, 2011 at 1:50 am
When, lo, I was in community college nearly 40 some years ago, I had the very distinct impression that I was among fellow students who *wanted* to be there, and who were making sacrifices of time and money (yes, money, even then) to gain a two-year degree.
When I moved on to the “parent” four-year college I found myself among dilettantes, by comparison, who took a college education for granted and whose work ethic reflected as much.
Hooray for my initial community college degree, I remark today. In many ways it means so much more than my subsequent BA or MA
crazycoach - March 14, 2011 at 11:29 am
Julie,
Thanks for your article. I have loved my community college students. One gave me the greatest compliment, “You have taught us skills for life!” :)-Eileen
juliewhite - March 14, 2011 at 11:46 am
That is high praise indeed!
books4jocks - March 15, 2011 at 8:57 am
Amen. It didn’t occur to me until about a year ago that I should look into teaching in a community college, even though I’ve been teaching and loving developmental education as a TA at a university for 4 years. I wish a professor or flyer or something had alerted me to this world before I got embroiled in a pointless graduate degree: I’d have gone straight for the credentials that would allow me to teach community college right away. I love the adjuncting I do for a local CC.
skepticalteach - March 15, 2011 at 10:19 am
It’s about time for CCs to get their due. I’ve been at my CC for 11 years and love it. I began at a Vo-Tech a while ago and saw the same inspiring students I see today. It’s so great to have an educational ‘place’ for students to come in – learn new skills – come back in – use their skills; and on and on.
With the increase in tuition (oh, and the economy!), we have seen a 20%+ increase over the last several semesters at my CC. I’m still surprised when students say, “who knew there are so many great instructors at a CC”. I’m proud to be be here, and continue to be inspired by students who took that first step across the parking lot to their first class.
jeldridge - March 15, 2011 at 10:30 am
Julie,
I am in a similar position, in terms of my current career path. I am working FT at a community college, pursuing my doctorate, and working on a research proposal for my dissertation. My focus is distance education in the community college. If you are interested, I would love to correspond with someone with a similar focus – my grad school cohort does not include anyone with a CC focus.
Jennifer Eldridge (jeldridge)
at forsythtech dot edu :-)
laker - March 15, 2011 at 11:26 am
Thanks for your endorsement of the community college. I have been told by many of our alums that the best instruction they received was here. Many faculty at four-year schools have other pressures that their commitment to teaching sometimes suffers. The focus on student success at the community college is, for me, the great differentiater.
cowdogz4 - March 15, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Would that all community college humanities adjunct instructors had full-time gigs elsewhere, or didn’t really need to work full-time, so they could devote full-time effort to their part-time classes. The reality is that part-time humanities faculty is pushing 70% in many community colleges, and the colleges are using adjunct positions primarily to cut expenses and vet potential instructors for the few full-time positions that come available, not to improve the expertise and effectiveness of instruction. “Standardizing” the general education courses (a topic Susan wishes to explore) is already underway, since it makes it easier for the college to exchange the moveable parts (adjunct instructors) for a one-size-fits-all delivery system of the product, whether that is what the individual students need or not. This trend is especially pernicious in the lower-level composition courses. Check out Jeffrey Klausman, “Not Just a Matter of Fairness” TETYC May 2010 and Curtis V. Smith (unpublish diss.) The Impact of Part-Time Faculty on Student Retention, U. of Missouri, 2010.
That said, yes, the older students at community college are a delight, and the younger students a challenge but wonderfully bright. Now if only the administration and boards of directors could get off the marketplace ideology for education, and back to educative ideology for education, to treat students and faculty both like humans rather than FTEs or “products.”
11274135 - March 15, 2011 at 2:45 pm
One of the aims of the national Preparing Future Faculty program that started up about 15 years ago was to expose students in research unversity doctoral programs to the various employment options that they were likely to have upon graduation. The university partnered with a community college and a private liberal arts college and maybe with the comprehensive university (Masters granting), and the students had a chance to meet with faculty from all such institutions, to visit campuses, to talk with students, and usually to teach–often a whole course or to team teach for a couple of weeks. This was a revelation to our students, and many of them were quite taken with the students, faculty, mission, and quality of life in the community colleges. And many went on to become successful and satisfied community college faculty. Initially, they really had no idea of what their professional options were.
juliewhite - March 15, 2011 at 3:11 pm
That sounds like a great program! Do you happen to have any information on whether it’s still continuing, and/or how institutions can get involved?
Thanks for the comment.
muffettrout - March 15, 2011 at 3:54 pm
I recently finished my doctorate at the University of Minnesota and was able to participate in multiple Preparing Future Faculty seminars. They were very good, and did everything that 11274135 mentions in the above post. The program still exists, as far as I know, and may be housed in the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University.
Thanks for an inspring blog post, Julie. After a decade of teaching high school students in the rural Midwest, I found myself at the National Association for Developmental Education’s annual conference. It was there that I became acquainted with the most satisfied teachers I have ever met, and they all worked in community colleges!
skellyfenske - March 15, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Julie,
Thanks so much for your post! It really resonated with me as you and I have very similar paths with a student affairs background. I have worked at one of WI’s technical colleges for the past 6 years and it has also changed my life. I never dreamed coming here from a four-year university would be so impactful. I am in the final sprint of doing edits to my dissertation and hope to set a defense date within a month or so! My research revolved around identifying the characteristics of Millennials at two-year colleges and I hope it will be helpful for student affairs professionals in similar positions. There is such a need for a focus on what our field can offer in this very untraditional setting! I often feel like a round peg in a squre hole – but so be it! If I can reach students in a meaningful way, none of the other stuff matters!
-Susanne
sfenske@wctc.edu
kmonty1 - March 16, 2011 at 10:45 am
Jennifer – I’m new to the CC scene, though have been incredibly impressed with the strides (and future plans) that Salt Lake Community College has made in distance education.
good luck!
mjcurry - March 22, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Julie, great column. It reminds me of my first semester of my PhD at Madison when a professor teaching the history of higher education would NOT ALLOW me to research community colleges for the course. I was shocked and had it not been my first semster probably would have protested the absurdity of excluding community colleges from a course dedicated to HE. When I ultimately did my dissertation research studying immigrant students’ experiences at a community college I was also amazed by the wealth of talent, perseverance and life experience they brought with them. We certainly need to recognize and support such gifts among students.
juliewhite - March 23, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Your study sounds interesting. Good luck with your defense!
juliewhite - March 23, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Thanks, MJ! That example from your PhD program is appalling. I am so glad you persevered in studying the experiences of community college students!
meman - March 26, 2011 at 2:05 pm
If I could take a different spin on this article–I wondered how as an adjunct instructor the author can draw conclusions comparing it to teaching at a four-year institution? If she isn’t teaching full time at a CC, then how can she know the burden of the incredible workload of teaching full time? Many of those who commented are also adjuncts or came to CC teaching from a CC or vo/tech background. I’m wondering what it’s like to go from a being a full-time faculty member at a four-year liberal arts college to teaching full-time at a CC.
I’m in that situation now–considering an opportunity from a CC after many years teaching at private and public four-year institutions. The CC job opening is one where I would come in and start a program mostly from scratch–and that type of thing excites someone treading water at a liberal arts school that does the same old thing over and over. I know why they really want me–because I’ve built a successful program–but it does feel like a step backward to go to a CC.
In my preliminary dealings with the CC staff and faculty they are super secretive, won’t answer questions out of fear of saying something illegal, are completely impersonal and sound robotic in any conversation. The search committee is made up of people who have nothing to do with my field of study, even though there are a couple staff members on campus who teach adjunct courses in that department. Why is a non-teaching admissions employee on the committee but not the people who teach classes in the area? There is no set budget for the new program–with them saying they are “waiting for the right person to be hired” before they ask the state to fund it! The pay range is much lower than my current job (they say they can’t quote a specific salary since that’s negotiated after I accept the offer!?! Are they serious?). The course load is heavier. The classes are about twice as large. The controversy over collective bargaining is threatening to make the faculty’s benefits decrease. And they don’t pay travel expenses for the out-of-state job interview!
I’m interested purely because I’d love to start a program from scratch–but are there any positives of working at a CC?
I can’t seem to find any yet, and I’ve spent years guest lecturing each semester to a CC class as well as teaching students that transfer from CCs. My many experiences have been mostly negative. Whether young or non-traditional, they are often the laziest, least motivated students in the four-year classroom. They expect everything to be done for them, don’t seem to care about deadlines and haven’t developed critical thinking skills. They like technology and projects that are fun, but even then are unable to put together something that comes close to students who started at a four-year school. The CC students have very low expectations of themselves but very high expectations of others doing things for them. Yes, there will be the one or two outstanding over-achievers who went to CC due to finances and then brought their gifts to the four-year level, but for the most part the CC students seem ill-prepared for higher education or even the real world.
I’m not trying to insult anyone who works in the CC system–it seems like a very difficult job and I admire those who take up the challenge. But this job search process has reinforced the stereotyped CC image. Is there anything I’m missing? Why should I give CC teaching a try? I understand with my current attitude that I probably shouldn’t be working there but I also feel I may just be the thing that place needs. I am very willing to listen to those that can give solid examples of full-time CC experiences, especially if you used to work full time at a four-year institution. Thanks for your help.
juliewhite - March 29, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Meman,
I do work full-time at a community college. My full-time job is in student services, as an administrator managing our counseling and advising services and programs. In addition, I am an adjunct instructor of sociology. My work prior to the community college included positions at four-year public and private institutions, again, in student services, not as a teaching faculty.
However, I do not have the experience, of moving from a full-time faculty position at a four-year liberal arts college to teaching full time at a community college, about which you are seeking insight. You may want to check out posts by the other 2-Year Track Bloggers (Rob Jenkins, Isaac Sweeney, and Eliana Osborn) for insights.
I will just say that my experiences with community college students, both in and out of the classroom, is not consistent with what you report, so, like they say when you buy a new car, “your mileage may vary.”
Best of luck to you in your career path.