Admission Practices in Master of Public Administration Programs: A Nationwide Study
Faculty members charged with making admissions decisions are faced with an ongoing problem: the evaluation of student promise based on limited data. Yet, little is known about admission procedures. Since the selection of candidates for graduate study is a significant concern in the profession, an examination of these practices-the purpose of this exploratory studymay facilitate discussion of entrance standards for Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs. Do MPA programs admit nearly any college graduate, only those who meet minimum and higher standards, or just candidates who substantially exceed basic requirements? What criteria do program officials believe are the most accurate predictors of student success? Do they think that a strong relationship exists between academic achievement and professional performance? In short, do entrance requirements and faculty attitudes about them discourage potential students from applying to MPA programs? Following the literature review and methodology sections, an attempt is made in this article to answer such questions insofar as survey data permit.
On the Importance of Informing Students About the Potential Risk Associated with Taking the Graduate Record Examination
Several studies report that Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are, at best, weak predictors of academic performance. Based on their GRE results, some students who might otherwise do well in graduate school are denied entry while others who are perhaps less qualified to pursue an advanced degree will be allowed to do so. Universities have established "Human Subjects Committees" to evaluate whether proposed experiments might harm naive volunteers. These committees require subjects be notified of all risks associated with a research procedure. Participants must sign an Informed Consent Form (ICF) before partaking in these experiments. ICFs must be "prepar[ed] in layman's language" detailing, among others: (1) "[a] description of any attendant discomforts and risks reasonably to be expected; (2) [a] description of any benefits reasonably to be expected; and (3) [a]n offer to answer any inquiries concerning the procedures." Subjects must sign these ICFs and they must be included in the person's file. Subjects must receive a duplicate ICF. Because GRE scores can possibly harm test takers in several ways, this paper proposes that all persons taking this test receive an ICF detailing the exam's limitations and possibly harmful effects.
Historias de mi barrio: contemporary art in a community at high risk of social exclusion
Abstract Historias de mi barrio is a piece of pedagogic research aimed at highlighting the way art can articulate the relationship between the educational context and a neighbourhood at high risk of social exclusion. The starting point for this study was to ask whether this type of research, centred around the arts, was suitable in complex contexts and whether it might eventually lead to pedagogic improvement. The results gathered, and indeed the work carried out by the artists and university lecturers involved, together with pupils 6–12 years old and their instructors in a state school, provide evidence of a positive answer – and notably of the necessity of knowing about the socio-economic reality of the student cohort when planning learning projects and of the importance of the arts as a crucial element in education.