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Questions and Answers on Case Study 2

FRED MEDNICK: MARCH 10, 2014

Q. There is no doubt that the issue is worth of study. Could you remind me about what our team does in the limited time we have? After all, six weeks goes by quickly. A. Sure. The NGOs have presented a challenge in their work. The team will work with the NGO to clarify that challenge and determine what role research can plan in helping the NGO develop a strategy, discover resources, create an evaluation rubric, or a host of other ideas they can employ to enhance the NGOs capacity to understand issues or overcome barriers. Youve read a great deal about the rationale for the Case Study. Now is the time to understand your teams role in addressing the NGOs challenge. It is important to understand that the NGOs selected seek collaborations that may illuminate their work. The NGOs seek support to address a wide range of needs. Examples include, but are not limited to: (1) justifying their activities to funders (2) quantifying impacts (3) creating rapid feedback loops and community outreach (4) aligning their programs to policy or advocating new or improved policies (5) understanding the leverage points and management of multiple stakeholders (6) creating strategies for sustainability and scale. Its a long, daunting list. Your team and the NGO play complementary roles. Your job is to understand the context of the NGOs challenge (locally, regionally, globally) and to decide upon a focus to clarify what you can do, given your teams strengths and a limited period of time (6 weeks). The NGOs job is to provide research, context, and experience so that what gets produced can be used. Time is, indeed, limited. The goal is not to provide NGOs with comprehensive solutions. They need colleagues and research to support claims they are (or hope) to make, support for grant applications, and a fresh set of eyes on their work in girls education. Q. I get why were doing the case, but want to make sure Im clear if there are any explicit connections to my POP and Literature Review, or what role the theoretical, contextual, and empirical perspectives or our specializations play. Could you explain? A. For the Girls Education Case Study, the theoretical, empirical, and contextual perspectives and your specializations can be of enormous support for the research you are conducting for the NGO, but there is no explicit requirement to divide up your work or write the paper accordingly. Use the perspectives, specializations, and the Theory of Change to create a suitable design for your research, paper, and presentation. Q. What is the connection between this Case Study and our other courses and assignments? A. This Case Study employs the knowledge gained from your other courses, but there are no overlapping assignments. Q. Is everything done in the team space? A. Yes. There are no additional individual assignments outside of the team paper and the team presentation; however, you are required to describe your individual contribution and include it as part of the final paper and presentation

Q. Remind me again why you created an external site? A. I did so initially to give you a head start on reading the NGO profiles. Its also a place where the NGOs can be acknowledged. From here on, everything you need should be in the ELC. Q. Could you tell me more about the Theory of Change? A. The Theory of Change provides a framework to discuss, and make a realistic determination about, what you can or cannot do. This Case Study also provides an opportunity to test assumptions, to address issues by thinking on one's feet, and to connect the increasingly familiar nomenclature of the doctoral program with an unfamiliar context. In the first case study, you worked in teams to evaluate the Baltimore teacher evaluation system by applying constructs of research to determine whether it (or other teacher evaluation systems) have been grounded in research. At the same time, you were working on honing your POPs, constructs, needs assessment, and literature review with an emphasis on analyzing the problem. The second case study extends that thinking by asking you to determine how to approach a global issue in a regional context. The Theory of Change provides a model for walking through that challenge. Q. Could you tell me about the 1st and 2nd weeks so that we get off on the right foot? A. Good question. Discuss the issue of girls education in your team space, taking into consideration the Girls Education Case Study, the readings, and media. Then read and discuss the NGO profile carefully. Youll have lots of questions about what, realistically, your team can do. Prepare questions for a synchronous meeting with the NGO (all the contact information is in the profile). Create a structure for communication with the NGO, too. Many of you dont want to wait until the second week to reach out to the NGO. Makes sense to me. Feel free to reach out now if youd like. Then, meet with the NGO and decide exactly what youll do. Ill ask you to post a quick summary. The first week or so is all about clarification, organization (really important) and research, followed by ongoing collaboration, research, writing, and assembling the paper and presentation. Q. Could you provide me with more on your expectations for the paper and presentation? A. Like the world of NGOs themselves, there really isn't an ideal template for the paper, though I have provided a model for one here so that you can have more structure. This is neither a pure research project nor a fingernails-dirty program implementation. It is, however, consistent with the purpose of case studies (see Dr. Papes definition here) insofar as it connects theory with real-world issues. The paper can also be viewed as an essential research and strategic design component along the lines of a grant proposal (for which theories of change are often a critical component part). I want to emphasize that the paper (and presentation) should also reflect a sensibility about whats at stake here the education of girls. While youre organizing your team and clarifying the focus for your collaborative engagement, let the research inform service; your heart has role to play, too. This past March 8th marked International Womens Day. I believe this program walks the talk of global collaboration and local educational change. Andenjoy the adventure!

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