The UEP Handbook is for the sole purpose of guiding Brown University master’s students during
the program year and is not for public circulation or distribution.
Brown University
Department of Education
Master’s Program in
Urban Education Policy
Program Handbook
2
Urban Education Policy Handbook
Table of Contents
1. Urban Education Policy at Brown………………………………………………………..3
2. Admissions………………………………………………………………………………4
Merit Scholarships and Federal Financial Aid
5
th
-
Year Brown Students
3. The UEP Year…….…………………………………………………………….……….6
Coursework
Internship Requirements
Independent Study
4. Academic Policies and Procedures……………………………………………………...9
5. UEP Travel Policy: Guidelines and Protocol.…………………………………………..10
6. Urban Education Policy Faculty and Research Interests……………………………….13
7. Education Department Staff…………………………………………………………….16
8. UEP Internship Handbook……………………………………………………………...17
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Urban Education Policy at Brown
The Education Department at Brown offers a master's level program leading to an A.M. in Urban
Education Policy. The twelve-month UEP program is dedicated to the study of policy analysis, planning,
and development in urban public education. The tightly focused academic curriculum, integrated with a
nine-month internship, is designed to impart a set of core skills and competencies that are necessary for
successful careers in urban education policy. The UEP program also provides a solid foundation for those
anticipating advanced study in areas related to urban education policy.
The UEP program is designed primarily for recent college graduates and early-career individuals
who seek a professional degree in the area of urban education policy or training that would prepare them
for advanced study in this area. The program is particularly suited for those who seek a highly focused
one- year graduate program that recognizes the dual role of theory/research and practice in developing
and implementing sound education policies. The intent is to provide targeted, high-quality, master's level
training to the next generation of individuals who will be leaders in the urban education policy arena.
The program will provide graduates with the kinds of skills that are in demand in a variety of
related professions. These positions require a mastery of educational concepts relating to balancing the
parallel needs of data-based decision making and accountability in public schools. These markets offer
growing job opportunities in a variety of settings for people who can link research skills, policy analysis
and education practice.
The UEP program is directed by Professor Kenneth Wong ([email protected]).
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Admissions
We seek candidates for admission to the Urban Education Policy master's program who combine
an interest in education policy issues with a high motivation to be successful in a rigorous and fast paced
master’s program. Students from a variety of different backgrounds and fields of study are welcome to
apply. Our admissions committee evaluates candidates based on several considerations including
personal essays, official academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, community activities, relevant
job experience, extra-curricular activities, standardized test performance, and other factors brought to our
attention in the application process.
Merit Scholarships and Federal Financial Aid
Financial aid, which is directly applied to tuition costs, can be awarded in two ways. First, tuition
scholarships, which can vary from a full to partial award, are based on the merit of the entire application.
In addition, students may be eligible to borrow funds through the Federal Direct Student Loan Program
depending on financial need. Consideration for need-based federal aid (Federal Direct Loans and Federal
Work-Study) is based on status as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and is determined by
completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Candidates applying for financial aid
must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov by May
15
th
.
Urban Education Fellowship
Urban Education Fellows dedicate three years of postgraduate work to the Rhode Island urban
core in exchange for full tuition forgiveness. Upon completion of the Master of Arts in Urban Education
Policy program, UEFs are expected to serve in a full-time education policy position. In order to receive
loan cancellation, fellows must be directly employed in the Rhode Island urban core. These commitments
are inspired in part by the report to the University’s Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, which
was published in December 2008.
5th-Year Brown Students
The 5th-Year Master's Degree option allows Brown undergraduates to continue at the University
for a master's degree after completing their bachelor's degrees. Up to one course of the nine required for
the master's degree in the Urban Education Policy Program may be completed while the student is an
undergraduate to be counted toward their elective courses. We have compiled a list of suggested electives.
The eight core courses must be taken while in residence. Students must apply for this program before they
complete their undergraduate studies. Admission must be approved by the department in which the
master's degree is sought and by the Graduate School. Brown 5
th
-year students who are admitted to the
Urban Education Policy Program are not able to defer their admission.
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Application
All admission decisions for graduate programs are made at the program level. Rising juniors and
seniors who are interested in pursuing a 5th-Year Master's should contact faculty in the UEP program.
Students must complete the online application and the 5th-Year Master's Degree Application Supplement
Form. Applicants are not required to take the GRE.
Financial Aid
Undergraduate financial aid awards do not extend into graduate school. The Urban Education
Policy Program may offer financial support to their 5th-Year Master’s students in keeping with their
competitive admission criteria. Please contact UEP Program Director Kenneth Wong at
[email protected] for details.
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
The UEP Year
The core curriculum focuses specifically on education policy in urban settings. The twelve-month
program consists of nine courses: one elective and eight required courses, including a required nine-month
internship that counts as one course. Two required courses are taken in the summer semester; three required
courses are taken in the fall semester and three required courses in the spring semester. The ninth course, an
elective, can be taken either in fall or in spring. Each cohort will begin their matriculation in the program in
June and finish in the following May.
Required Courses
The below required courses for the UEP program have as a unifying theme the role played by
education policy in both enhancing and impeding equitable inputs and outcomes of children educated in
the nation’s urban schools. The program will suggest and encourage elective courses that can be viewed
as consonant with that theme, at least broadly speaking.
The required courses, instructors, and scheduling are as follows:
Course
Instructor(s)
Schedule
EDUC 2320 – Quantitative Research Methods
and Data Analysis
Prof. Pierre de Galbert
Summer
EDUC 2330 – Urban Education Policy: System and
Governance
Prof. Kenneth Wong
Summer
EDUC 2360 – Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation for
Education
Prof. John Papay
Fall
EDUC 2367 – Strategic Management of School
Organizations
Prof. Emily Qazilbash
Fall
EDUC 2385 – Education Inequality and Community
Assets: Sociocultural Context and Change
Prof. Crystal Thomas
Fall
EDUC 2390 –Race and Democracy in Urban Education
Policy
Prof. Mahasan Chaney
Spring
EDUC 2350 – Economic Analysis of Education Policy
Prof. Lindsay Page
Spring
EDUC 2380 – UEP Internship
Prof. Emily Qazilbash
Spring
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Elective Course
One of the nine course credits in the program will be satisfied by an approved elective course. The
elective component of the program will allow students either to gain greater depth in a core area (e.g.,
research methods or in urban politics) or to broaden their experience in areas that are related to, but not
directly covered by, core courses (e.g., organizational theory or public finance). Electives will be satisfied
through approved courses regularly offered at Brown subject to the prerequisites and enrollment limits in
place for any given course.
The elective component of the master’s program offers opportunities for substantive connections
to be forged between the organizations directly involved in the master’s program and other departments
and programs at Brown, particularly the Taubman Center, the Department of Community Health, the
Department of Economics, the Department of Sociology, the Department of Political Science, the Urban
Studies Program, and the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies.
Some suggested electives offered by the Education Department during the academic year include:
Title
Instructor
Inside Higher Ed: Sex, Class and Admissions
Rangel
Discipline and Punish: Historical Insights on
School Punishment
Chaney
Introduction to Community-Based Participatory
Research in Education
Thomas
Moral Development and Education
Li
Human Development and Education in East Asia
Yamamoto
The Psychology of Teaching and Learning
Flores
Histories of Race and Education in the United
States
Palella
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Internship Requirements
The UEP internship is an intensive experience required of all UEP students. Internship
experiences should be at sites that are appropriate to one’s ultimate career goals, immediate career
aspirations or both. UEP students carefully choose these sites with guidance from the Professor of the
Practice based on professional goals, interests, needs, and expectations for your internship experiences.
Over the course of the Fall and Spring semesters, students are expected to work a total of 250 hours
minimum with their internship site. For more information, see the UEP Internship Handbook below.
Independent Study
With permission from the Director of the Urban Education Policy Program students may decide
to elect an independent study in place of their elective. Students need to present an outline of their
proposed work to the faculty member they are asking to serve as the instructor of record for the
independent study. Students will need to officially register their independent study as EDUC 2970
Independent Study, fall semester or EDUC 2980 Independent Study, spring semester. The faculty
assigned to the Independent Study is responsible for submitting grades on time in accordance with
University policy. Only one independent study is allowed.
Academic Advising
During the regular school year, each student is assigned one formal academic mentor. Each
advisor is responsible for advising three to five UEP students. In addition, the Professor of the Practice of
Education supports and advises all UEP students on their internship projects. Finally, the UEP program
director offers academic and professional advising to all students.
Student Emergency Funds
The Graduate School has emergency loans and grants available for students who experience
urgent and critical financial needs. In addition, the department has resources that can be made available,
contact the program Director, Prof. Kenneth Wong ([email protected]) for further information.
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Academic Policies and Procedures
(consistent with the Graduate School Handbook)
Academic and Student Conduct Codes
Graduate students are expected to be aware of, and to conduct themselves in accordance with the
principles of the Brown community as set forth in the Academic and Student Conduct Codes: Graduate
Student Edition. Students are also responsible for rules and regulations set forth in the University-wide
version of the Academic and Student Conduct Codes. The fundamentals are the same in the Codes, though
the processes in each are geared to different student populations. For issues of student conduct, the
University-wide Code takes precedence. Ignorance of the Code is not accepted as a defense for violation
of any of the rules and regulations specified in the Code. Procedures for identifying and treating violations
of the Code are described in the aforementioned documents.
Academic Requirements Specific to the UEP Program
The fall 2020 and spring 2021 UEP seminars (EDUC 2367 Strategic Management and EDUC 2380
Internship Seminar) will be graded as S/NC unless students choose to be graded with an A, B, or C. The
same standards will be applied to student work and participation whether or not a student selects the option
of S/NC or grades. In general, to receive an S+, a student's work would be at the "A" level. To receive an S,
a student's work would be at the B or C level. NC would be below C quality work.
UEP students must earn a letter grade of C or better in all their eight core classes. This requirement
cannot be satisfied with a grade of Satisfactory. Furthermore, no UEP student can have more than two letter
grades of C in their seven core courses for the Department to recommend the awarding of the Master’s
degree.
In the event that a UEP student earns more than two letter grades of C (or lower than C) in their core
courses, the student will not earn a Master’s degree unless he/she is able to earn a B or higher in a
comparable course for one of the courses in which he/she did not earn a letter grade higher than C.
A student who earns more than two letter grades of C (or lower than C) in their core courses must
immediately (within 30 days of grades being issued) meet with the UEP program director to draft an action
plan. Comparable courses will be deemed eligible solely at the discretion of the UEP program director (in
consultation with UEP faculty members). The student can attempt to earn credit in a comparable course one
time for each of individual core courses in which he/she earned a C (or lower).
Given the course schedule, it is likely the student will need to return to campus the following year to
take an eligible course. Upon successful completion of a pre-approved comparable course with a B or
higher, the student will earn his/her Master’s Degree. If the student fails to earn a B or higher in a
comparable course after attempting to do so once for each of the courses in which he/she earned a grade of
C (or lower), he/she will not earn the Master’s Degree in UEP.
Sexual Harassment
Graduate students in their roles as students, research assistants, teaching assistants, and teaching
fellows are expected to refrain from behaviors that constitute sexual harassment as specified by Brown
University’s Policy Statement on sexual harassment. Graduate teaching assistants and fellows are
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
especially advised against having an amorous relationship with a student who is enrolled in a course
taught or staffed by the graduate student. Additional information on what constitutes sexual harassment
and what a student should do if they feel they are the victim of sexual harassment by another student or a
faculty member can be found on the Brown Human Resources Department website or on the Brown
Health Services website.
UEP Travel Policy: Guidelines and Protocol
****Due to both University travel restrictions and the financial impact of the pandemic, ALL
reimbursements require pre-authorization from the program managers and the department.
Qualifying UEP graduate students have access of up to a total of $250 in financial support for participation
and travel to professional and academic conferences and/or travel to their internship sites.
Approval to participate in conferences or internship opportunities shall be obtained from the UEP
Director prior to incurring expenses. UEP graduate students are eligible for reimbursement by the
Education Department for travel expenses provided the following is met:
Guidelines for ALL Travel
● Students are responsible for (1) planning their travel and (2) budgeting their money. This allows for
participation in the conferences and internship opportunities that are most beneficial to their own
academic and professional development.
● Travel support is provided on a reimbursement basis only. Students must retain all appropriate
receipts and “proof of payment” for submission to the Education Department’s Financial
Coordinator at the conclusion of the trip.
Receipt for travel can be an email receipt including:
Name and method of payment ex: VISA xxxx-xxxx-1234
Flight/ train number, dates, destination
● All travel reservations and travel payments must be made in the student’s name. The individual
noted on the receipt must be the person reimbursed.
● The Financial Coordinator will submit a travel reimbursement form for each trip you take.
● Travel reimbursements are considered valid between the third week of June and the first week of
May. All travel must be completed no later than three weeks prior to Spring Commencement. No
travel reimbursement will be honored after mid-May. If your last internship site visit is within the
final three weeks prior to Commencement, you MUST notify the Academic Department Manager
that you will be submitting a late report and obtain approval to do so.
● The minimum time for processing reimbursement check distribution is between two to four
weeks.
● All student travel undertaken as part of Urban Education Policy Program professional or scholarly
activities is subject to the restrictions stated within this policy, regardless of the source of funding.
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
● Reimbursement requests MUST be submitted within 60 days or travel, preferably within 2 weeks.
Guidelines for Travel to Conferences
****Due to both University travel restrictions and the financial impact of the pandemic, ALL
reimbursements require pre-authorization from the program managers and the department.
● Reimbursement includes travel and lodging accommodations for the duration of a given conference;
the cost of parking for a vehicle; conference fee [if applicable]; shuttle transportation to and from the
airport. Reimbursement may include car rental fees and parking, but not fines.
Car
● Students driving to conference locations in a personal vehicle will be reimbursed for their car
usage. The federally determined reimbursement rate (e.g. FY20 was $0.575 per mile). If traveling a
long distance, please note that the car reimbursement total MUST be less than the most economical
cost to fly to the location. For proof of mileage, please submit a map (ex: Google maps) showing the
total number of miles traveled.
Train & Bus
● Students will be reimbursed for train and bus fare with the submission of original receipts and proof
of payment.
Flights
● Students will be reimbursed for airfare with the submission of receipts and proof of payment
(maximum of the total UEP financial support of $250). Airfare must be economy/coach class and
the receipt must include the traveler’s name, destination(s), date(s) of travel, amount paid by
traveler, and the airline(s) traveled. Brown University cannot reimburse for frequent flyer miles or
vouchers – only for tickets that are purchased directly by the student.
Guidelines for Travel to Internship Sites
● Reimbursement does not include food, lodging accommodations, and traffic fines.
● Reimbursement does include travel, and the cost of parking for a vehicle [if applicable].
Car, Train, Bus
● Students driving to internship locations may be reimbursed for their mileage at the Federally determined
rate. Reimbursements cannot be for both fuel and mileage.
● Trips by bus or train to Boston, New York, or other internship sites must be accompanied by a receipt
showing the amount paid as well as the departure and arrival destinations, dates and times.
Protocol
1. Two to three weeks prior to the travel event, the student must complete and submit the UEP Travel
Funding Request Form to the Financial Coordinator. The form will be approved by the UEP
Director prior to sending receipts for reimbursement to the financial coordinator. The student must
demonstrate in their proposal the connection between the requested travel and its relation to their
academic and/or professional focus, or internship work. Prior approval must be obtained for any
travel.
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2. The student will receive travel request approval via email communication from the UEP Director.
3. For reimbursement, the student must submit a completed Department of Education Expense/ Travel
Reimbursement Request Form (See Appendix D) with original receipts and/or proof of payment for
all approved expenses to the Financial Coordinator.
For any questions on the travel policy, students should refer to the Brown University Travel Policy
or contact the Financial Coordinator.
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Faculty Advisors in Urban Education Policy
(physical address for all faculty is 164 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02912)
Mahasan Chaney
Assistant Professor of Education
[email protected]u
Room 223
Mahasan Chaney is an Assistant Professor of Education. She received her Ph.D. in Education from UC
Berkeley in 2019 and was later a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in
America (CSREA) and the Watson Institute at Brown University. Her research and teaching focus on
education policy, and the history of education and center on three related policy areas: the racial politics of
education, the politics of school punishment, and the ideologies and discourses of federal education reform.
Jonathan Collins
Assistant Professor of Education, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs
[email protected]
Room 264
Jonathan E. Collins is an Assistant Professor of Education and International and Public Affairs. HIs research
focuses on urban school reform, local politics, race and ethnicity, civic engagement and deliberative
democracy. His research has been published in the American Political Science Review, Political
Behavior, the Urban Affairs Review, the Journal of Urban Affairs, and Local Government Studies.
Pierre de Galbert
Visiting Assistant Professor of Education
[email protected]
Workspace 271-B
Pierre de Galbert is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Brown University in the education department. His
research focuses on language of instruction policies in low- and middle-income countries, and the
association between language policies and learning in the early years of formal school. He is particularly
interested in the multi-dimensional set of factors that influence both the language policy decisions and their
implementation. He is also interested in educational measurement, specifically focusing on literacy
acquisition in non-dominant languages.
Andrea Flores
Assistant Professor of Education
[email protected]
Room 213
Andrea Flores is an Assistant Professor of Education. Her research focuses on how Latino youth who
participate in a college readiness program in Nashville, Tennessee conceptualized the value of high
education and civic engagement for themselves, their families, and their communities. In particular, she
focuses on how educational aspiration is tied to Latino youth’s senses of self and feelings of socio- civic
inclusion in the United States. She received her doctorate in Anthropology from Brown University and
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
has a bachelor’s in Anthropology from Harvard University. She teaches “New Faces, New Challenges:
Immigrant Students in U.S. Schools.”
Susanna Loeb
Director of the Annenberg Institute, Professor of Education, Professor of International and Public
Affairs
[email protected]
Room 233
Susanna's research focuses broadly on education policy and its role in improving educational opportunities
for students. Her work has addressed issues of educator career choices and professional development, of
school finance and governance, and of early childhood systems. Before moving to Brown, Susanna was the
Barnett Family Professor of Education at Stanford University. She was the founding director of the Center
for Education Policy at Stanford and co-director of Policy Analysis for California Education. Susanna led
the research for both Getting Down to Facts projects for California schools. She has been a member of the
National Board for Education Sciences, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy
Research, and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
John Papay
Associate Professor of Education
[email protected]
Room 215
John Papay is an Associate Professor of Education and Economics. His research focuses on teacher policy,
the economics of education, and teacher labor markets. He has published on teacher value-added models,
teacher evaluation, high-stakes testing, teacher compensation, a program evaluation methodology. He has
served as a Research Affiliate with the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers and a Doctoral Fellow
at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard. A former high school history teacher, he earned
his doctorate in Quantitative Policy Analysis from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Lindsay C. Page
Annenberg Associate Professor of Education Policy
[email protected]
Room 237
Lindsay C. Page is the Annenberg Associate Professor of Education Policy at Brown University and is a
faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her work focuses on quantitative
methods and their application to questions regarding the effectiveness of educational policies and programs
across the pre-school to postsecondary spectrum. Much of her work has involved large-scale experimental
or quasi-experimental studies to investigate the causal effects strategies for improving students’ transition to
and through college. She is particularly interested in policy efforts to improve college access and success for
students who would be first in their family to reach postsecondary education. She holds a doctorate in
quantitative policy analysis and master's degrees in statistics and in education policy from Harvard
University. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College.
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Emily Kalejs Qazilbash
Professor of the Practice of Education
[email protected]
Room 205
Emily Qazilbash most recently served as Chief Human Capital Officer in the Boston Public Schools. After
beginning her career as a teacher in Baltimore and Boston, she conducted research focused on issues of
teacher quality and worked on issues such as educator evaluation, teachers unions, school reform efforts,
and Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs. She holds a BA in Political and Social Thought from the
University of Virginia and a masters and doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
David Rangel
Assistant Professor of Education
[email protected]
Room 265
David Rangel is an Assistant Professor of Education. He uses a sociological perspective to understand
processes that generate social inequality, with emphasis on the Latino experience in the United States. His
current work uses social and cultural capital theories and mixed-methods research to study how school-
based parental social relationships develop in the school community and the effects of these relationships on
children’s early educational outcomes. He received his doctorate in Sociology from University of
Wisconsin- Madison and his masters in Sociology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Professor
Rangel teaches the course “The Sociology of Education”.
Crystal Thomas
Lecturer in Education
[email protected]
Room 219
Crystal Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from UCLA and currently serves as a Lecturer in the
Department of Education at Brown University. Dr. Thomas has extensive experience working within
academic interdisciplinary research teams and among public/private partnerships both in Los Angeles and
New York City, among other regions. Her research utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods to
advance policy and programming, including the use of geographic information systems and spatial analysis
to illuminate regional trends.
Kenneth Wong
Director of Urban Education Policy Program; The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor in
Education Policy; Professor of Political Science, Public Policy, and Urban Studies
[email protected]
Room 225
Kenneth Wong is the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair for Education Policy. A political scientist by
training, he has conducted extensive research in the politics of education, federalism, policy innovation,
outcome-based accountability, charter schools, and governance redesign (including mayoral control,
management reform, and Title I school-wide reform). His research has received support from the National
Science Foundation, the US Department of Education, the Social Science Research Council, the Spencer
Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the British Council, Japan Society for the
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Promotion of Science, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He has advised the U.S. Congress, state legislature,
governor and mayoral offices, and the leadership in several large urban school systems on how to redesign
the accountability framework.
Education Department Staff
Jessica Cho, Academic Program Manager, 401-863-3943, for:
● Academic support, including registration or enrollment process/issues
● Sharing news/events specific to the MAT and UEP graduate programs
● Commencement and other program information
● General questions as you acclimate to the Brown campus
● Internship support
● First-line for student support issues and resources
Caitlin Scott, Communications, Outreach and Partnerships Specialist, 401-863-5775, for:
● Dissemination of events and job opportunities at and outside of the Department and Brown
● Helping to connect current students with UEP alumni
● Website, social media, and all department communications
● Supervises the program ambassadors
● Leads Graduate program recruitment efforts
Leah Lebel, Academic Department Manager, 401-863-9688 for:
● Questions about or changes to your scholarship and financial aid awards
● Most academic support in the absence of the Academic Programs Manager (see above)
Melissa Marchi, Administrative Coordinator, 401-863-5848, for:
● Ordering food and supplies for events.
● Questions about student payroll, from applying for jobs to reporting hours worked
● Processing payroll for ambassadors, RAs, and TAs
● Reserving rooms for meetings/events
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Brown University
Department of Education
Master’s Program in
Urban Education Policy
Internship Handbook
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Points of Contact for UEP Internship Program
Emily Kalejs Qazilbash
Professor of the Practice of Education
Physical Address: 164 Angell Street, Room 205
Mailing Address: Education Department
Brown University, Box 1938
Providence, RI 02912
[email protected]
401-863-2407
Jessica Cho
Academic Programs Manager
Physical Address: 164 Angell Street, Workspace 271-F
Mailing Address: Education Department
Brown University, Box 1938
Providence, RI 02912
[email protected]
401-863-3943
Professor Kenneth Wong
Director, Urban Education Policy Program
Physical Address: 164 Angell Street, Room 225
Mailing Address: Education Department
Brown University, Box 1938
Providence, RI 02912
[email protected]
401-863-1486
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Important Internship Dates
Mid-July
● UEP Cohort Internship Review Meeting – UEP Students Review UEP Internship Handbook
● Complete Internship Interest Survey & Submit Updated Resume to UEP Director and Academic
Programs Manager
Early August
● Site placement list distributed to UEP students
● Students begin exploring possible internship sites
Late August/Early September
● Submit Approved Internship Agreement Form (signed off by UEP student, Internship Site
Supervisor, and UEP Director)
Early/Mid-September
● First UEP Internship Organizational Meeting with the Professor of the Practice
● Begin Internship
October - Mid-December
● Submit Mid-Year Internship Assessment
● Mid-Year Internship Presentations
Early April
● Capstone Presentation Abstract Submission
● Capstone Presentation Planning
May
● Capstone Presentations at the UEP Annual Conference
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Urban Education Policy Handbook
Introduction
This manual is intended to introduce UEP students and Host Organizations/Agencies to the Urban
Education Policy (UEP) Master’s Program expectations and requirements for satisfactory completion
of the internship component. It provides useful information to both the UEP student and site, including
forms and logs, as well as guidelines for supervision. Included are recommendations for ensuring good
communication between students, site supervisors, and university supervision.
It is the responsibility of the UEP student to follow established procedures for enrollment in the
Internship courses, be familiar with UEP’s policies and protocol for internship placement, know
internship requirements and complete and submit all forms by stated deadlines. This manual is required
reading for all UEP students.
Your supervised field experience is a crucial developmental step in one’s professional preparation.
Students in the UEP program concentrate their experiences in public school policy-making settings such
as state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), and community organizations.
These experiences are intended to assist UEP students in the integration of knowledge learned in other
academic experiences as well as to develop their practitioner skills. These experiences may be as
individual students or in teams of 3-5 interns working in one organization as a team.
If in a team, interns may facilitate policy design and consensus-building to advise an organization’s
strategic direction in a specific area; such activities may include capturing stakeholder voice, providing
relevant data analyses, and bringing research evidence to the table. Or they may devise designs to solve
an identified systemic challenge at their site. Each UEP student working as part of a team of UEP interns
will have specific responsibilities and be in charge of a specific piece of the collective product.
The internship will have the following features:
● Skill development, through a weekly seminar, in developing and presenting a public narrative,
conducting root cause analyses, analyzing theories of action and related organizational strategy,
using data for policy purposes, involving stakeholders and influencing critics, communication and
presentation.
● Presentations to organizational supervisors at strategic intervals to gather information and input
from sites and present ideas in development to get feedback and inform future direction.
● A final Capstone consisting of a deliverable to be used by the hosting organization, a reflection
about the year-long process to be submitted to the Brown supervisor, and a public presentation at
the Capstone Conference.
Urban Education Policy Program:
Program Design and Objectives
The Education Department at Brown offers a master's level program leading to an A.M. in Urban
Education Policy. The twelve-month UEP program is dedicated to the study of policy analysis, planning,
and development in urban public education. The tightly focused academic curriculum, integrated with a
nine-month internship, is designed to impart a set of core skills and competencies that are necessary for
successful careers in urban education policy. The UEP program also provides a solid foundation for those
anticipating advanced study in areas related to urban education policy.
Graduates of the UEP degree program are well-prepared to assume entry level policy design positions in
education policy. Individuals admitted into the program will learn in an environment created to afford
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students opportunities to achieve academic, professional, and personal success. Program faculty adhere to
the belief that demonstrated potential to become a practitioner prior to being admitted to the UEP
program paired with demonstrated effectiveness as a practitioner- in- training while completing the
program are characteristics each program applicant must possess. The program requires completion of
eight core academic courses and includes the successful completion of a nine- month internship course.
Internship Overview
The UEP internship is an intensive experience and students are expected to demonstrate broad skills in
the following areas of professional functioning:
Communication (oral and written)
Problem Solving
Project Management
Innovation, Creativity, and Development
Organization
Internship experiences should be at sites that are appropriate to one’s ultimate career goals, immediate
career aspirations or both. UEP students will want to work closely with the Professor of the Practice as
well as other UEP faculty to choose an internship site, carefully considering professional goals, interests,
needs, and expectations for the internship experiences.
When sites agree to allow UEP students to train with them, they agree and understand their responsibility
to promote the student. The UEP program realizes that these training experiences have a dual role and
will work diligently to ensure that the needs of the internship site and UEP student are met during the
internship.
General Timeline: Student Placement & Host Organization Approved List
Students are responsible for doing the legwork to secure an internship site. Students contact potential
site supervisors and make appointments for informational interviews. It is acceptable for students to
choose a site that is not on the Approved Host Organization Internship List, but students must seek
approval for off-list sites with the UEP Program. Students submit a request to the Professor of the
Practice, which will also be reviewed by the Director of the UEP Program. The request should give an
overview of the site, indicate the on-site supervisor and their background, list duties the intern will
perform, and describe the education policy significance of these duties. Students wishing to pursue
internships at off-list sites should seek final approval at least two weeks before the fall semester
begins.
Internship Requirements
The fall and spring semester UEP Internship courses (EDUC 2367 and EDUC 2380) accompany the
UEP internship. The internship consists of three parts:
1. Internship On-Site Requirements
a. Completion of a minimum of 250 hours in direct or indirect work hours.
b. Submission of required written updates to the Professor of the Practice
2. Internship Seminar Requirement
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a. Attendance at and participation in UEP cohort meetings, meeting expectations
outlines in the Internship Seminar Syllabus
3. Delivery of a Capstone Presentation at the UEP Annual Conference
a. Writing and submitting a 300-word professional abstract for Capstone Presentation
b. Development of Visual Presentation
c. Delivery of Capstone Presentation at the UEP Annual Conference
The Capstone Presentation in Graduate Study
The Capstone Presentation represents one of the most significant elements of the Urban
Education Policy Program curriculum. The presentation integrates all facets of graduate learning
experience and provides an opportunity to demonstrate the ability to apply the tools of education policy
research by examining a contemporary policy issue. While the Capstone Presentation is not intended to
involve extensive original investigation, any conclusions reached must be so supported that their proof is
considered well‐established.
The Capstone Presentation requirement is designed to accomplish the following goals:
● Provide for the application of an accepted method of inquiry
● Enhance your skills in reading and interpreting data
● Improve your appreciation and understanding of problems involved in education
policy research and its application in real world settings
● Provide for practice in recognizing and delimiting research and practical problems
● Generate professional enthusiasm and capacity for engaging in analytical
investigation
● Improve your ability to communicate ideas and research
● Enrich your overall experience of academic scholarship
The UEP Annual Conference
The purpose of the UEP Annual Conference is to provide the opportunity to present internship findings
close to the time of program completion and receive feedback from faculty, as well as local and regional
urban education professionals. Your presentation should include the problem to be addressed, need for
study, review of the literature, research design, findings, and implications for policy and/or further study.
The UEP Annual Conference takes place in May and is generally scheduled on a weekday between 8am
and 5pm. The presentations will be arranged in a conference‐style panel format with panel discussant.
Panels will be organized by topic, research method and/or advisor. Each panel is typically scheduled for
an hour and a half and will typically have four or five student panelists. Each panel session is facilitated
by a moderator and UEP students have approximately 10 to 15 minutes to present (depending on the
number of UEP student presenters). The moderator may pose questions following the presentations and
facilitate reaction and questions from both the panel discussant and the session audience.
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Internship Learning Goals
The primary objective of the internship opportunity is the acquisition of competence in the skills
required by the work role of the urban education policymaker in specific settings. The internship
experience requires the UEP student to:
● Demonstrate skills in developing and maintaining effective professional relationships
● Assess education policy issues from a multicultural perspective to understand different
worldviews and values
● Demonstrate sensitivity for legal and ethical dilemmas and conduct themselves in a
professional and ethical manner
● Develop plans and recommendations using the best available information and data for
education policy decision-making
● Demonstrate an ability to provide information to a group through a presentation or
workshop
● Demonstrate verbal and written communications that are clear and concise in daily
interactions with co-workers and other professionals
● Engage with education policy makers
● Demonstrate effective collaboration skills.
Roles and Responsibilities of UEP Student in the Internship Experience
The UEP student is expected to:
● Select potential sites in consultation with the Professor of the Practice
● Schedule and complete interviews with point of contacts at internship sites
● Negotiate internship scope of work, deliverables, learning goals and objectives, and
internship work schedule with the site supervisor. Students are expected to adhere to the
hours they have established with the site, adhere to any dress or behavioral codes of their site,
and perform responsibilities in a professional manner as if a paid employee
● Complete and submit the Internship Agreement Form by the appropriate deadline, for
review approval and final signoff by the Professor of the Practice
● Develop goals and objective for his/her experience, in consultation with site and
university supervisor, and submit this to his/her university supervisor early in the fall
semester
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● Competently complete course requirements and assignments
● Respond to all email communications from the Professor of the Practice and the UEP
Director in a timely manner and return all paperwork by published deadlines to include
but not limited to the Internship Agreement Form, Mid-year Internship Assessment, and
End-of- Year Internship Assessment, and Student Evaluation of Internship Form (See
Appendix)
● Comply with all legal and ethical regulations of the site and of Brown University;
brings all potential legal and ethical issues to the attention of university and site
supervisors
● Cooperate with on-site and university supervisor
Internship Evaluation
UEP Students are formally evaluated by their on-site supervisor. A written evaluation, the Mid-
Year Evaluation Form, is completed jointly by the UEP student and their supervisor and submitted
to the Professor of the Practice by mid-December of the fall semester. The form is completed in
two parts. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that both parts of the form are completed
and submitted by the appropriate deadline.
Internship Grade
The Internship course (EDUC 2380) is a one-credit hour course that the student registers for during the
spring semester. Students receive their final grade for the Internship requirement of the UEP program
at the end of the Spring Semester. The Professor of the Practice provides internship performance and
internship requirement evaluation to the Director of the UEP Program for final internship grade
determination.
Intern Compensation
While this is a for-credit program, UEP students may receive monetary compensation for work time,
providing the internship site can afford such an arrangement.
Travel to Internship sites
Refer to the UEP Travel Policy: Guidelines and Protocols in UEP handbook.
Professional Standards
UEP students at Brown University conduct themselves as professionals at all times. This
professionalism extends from dress, attendance, and the successful completion of course
responsibilities to exhibiting professional behavior in professional education courses as well as at
the student’s respective internship site.
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Further, UEP graduate student practitioners must demonstrate knowledge of/ability to:
● separate personal from professional roles
● use appropriate verbal communication skills
● use appropriate written communication skills
● admit fallibility, accept criticism, and consider opposing opinions, ideas or feelings
● use and benefit from constructive criticism
● be aware of needs and interests of the entire public education student universe and to take into
account individual differences including ethnic and racial diversity
● demonstrate ethical behavior as evidenced by, but not limited to, adhering to policies of data
management as it relates to the confidentiality of and anonymity records
Confidentiality
The UEP program encourages its students and site supervisors to review the confidentiality policy of
their host organization at the beginning of the internship. The UEP program values and places great
emphasis on peer exchange and learning. UEP Practitioners-in-Training should participate in
professional discourse with one another and other professionals about their internship experiences and
should do so in a manner that does not violate any confidentiality policy of their site.
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APPENDIX
Appendix A:
Internship Request Form for the Site Supervisor / Master’s Program in Urban Education
Policy (UEP) Internship Request Form
Thank you for your interest in hosting one or more UEP interns for the 2020-21 school year. Below you
will find some expectations and guidelines for becoming an internship supervisor, in addition to the
Internship Request Form. The Internship Request Forms are encouraged to be submitted for the
upcoming academic year to Emily Kalejs Qazilbash, Professor of the Practice, at
[email protected] by June 1st.
Organization Expectations
Brown University’s Urban Education Policy Program (UEP) is a one-year intensive graduate program
dedicated to the study of policy analysis, planning, and development in urban public education. The
tightly focused academic curriculum, integrated with a nine-month internship, is designed to impart a
set of core skills and competencies that are necessary for successful careers in urban education policy.
Through the internship, the UEP program places a strong emphasis on providing UEP students with
high quality hands-on field work experiences and exceptional practitioner mentoring.
Below are three internship expectations for host organizations that the UEP program believes are
critically important for a mutually beneficial internship experience to take place.
Mentoring: Mentoring is paramount to having a successful internship experience and allows the
intern to contribute as much as possible to your organization and to the larger world of education
policy. The UEP program requires that host organizations be able to provide mentoring relationships.
This means taking a personal interest in seeing that a mentee develops the talent and knowledge needed
to succeed in their assigned work for your organization and beyond. Mentoring differs from coaching,
advising, and supervision in its emphasis on developing a personal relationship and advancing the
career of the mentee.
On-Site Supervision: Supervision is the key to an effective internship experience. The UEP program
seeks to place our students in urban education policy environments which will expose them to the
broadest view of an organization’s work, impact and stakeholders.
During the “student placement process,” organizations must specifically identify what supervision
provision, beyond what is required, will be provided. We strongly encourage host organizations to
consider the following additional suggestions for supervision:
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● REQUIRED - Provide a solid orientation for the intern which includes but not limited to an
overview of the agreed upon work (deliverables), specific sector/industry and workplace
language, as well as, relevant workplace policy and norms (i.e., confidentiality, liability,
sexual harassment, office closing policies, office holidays, employee attire, etc.)
● REQUIRED - Schedule regular meeting times with the intern to go over questions, give
assignments, evaluate work, and to look at how the internship experience might be improved.
Note: A formal written evaluation of the intern must be submitted to the Professor of the
Practice, Emily Kalejs Qazilbash, in December of the Fall Semester.
● Provide a reading list (i.e., sector specific and stakeholder books; conference presentations and
papers; newspaper articles, editorial opinions, etc.) to help the intern bridge the gap between
academia and the real world of education policy and your organization/agency.
● Give the intern an opportunity to attend staff, committee, public or legislative meetings, when
possible.
● Explain to the intern how you or the organization makes decisions, develops alternative
solutions and arrives at conclusions.
● Identify the key individuals to whom the intern can turn for assistance with specific
questions or tasks.
Appropriateness of Work: UEP students receive academic credit for their internship work. At a
minimum, the UEP program requires that students’ field work be education policy focused or very
closely related. Further, the UEP program holds the expectation that the overall agreed upon work will
be challenging and that the work plan be balanced providing a solid integration of large scale thinking
and smaller nuanced work. Deliverables should provide the student with opportunities to use logic and
reasoning skills, making connections with both large education policy contexts and issues and engage
directly in hands-on work.
Below are examples of past work which the UEP Program deemed graduate level work. This list is
meant to be illustrative and is not comprehensive.
District, Municipality, Legislative and State
● Development of draft report on school district wide grading policy
● Development of draft working paper on statewide funding formula
● Development of legislative briefs on public education policy law
● Development and implementation of a qualitative assessment on federally funded after school
programs for low and moderate income children
School Level Education Policy
● Development of a teacher focused “student performance data” assessment tool, followed by
presentation of the tool to appropriate stakeholders and school leadership
● Development and implementation of a parent choice and satisfaction survey for a charter school
● Analysis of a school’s qualitative and quantitative data on art’s integration which was compiled
in a report and presented to the school’s leadership
● Analysis of a school’s student state testing data to determine gaps in effective teaching strategies
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Community and Nonprofit Education Policy
● Development of a working paper on local youth advocacy and community organizing in public
PK-12 education
● Development and implementation of a college access community meeting series for low- and
moderate-income ESL families
● Contributions to a large-scale child welfare data system by providing in-depth research on
relevant data elements related to children and PK-12 education
● Contributions to large-scale public use data project by providing large data set management and
analysis
Role of Site Supervisor
● Interview potential UEP students and indicate preferences among those students for site
placement, without discrimination in relation to race, religion, gender, age, national origin,
disability, or sexual orientation.
● Inform interviewed students regarding their internship placement.
● Assign accepted students to alternative qualified on-site supervisors (a person who has a
minimum of a master’s degree or two to five years of relevant, postgraduate experience).
● Provide adequate workspace, telephone access, and supplies and equipment for the
student.
● Negotiate with student internship hours and responsibilities.
● Orient the student to the mission, goals, and objectives of the site, as well as to internal
operation procedures.
● Develop goals and objectives with the student for his/her experience early in the
semester.
● Ensure that the student has appropriate experience(s) during the placement based on the
student's goals and objectives.
● Meet at least 30 minutes twice a month with student for individual supervision.
[Note: Meetings include teleconference and video conference meetings]
● Provide a written evaluation of the student’s performance in December of the fall semester and
at the end of the internship. Evaluations are to be submitted to the Professor of the Practice.
● Maintain contact with the Professor of the Practice for assistance and consultation relating
to student’s progress.
● Engage in ongoing assessment of the student’s performance and communicates with the
Professor of the Practice about any problems with the student’s performance. If problems
continue, the site supervisor, in consultation with the student and the Professor of the Practice,
will develop a remediation plan.
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● Maintain confidentiality (with the exception of the Professor of the Practice) regarding
information obtained during supervision.
● Complete Internship Agreement Form (mid-September), Mid-Year Internship Assessment Form
(mid-December), and End-of-Year Internship Assessment Form (end of April) in a timely
manner.
Internship Request Form for Academic Year: one intern
Organization Name:
Have you hosted a UEP intern
previously?
Is a UEP alum employed at the site?
Organization Description:
Hours of operation:
Type of organization:
Size of organization:
Internship start/end date:
Site supervisor:
Job title:
Email:
Phone Number:
Scope of work/project:
Necessary skills/qualifications:
Paid or unpaid:
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Internship Request Form for Academic Year: team of 3-5 interns
Organization Name:
Have you hosted a UEP intern
previously?
Is a UEP alum employed at the site?
Organization Description:
Hours of operation:
Type of organization:
Size of organization:
Internship start/end date:
Site supervisor:
Team project overview: (short
paragraph, with deliverables
explained and scope of project
described) with est. of number of
interns needed and general skills /
qualifications needed
Email:
Phone Number:
Paid or unpaid:
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Appendix B:
UEP Internship Agreement Form <--- Please fill out this Google form
Please complete and sign the Google form (link above) For reference only the questions on the form are
below. If you are unable to fill out the electronic form, please contact the department.
Student Information
Student Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Internship Organization Information
Organization Name
Supervisor Name:
Supervisor Job Title:
Mailing Address:
Phone:
Email:
Fax:
Organization Description:
I. Scope of Internship (to be filled out by supervisor)
Specific Job Responsibilities (Including Work Products/Deliverables):
II. Benefits to the Organization and the Intern
Please describe how the internship will contribute to the work of the organization:
Please describe the skills and learning the intern will gain from the internship:
III. Supervision
Describe the level(s) of supervision, mentoring, and any exposure to key people within the
organization or the policy field, to be expected as part of this internship:
IV. Time Commitment/Work Schedule
Interns are expected to complete 250 hours of work in the internship. This time commitment translates to
10 hours per week over the course of the academic year for interns who are working in organizations in
or near Rhode Island. Students working with organizations out of the area must determine with their
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supervisor a schedule for fulfilling the 250- hour time commitment, since the typical weekly schedule
might not be feasible. If this will not be a weekly internship, please describe the time frame/schedule for
completing the work:
V. Additional Comments:
VI. Agreement
This agreement stipulates that
will complete a
total 250 hours of work for
Student’s Name
Organization’s Name
as part of the Urban Education Policy Program, from September to May. The internship will follow a
weekly schedule or another agreed upon schedule described in Section IV of this agreement.
Organization Supervisor Signature
Date
UEP Intern Signature
Date
UEP Professor of the Practice
Date
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Appendix C:
MID-YEAR INTERNSHIP ASSESSMENT FORM <--- Please fill out this Google form
(click link to get a copy to fill out and email to us)
Please complete, sign, and return the following sections of this Midyear Assessment Form to the Brown
University Academic Program.
Important Note: UEP students please remember that your response, as well as the response of your
internship supervisor, is required in order to receive a grade for your fall internship component of the
UEP program. Please make sure that you hand in a completed full submission which consists of Parts I,
II, and III.
Part I.
Student Information
Student Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Internship Organization Information
Organization Name
Supervisor Name:
Supervisor Job Title:
Mailing Address:
Phone:
Email:
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Part II: INSTRUCTIONS TO UEP SITE SUPERVISOR FOR MID-YEAR EVALUATION
Please complete section (A) and respond to the reflection question in section (B). Additionally, the UEP
program asks that supervisors discuss this evaluation with their intern.
Section (A)
1. Objectives
Consider the UEP Intern’s “skills and learning that will be gained” as described in his/her Internship
Agreement Form or as redefined so far during the internship placement.
Please place an “X” in one of the boxes below
Above
expectati
ons
Complet
ely
Somew
hat
Needs
work
Not
at all
How well is the UEP Intern meeting the main
objectives of the internship placement?
Additional comments on UEP Intern meeting the internship’s objectives:
2. Performance
Please rate the UEP Intern’s professional performance for each category below.
Please place an “X” in one of the boxes below
Excellent
Satisfactor
y
Needs work
Insufficient
effort
Organizational skills
sets priorities and reasonable deadlines
meets timelines for deliverables
completes tasks on time
fulfills commitment to others
Communication skills
verbal and written
asks for and gives feedback
contributions at meetings
Interpersonal skills
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relationship with school’s /
organization’s and/or project’s
stakeholders
relationship with supervisor
team player
Creative thinking and initiative
self-reliant
resourceful
flexible
curious
dependable
Critical and strategic thinking skills
assesses information to make informed
decisions
sees the big picture and understands how
actions fit into a plan
problem solves
Technical skills (application of skills
expected of the position)
Additional comments on UEP Intern’s performance:
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Section (B)
Reflection: Supervisors, please reflect on your experience thus far with your intern. Please note both
areas of strength and areas for improvement.
Appendix D- Department of Education Expense/ Travel Reimbursement Request
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
EXPENSE/TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST
Employee’s Name:
Business Purpose:
Expenses (not lodging or meals):
Date Description Amount
If for travel
Date beginning: and ending:
* include times for same day travel
Destination:
Transportation:
Date Type Amount
Lodging/meal expenses:
Date Type Amount
Funding source: