A Rhetorical Analysis of Intermediary Organization Documents on College Completion Policy

2019 ◽  
pp. 089590481988823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Hammond ◽  
Philip Adams ◽  
Paul G. Rubin ◽  
Erik C. Ness
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Intermediary Organization ◽  
Completion Agenda ◽  
Present Information ◽  
Intermediary Organizations ◽  
Policy Arena ◽  
Policy Solutions

Intermediary organizations play an increasingly important role in public policy related to higher education, particularly related to the completion agenda. This study addresses strategies employed by intermediary organizations to communicate to policymakers regarding college completion. Using rhetorical analysis, we examine 72 documents to deconstruct their arguments. Findings show that intermediaries employ the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, delivery, and idiom to present information and advocate preferred policy solutions. Importantly, organizations communicate messages differently based on their orientation toward the researcher or policymaker communities. Intermediary organizations aligned more closely with researchers rely more on empirical evidence and neutral tones, whereas organizations aligned more closely with policymakers utilize more idiomatic language, visually engaging document design, and nonempirical sources of evidence. Rhetorical analysis can enable researchers, intermediaries, and policymakers all to work more clearly and carefully in the higher education policy arena and, in so doing, strengthen the bridge between the two communities.

College Completion, the Texas Way: An Examination of the Development of College Completion Policy in a Distinctive Political Culture

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Denisa Gándara ◽  
James C. Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
The State ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
State Higher Education

Background College-completion policies dominate state higher education policy agendas. Yet we know little about how policy actors make decisions—and what sources of evidence they use—within this policy domain. Focus of Study This study explores the use of evidence in college-completion policymaking in depth, focusing on Texas. In addition to exploring policymakers’ use of different types of information, this study examines the role played by intermediaries. Research Design We employed a qualitative case study design drawing on interviews with 32 policy actors engaged in college-completion policy in Texas. Our analysis consisted of both deductive coding (based on our a priori coding scheme) and inductive coding (based on emerging themes) to arrive at our four major findings. Findings/Results The analysis revealed four primary findings. The first theme suggests an insular culture of college-completion policymaking: Policymakers at various levels preferred Texas-based data and rejected the notion that external groups contributed to setting the college completion agenda in Texas. Second, business groups and a business ethos permeated college-completion policymaking in Texas. Third, research evidence was seldom employed in this policy process, partly because policymakers prefer concise and timely information. Finally, the study uncovered a new tactic for supplying research employed by certain intermediaries: punchy messaging, which was effective at garnering attention but also yielded unintended consequences. Conclusions/Recommendations Overwhelmingly, higher education policy actors tended to prefer Texas-based data. Respondents cited three major reasons for this preference: the high quality of the state higher education coordinating board's data, Texas's unique demographics, and the accessibility of statewide data. These findings reflect the mediating role that is played not only by state structural characteristics, but also by culture. Perceptions of Texas's distinctive inward-looking nature permeated our interviews and set the stage for the role that intermediaries played in the state and the preferences for information. Intermediaries wishing to inform college-completion policy activity at the state level should consider the uniqueness of the state context in supplying information. For states that are more insular, like Texas, working through internal (in-state) intermediaries may be an effective strategy. In light of our findings of preferred types of information, those intending to influence policymaking should consider making information—especially research evidence—concise and easily accessible and establish relationships with policymakers and their staff members.

scholarly journals Empirical Analysis of a Model for Student Success using a Case Study Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 100-112
Author(s):  
Zakiya S Wilson ◽  
Margaret I. Kanipes ◽  
Goldie S. Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Colleges ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Completion Agenda ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play a critical role in the national college completion agenda within the United States of America (U.S.). With high enrolments of minority, first-generation, and economically disadvantaged students, HBCUs serve as essential access points to higher education and the American dream. Given the high needs student population of HBCUs, these institutions can serve as national and international models for improving college completion and demonstrating efficacy in promoting access to higher education among students from diverse backgrounds.

scholarly journals The policy filtering process: Understanding distinctive state responses to the National College Completion Agenda in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Rubin ◽  
James C. Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Completion Agenda ◽  
State Responses

The United States has faced stagnant postsecondary education degree completion rates for over a decade. When coupled with improved educational outcomes in other nations, the one-time world leader in higher education attainment has precipitously declined in standing internationally. Coupling this reality with the need for a more educated workforce domestically led President Barack Obama to proclaim improving higher education completion rates a national imperative in 2009. Despite input from the federal government, due to the decentralized nature of American postsecondary education, individual states maintain primary responsibility for governance and policy decisions. Consequently, there has been a range of state responses to improving college completion. Through a comparative case analysis, this study considers a putatively homogenous region to investigate state-level factors that “filtered” the national college completion agenda to distinct responses in Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas.

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