Lots has happened -- in addition to the death of my computer, I also threw away my topic, and am starting fresh.
Charter schools and how they impact segregation. More later...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Continuation of the Comedy of Errors
Can I add: "Pulling an all-nighter at your ex-boyfriend's house to borrow his computer while he is entertaining another girl, then asking him for a loan."
Hit me, baby, one more time.
(Just kidding on this last one -- more humorous than anything else)
Hit me, baby, one more time.
(Just kidding on this last one -- more humorous than anything else)
When It Rains, It Pours... and I Hate Rain
Nightmare. Unbelievable. 24 hours (or so) to go, until I turn in this policy brief, and I am so ready to get my life back.
Extension: the extension was frustrating in that I don't believe in extensions, because why prolong the agony? I did need the extra time, however... and avoiding the embarrassment of turning in a piece o' crap was great in the long run.
Family.
Computer: I could tell that it was starting to die... but really? 48 hours before the thing is due, during crunch time? Luckily, I tried saving everything and got most of it. I lost a few hours of work, but in the grand scheme of things, that was fine (could've been worse). I also lost a few hours due to insanity, but I probably needed the break on a Saturday night.
Vista: What the heck is Microsoft Vista? Now that my computer is broken, I am camping out (perhaps literally) in the computer lab, and using this Vista program. It's frustrating having to learn a new program (which definitely has a different interface than the old one) while I'm on borrowed time.
Poverty: Because I've been working around the clock for the past few weeks, I haven't had a chance to deal with the fact that my bank card expired (and because I've been so disorganized, I have no idea where the new one is). I have no cash, and no way of getting it in the next couple days. I spent my last $1.75 on Green Tea today (Yes, I used quarters). Hopefully somewhere on the Hill takes credit cards...
This posting is not for me to dwell in self-pity, but for me to realize that there are some bad days, and others that are not so bad (but seem bad at the time). In the future, when I get frustrated, I just need to look back on a time like this and realize that I will get through it. Similar to my whole mantra of "It could be worse... I could be married to him."
Extension: the extension was frustrating in that I don't believe in extensions, because why prolong the agony? I did need the extra time, however... and avoiding the embarrassment of turning in a piece o' crap was great in the long run.
Family.
Computer: I could tell that it was starting to die... but really? 48 hours before the thing is due, during crunch time? Luckily, I tried saving everything and got most of it. I lost a few hours of work, but in the grand scheme of things, that was fine (could've been worse). I also lost a few hours due to insanity, but I probably needed the break on a Saturday night.
Vista: What the heck is Microsoft Vista? Now that my computer is broken, I am camping out (perhaps literally) in the computer lab, and using this Vista program. It's frustrating having to learn a new program (which definitely has a different interface than the old one) while I'm on borrowed time.
Poverty: Because I've been working around the clock for the past few weeks, I haven't had a chance to deal with the fact that my bank card expired (and because I've been so disorganized, I have no idea where the new one is). I have no cash, and no way of getting it in the next couple days. I spent my last $1.75 on Green Tea today (Yes, I used quarters). Hopefully somewhere on the Hill takes credit cards...
This posting is not for me to dwell in self-pity, but for me to realize that there are some bad days, and others that are not so bad (but seem bad at the time). In the future, when I get frustrated, I just need to look back on a time like this and realize that I will get through it. Similar to my whole mantra of "It could be worse... I could be married to him."
Thursday, September 13, 2007
What does a prospectus look like?
Of course, it varies. After skimming through a sampling, this is what I've come up with:
Number of pages: 111; 72; 78
*INTRODUCTION
*RESEARCH PROBLEM AND RATIONALE (RESEARCH QUESTIONS)
*REVIEW OF LITERATURE (DEFINITIONS; CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK)
*METHODS (PARTICIPANTS; DATA COLLECTION; DATA ANALYSIS; LIMITATIONS OF STUDY)
Number of pages: 111; 72; 78
*INTRODUCTION
*RESEARCH PROBLEM AND RATIONALE (RESEARCH QUESTIONS)
*REVIEW OF LITERATURE (DEFINITIONS; CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK)
*METHODS (PARTICIPANTS; DATA COLLECTION; DATA ANALYSIS; LIMITATIONS OF STUDY)
Spencer Foundation Grant
Basic criteria for selection include: the importance of the research question to education, the quality of the research approach and feasibility of the work plan, and the applicant's future potential in educational research. Must be candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school within the US. These fellowships are intended to support the final analysis of the writing of the dissertation (not data collection or coursework) -- thus applicants must document completion of all pre-dissertation requirements by June 1, 2008, and must provide a clear and specific plan for completing the dissertation within a one- or two-year time frame.
Specific questions the committee members consider in their deliberations:
(1) To what extent does the narrative discussion of the dissertation show an in-depth knowledge of relevant research in the field? To what extent does it display an adequate grounding in theory?
(2) To what extent are the design and the methods appropriate to answer the research questions?
(3) To what extent is the study's argued relevance to education convincing? To what extent is the study likely to yield new knowledge about an important educational issue?
(4) To what extent does the narrative discussion display strong authorship skills, with a clear organization and structure?
(5) Is the applicant likely to complete her doctoral studies within one (FT) or two (PT) year time-frame, or soon thereafter?
Sections of application:
(1) Background information of yourself
(2) Dissertation Abstract - single-spaced paragraph of no more than 200 words, summarizing substantive focus and research design of dissertation and contribution to education.
(3) Narrative Discussion of Dissertation: 10 double-spaced pages, describing dissertation: (a) goals of project; (b) contribution to field; (c) significance of work, especially as it relates to education. Describe research questions and research design, the methods of gathering and analyzing data, and interpretation techniques. Also, Abridged bibliography.
(4) Work Plan
(5) Personal Statement (400 word limit) - (a) how your educational and work experiences up to this point have prepared you for doing research on this dissertation topic; and (b) what career path you hope to pursue after completing your dissertation.
Make sure that the narrative discussion of your research has been written in a way that is accessible to readers outside your area.
Read "The Art of Writing Proposals," an article published by the Social Science Research Countil, which is available at www.ssrc.org.
Due 4 pm MST (electronically) on Friday, Nocember 2; notification in April 2008. Two letters of recommendation as well as the graduate transcript -- collect all three and mail together.
30 fellowships of $25,000.
Specific questions the committee members consider in their deliberations:
(1) To what extent does the narrative discussion of the dissertation show an in-depth knowledge of relevant research in the field? To what extent does it display an adequate grounding in theory?
(2) To what extent are the design and the methods appropriate to answer the research questions?
(3) To what extent is the study's argued relevance to education convincing? To what extent is the study likely to yield new knowledge about an important educational issue?
(4) To what extent does the narrative discussion display strong authorship skills, with a clear organization and structure?
(5) Is the applicant likely to complete her doctoral studies within one (FT) or two (PT) year time-frame, or soon thereafter?
Sections of application:
(1) Background information of yourself
(2) Dissertation Abstract - single-spaced paragraph of no more than 200 words, summarizing substantive focus and research design of dissertation and contribution to education.
(3) Narrative Discussion of Dissertation: 10 double-spaced pages, describing dissertation: (a) goals of project; (b) contribution to field; (c) significance of work, especially as it relates to education. Describe research questions and research design, the methods of gathering and analyzing data, and interpretation techniques. Also, Abridged bibliography.
(4) Work Plan
(5) Personal Statement (400 word limit) - (a) how your educational and work experiences up to this point have prepared you for doing research on this dissertation topic; and (b) what career path you hope to pursue after completing your dissertation.
Make sure that the narrative discussion of your research has been written in a way that is accessible to readers outside your area.
Read "The Art of Writing Proposals," an article published by the Social Science Research Countil, which is available at www.ssrc.org.
Due 4 pm MST (electronically) on Friday, Nocember 2; notification in April 2008. Two letters of recommendation as well as the graduate transcript -- collect all three and mail together.
30 fellowships of $25,000.
First Day.
This marks the official start of my dissertation process (not exactly true, as I've been thinking about this topic for about a year... but it's been on the backburner for most of that time because of other responsibilities of a doctoral student).
For those who have come across my blog by accident, I am sorry because this will be a boring blog that will discuss, for the most part, my struggles with the dissertation. It is only available for the public because (a) I'm not tech-savvy enough (in reality, just too lazy) to mark it as private; and (b) in some weird psychological way, it keeps me honest in writing, thinking, and immersing myself in this project.
Research Question: something to do with treatment of special education students in charter schools (I say "treatment" because I am thinking about achievement as well as enrollment).
Methods: looking at national databases to see if I can access their data, and perhaps merge them (this is what has been holding up the process).
Update:
(1) Lit Review: I need to gather more sources because my lit review is quite weak and hasn't been touched since spring 2007 (and then, only because I was working on a different project re: special ed and charters).
(2) Databases: I have gathered articles re: merging databases that I should read, to see if this is feasible.
Current Struggles:
(1) Databases: concerned that the quantitative aspect will be beyond my reach -- in terms of the merging process as well as the sophisticated statistical analyses.
(2) Special Ed categories: what will I be focusing on (there are about 12 categories) -- anyone who has marked themselves as special ed on the given test? There are so many different types and levels of severity.
(3) Achievement: everyone has discussed charter school achievement! Will it help that I've narrowed it down to special ed?
(4) Enrollment: I'm curious about this steering concept, but not sure how it can be measured (without gathering extra data through surveys and such).
For those who have come across my blog by accident, I am sorry because this will be a boring blog that will discuss, for the most part, my struggles with the dissertation. It is only available for the public because (a) I'm not tech-savvy enough (in reality, just too lazy) to mark it as private; and (b) in some weird psychological way, it keeps me honest in writing, thinking, and immersing myself in this project.
Research Question: something to do with treatment of special education students in charter schools (I say "treatment" because I am thinking about achievement as well as enrollment).
Methods: looking at national databases to see if I can access their data, and perhaps merge them (this is what has been holding up the process).
Update:
(1) Lit Review: I need to gather more sources because my lit review is quite weak and hasn't been touched since spring 2007 (and then, only because I was working on a different project re: special ed and charters).
(2) Databases: I have gathered articles re: merging databases that I should read, to see if this is feasible.
Current Struggles:
(1) Databases: concerned that the quantitative aspect will be beyond my reach -- in terms of the merging process as well as the sophisticated statistical analyses.
(2) Special Ed categories: what will I be focusing on (there are about 12 categories) -- anyone who has marked themselves as special ed on the given test? There are so many different types and levels of severity.
(3) Achievement: everyone has discussed charter school achievement! Will it help that I've narrowed it down to special ed?
(4) Enrollment: I'm curious about this steering concept, but not sure how it can be measured (without gathering extra data through surveys and such).
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