Hi, everyone! I've just updated grades on eCampus. They now include your project grades (out of 15 points). If you got fewer than 11 points, it was because you didn't fulfill the assignment (either doing volunteer work instead of political work, or not focusing on state or local government). I have also updated your grades to date, with two new columns. One, entitled, "Points Through December 12", is the total of your points to date, out of a possible 80 (you could actually earn as many as 85). All that's left is the 20 possible points from the final exam, so you can figure out what you need on the final in order to secure whatever course grade. The other column, entitled, "Percentage Through December 12", coverts that same grade to date into a percentage.
Note that there are 5-6 people who I don't have project grades for who have been submitting work all semester. Please check to see that you have a project grade. If you worked with someone on the project and they have a grade and you don't, please let me know. It's probably just a clerical error on my part.--NB
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Change in Office Hours
No office hours on Wednesday, December 11. Office hours instead on Thursday, December 12, 10:00-11:00, 1:00-1:30, and on Tuesday, December 17, 4:00-5:00
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Final Exam Review
Hi, everyone! The final exam for this class will be held in our regular room on Tuesday, December 17, from 7 pm to 9 pm. It will be closed-book and comprehensive. All you need to bring is a pen and photo ID. The exam will cover all material from the semester including lectures, blog posts and linked readings, and the comments of your colleagues. Material will be evenly distributed from throughout the semester. The format will be similar to that of the quizzes. Specifically, there will be five "short essay" sections, and two true-false sections (each with 5 questions). You will answer 4 sections (you may answer 4 short essay sections OR 3 short essay sections plus one true-false section OR 2 short essay sections plus both true-false sections. Each section is worth 5 points.
Besides going over this review sheet and reviewing the material (and I urge to understand rather than memorize), you will have a number of opportunities to ask questions:
1. You may email me at the address on the syllabus (berchnorto@msn.com).
2. You may ask questions in the form of comments on this blog post. I will reply to those questions on the blog, until 1:00 pm on December 17 (same for emailed questions).
3. We will have in-class review sections on December 4 and 6.
4. I will have regular office hours on December 4, 6, and 9, as well as one final hour on December 11, from 12:00 to 1:00. After that, I will only be reachable via email or the class blog.
Material you should understand includes:
1. How political scientists explain differences between states and why they use states as a laboratory.
2. The three types of political culture.
3. The origins of federalism, including the choices the constitution writers faced.
4. The major events in the history of federalism, including court cases, amendments, etc.
5. Fiscal federalism, including types of grants, the role of conditions of aid, the changes made by Ronald Reagan, and why some states get more federal aid than others.
6. The general trends toward greater national control and marble cake federalism.
7. The role of regional bodies.
8. Dillon's Rule and Home Rule.
9. How interest groups are affected by the free rider problem, and why some interest groups are more likely to form than are others.
10. The reasons for the decline of political parties in the states.
11. The difficulties facing third parties and why they are sometimes able to overcome them.
12. Why some states have higher voter turnout than do others, and the ways in which states might try to raise turnout (including the article you read on incentives).
13. How the legislature has become more professionalized.
14. The role of committees in the legislature.
15. The role of norms in the legislature.
16. Cue voting.
17. The types of representation voters expect from legislators.
18. Gerrymandering, including when it is legal and when it is illegal.
19. The increasing power and competence of governors.
20. The line item veto, including its variations, arguments for and against it, and whether it works in the states.
21. Why governors have a harder time getting reelected than do other officials.
22. The reasons for the growth of bureaucracy.
23. The general characteristics of bureaucracy.
24. The problems and good points with bureaucracy.
25. The ways in which elected officials control bureaucracy.
26. The different methods for choosing judges, including their advantages and disadvantages.
27. The different structures for local government, including their advantages and disadvantages.
28. The difference between progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes, including which taxes fall into which categories, and why some states have less regressive tax systems than do others.
29. School choice, including arguments for and against it.
31. Equalization of school funding, including arguments for and against it.
32. Why higher education has a harder time getting funded than does elementary and secondary education (and why that is harder still in West Virginia).
Besides going over this review sheet and reviewing the material (and I urge to understand rather than memorize), you will have a number of opportunities to ask questions:
1. You may email me at the address on the syllabus (berchnorto@msn.com).
2. You may ask questions in the form of comments on this blog post. I will reply to those questions on the blog, until 1:00 pm on December 17 (same for emailed questions).
3. We will have in-class review sections on December 4 and 6.
4. I will have regular office hours on December 4, 6, and 9, as well as one final hour on December 11, from 12:00 to 1:00. After that, I will only be reachable via email or the class blog.
Material you should understand includes:
1. How political scientists explain differences between states and why they use states as a laboratory.
2. The three types of political culture.
3. The origins of federalism, including the choices the constitution writers faced.
4. The major events in the history of federalism, including court cases, amendments, etc.
5. Fiscal federalism, including types of grants, the role of conditions of aid, the changes made by Ronald Reagan, and why some states get more federal aid than others.
6. The general trends toward greater national control and marble cake federalism.
7. The role of regional bodies.
8. Dillon's Rule and Home Rule.
9. How interest groups are affected by the free rider problem, and why some interest groups are more likely to form than are others.
10. The reasons for the decline of political parties in the states.
11. The difficulties facing third parties and why they are sometimes able to overcome them.
12. Why some states have higher voter turnout than do others, and the ways in which states might try to raise turnout (including the article you read on incentives).
13. How the legislature has become more professionalized.
14. The role of committees in the legislature.
15. The role of norms in the legislature.
16. Cue voting.
17. The types of representation voters expect from legislators.
18. Gerrymandering, including when it is legal and when it is illegal.
19. The increasing power and competence of governors.
20. The line item veto, including its variations, arguments for and against it, and whether it works in the states.
21. Why governors have a harder time getting reelected than do other officials.
22. The reasons for the growth of bureaucracy.
23. The general characteristics of bureaucracy.
24. The problems and good points with bureaucracy.
25. The ways in which elected officials control bureaucracy.
26. The different methods for choosing judges, including their advantages and disadvantages.
27. The different structures for local government, including their advantages and disadvantages.
28. The difference between progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes, including which taxes fall into which categories, and why some states have less regressive tax systems than do others.
29. School choice, including arguments for and against it.
31. Equalization of school funding, including arguments for and against it.
32. Why higher education has a harder time getting funded than does elementary and secondary education (and why that is harder still in West Virginia).
33. The role of standardized testing in elementary and secondary education policy.
Ask questions, study hard, and good luck!.--NB
Ask questions, study hard, and good luck!.--NB
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Updated Grades!
Hi, everyone! I have just posted to eCampus::
1. Exam #3 grades (out of 15); there was a slight curve, but that's already figured in.
2. November blog grades: out of 6 from two different three point assignments due November 6 and November 18.
3. The number of points you've collected so far from the 3 exams (45 points), the 7 blog assignments (20 points), and the meeting observation paper (5 points). That column is entitled "Points Through December 1". It shows a maximum of 70 possible points, but it's really out of 65, as you still have the project reports (15 points) and the final exam (20 points) left to go (there's been extra credit all along, as you had a possible 20 points for the blog assignments, even though they were only worth 15; the total points for the course is 105). Thus, you can use this to figure out what you need for a particular grade. For instance, if you have 50 points so far, you can see that getting 30 out of 35 (86%) on the project and final exam combined will give you 80 points (and thus, a B-) for the course.
4. Another column entitled, "Percentage Through December 1". This one is your percentage grade to date, taking into account everything except the project and the final. Using, again, the example of the person with the 50 points so far, that person has a percentage grade so far of 76.32 (kind of a C/C+), which would explain why they need 30 out of 35 (86%) to pull the final grade up to a B-. When looking at this column, ignore the fact that it says the maximum is 999. That doesn't actually figure into the calculations at all; it's just me being clumsy with eCampus.
Please check these grades! There are close to 200 students in the class, and about 10 grades per student. I've undoubtedly made some errors (but I have really good email records). If you're missing credit for something you think you should have, just email me at berchnorto@msn.com, and we'll track it down (note that the estimated grades don't work if you still have a makeup to take). In particular, if you submitted a blog assignment via email instead of via the blog, you will need to remind me of that again so that I can give you credit. Again, though, nothing to worry about. It's all in the emails!
Finally, please note that project reports are due in class tomorrow (Monday), and for the umpteenth time, if you have multiple people in your group, you only need one report.
If you've got questions, just ask (either via email or after class on Monday). I really don't mind answering questions.--NB
1. Exam #3 grades (out of 15); there was a slight curve, but that's already figured in.
2. November blog grades: out of 6 from two different three point assignments due November 6 and November 18.
3. The number of points you've collected so far from the 3 exams (45 points), the 7 blog assignments (20 points), and the meeting observation paper (5 points). That column is entitled "Points Through December 1". It shows a maximum of 70 possible points, but it's really out of 65, as you still have the project reports (15 points) and the final exam (20 points) left to go (there's been extra credit all along, as you had a possible 20 points for the blog assignments, even though they were only worth 15; the total points for the course is 105). Thus, you can use this to figure out what you need for a particular grade. For instance, if you have 50 points so far, you can see that getting 30 out of 35 (86%) on the project and final exam combined will give you 80 points (and thus, a B-) for the course.
4. Another column entitled, "Percentage Through December 1". This one is your percentage grade to date, taking into account everything except the project and the final. Using, again, the example of the person with the 50 points so far, that person has a percentage grade so far of 76.32 (kind of a C/C+), which would explain why they need 30 out of 35 (86%) to pull the final grade up to a B-. When looking at this column, ignore the fact that it says the maximum is 999. That doesn't actually figure into the calculations at all; it's just me being clumsy with eCampus.
Please check these grades! There are close to 200 students in the class, and about 10 grades per student. I've undoubtedly made some errors (but I have really good email records). If you're missing credit for something you think you should have, just email me at berchnorto@msn.com, and we'll track it down (note that the estimated grades don't work if you still have a makeup to take). In particular, if you submitted a blog assignment via email instead of via the blog, you will need to remind me of that again so that I can give you credit. Again, though, nothing to worry about. It's all in the emails!
Finally, please note that project reports are due in class tomorrow (Monday), and for the umpteenth time, if you have multiple people in your group, you only need one report.
If you've got questions, just ask (either via email or after class on Monday). I really don't mind answering questions.--NB
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Review for Exam #3
Hi, everyone! This thread will serve as a review for exam #3 (I'll go over this review in class on Monday as well). Exam #3 takes place in class on Wednesday, November 20. It will be of similar format to exam #1 & exam #2. You simply need to bring pen and photo ID.
To prepare for the exam, you should read through the blog assignments on the choosing judges and the structure of local government. You should be familiar with my post, the articles I link to, and the comments of your colleagues. In terms of material covered in class, you should be familiar with all of the material on the courts and local government, (from the fourth set of lecture notes) tax policy (the fifth set of lecture notes), and education policy (the sixth set). All sets of lecture notes were distributed in class and are also on the blog. Specifically, from class, you should be familiar with:
1. the different methods for choosing judges, including their advantages and disadvantages.
2. the different structures for local government, including their advantages and disadvantages.
3. the different expectations that people have for local government.
4. how college towns are different from other cities.
5. the role of NIMBY and PPIMBY issues.
6. the difference between progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes, including which taxes fall into which categories, and why some states have less regressive tax systems than do others.
7. the arguments for and against school choice,
8. the arguments for and against the equalization of school funding between districts (counties, in many cases) and between states.
9. the arguments for and against the increased use of standardized testing.
10. the reasons why it is more difficult to fund higher education than elementary and secondary education,
I will have my usual office hours on Wednesday, in case you want to ask questions. You can also email them to me at the email address on the syllabus. Finally, you can use the comments section on this thread for questions. You'll then be able to ask your questions on the blog and read my answers to questions from other students in the class. Email and blog questions are due by 9 pm on Tuesday, November 19. Good luck!
To prepare for the exam, you should read through the blog assignments on the choosing judges and the structure of local government. You should be familiar with my post, the articles I link to, and the comments of your colleagues. In terms of material covered in class, you should be familiar with all of the material on the courts and local government, (from the fourth set of lecture notes) tax policy (the fifth set of lecture notes), and education policy (the sixth set). All sets of lecture notes were distributed in class and are also on the blog. Specifically, from class, you should be familiar with:
1. the different methods for choosing judges, including their advantages and disadvantages.
2. the different structures for local government, including their advantages and disadvantages.
3. the different expectations that people have for local government.
4. how college towns are different from other cities.
5. the role of NIMBY and PPIMBY issues.
6. the difference between progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes, including which taxes fall into which categories, and why some states have less regressive tax systems than do others.
7. the arguments for and against school choice,
8. the arguments for and against the equalization of school funding between districts (counties, in many cases) and between states.
9. the arguments for and against the increased use of standardized testing.
10. the reasons why it is more difficult to fund higher education than elementary and secondary education,
I will have my usual office hours on Wednesday, in case you want to ask questions. You can also email them to me at the email address on the syllabus. Finally, you can use the comments section on this thread for questions. You'll then be able to ask your questions on the blog and read my answers to questions from other students in the class. Email and blog questions are due by 9 pm on Tuesday, November 19. Good luck!
lecture notes #6
POLS 220
N BERCH
FALL 2013
Education Policy
I.
School Choice
a.
Works through voucher system—often includes
choice of public school and partial subsidy of private school
b.
Arguments for:
i.
Promotes innovation
ii.
Gives poor kids access to better schools—the rich
already have “school choice”
iii.
May bring about specialized schools that suit
individual students better
c.
Arguments against:
i.
Rural students wouldn’t benefit (some rural
areas can only support one school, no choice)
ii.
Raises cost of information about schools; rich
and more educated will make better picks.
iii.
Inclusion of parochial schools may raise 1st
amendment issues
iv.
Who pays transportation costs?
v.
Is specialization at such an early age a good
idea?
vi.
Could resegregate metropolitan schools
vii.
Test scores show mixed results
II.
Equalization of funding
a.
Arguments for:
i.
Legal:
some states have constitutions that require equal access to education,
but some districts within a state spend 2-3 as much per student as do others.
ii.
Moral:
should where you live affect the kind of education you get?
b.
Arguments against:
i.
If you are willing to spend more money to buy a
house and pay taxes in a good school district, why should you not be allowed to
do it?
ii.
Equalization plans generally lower the ceiling
rather than raise the floor.
c.
What about equalizing funding between
states? Is this different?
III.
Standardized testing
a.
Has increased dramatically due in part to No
Child Left Behind
b.
Mostly used to evaluate schools and teachers,
but now also being used to certify students for graduation
c.
Can provide measurements that help parents with
school choice
d.
Generally doesn’t compare cohorts of students
properly
e.
Teaching to the test
f.
Takes away from instructional time
g.
Cheating by schools and teachers
h.
Sometimes used to place students in tracks
IV.
Higher education funding
a.
Declining in many states
b.
Harder to justify to public and legislature
i.
Why subsidize when those who go to college
benefit financially?
ii.
Unlike elementary and secondary education, a
sizeable portion of the population (more in some states) doesn’t go to college
iii.
Of those who do, some go out-of-state or to
private colleges
iv.
People don’t want to subsidize out-of-state
students who come to their state for college.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Blog Assignment Due November 18
Reminders:
1. Exam #3 takes place in class on Wednesday, November 20. It will cover all material since exam #2, and it will have the same format as the previous exams. A review will posted over the weekend, and we will do a review session on Monday, November 18 (during class).
2. There will be no class on Friday, November 22, as I will be out of town on University business.
3. Please remember that your projects are due in class on Monday, December 2. Don't wait until the last minute!
4. Also, remember that the final exam for this class is Tuesday, December 17, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Believe me: I didn't pick that slot, but if I have to suffer with it, so do you!
Finally, on to the assignment (it's largely a gift). You can have two of the three points for this blog assignment just by signing your name by the deadline (Monday, November 18, at 1 pm). To get the third point, you need to ask a question about state and local government and/or politics that hasn't been answered yet in the class (you should not duplicate questions asked by colleagues who respond more quickly than you do). I will perhaps answer some of these on the blog and some of them during our review during the week of December 2. Good luck!--NB
1. Exam #3 takes place in class on Wednesday, November 20. It will cover all material since exam #2, and it will have the same format as the previous exams. A review will posted over the weekend, and we will do a review session on Monday, November 18 (during class).
2. There will be no class on Friday, November 22, as I will be out of town on University business.
3. Please remember that your projects are due in class on Monday, December 2. Don't wait until the last minute!
4. Also, remember that the final exam for this class is Tuesday, December 17, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Believe me: I didn't pick that slot, but if I have to suffer with it, so do you!
Finally, on to the assignment (it's largely a gift). You can have two of the three points for this blog assignment just by signing your name by the deadline (Monday, November 18, at 1 pm). To get the third point, you need to ask a question about state and local government and/or politics that hasn't been answered yet in the class (you should not duplicate questions asked by colleagues who respond more quickly than you do). I will perhaps answer some of these on the blog and some of them during our review during the week of December 2. Good luck!--NB
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