TEACHING METHODS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVISITED

Methodology courses in MPA programs tend to be unpopular with students and professors alike. These same courses, however, prove to be among the most valuable when the student is completing the degree program or when the student becomes a practitioner of public administration. In this article, many of the most widely used learning models for methodology are critiqued. In addition, the authors make a case for the use of inquiry training techniques, arguing that they are most appropriate for both students and professor because of their environmental sensitivity.     

The sense and the nonsense of school effectiveness

Hanushek misinterprets the data on which he bases his conclusion and draws inappropriate policy implications from them. The goals of a school system affect how its resources are used. Educational goals are highly diverse. Accordingly, the measures of output used in Hanushek's studies are inappropriate. To develop more effective measures, the nature of the teaching and learning process must be much better understood. Fortunately, a solid beginning has already been made among specialists in education on that critical task; but more work is needed.