Web Essay: Proposals, Drafts, Presentations, Revisions

Working solo or in pairs, students will propose and write a public web essay about an aspect of our seminar for broad audiences, to be assessed by guest evaluators and the instructor. Possible topics include:

A) A synthesis of our seminar’s research on any portion of our four projects, using qualitative and/or quantitative data from Connecticut:

1. How do school choice programs communicate with families?
2. What does public education data reveal—or obscure—about choice programs?
3. Did urban residents who received housing choice counseling move into better neighborhoods, and how is this goal defined?
4. How do low-income residents interpret their housing (and schooling) choices before and after using a digital search tool?

B) Policy recommendations drawn from our seminar’s research for any of the projects above, with a focus on specific policy actors or processes in our syllabus readings and resources.

C) An independent topic that is relevant to our syllabus and approved by the instructor.

This assignment is divided into stages with deadlines:

• Proposal due Wed April 22nd at 1pm, no more than 500 words in Google Docs, shared with jackdrty@gmail.com (for comments by instructor, worth 5 points)
• Full Draft due Sunday May 3rd at 6pm, no more than 2,500 words, plus digital elements, posted in WordPress category=web-essay-2015 (for comments and scores by guest evaluators, worth 15 points)
• Informal presentations of full drafts at May 6th class on projector (for discussion with guest evaluators and feedback for revisions, but no scores)
• Final Revisions due on Tues May 12th by 7pm, no more than 2,800 words in WordPress (for scores by instructor, worth 15 points)

Proposals should address these questions:

• What type of web essay do you intend to write? What is the core question it seeks to answer, or the central argument it seeks to make? Why does it matter?
• What are your next steps in working on the essay? (If working in a pair, identify responsibilities.) What sources have you identified or still need to gather? What digital elements do you envision to accompany the text? What help do you need from the seminar or the instructor to achieve your goals for this essay?

Web essays will be evaluated on these criteria:

1. Does the essay present a compelling argument and/or narrative about a significant aspect of choice in schooling and/or housing? Does it inspire the reader to think about this topic in new ways?
2. Are claims persuasively supported with appropriate evidence and is the reasoning well developed? Does the essay also consider counter-arguments or conflicting evidence?
3. Does the essay make effective use of the web format by blending text with appropriate digital elements (such as links, images, charts, maps, etc.)?
4. Is the essay organized and well written? Does it include sufficient background for audiences unfamiliar with the topic?
5. Does the essay cite all sources in an appropriate format, so that future readers may find them?

Web essays DRAFTS will appear below when posted for guest evaluators:

• Are Choice Schools Worth The Money?Hans How
• Are They True to Their Missions? An Examination of the Portrayal of Choice School Communities in the Hartford AreaEmma Kemler
• CTOCA Mobility App RedesignAngus Macdonald
• Finding the Flaws in Claims about School Choice: What Do We Really Know About School Choice and Student OutcomesLeib Sutcher
• No Choice in an “Open Choice” System: English Language Learners Underrepresented and Underfunded in Connecticut’s Choice SchoolsClaire Miller
• Redesigning the Open Communities Alliance Mobility App to Help Connecticut Residents Find Affordable HousingSG
• Reduced Isolation: An Examination of Integration in Magnet and Charter SchoolsJessica Carlson
• Still Separate and Still Unequal: Understanding Racial Segregation in Connecticut SchoolsAlix Liss
• The “Not So Dirty” Dozen, Plus a Few: Ways Hartford Magnet Schools Influence Student EnrollmentAlyssa Glanzer
• The Unspoken Demographics of Hartford-Area Magnet SchoolsRachel Unger

Web essay final versions will appear below when posted:

• Are Choice Schools Worth The Money?Hans How
• Better Choice? Try Better TransportationAli Felman
• English Language Learners Underrepresented in Connecticut’s Choice SchoolsClaire Miller
• Examining the Relationship between Communities of Hartford Choice Schools and Discussion of Student DemographicsEmma Kemler
• Finding the Flaws in Claims about School Choice: What Do We Really Know About School Choice and Student OutcomesLeib Sutcher
• Redesigning the Open Communities Alliance Housing Mobility App to Increase Ease of UseClaire Bradach
• Redesigning the Open Communities Alliance Mobility App to Help Connecticut Residents Find Affordable HousingSG
• Reduced Isolation: An Examination of Integration in Magnet and Charter SchoolsJessica Carlson
• Still Separate and Still Unequal: Understanding Racial Segregation in Connecticut SchoolsAlix Liss
• The “Not So Dirty” Dozen, Plus a Few: Ways Hartford Magnet Schools Influence Student EnrollmentAlyssa Glanzer
• The Invisible Demographics of Hartford-Area Magnet SchoolsRachel Unger