Getting into Oxford?

[misterwhy]

I'm narrowing my list of PhD programs to apply to this fall (intending to enter fall 2013) and have developed a burning desire to do this next phase of graduate work at Oxford. I don't know anyone who has gotten into UK programs, and I'd appreciate some advice. I'll explain what feels like relevant professional background and research interests. I'd be grateful for insight as to how my credentials may position me as an applicant at Oxford. I've also got Stanford and WashU on my list right now.

Professional Qualifications

• I've been a classroom teacher (history/social studies) for seven years. Five of those have been at an independent (private) school, and I was a founding faculty member at that school. I've developed curriculum and held a variety of leadership positions at the school.
• I just finished my M.Ed in Teacher Leadership last week and will be presenting my work in a solo session at the school's summer institute next week.
• I am currently co-authoring a book with a professor I've worked with before. It's for the National Council of Teachers of English and their Policy in Practice series, focused on "real-world literacies." It is due in December and will go through peer-review before coming out next summer. I will be listed as a co-author.
• Presented a two-week seminar in Paderborn, Germany in April/May 2011 entitled "Finding Freedom Through Structure: Designing Curricula for Engagement and Understanding.
• Spoke on a panel at NCTE's national conference this past November in Chicago.
• Strong recommendations from my advisor, the Head of School from my current place of employment, and the professor I'm working with on the book.
• Undergrad: 3.54 GPA from St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM/Annapolis, MD. Haven't taken the GREs yet, intend to do so this summer.
  
  Interests
  • Broadly, I'm interested in teacher education, the culture of schools, and the sociology of education. More specifically, I'm interested in what happens when mid to late career teachers attempt to change the way they teach, how to make those changes sustainable/lasting, and what factors (classroom and institutional) help/hinder that professional growth.
  • My M.Ed work was an action-research case study of myself and my own students on essentially this same topic, and the seminar in Germany was for pre-service teachers but on essentially the same stuff. The book we're working on is also related topically.
  • Ideally I'd like to conduct ethnographic research using three case studies.
    • One would be at a network of charter schools in California focused on some truly progressive educational ideas. They support their teachers well from the top down and have instituted some very interesting professional-development models.
    • The second would be at a school in the UK that is dipping its toes into school reform and project-based learning, but neither the teachers nor the administrators have jumped in fully.
    • The third would look at teachers in Nairobi, Kenya who will participate in a pilot program using mobile phones as a tool to facilitate professional development/growth.
    • I have connections at all three institutions already.
    • I'd like to do comparative work looking at teachers/students/administrators at these three sites. My own M.Ed research identified some interesting cyclical relationships between teacher/student behavior and change in educational practice, and I'd like to explore these ideas further. Ultimately I'd hope to translate that work into further research, writing, and advising on professional development for teachers.

  Why Oxford?

  [*]They have a research group focused on Higher Education and Professional Development. The program also looks at evaluation practices, which is a core part of making change stick. The international focus I want would be facilitated by a non-US institution.

  [*]Because I have clear interests and seek an overseas education, I feel like Oxford is a great fit. They have faculty working in the areas I'm interested in.

  Anyone have any thoughts, advice, opinions, etc?

[edgirl]

Isn't Oxford's research group dedicated to higher ed issues? I don't see how that's relevant to your work.

[misterwhy]

The research group does say "the group has a common set of interests in...teaching and learning...organisational change, and the politics of education reform" as well as "innovation in teaching and learning" as a particular area of interest.

That said, the Teacher Education research group is probably a more likely fit. They have some work directly related to what I'm interested in. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

Edited June 20, 2012 by misterwhy

[Jimmy McNulty]

Don't forget to look at the Institute of Education in London, they may have something that fits your needs. They are just as good as Oxford.

[misterwhy]

Don't forget to look at the Institute of Education in London, they may have something that fits your needs. They are just as good as Oxford.

Thanks!

[2400]

Are you in contact with any potential supervisors at Oxford? If not, I recommend getting in touch with one or two professors (the department of ed assigns students two supervisors) to get a better idea if you would be a good fit. Is there anyone in higher ed who does ethnography? If you have identified one or two profs, I would also recommend getting in touch with their advisees and ask about their experience studying at Oxford under the professor you have in mind. Your experience at Oxford really depends on your supervisor and finding the right fit - its also important to make sure your potential supervisor has students who move through the program and graduate somewhat on time. The program at Oxford is very research focused with the first two terms being coursework and after that your primary interaction with the department is usually meetings with your supervisor (though there are lectures throughout the academic year). You might also want to contact someone associated with the research group. Find out how active the group is and how often they meet and hold lectures. I don't know anything about that particular research group but I do know there are some that are less active than others. So, if the activity of the research group is one of your deciding factors, definitely inquire more about the group.

Another thing to think about - you probably have to submit a research proposal as part of your application to Oxford. You might want to think more about how your proposed project could be completed in approximately three years. You mention doing ethnographic research in three different countries. If most of the first year at Oxford is coursework and your proposal is due at the end of the first year, this leaves a relatively short amount of time for fieldwork if you intend to submit your confirmation of status by the end of the second year (this would be two chapters, one being a chapter of 'findings'). This is just something to think about as you get your application together - but could you realistically do three case study ethnographies given this rough time frame (especially since one case study involves a network of charter schools)? I think it would add strength to your application if you can show that you have a project that can be completed within the time frame of the phd and have also identified potential superivors who match well with your project and methodology.

I also recommend looking into IOE - it is also a good option. Cambridge has a good dept of ed as well and would be worth looking into (Camb also offers the gates scholarship).

Edited August 1, 2012 by 2400