Fall 2006
Message from the President —From a perch well above the ground one can see long distances and view the world with greater perspective than at ground level. Twenty years ago I founded Hezel Associates working from the third floor of my home. Spartan but serene, the attic welcomed the southerly sun (good for winters in Syracuse). More...
Competition Grows but Opportunities Abound in International Higher Education Market —For many years now the U.S. has been an attractive target country for international students seeking degrees in another country. Depending on which report you are reading, though, things are either looking bleak or looking up for U.S. higher education institutions. Some say that the U.S. position as the first choice destination among college bound students who want to study abroad may be in jeopardy. More...
Tying Achievement To The Stakes —Commentary on “Political Backlash Builds Over High-Stakes Testing,” The Washington Post. The issue of high-stakes testing was a political platform recently in the Florida gubernatorial race. The outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush (R), as well as the Republican candidate Charlie Crist stood behind the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), while Democratic candidate Jim Davis tried to rally voters increasingly dissatisfied with the exam and the pressure it puts on students and teachers in the state. More...
Data-Based Decision Making Part II: Five Common Barriers to Using Data —Five years after the federal No Child Left Behind Act (2001) was signed into law, administrators and teachers have a plethora of available data on their students. Demographic information (e.g. gender, ethnicity), attendance patterns and course enrollment data complement the ever-present performance scores gathered from annual assessments recently implemented in most states. More...
Descriptive Statistics: Educational Service Agencies —Little research exists on the role of Educational Service Agencies in the provision of teacher professional development. How do ESAs deliver professional development to teachers and school districts? A Hezel Associates survey found out. More...
Broadening a Narrow View —Recently, the report by the Commission on the Future of Higher Education likens the education industry to railroads and steel manufacturers in its potential failure to respond to the changing world. The writers of the Commission report seem well versed in the late Theodore Levitt’s intellect. Levitt, former editor of Harvard Business Review and a respected scholar, explored in “Marketing Myopia,” the premise that the railroad industry failed to sustain its growth as a result of a myopic view of its own market. More...
Marketing Higher Ed Institutions via Google AdWords —This is the 2nd article in a 4-part series on Internet marketing best practices for higher education institutions. In the 1st article we explored some key ingredients of a web site presence that engages prospective students. In this article we’ll consider how to make prospective students aware of your institution and web site thru Google search engine advertising. More...
Hezel Associates Digest —Bryan D. Ford was recently promoted from project coordinator to research associate. In this new position, Ford will gain increased management responsibilities in the Research and Evaluation Department. More...
