The Inequitable Access of Knowledge: The Use of Federally Funded Intermediary Organizations as Knowledge Brokers

Abstract

This study explores the mechanisms through which intermediary organizations (IOs) shaped knowledge use during the development of states’ plans to reduce the inequitable distribution of excellent educators. Employing the conceptual framework of Campbell and Petersen’s “knowledge regimes,” this study uses methods of critical policy analysis to explore the organizational and operational machinery behind policy ideas. The first article explores the knowledge base promoted by the IOs and used in states’ plans. The second article explores the role of tools and resources developed by IOs to assist state education agencies. The third article describes the mechanisms used by IOs to support state education agencies and experiences of that support. Findings support the role of federally funded IOs in advancing policy ideas in line with tenets of new managerialism over other reforms like improving the conditions in which teachers work or emphasizing teacher professionalism and autonomy in the contested field of teacher quality.