Congressional Research Service Reports During the 115th U.S. Congress: Who Is Informing Federal Education Policy Making?

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: The Influences of Public Debate and Policy Narratives in Education

Abstract

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a nonpartisan think tank for Congress physically and structurally located within the Library of Congress. Despite serving as a critical information provider to actors influencing federal policy, CRS documents, which are a key mechanism of information dissemination and influence by the organization, only became widely available to the public following the adoption of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. This study uses content and network analysis to examine CRS’s education-related reports from the 115th Congress to explore what sources are directly and indirectly informing federal policymaking via CRS reports. Findings offer insights into the research utilization process in the federal policy process and contribute to the growing literature on intermediary organizations and knowledge brokering.

Authors

• Paul G. Rubin, University of Utah

• Jenn Ayscue, North Carolina State University

• Elizabeth Uzzell, North Carolina State University