Shadow Elites of Teacher Education Reforms: Nonprofit Actors' Construction of Accountability Regimes

• In Event: Engagement of Policy Actors in Teacher Education

Abstract

Even though Congress rescinded federal teacher preparation regulations in 2017, different states have introduced new accountability systems under the influence of various nonprofit organizations (Cochran-Smith et al., 2018; Floden, 2018). To examine how nonprofit actors accomplish this agenda, this paper draws on Wedel’s (2009) conceptual framework of flex nets. Utilizing the tools of network ethnography and social network analysis, this paper demonstrates that nonprofit actors’ success rests on their ability to operate as collectives of policy actors who pursue a shared vision, draws on similar tools, and share resources in their networks. The significance of this paper lies in demonstrating both the relationships that facilitate the spread of accountability systems and how those systems support growing privatization of teacher education.

Author

• Elena Aydarova, Auburn University