The Politics of Knowledge in Education Policy Making: A Comparative Study

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Politics, Public Participation, and the Varying Goals of Public Education

Abstract

This study investigates who produces knowledge, what types of knowledge are utilized, and how knowledge is translated in education policymaking, drawing on the cases of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in the U.S., the Renewal and Improvement Reform in Norway, and the 2015 Curriculum Reform in South Korea. In total, 4,001 texts, cited in expert reports prepared for the reforms, were used as data for the bibliometric network analysis. The results illustrate the national differences in policy agencies, actors, and networks, reflecting each country’s political contexts in regard to who has more access and resource and what types of information are considered to be legitimate. This study provides timely insights into the current debate on evidence-based policymaking in education.

Author

• Chanwoong Baek, University of Oslo