The Role of Philanthropy in Science Education Standards Reform

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Considering Philanthropy's Influence on Educational Infrastructures (Table 9)

Abstract

The increasing role of philanthropy in education reform raises questions and concerns over the different strategies being used to influence education policy. The more studied, new philanthropies tend to be more actively involved in policy reform; however, the strategies they use can create reform failure. This project uses network ethnography and a comparative case study design to investigate how an established philanthropy contributed to two sets of successful science standards reform, how larger system changes may have influenced changes in the methods the philanthropy used, and implications for philanthropic involvement in the future. Data sources include interviews with major actors in each movement and document analysis of articles and reports pertaining to each movement.

Author

• Laura E. Pirkle Howd, Pennsylvania State University