Megan Tompkins-Stange | University of Michigan (original) (raw)
Papers by Megan Tompkins-Stange
Interest groups & Advocacy, Sep 14, 2018
We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the co... more We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the context of a broader policy network. Our case focuses on the development of policy related to teacher quality-a field involving academic research, think tank involvement, and interest group participation. We conduct discourse network analysis of testimony from 175 Congressional hearings from 2003 to 2015 to examine network ties based on shared policy preferences expressed in hearings, which were used to create networks linking policy actors via shared policy preferences. We also conducted 51 interviews with funders, grantees, and policymakers involved in the policy debate over teacher quality. We examine the spread of a key policy reform promoted by several large foundations, particularly the Gates Foundation: test score-based evaluation of teachers, with a focus on valueadded evaluations. We show that expert witnesses in hearings who were funded by foundations shared policy preferences with regard to teacher evaluation at a statistically significant level, compared to non-grantees. We find that a group of major national foundations were sponsors of the advocacy groups that were central in Congressional hearings. We show that these funders were acting as policy entrepreneurs-strategically promoting the spread of favored ideas to encourage uptake by policymakers.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Apr 5, 2021
Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite inter... more Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite interviews, we show how the political economy of knowledge production influences idea uptake in education policy discourse. We develop and assess a conceptual framework showing the organizational and financial infrastructure that links research, ideas, and advocacy in politics. We find that congressional hearing witnesses representing groups that received philanthropic grants are more likely to support teacher evaluation policies, but specific mentions of research in testimony are not a factor. Overall, our study shows that funders and advocacy groups emphasized rapid uptake of ideas to reform teacher evaluation, which effectively influenced policymakers but limited the use of research in teacher evaluation policy discourse.
Research in the sociology of organizations, Dec 16, 2016
Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Th... more Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Their influence stems in part from their lack of accountability – they operate free from market pressures or finding sources of funding, and they are not subject to formal democratic systems of checks and balances such as elections or mandatory community oversight. In recent decades, foundations have become increasingly influential in shaping public policy governing core social services. In US education policy, for example, the influence of private foundations has reached an unprecedented scope and scale. Although economic and electoral accountability mechanisms are absent, foundations are aware that their elite status is rooted in a wider acceptance of their image as promoters of the public good. They are incentivized to maintain their role as “white hat” actors and, in balancing their policy goals with the desire to avoid social sanctions, the ways in which they exert influence are shaped and limited by institutional processes. Drawing on rare elite interview data and archival analyses from five leading education funders, we observe that foundations seek to sustain their credibility by complying with legal regulations and by drawing on cultural norms of participation and science to legitimize their policy activities.
For 50 years, Fondation de France has pursued a democratic ideal of philanthropy based on diverse... more For 50 years, Fondation de France has pursued a democratic ideal of philanthropy based on diverse funding sources, inclusive governance, and community empowerment. <em>A <strong>Case Study </strong>from the <strong>Spring 2020</strong> issue.</em>
Forthcoming in "The New Education Philanthropy," eds. Frederick Hess & ... more Forthcoming in "The New Education Philanthropy," eds. Frederick Hess & Jeffrey Henig (Harvard Education Press)
Interest Groups & Advocacy, 2018
We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the co... more We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the context of a broader policy network. Our case focuses on the development of policy related to teacher quality—a field involving academic research, think tank involvement, and interest group participation. We conduct discourse network analysis of testimony from 175 Congressional hearings from 2003 to 2015 to examine network ties based on shared policy preferences expressed in hearings, which were used to create networks linking policy actors via shared policy preferences. We also conducted 51 interviews with funders, grantees, and policymakers involved in the policy debate over teacher quality. We examine the spread of a key policy reform promoted by several large foundations, particularly the Gates Foundation: test score-based evaluation of teachers, with a focus on value-added evaluations. We show that expert witnesses in hearings who were funded by foundations shared policy preferences with regard to teacher evaluation at a statistically significant level, compared to non-grantees. We find that a group of major national foundations were sponsors of the advocacy groups that were central in Congressional hearings. We show that these funders were acting as policy entrepreneurs—strategically promoting the spread of favored ideas to encourage uptake by policymakers.
Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, 2019
Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 2016
Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Th... more Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Their influence stems in part from their lack of accountability – they operate free from market pressures or finding sources of funding, and they are not subject to formal democratic systems of checks and balances such as elections or mandatory community oversight. In recent decades, foundations have become increasingly influential in shaping public policy governing core social services. In US education policy, for example, the influence of private foundations has reached an unprecedented scope and scale. Although economic and electoral accountability mechanisms are absent, foundations are aware that their elite status is rooted in a wider acceptance of their image as promoters of the public good. They are incentivized to maintain their role as “white hat” actors and, in balancing their policy goals with the desire to avoid social sanctions, the ways in which they exert influence are shaped and limited by institutional processes. Drawing on rare elite interview data and archival analyses from five leading education funders, we observe that foundations seek to sustain their credibility by complying with legal regulations and by drawing on cultural norms of participation and science to legitimize their policy activities.
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2013
Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily... more Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily focused on the impact of foundations’ financial resources. Few scholars have analyzed how foundations also leverage social mechanisms to advance and legitimate desired change. We conceptualize philanthropic foundations as agents of change known as institutional entrepreneurs to illuminate the social mechanisms they employ in pursuit of institutional change. We study the case of charter schools within the field of U.S. public education, where foundations elevated a new organizational form—the charter management organization—by engaging in three social mechanisms: recombining cultural elements to establish the form, enforcing evaluative frameworks to assess the form, and sponsoring new professionals to populate the form with preferred expertise. We argue that foundations are distinctive due to their ability to simultaneously pursue social mechanisms that are often considered to be the rea...
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2021
Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite inter... more Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite interviews, we show how the political economy of knowledge production influences idea uptake in education policy discourse. We develop and assess a conceptual framework showing the organizational and financial infrastructure that links research, ideas, and advocacy in politics. We find that congressional hearing witnesses representing groups that received philanthropic grants are more likely to support teacher evaluation policies, but specific mentions of research in testimony are not a factor. Overall, our study shows that funders and advocacy groups emphasized rapid uptake of ideas to reform teacher evaluation, which effectively influenced policymakers but limited the use of research in teacher evaluation policy discourse.
Interest Groups and Advocacy, 2018
We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the co... more We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the context of a broader policy network. Our case focuses on the development of policy related to teacher quality—a field involving academic research, think tank involvement, and interest group participation. We conduct discourse network analysis of testimony from 175 Congressional hearings from 2003 to 2015 to examine network ties based on shared policy preferences expressed in hearings, which were used to create networks linking policy actors via shared policy preferences. We also conducted 51 interviews with funders, grantees, and policy-makers involved in the policy debate over teacher quality. We examine the spread of a key policy reform promoted by several large foundations, particularly the Gates Foundation: test score-based evaluation of teachers, with a focus on value-added evaluations. We show that expert witnesses in hearings who were funded by foundations shared policy preferences with regard to teacher evaluation at a statistically significant level, compared to non-grantees. We find that a group of major national foundations were sponsors of the advocacy groups that were central in Congressional hearings. We show that these funders were acting as policy entrepre-neurs—strategically promoting the spread of favored ideas to encourage uptake by policymakers.
Private foundations in the United States (US) are powerful actors in contemporary society. Their... more Private foundations in the United States (US) are powerful actors in contemporary
society. Their influence stems in part from their lack of accountability – they operate free from
market pressures or finding sources of funding, and they are not subject to formal democratic
systems of checks and balances such as elections or mandatory community oversight. In recent
decades, foundations have become increasingly influential in shaping public policy governing
core social services. In US education policy, for example, the influence of private foundations
has reached an unprecedented scope and scale. Although economic and electoral accountability
mechanisms are absent, foundations are aware that their elite status is rooted in a wider
acceptance of their image as promoters of the public good. They are incentivized to maintain
their role as “white hat” actors and, in balancing their policy goals with the desire to avoid social
sanctions, the ways in which they exert influence are shaped and limited by institutional
processes. Drawing on rare elite interview data and archival analyses from five leading education
funders, we observe that foundations seek to sustain their credibility by complying with legal
regulations and by drawing on cultural norms of participation and science to legitimize their
policy activities.
Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily... more Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily focused on the impact of foundations' financial resources. Few scholars have analyzed how foundations also leverage social mechanisms to advance and legitimate desired change. We conceptualize philanthropic foundations as agents of change known as institutional entrepreneurs to illuminate the social mechanisms they employ in pursuit of institutional change. We study the case of charter schools within the field of U.S. public education, where foundations elevated a new organizational formthe charter management organization-by engaging in three social mechanisms: recombining cultural elements to establish the form, enforcing evaluative frameworks to assess the form, and sponsoring new professionals to populate the form with preferred expertise. We argue that foundations are distinctive due to their ability to simultaneously pursue social mechanisms that are often considered to be the realms of different types of institutional entrepreneurs.
Harv. JL & Gender, Jan 1, 2007
Book Reviews by Megan Tompkins-Stange
Review of Samuel Abrams' book, Education and the Commercial Mindset (Harvard University Press, 20... more Review of Samuel Abrams' book, Education and the Commercial Mindset (Harvard University Press, 2016), for Teachers College Record.
Books by Megan Tompkins-Stange
Policy Patrons offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of decision making inside four influential ed... more Policy Patrons offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of decision making inside four influential education philanthropies: the Ford Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. The outcome is an intriguing, thought-provoking look at the impact of current philanthropic efforts on education. Over a period of several years, Megan E. Tompkins-Stange gained the trust of key players and outside observers of these four organizations. Through a series of confidential interviews, she began to explore the values, ideas, and beliefs that inform these foundations' strategies and practices. The picture that emerges reveals important differences in the strategies and values of the more established foundations vis-à-vis the newer, more activist foundations—differences that have a significant impact on education policy and practice, and have important implications for democratic decision making. In recent years, the philanthropic sector has played an increasing role in championing and financing education reform. Policy Patrons makes an original and invaluable contribution to contemporary discussions about the appropriate role of foundations in public policy and the future direction of education reform.
Interest groups & Advocacy, Sep 14, 2018
We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the co... more We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the context of a broader policy network. Our case focuses on the development of policy related to teacher quality-a field involving academic research, think tank involvement, and interest group participation. We conduct discourse network analysis of testimony from 175 Congressional hearings from 2003 to 2015 to examine network ties based on shared policy preferences expressed in hearings, which were used to create networks linking policy actors via shared policy preferences. We also conducted 51 interviews with funders, grantees, and policymakers involved in the policy debate over teacher quality. We examine the spread of a key policy reform promoted by several large foundations, particularly the Gates Foundation: test score-based evaluation of teachers, with a focus on valueadded evaluations. We show that expert witnesses in hearings who were funded by foundations shared policy preferences with regard to teacher evaluation at a statistically significant level, compared to non-grantees. We find that a group of major national foundations were sponsors of the advocacy groups that were central in Congressional hearings. We show that these funders were acting as policy entrepreneurs-strategically promoting the spread of favored ideas to encourage uptake by policymakers.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Apr 5, 2021
Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite inter... more Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite interviews, we show how the political economy of knowledge production influences idea uptake in education policy discourse. We develop and assess a conceptual framework showing the organizational and financial infrastructure that links research, ideas, and advocacy in politics. We find that congressional hearing witnesses representing groups that received philanthropic grants are more likely to support teacher evaluation policies, but specific mentions of research in testimony are not a factor. Overall, our study shows that funders and advocacy groups emphasized rapid uptake of ideas to reform teacher evaluation, which effectively influenced policymakers but limited the use of research in teacher evaluation policy discourse.
Research in the sociology of organizations, Dec 16, 2016
Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Th... more Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Their influence stems in part from their lack of accountability – they operate free from market pressures or finding sources of funding, and they are not subject to formal democratic systems of checks and balances such as elections or mandatory community oversight. In recent decades, foundations have become increasingly influential in shaping public policy governing core social services. In US education policy, for example, the influence of private foundations has reached an unprecedented scope and scale. Although economic and electoral accountability mechanisms are absent, foundations are aware that their elite status is rooted in a wider acceptance of their image as promoters of the public good. They are incentivized to maintain their role as “white hat” actors and, in balancing their policy goals with the desire to avoid social sanctions, the ways in which they exert influence are shaped and limited by institutional processes. Drawing on rare elite interview data and archival analyses from five leading education funders, we observe that foundations seek to sustain their credibility by complying with legal regulations and by drawing on cultural norms of participation and science to legitimize their policy activities.
For 50 years, Fondation de France has pursued a democratic ideal of philanthropy based on diverse... more For 50 years, Fondation de France has pursued a democratic ideal of philanthropy based on diverse funding sources, inclusive governance, and community empowerment. <em>A <strong>Case Study </strong>from the <strong>Spring 2020</strong> issue.</em>
Forthcoming in "The New Education Philanthropy," eds. Frederick Hess & ... more Forthcoming in "The New Education Philanthropy," eds. Frederick Hess & Jeffrey Henig (Harvard Education Press)
Interest Groups & Advocacy, 2018
We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the co... more We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the context of a broader policy network. Our case focuses on the development of policy related to teacher quality—a field involving academic research, think tank involvement, and interest group participation. We conduct discourse network analysis of testimony from 175 Congressional hearings from 2003 to 2015 to examine network ties based on shared policy preferences expressed in hearings, which were used to create networks linking policy actors via shared policy preferences. We also conducted 51 interviews with funders, grantees, and policymakers involved in the policy debate over teacher quality. We examine the spread of a key policy reform promoted by several large foundations, particularly the Gates Foundation: test score-based evaluation of teachers, with a focus on value-added evaluations. We show that expert witnesses in hearings who were funded by foundations shared policy preferences with regard to teacher evaluation at a statistically significant level, compared to non-grantees. We find that a group of major national foundations were sponsors of the advocacy groups that were central in Congressional hearings. We show that these funders were acting as policy entrepreneurs—strategically promoting the spread of favored ideas to encourage uptake by policymakers.
Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, 2019
Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 2016
Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Th... more Abstract Private foundations in the United States are powerful actors in contemporary society. Their influence stems in part from their lack of accountability – they operate free from market pressures or finding sources of funding, and they are not subject to formal democratic systems of checks and balances such as elections or mandatory community oversight. In recent decades, foundations have become increasingly influential in shaping public policy governing core social services. In US education policy, for example, the influence of private foundations has reached an unprecedented scope and scale. Although economic and electoral accountability mechanisms are absent, foundations are aware that their elite status is rooted in a wider acceptance of their image as promoters of the public good. They are incentivized to maintain their role as “white hat” actors and, in balancing their policy goals with the desire to avoid social sanctions, the ways in which they exert influence are shaped and limited by institutional processes. Drawing on rare elite interview data and archival analyses from five leading education funders, we observe that foundations seek to sustain their credibility by complying with legal regulations and by drawing on cultural norms of participation and science to legitimize their policy activities.
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2013
Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily... more Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily focused on the impact of foundations’ financial resources. Few scholars have analyzed how foundations also leverage social mechanisms to advance and legitimate desired change. We conceptualize philanthropic foundations as agents of change known as institutional entrepreneurs to illuminate the social mechanisms they employ in pursuit of institutional change. We study the case of charter schools within the field of U.S. public education, where foundations elevated a new organizational form—the charter management organization—by engaging in three social mechanisms: recombining cultural elements to establish the form, enforcing evaluative frameworks to assess the form, and sponsoring new professionals to populate the form with preferred expertise. We argue that foundations are distinctive due to their ability to simultaneously pursue social mechanisms that are often considered to be the rea...
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2021
Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite inter... more Using congressional testimony on teacher quality from 2003 to 2015 and analysis of 60 elite interviews, we show how the political economy of knowledge production influences idea uptake in education policy discourse. We develop and assess a conceptual framework showing the organizational and financial infrastructure that links research, ideas, and advocacy in politics. We find that congressional hearing witnesses representing groups that received philanthropic grants are more likely to support teacher evaluation policies, but specific mentions of research in testimony are not a factor. Overall, our study shows that funders and advocacy groups emphasized rapid uptake of ideas to reform teacher evaluation, which effectively influenced policymakers but limited the use of research in teacher evaluation policy discourse.
Interest Groups and Advocacy, 2018
We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the co... more We examine the spread and influence of ideas supported by philanthropic foundations within the context of a broader policy network. Our case focuses on the development of policy related to teacher quality—a field involving academic research, think tank involvement, and interest group participation. We conduct discourse network analysis of testimony from 175 Congressional hearings from 2003 to 2015 to examine network ties based on shared policy preferences expressed in hearings, which were used to create networks linking policy actors via shared policy preferences. We also conducted 51 interviews with funders, grantees, and policy-makers involved in the policy debate over teacher quality. We examine the spread of a key policy reform promoted by several large foundations, particularly the Gates Foundation: test score-based evaluation of teachers, with a focus on value-added evaluations. We show that expert witnesses in hearings who were funded by foundations shared policy preferences with regard to teacher evaluation at a statistically significant level, compared to non-grantees. We find that a group of major national foundations were sponsors of the advocacy groups that were central in Congressional hearings. We show that these funders were acting as policy entrepre-neurs—strategically promoting the spread of favored ideas to encourage uptake by policymakers.
Private foundations in the United States (US) are powerful actors in contemporary society. Their... more Private foundations in the United States (US) are powerful actors in contemporary
society. Their influence stems in part from their lack of accountability – they operate free from
market pressures or finding sources of funding, and they are not subject to formal democratic
systems of checks and balances such as elections or mandatory community oversight. In recent
decades, foundations have become increasingly influential in shaping public policy governing
core social services. In US education policy, for example, the influence of private foundations
has reached an unprecedented scope and scale. Although economic and electoral accountability
mechanisms are absent, foundations are aware that their elite status is rooted in a wider
acceptance of their image as promoters of the public good. They are incentivized to maintain
their role as “white hat” actors and, in balancing their policy goals with the desire to avoid social
sanctions, the ways in which they exert influence are shaped and limited by institutional
processes. Drawing on rare elite interview data and archival analyses from five leading education
funders, we observe that foundations seek to sustain their credibility by complying with legal
regulations and by drawing on cultural norms of participation and science to legitimize their
policy activities.
Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily... more Studies examining the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing social change have primarily focused on the impact of foundations' financial resources. Few scholars have analyzed how foundations also leverage social mechanisms to advance and legitimate desired change. We conceptualize philanthropic foundations as agents of change known as institutional entrepreneurs to illuminate the social mechanisms they employ in pursuit of institutional change. We study the case of charter schools within the field of U.S. public education, where foundations elevated a new organizational formthe charter management organization-by engaging in three social mechanisms: recombining cultural elements to establish the form, enforcing evaluative frameworks to assess the form, and sponsoring new professionals to populate the form with preferred expertise. We argue that foundations are distinctive due to their ability to simultaneously pursue social mechanisms that are often considered to be the realms of different types of institutional entrepreneurs.
Harv. JL & Gender, Jan 1, 2007
Review of Samuel Abrams' book, Education and the Commercial Mindset (Harvard University Press, 20... more Review of Samuel Abrams' book, Education and the Commercial Mindset (Harvard University Press, 2016), for Teachers College Record.
Policy Patrons offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of decision making inside four influential ed... more Policy Patrons offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of decision making inside four influential education philanthropies: the Ford Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. The outcome is an intriguing, thought-provoking look at the impact of current philanthropic efforts on education. Over a period of several years, Megan E. Tompkins-Stange gained the trust of key players and outside observers of these four organizations. Through a series of confidential interviews, she began to explore the values, ideas, and beliefs that inform these foundations' strategies and practices. The picture that emerges reveals important differences in the strategies and values of the more established foundations vis-à-vis the newer, more activist foundations—differences that have a significant impact on education policy and practice, and have important implications for democratic decision making. In recent years, the philanthropic sector has played an increasing role in championing and financing education reform. Policy Patrons makes an original and invaluable contribution to contemporary discussions about the appropriate role of foundations in public policy and the future direction of education reform.