Educational Knowledge Brokerage and Mobilization: The Marshall Memo Case

• Main Authors: Joel R. Malin, Vijay Keshaorao Paralkar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Simon Fraser University 2017-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership
• Subjects: Knowledge mobilization; Brokerage; Mediation; Boundary crossing; Evidence use; research use
• Online Access: http://journals.sfu.ca/ijepl/index.php/ijepl/article/view/790/177

The importance of intermediation between communities primarily engaged in research production and those primarily engaged in practice is increasingly acknowledged, yet our understanding of the nature and influence of this work in education remains limited. Accordingly, this study utilizes case study methodology and aspires to understand the activities and signature product (the Marshall Memo) of a particularly influential mediator of current educational research, news, and ideas: Mr. Kim Marshall. The article also examines the memo’s meaning to subscribing educators. Data analyses suggest subscribers greatly appreciate several aspects of the memo, which was found to draw from a wide range of source material that varies in terms of its research centredness and its practical implications.