A Tool to Assess and Compare Knowledge Mobilization Efforts of Faculties of Education, Research Brokering Organizations, Ministries of Education, and School Districts

There are few tools that exist to measure knowledge mobilization (KMb), the process of connecting research to policy and practice across diverse organizations and sectors. This article reports on a comparison of KMb efforts of 105 educational organizations: faculties of education (N = 21), research brokering organizations (N = 44), school districts (N = 14), and ministries of education (N = 26). This study used a tool that analyzed KMb efforts along two dimensions--research dissemination strategies (e.g., products, events, and networks) and research use indicators (e.g., different types of strategies, ease of use, accessibility, collaboration, and mission)--using data available on organizational websites. Findings show that research brokering organizations and faculties of education are producing stronger knowledge mobilization efforts than school districts and ministries of education; however, even faculties and research brokering organizations often have modest efforts. Most KMb efforts are product based, with network strategies usually being the weakest KMb strategy utilized.