Comparative Perspectives on Dissemination and Knowledge Use Policies

This article argues that because the U.S. dissemination system in education is based on a research-driven rather than a user-focused model, the system has frequently seemed unresponsive to organizational improvement needs that have arisen from the field. Development of this bias has been exacerbated by political, organizational, and programmatic thrusts in federal agencies. In contrast, dissemination systems in the Netherlands and Denmark have achieved a different balance of support for locally and centrally initiated improvements. An examination of systems in other countries can provide useful models for adapting the U.S. system to current needs.