The activation of epistemological resources in epistemic communities: District educators' professional learning as policy enactment

This article argues that professional learning can be understood as a form of policy enactment, characterized by the activation of particular 'epistemological' resources within specific communities of shared understanding ('epistemic communities'). In making this case, we draw upon insights from district officials responsible for enacting a provincial assessment policy in Ontario, Canada. Our research suggests these senior educators' learning about assessment reform, particularly their strong advocacy for teacher learning for assessment reform, were epistemological resources developed within the specific, effective epistemic communities of which they had been a part, over time. Policy enactment is heavily influenced by student-centered school/cross-school/system communities.