 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Knowledge Alliance (formerly known as NEKIA) was founded in 1997 as a non-profit, non-partisan
strategic alliance to address the increasingly urgent need to apply rigorous research to persistent
educational challenges facing our country's schools.
Composed of leading education organizations, Alliance members are involved in high-quality
education research, development, dissemination, technical assistance and evaluation at the federal,
regional, state, tribal, and local levels.
The Alliance works closely with the US Congress, US Department of Education and other federal
agencies in advocating knowledge-based policy for innovation and improvement in education.
Our Mission
Knowledge Alliance's mission is to improve k-12 education by widely expanding the development and
use of research-based knowledge in policy and practice.
We believe that the effective use of research-based knowledge is essential to increasing student achievement
and closing achievement gaps and should be a central organizing concept for the education reform efforts at
all levels. We envision a new knowledge era in education policy and practice that focuses on the effective use
of research-based knowledge to achieve successful and sustainable school improvement.
Our Guiding Principles
Knowledge Alliance's mission is guided by eight core principles to which all of our members
subscribe:
1. Provide leadership in transforming education to prepare young people for life, work, and
citizenship in the 21st Century. We pay special attention to students who traditionally have been
underserved due to race/ethnicity, poverty, first language, disability, or other factors.
2. Conduct and apply high quality research to identify and solve educational problems. We are
particularly concerned about finding answers to enduring dilemmas that demand new and innovative
solutions.
3. Advance research and development as the driver of change in education as it is in other arenas.
We educate policy makers, practitioners, and the general public about the need for research-based solutions
to educational problems.
4. Apply industry-accepted standards for research and evaluation methodology. We believe that the
research methods should be appropriate to the nature and scale of inquiries.
5. Involve stake holders in their work. We connect with other communities and individuals that are
interested in knowledge development and use, including those with new and different voices.
6. Assure both scientific rigor and relevance. We believe each are important in addressing educational
problems and enduring dilemmas.
7. Recognize that knowledge development is cumulative. We believe in the frequent review of findings
to confirm, build on, and refine what is currently known.
8. Transform research into practice. We are organizations that are flexible and adaptive to changing
contexts. We design tools, programs and services that put knowledge to use.
