What We Do

Founded in 1971, Knowledge Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on dramatically improving K-12 public education by advocating for the widespread, effective use of research-based knowledge in policy and practice.

Knowledge Alliance is comprised of leading education organizations that share the belief that high-quality, relevant research is key to solving the biggest education problems facing our country today. Collectively we promote the use of rigorous research to figure out “what works,” and why, to improve student outcomes and then share those findings with policy-makers, practitioners and the general public.

research-illustration

We believe that education policy and funding decisions should be grounded in research-based evidence  – not on partisan or political interests.  We advocate for federal and state policies that are supported by a strong research-base.

At the same time, we also believe it is critical for research to be shared with educators on the front lines who are directly impacting student learning. Our expertise in applying research helps educators put research-based knowledge into practice in classrooms.

Advocacy

Knowledge Alliance strongly advocates for a vigorous and sustained federal investment in education research, development, and implementation.  Federally supported research and development programs enable policymakers to make informed, evidence-based decisions on program effectiveness, and allocating taxpayer resources to the most effective programs.  We believe federal support should focus on the following principles: improvement, implementation, and innovation, ensuring a robust, comprehensive system of support that helps states, districts and schools provide high-impact teaching and learning environments that lead to better results for all students.

Impact

Knowledge Alliance’s recent advocacy efforts have included following:

  • Led coalition to ensure the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes an evidence-based innovation fund.
  • Prevented unwarranted restrictions on education research in ESSA and other education bills.
  • Drove effort to reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) and ensure that House and Senate bills focused on rigor and relevance of education research.
  • Preserved funding for key federal programs supporting the creation and use of research-based evidence.
  • Pushed for inclusion of provisions encouraging the use of evidence in the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, the Child Care Development Block Grant and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.