Connecting research, practice, and policy to create an evidenced-informed education system is a pressing challenge. While decades of research emphasize that "knowledge brokers" are essential to these linkages, their work remains largely invisible, unsupported, and under-defined. In response, the Education Knowledge Broker Network (EKBN) launched the State of the Field Survey, an initiative to identify, understand, and support the individuals and organizations performing this vital bridging work.
The State of the Field Survey is now open to all individuals engaging in knowledge mobilization, exchange, and translation within the education sector. Through the end of May, EKBN is calling on anyone who connects education research with practice or policy—including technical assistants, policy analysts, educators, education technologists, researchers, and consultants, among others —to participate in this survey. To learn more and to take the survey, visit EKBN’s website at https://ekbn.org/survey
Data from the survey will be used to create frameworks for professional growth and capacity building among knowledge brokers. “Our goal is to understand who knowledge brokers in education are and where they work,” says Dr. Katherine Philp, Director of EKBN, “so that we can better tailor professional development and resources to support the people who are driving evidence-informed change in our schools.”
“Few professionals hold the official title of ‘knowledge broker,’ and in education we rarely talk about what effective practices are, what skills are needed, and who is equipped to do that work. Yet knowledge brokers are the most crucial part of the evidence-practice connection - and without a way to hear their voice, we can’t support, strengthen, and leverage what they offer. This survey is a critical opportunity for the field,” says Dr. Elizabeth Farley-Ripple, Co-director of the Center for Research Use (CRUE) at the University of Delaware.
The Education Knowledge Broker Network is working to make knowledge brokering visible through the State of the Field Survey, as well as through their on-going professional learning programs and community of practice for knowledge brokers in education. Membership in the network is free: experienced and emerging knowledge brokers can join at www.ekbn.org to access events and opportunities.
The Education Knowledge Broker Network (EKBN) is a national network dedicated to connecting, supporting, and advancing the field of education knowledge brokering. EKBN builds community among knowledge brokers, develops and shares practical tools, and elevates the people and practices that promote meaningful, equitable use of evidence in education. Through professional learning opportunities, events, and collaborative spaces, EKBN strengthens the capacity of individuals and organizations across the knowledge-to-practice landscape. Learn more at ekbn.org.
