And So It Begins

A campus comes alive each fall as the new crop of students arrives, determined to change themselves, the world, or possibly both. Flooded with good ideas and full of energy, they carefully select courses with an eye toward getting as much from the experience as they possibly can.

In a graduate school setting like ours, time is always of the essence, whether you are a one-year master’s candidate or a doctoral student facing three-to-five years — maybe more — of intensive study. Time is always valuable and limited, and the need to devour content and research never abates.

Usable Knowledge is designed with that critical time element in mind, providing a place for practitioners and policymakers to get information quickly, or to linger a bit longer when the occasion allows it. Whether the subject is how best to use your data, how to build family engagement, or how to improve college access, Usable Knowledge will work to inform, provoke, and catalyze thought, leading to a deeper understanding of what we need to do to change outcomes in a classroom, a school, a district, or even a state house.

To that end, the feedback of our readers will help to keep this site vibrant, lively, and relevant. Comment on our stories, let us know what might be missing, and — better yet — tell us what you want to see next.

Book Cover: Usable Knowledge: Social Science and Social Problem Solving by Charles E. Lindblom and David K. Cohen, Yale University Press, 1979.