Ministry of Education Announces Knowledge Network Partnership with U of T and U of Western Ontario to Better Support Ontario’s Students and Teachers

February 15, 2011

On February 10, the Ministry of Education announced a unique partnership for the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) with the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Education to establish the Knowledge Network for Applied Education Research (KNAER).

“This is a great opportunity for education” says Professor Julia O'Sullivan, Dean of OISE. “At OISE, we are thrilled to be involved in this initiative with the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Education. The creation of the Knowledge Network for Applied Education Research will stimulate collaborations that will benefit all of us, most importantly Ontario’s students.”

KNAER will play an important role in improving education policy and practice through the development of research that supports effective methods of teaching which will help improve student achievement, reduce performance gaps, and build public confidence in public education.

Researchers working with KNAER will help the Ministry achieve its goals of having 75 per cent of Ontario elementary school students achieve the provincial standard in reading, writing and mathematics, and 85 per cent of high school students graduate in a timely manner.

OISE Professor and Canada Research Chair, Ben Levin, will lead KNAER as its Director. “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Ministry and the University of Western Ontario on this important project. We hope for very wide involvement from all Ontario partners, including, school boards, universities and local and provincial organizations” says Levin.

Professor Levin and his research team have already begun work on two projects. The first entitled, Research Brokering in Education (RBE) aims to identify and promote effective strategies for accessing and applying educational research. The second, the Ontario Education Research Exchange (OERE), is an online hub that facilitates the exchange of advanced applied knowledge between researchers, practitioners, policy makers and educational organizations across Ontario.

For more information about KNAER, visit: www.knaer-recrae.ca