Explore CREATEd

CREATEd – Collaboration, Research, Equity, and Action Together in Education – aims to improve equitable national educational opportunities and outcomes nationally by leveraging knowledge in the research and practice communities in ways that promote stronger, more equitable relationships among the two communities and ultimately improve the education system’s capacity for evidence-informed improvement.

Our Vision

Our vision at CREATEd is to foster a stronger education system that is driven by stronger relationships between research and practice and the belief that the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion lead to improved learning opportunities, environments, and outcomes for all.

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Our Mission

CREATEd encourages and supports the use of knowledge from research and practice communities as a tool for evidence-informed and equity-centered change within education systems. We achieve this by preparing knowledge brokers to support evidence-informed decision-making, facilitating the creation of a diverse network of knowledge brokers who are committed to educational equity, and providing opportunities for diverse constituencies to connect and partner to co-create evidence-informed and equity-centered resources.

Our Values and Assumptions

  • We conceptualize evidence broadly and value all forms of knowledge.
    We believe that research is an important form of evidence, but not the only one. Practitioner experience, community insight, and lived expertise are equally critical to understanding challenges and co-creating solutions that improve educational opportunities and outcomes.
  • Equity requires rethinking how research is produced, mobilized, and used.
    Substantial structural, relational, and cultural barriers limit the use of research evidence in practice. To be useful, we believe research must be generated and mobilized in ways that respond to the needs and interests of diverse constituencies, particularly those historically excluded from decision-making.
  • Advancing equity depends on meaningful engagement across difference.
    We are committed to inclusion, diversity, and equity in all aspects of our work. This includes fostering participation (inclusion), incorporating varied perspectives (diversity), and promoting just and fair outcomes (equity). Engaging diverse constituencies in the creation and use of evidence is essential to redressing inequities and transforming education systems.
  • Knowledge brokers are central to enabling this change.
    Knowledge brokers support equity-centered change by building trust, connecting communities, surfacing local needs, and promoting the exchange and use of evidence. Their work helps dismantle barriers to research use and fosters more reciprocal, inclusive, and impactful relationships between research and practice.
  • Networks and professional learning equip knowledge brokers to lead.
    We believe that sustained, equity-centered professional learning and strong networks of peers are essential for building knowledge brokers’ capacity, shared identity, and leadership. These structures help brokers learn key strategies—such as facilitation, design, and communication—and support their growth over time.
  • Knowledge brokers can use co-design as a strategy to promote equity and usability. We view co-design as a collaborative process that strengthens the relevance, accessibility, and legitimacy of evidence-informed resources. When used by knowledge brokers, co-design promotes shared ownership and more equitable relationships across research and practice communities.

CREATEd engages in a variety of interrelated initiatives to achieve its mission.

Co-Design Process

CREATEd’s co-design process engages a diverse team of researchers, practitioners, designers, and other stakeholders in the creation of research-informed, equity-centered resources.



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Fellowship


Our year-long fellowship for diverse members of the education community centered around knowledge brokering for educational equity. Fellows will engage in a curriculum that develops capacity in knowledge brokering work, including leading a co-design process.

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Network

As part of CREATEd, the Education Knowledge Broker Network has been formed to meet the needs of knowledge brokers who are connecting education research, evidence, and practice and building relationships among education practitioners, policymakers, and researchers.

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Support for this work is provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Delaware. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and should not be attributed to the foundation.