Business, K-12 and Higher Education Experts to Hold Knowledge Management Summit, Develop National Agenda to Meet Growing Information Needs

Key Leaders to Share Innovative Approaches that Strengthen
The Use of Information Across K-16 Organizations

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 10, 2002 – Administrators at K-12 schools and two- and four-year colleges and universities are increasingly faced with internal and external demands to provide results that meet accountability and assessment requirements from government agencies, accreditation boards, and the public. Many leaders at education institutions are seeking solutions through knowledge management strategies that provide an ongoing process for obtaining detailed and accurate answers about their efficiency, decision-making capacity, student success and achievement, and overall effectiveness.

To help administrators at K-16 institutions develop more effective approaches that make use of untapped data and information to improve decision-making, a group of 50 business and education experts will convene on Dec. 12-13, 2002 at the first Knowledge Management in Education Summit at the San Francisco State University, Downtown Conference Center.

“As education leaders grapple with a national agenda that requires them to become accountable for the outcome of their schools and universities, it’s important to help them find ways to identify, harness, and distill information pertinent to the success of their students,” according to Lisa Petrides, president and founder of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, a co-sponsor of the Summit along with the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley Knowledge Management (KM) Cluster.

“Schools, colleges and universities have poured millions into their information technology but they have not effectively integrated those technologies into shared decision-making processes to improve academics, operations, and planning,” Dr. Petrides says.

“Diffusion and assimilation of principles of knowledge management, electronic collaboration, and learning communities has been highly successful in many diverse global organizations. Now is the time to apply these principles to K-16 institutions,” says John Maloney, president and founder of the KM Cluster. “Drawing from the rapidly maturing discipline of knowledge management, educators, administrators, parents and above all, learners will enjoy fundamental advances in accountability, quality and assessment of the educational mission.”

The Summit will provide a forum for experts and thought leaders to share their knowledge management experiences in learning and instruction, assessment and quality standards, administration and management, and information management.

The presenters and participants at the Summit will come from a broad range of industry and education groups, including CEOs, senior administrators, researchers, teachers, and business managers representing schools and colleges from across the country; technology companies; and private foundations.

The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) is an education think tank committed to helping schools and colleges identify, distill, and harness information for institutional and student success. ISKME partners with K-16 institutions to transform their knowledge capital into more effective practices in learning and instruction, assessment and quality standards, administration and management, and information management. ISKME applies research to strengthen decision-making and the processes and technology required for building an infrastructure that maximizes information and knowledge across all levels of the organization.

The San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley Knowledge Management (KM) Cluster is a community of practice devoted to creating a common understanding, shared vision and focused action regarding applied knowledge management and electronic collaboration for business.

For more information about the Knowledge Management in Education Summit, go to the Summit’s Web site: http://www.kmcluster.com/Winter_2002_Agenda.htm.