Why a NIC? remains one of Carnegie’s most popular blog posts. Paul LeMahieu explains the power of networked improvement communities (NICs) as a scientific strategy for education research and development. NICs, through their rigorous use of improvement science tools and methodologies, are well suited for knowing “how to make a program work” reliably and across contexts. In addition, NICs help to organize collective effort in the address of complex problems. Serious investment in knowledge management helps with the spread and use of the knowledge about improvements generated within the NIC. NICs offer great promise for accelerating educators’ efforts to improve our nation’s schools. Read more here.