Over the last 20 years, state education agencies (SEAs) have been given considerably more responsibilities for directing and guiding the improvement of low-performing schools. At the same time, federal policies strongly pressed SEAs to use research to design these supports. Very few studies have explored the SEA as an organization, or its role in accessing and using research. Likewise, few, if any, have studied the role of social networks in the organization and flow of information in SEAs. This exploratory study was designed to fill those gaps by examining where and how a purposive sample of three SEAs searched for, incorporated, and used research and other types of knowledge to design, implement, and refine state school improvement policies, programs and practices. The report includes an appendix that lists tables and figures: Table 1.1 List of Major Codes; Table 1.2 Survey Coverage and Response Rates, by State and Knowledge Network; Table 1.3 Trust and Efficacy Questions; Table 1.4 Calculation of Strength of Network Connections; Table 3.1 Number and Strength of Within and Across SEA Ties and Ties to External Organizations, by Network and State; Table 5.1 Average Strength* of Connections;, Table 5.2 Number and Percent of External Mentions, by Organizational Sector, Knowledge Network, and State; Table 5.3 Number and Percent of Federal Government Mentions for Research Knowledge, by Source and State; Table 5.4 Professional Membership Organizations, by Level, Type, and State; Table 5.5 Distinct Within-State External Organizations, by Sector and Knowledge Network within Each State; Table 6.1 Types and Forms of Knowledge Used in Work, by Frequency and State; and Figure 3.1 State A, Data Network, ties only; Figure 3.2 State A Data Network, strength of ties; Figure 3.3 State B, Data Network, ties only; Figure 3.4 State B, Data Network, strength of ties; Figure 3.5 State C, Data Network, ties only; and Figure 3.6 State C, Data Network, strength of ties. [For the related Policy Brief: "How State Education Agencies Acquire and Use Research in School Improvement Strategies. Policy Brief. RB-55," see ED547656.]