The Research Alliance for New York City Schools' core functions include:

• Conducting applied research for and about the New York City schools through partnerships with leading researchers and research institutions and working in collaboration with policy makers and practitioners.
• Building and maintaining a longitudinal data archive to support rigorous research.
• Communicating and disseminating the results of research in accessible and transparent terms to a broad audience of policymakers, practitioners, parents, and other stakeholders.

The Research Alliance exists as a research center housed at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. NYU is legally responsible for all Research Alliance activities. Its operations, financing and research agenda are also guided by a Founding Charter and a separate Governance Board, which includes the Provost of New York University and the Chancellor of the New York City Schools as ex officio members.

While independent of the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the Research Alliance works in collaboration with the DOE and other stakeholders to identify important questions for research and to provide valid and reliable evidence to inform its policies and practices.

The Executive Director of the Research Alliance oversees all of its operations and activities, including its budget, financing, research agenda, research projects, dissemination activities, data, and relationships with individuals and organizations inside and outside of NYU.

The work of the Research Alliance will be undertaken by research teams consisting of full and part-time Research Alliance staff in partnership with researchers at NYU and at other universities and organizations from across the city and country. Partnerships with other researchers, universities and organizations will be established through agreements with NYU, on behalf of the Research Alliance, in connection with specific projects and activities.