Is this resource only applicable to working with the Worcester Public Schools?
Currently, this RPP is focusing on conduting research with and in the Worcester Public School community. The hope is that as the RPP and Education Research Collaboratory grows, we can expand to other districts.
Do the procedures listed on this website replace any processes that already exist?
No! This website is designed to build community and improve the transparency of existing procedures within the Worcester Public Schools, WPI, and other institutions.
What qualifies as "research?"
Education research is the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes. Scholarship in the field seeks to describe, understand, and explain how learning takes place throughout a person’s life and how formal and informal contexts of education affect all forms of learning. Education research embraces the full spectrum of rigorous methods appropriate to the questions being asked and also drives the development of new tools and methods. " (AERA)
If your work involves surveys, classroom observations, assessments, interviews, interventions, or other activities with students, teachers, administrators, or families in schools to answer questions, then this would qualify as "research."
When should I apply to the Office of Research and Accountability (ORA) in the Worcester Public Schools?
Applications are reviewed at the start of each month.
The goal of this Education Research Collaboratory is to help WPS stakeholders and area university scholars engage in more productive and mutually beneficial research partnerships moving forward to enable K-12 STEM research to more smoothly fit within the structures of the schools. We hope to bring together local education scholars, WPS administrators, teachers, and community stakeholders who are interested in advancing K-12 education through meaningful research. As the EDC grows, we hope to hold events 4 times a year and also have a newsletter to share resources, information, and opportunities.
The EDC is a part of a new NSF DRK12 Research-Practice Partnership grant that I received with Andrew Lampi at Worcester Public Schools to develop a SUSTAINABLE RPP model, to better support administrators, teachers, students, families, the community, and researchers in conducting high-quality STEM research that aligns and benefits student teaching and learning within classroom instruction.
RPP = Research-Practice Partnership: The goal of the RPP is to build the processes and relationships to sustain research between WPS and Learning/Education research at WPI. There are a series of activities and goals for this RPP, the ERC being one of them.
ERC = Education Research Collaboratory: This is a community group for education researchers around the Worcester area and practitioners and adminstrators from WPS to meet, network, facilitate, and engage in collaborative research.
We are regularly updating our resources, processes, and events as the RPP and ERC evolves. Check this website frequently for the most current information.