Research-Practice Partnerships

with the Worcester Public Schools

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP?

Our goal is to develop a SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP (RPP) model, to better support administrators, teachers, students, families, the community, and researchers in conducting high-quality research that aligns and benefits student teaching and learning within classroom instruction. By creating a trusting district-wide partnership, where stakeholders from the WPS community engage in equitable conversations and a shared vision for research and practice with local researchers, we can enable K-12 research to more smoothly fit within the structures of the schools.

sustainable collaboration * shared vision * mutually beneficial * school based

WHAT IS AN RPP?

A defining principle of a successful Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) is a mutually beneficial collaboration. A reciprocal educational RPP ensures both parties - schools and researchers - are involved in the inquiry process from conception to design to implementation. The partnership addresses real-world school-based problems and goals, making findings immediately actionable for schools while providing researchers with authentic contexts and meaningful data. This mutual partnership builds sustainable collaboration where both institutions' expertise is valued and both parties benefit from shared outcomes, ultimately improving student learning, educational equity, and advancing evidence-based insights.

WHAT IS OUR RPP FRAMEWORK?

To develop this partnership, we are using the educational RPP framework (Cooper et al., 2019) and a Participatory Design model (Pautz Stephenson et al., 2022), which integrates professional learning, research, and development by bringing together diverse, cross-sector expertise and shifting power dynamics so that all participants have a voice. Aligned with this model, our RPP will focus on the three critical areas:

(1) Systems and Structures,

(2) Collaborative Processes, and

(3) Continuous Learning to balance research and practice.

WHAT ARE THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS RPP?

Through this project, WPS and WPI will build a more sustainable RPP that can enable high quality, equitable research to occur and facilitate the continued expansion of research partnerships with other universities and organizations in the larger community for years to come.

Beyond the local reach of stakeholders and students within the larger Worcester community, dissemination of the outcomes will provide an RPP model describing effective practices to:

develop stronger partnerships in other universities and highly diverse school districts
enable comprehensive and convergent research focused on current K12 education needs
catalyze new ways for university researchers to work with school districts co-creating enriched research experiences
support and scaffold a diverse student body contributing toward larger efforts to increase innovation in K-12 education

This has the potential to provide greater student support, engage students who use research and technology to become active agents in their education experiences, improve teaching and learning, and strengthen the pipeline for all students.

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