Research, Policy, and Practice: The Role of Research-Practice

Partnerships in Promoting Evidence-Based Decisions

December 5, 2013

@AYPF_Tweets

Today’s Agenda:

Dr. Cynthia Coburn, Northwestern University

Dr. Amy Gerstein, Stanford University, Executive Director of the John W. Gardner Center

Dr. Phil Bell, University of Washington, Director of the UW Institute for Science and Math Education

C Y N T H I A E . C O B U R N , N O RT H W E S T E R N U N I V E R S I T Y

RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS:LEVERAGING RESEARCH FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

• William Penuel, University of Colorado, Boulder• Kimberly Geil, Independent Researcher

WHY DON’T EDUCATIONAL LEADERS USE RESEARCH?

• Not focused on pressing concerns• Not credible• Not timely or useful• Lack of capacity

RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS

Long-term collaborations between practitioners and researchers that are organized to investigate problems of practice and solutions for improving system outcomes

RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS: WHAT DO ADVOCATES SAY?

• Increase relevance• Increase credibility• Increase usability• Brings greater expertise to district decision

making• Increase organizational capacity to use research

WHITE PAPER

• Commissioned by William T. Grant Foundation• Reviewed research related to research-practice

partnerships• Interviewed key leaders across the country• Conducted case studies on select partnerships

CORE FEATURES

• Focus research on problems of practice• Long-term• Mutualistic• Produce original analyses • Carefully structured and organized

TYPOLOGY OF RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS

• Research Alliances• Design Research Partnerships• Network Improvement Communities

RESEARCH ALLIANCES

• Place-based• Primary goal is to inform local policy and practice• Perform research on key policy issues• Develop and maintain data archives• Distinct roles for researchers and practitioners;

collaboration at beginning and end of process

EXEMPLARS

• John Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities• Consortium for Chicago School Research• Research Alliance for New York City Schools

DESIGN RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

• Place-based• Co-design and test strategies for improving

teaching and learning locally that also yield general knowledge about teaching and learning• Researchers and practitioners engage in

collaboration at every stage of the process

EXEMPLARS

• University af Washington and Bellevue Public Schools• MIST, a partnership of Vanderbilt University with

Fort Worth Independent School District and Jefferson County Public Schools• Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP)

NETWORK IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITIES

• Constituted as networks• Use form of research called “improvement

science”• Focuses on small tests of change and rapid cycles

of research and development• Roles of researchers and district staff can become

blurred• Goal is to build capacity, “improve improvement”

EXEMPLARS

• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching• BTEN project on teacher effectiveness and retention• Statway and Quantway, networks for community colleges

addressing developmental mathematics

CHALLENGES

• Researchers and practitioners occupy different cultural worlds

CHALLENGES

• Researchers and practitioners occupy different cultural worlds• Maintaining mutualism

CHALLENGES

• Researchers and practitioners occupy different cultural worlds• Maintaining mutualism• High turnover in district leadership

CHALLENGES

• Researchers and practitioners occupy different cultural worlds• Maintaining mutualism• High turnover in district leadership• Funding, especially for infrastructure

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY MAKERS

• Provide funding for partnership infrastructure

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY MAKERS

• Provide funding for partnership infrastructure• Consider co-funding researchers and practitioners

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY MAKERS

• Provide funding for partnership infrastructure• Consider co-funding researchers and practitioners• Invest in capacity building

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY MAKERS

• Provide funding for partnership infrastructure• Consider co-funding researchers and practitioners• Invest in capacity building• Develop infrastructure for spread and scale

beyond local districts

COPY OF WHITE PAPER

• http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/publications_and_reports/browse_reports/research-practice-partnerships-a-strategy-for-leveraging-research-for-educational-improvement-in-school-districts• Or email: cynthia.coburn@northwestern.edu

Research, Policy and Practice: The Role of Intermediaries in Promoting Evidence-Based Decisions

American Youth Policy Forum Webinar

December 5, 2013

Amy Gerstein, PhD Executive Director

John W. Gardner CenterStanford University

The Gardner Center partners with communities to develop leadership, conduct community-driven research, and effect positive change in the lives of youth

About the Gardner Center

RESEARCH

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CAPACITYBUILDING

CHANGE

The Youth Sector

YOUTH

AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS

SUMMER PROGRAMS

HEALTH SERVICES

FAMILIES

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

NEIGHBORHOODS

SCHOOLS

SOCIAL SERVICES

Deep Partnership is Essential• Deep partnerships underlie a robust youth

sector approach to community youth development

• Partnerships build trust• This is hard work; it takes TIME

Principles and Considerations• Engage stakeholders at every step of the

process• Communicate a commitment to using data

for action• Consider tensions or conflicting purposes• Cultivate shared responsibility and discourse• Ensure sufficient capacity – human and

technology

GOALSupport youth

and families and strengthen community

KEY PLAYERS

8 public and nonprofit

organizations in Redwood

City

OUR ROLESince 2000, we have provided

capacity building,

research, and community

engagement across all initiatives

Redwood City 2020 Partnership

GOALImprove

supports and opportunities for youth in East Palo

Alto

KEY PLAYERS33 youth serving

organizations convened by One East Palo

Alto

OUR ROLEServe as data partner

Advise on the steering and youth development committees

YESS Partnership

GOALImprove the educational success of

court-dependent

youth collectively served by partner

organizations

KEY PLAYERS

Child Welfare Services,

foster youth service

providers, four school

districts

OUR ROLELink

dependency records to

educational data to examine the relationship

between dependency and

school outcomes

Educational Outcomes for Court Dependent Youth

GOALDouble the number of

underrepresented students with a

workplace applicable

postsecondary credential by

2020

KEY PLAYERS

Mayor’s Office brought together

SFUSD, CCSF, DCYF, the Gardner

Center, and others

OUR ROLESupport the initiative via data analysis using the YDA

Bridge to Success Partnership

Contributions to the Youth Sector & Research Community

• Supports efforts to improve youth service & outcomes

• Advances inter-agency collaboration

• Increases coherence of policy and practice

• Shifts how rigorous research is conceived and conducted

gardnercenter.stanford.edu

@gardnercenter

Question and Answer