Creating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education

Creating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education is an invaluable resource for educators and researchers seeking to develop long-term collaborations in which educators and researchers work together to study and solve pressing problems of practice. Drawing on a wide range of examples, the authors describe the purposes for which partnerships may be organized, the forms that these endeavors may take, challenges that they typically face, and strategies for overcoming those challenges. The book includes tools and routines for working together as well as strategies for ensuring equity of participation on both sides.
 
One of the most pressing concerns in education today is bringing research evidence to bear on problems of educational improvement. Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are drawing new attention as a way to bridge gaps between research and practice. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience in working with RPPs, this book is a practical and insightful guide for those embarking on or engaged in these complex and promising endeavors.
 

William R. Penuel is a professor of Learning Sciences and Human Development in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research examines conditions needed to implement rigorous, responsive, and equitable teaching practices in STEM education. With colleagues from across the country, he is developing and testing new models for supporting implementation through long-term partnerships between educators and researchers. Currently, Penuel has partnerships with large school districts and a national association of state science coordinators focused on implementing the vision of science education outlined in a Framework for K–12 Science Education. Penuel is currently principal investigator for the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice, which is focused on how school and district leaders use research. As a co–principal investigator of the Research+Practice Collaboratory, he has led the development of resources to help people build and sustain research-practice partnerships.

Daniel J. Gallagher is Director of Career and College Readiness at Seattle Public Schools. He previously served as the science program manager in Seattle and the Bellevue School District and taught high school biology and chemistry. Gallagher has cultivated several productive research-practice partnerships, most recently as principal investigator of two consecutive Washington State Math-Science Partnership (MSP) projects. In that partnership, multiple school districts, STEM professionals, a regional professional development provider, and science education researchers are co-developing resources to support implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. Gallagher has also participated in research-practice partnerships spanning multiple states, in the role of co–principal investigator on National Science Foundation Discovery Research K–12 and STEM+C projects. He received his BS in biology from the University of Richmond and his master’s in teaching from the University of Washington, and he is currently enrolled in the EdD program at the University of Washington, Seattle.