The Partnership for Public Education advocates for and supports research-practice partnerships as a way of strengthening relationships between UD and the Delaware public education system. Learn more about RPPs and our work below!
What is an RPP and why are RPPs important?
A research practice partnership (RPP) is a collaborative and mutually-beneficial partnership that is responsive to the needs of both researchers and practitioners and their shared commitments to improving educational opportunities and outcomes. This approach to research is critically important for addressing a number of historical and contemporary challenges to the use of research in policy or practice. RPPs and other forms of collaborative education research promote the generation of rigorous, relevant, and actionable evidence based on research and policy/practice knowledge. They can also promote more respectful, trusting, and equitable relationships between members of the research community; increase researcher capacity for conducting and communicating policy or practice relevant research; and increase policy/practice systems and capacity for evidence use.
Read this white paper on Research Practice Partnerships to learn more about how University and K12 partnerships can leverage research for educational improvement!
Kristen Davidson of the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice summarizes research findings on the benefits of RPPs – What Happens When Educators and Researchers Work Together in Partnership?
Are there RPPs connected with UD?
There are many RPPs associated with UD! Some of them are PPE-facilitated, and others are led by faculty.
PPE-facilitated RPPs include:
The Delaware Early Literacy Research Practice Partnership (DEL RPP)
The Delaware Department of Education and the University of Delaware have teamed up to support more equitable literacy outcomes across the state via The Delaware Early Literacy Research Practice Partnership (DEL RPP). The William T. Grant Foundation has provided three years of funding for a research-practice partnership that includes DDOE, UD faculty, the Partnership for Public Education, the Collaborative for Data Driven Action, and Delaware LEAs, who all working together to address the following priorities:
- To create a statewide integrated dataset and common metric capturing K-3 early literacy assessment data that allows for a more comprehensive understanding of literacy development and performance across schools, districts, and communities.
- To build a deep understanding of factors influencing unequal early literacy outcomes and to identify student strengths and needs in early childhood literacy achievement in Delaware.
- To understand and improve how educators use assessment data to inform and adapt their instruction to address potential bases of inequality including race, socioeconomic status, and special education status, better meeting the needs of all students.
- To assess and strengthen alignment among policy, assessment, and instruction with state literacy standards and across schools and districts in order to reduce inequality in early literacy outcomes.
Grant Leadership
Monica Gant, Associate Secretary Delaware Department of Education
Annastasia Purinton, Associate Director Partnership for Public education
Gary Henry, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development
DDOE Team
Paige Morgan
Kathy Kelly
Partnership for Public Education + Center for Data Driven Action Team
Annastasia Purinton
Elizabeth Farley-Ripple
Nermin Zubaca
UD Research Team
Anamarie Whitaker
Steve Amendum
Jason Hustedt
Sanford Student
Daniel Osgood
The Research Practice Partnership for Professional Learning in Early Mathematics (RPP-PLEM)
The Delaware Department of Education, University of Delaware, and Appoquinimick and Colonial school districts have teamed up to identify and engage stakeholders across Delaware’s early childhood education ecosystem to learn more about needs and opportunities for enhanced professional learning in early mathematics. The National Science Foundation has provided one year of funding to develop the Research-Practice Partnership for Professional Learning in Early Mathematics (RPP-PLEM) to address the following priorities:
Partnership Development Priority 1: To identify and connect statewide stakeholders to reflect all the voices from the early learning field who are concerned with ECE professional learning in mathematics.
Partnership Development Priority 2: To learn about stakeholders’ needs and experiences in supporting early mathematics teaching and learning through structured and facilitated listening sessions.
Partnership Development Priority 3: To develop an equitable, feasible, and impactful joint research agenda focused on designing professional learning that strengthens the expertise of early childhood educators’ mathematics instruction.
| Dawn Alexander | Director of the Office of Early Learning |
| TaKeisha Edmonds | Education Associate for Quality Initiatives from the Office of Early Learning |
| Kathy Kelly | Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development |
| Renee Parsley | Education Associate for Elementary Mathematics |
| Crystal Lancour | Supervisor of K-12 Mathematics and World Language |
| Katrina Daniels | Principal of the Colonial Early Education Program |
| Rebecca Feathers | Elementary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director |
| Erin Lyon | Elementary Math Specialist |
| Lynsey Gibbons | PI, Associate Professor |
| Sarah Ryan | PL learning consultant |
| Kristy Sheffler | DIEEC Director |
| Annastasia Purinton | Co-PI, PPE associate director |
Some other examples are:
- Assistant Professor Dr. Joshua Wilson, School of Education, and Dr. Gaysha Beard, Red Clay Consolidated School District, write on how addressing issues of mutual concern and interest between research and practice serves to bridge gaps in the educational community.
Where can I access resources on RPPs?
- The NNERP clearinghouse contains extensive resources on RPPs from launching to effectiveness, and including special topics such as ESSA and partnering with SEAs.
- WT Grant Foundation offers high quality resources on topics ranging from how to structure a partnership, develop a joint research agenda, develop data sharing agreements, communication of research, and assessing partnerships.
- Explore a straightforward guide map on the RPP process from the Research and Practice Collaboratory.
- Watch 6 modules on RPPs featuring Bill Penuel in the RPP Forum from the Research and Practice Collaboratory.
How can PPE help you develop an RPP?
PPE can utilize our extensive P12 network to facilitate introductions with education partners and help foster the relationships which support mutually beneficial partnerships. We can also provide you with the latest, high-quality resources and tools, to help you tailor an approach to fit your research goals. Some examples of our support include:
- Facilitating relationship building with key partners
- Stakeholder mapping to identify potential partners
- Supporting grant proposal development
- Partnership development and management
- Partnership evaluation
Interested in learning more? Contact us at ppe-info@udel.edu.