Education Research-Practice Partnerships Outcomes and Associated Dynamics (Poster 8)

• In Event: What Is the Value-Add of Research-Practice Partnerships?

Abstract

Purpose: The emerging literature on research-practice partnerships (RPPs) in education explains the conditions under which these partnerships operate to achieve their desired outcomes (e.g., Henrick et al., 2017; Farrell et al., 2018a; Farrell et al., 2021). This study adds to the RPP literature base by exploring variation in the perceived outcomes across three partnerships whose goal was improving multilingual learner policies, practices, and student outcomes.
Theoretical Framework: To examine these partnerships, we posit a conceptual framework that defines partnership outcomes and associated supportive conditions within the partnership. Specifically, we explore the dynamics associated with these partnerships’ outcomes including the motivations of participants, the partnership mechanics (roles, routines, structures), and the conditions experienced within the partnerships (resources, mutuality, resistance, limitations, and trust).
Methods/Data Sources: We used analytic induction (Taylor, Bogdan, & Devault, 2016) to study the outcomes and dynamics of three RPPs in California that focus on the same intended outcome – to improve policies, practices, and student outcomes related to multilingual learners (often referred to with the bureaucratic label “English Learners”). We used a sampling methodology that has qualities of both a convenience sample and a purposive sample (Patton, 2002). We used a convenience sample because we selected the RPPs connected to one graduate school of education within one university. Our purposive sampling criteria included, first, partnerships focused on the same goal – improving the outcomes of multilingual learner students. Then, we limited our selection to partnerships organized within the same typology – research alliances – and selected partnerships working with school districts in one state context.
Results: Our study finds that participants’ perceived outcomes of the partnership vary by role and across the three partnerships. Also, partners’ motivations for working together may be different, but united by a common goal of improving policies, practices and student outcomes related to multilingual learners. While our study showed that participants in at least two of these partnerships did perceive the partnerships as achieving intended outcomes; however, the outcomes they cited were about changes to policies and practices only proximately related to the specific multilingual learner student outcomes (e.g., achievement, attendance, outcomes).
Significance: Our findings address Coburn and Penuel’s (2016) call for more research on the outcomes partnerships are producing that are intended to advance student learning – in this case multilingual learner students. This study also contributes to the field by describing the perceived outcomes across three RPPs and some associated dynamics. These findings are especially important as leaders, policy makers, and funders ask questions about the “impact” or outcomes of RPPs given the federal and private investment in partnerships in the field of education (Schneider, 2018).

Authors

• Laura P. Wentworth, California Education Partners
  Presenting Author

• Lindsay A. Fox
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sean F. Reardon, Stanford University
  Non-Presenting Author