Factors Influencing the Principle of Equity in Research-Practice Partnership Projects (Poster 10)

• In Event: Centering Equity in Research-Practice Partnerships

Abstract

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) in education are redefining the relationship between researchers and practitioners in more egalitarian and democratized terms. Some RPPs not only prioritize equity in their power structure, but also in the topics selected for study, the outcomes they work to impact, and in their aspirations toward equitable systemic change (Henrick et al., 2019). However, equity-focused research within RPPs presents challenges to the design principles upon which they are founded, including building and maintaining trusting relationships, supporting common strategic goals, and generating knowledge that improves educational systems (Henrick et al., 2017). While partners may express a shared commitment to equity, the term is malleable, and variation in understanding can lead to different framing of educational problems and solutions and potential tensions between partners. If equity is not centered in the RPP process, projects can fall short of their intended goals, and, in certain cases, risk doing harm to not only the partnership, but the students and the communities RPPs intend to serve.

Our poster will present a framework illustrating an answer to the question: What factors influence how the principle of equity is realized within University / PK12 Research Practice Partnership projects? The framework was informed by writings on RPP work generally and recent reflection on the positioning of equity within RPP work, as well as the experiences of leading RPP projects over the last ten years within the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium, a longstanding RPP between Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education and Richmond region school districts. The framework was then refined through presentations and workshop discussions within the National Network for Education Research Practice Partnerships.

The framework is centered on five elements of RPP project design: (1) equitable RPP relationships, (2) a shared language of equity, (3) equity in project goals, (4) equity in topic, and (5) equity in method. The framework also considers contextual factors that may influence (i.e. support or constrain) the realization of the principle of equity within RPP work. These include (1) research system factors, (2) PK12 system factors, and (3) the socio-political context of the work. The design elements within the model are interactive, meaning decisions in one area may influence decisions in another. It is also dynamic in that the process it seeks to illustrate is iterative; the decision making in any area is ongoing. The framework is intended for use among those involved in RPP projects to inform decision making around critical points in design and implementation. To support this use, each framework element includes questions that RPP teams should consider. The intention is that the conversations inspired by the framework will illuminate the interconnections between project design components in ways that keep focus on the principle of equity over the course of a project. The framework is also intended to serve as a tool for training future researchers and practitioners interested in RPP work.

Authors

• Jesse Senechal, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author

• David Bryant Naff, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author

• Hillary Parkhouse, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author