Flying a Plane While You Are Building It: Examining the Collaborative Processes of a Research-Practice Partnership in Its Initial Stage

• In Event: Developing Authentic Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs) for Educational Change: Perspectives on Principles, and Practices From Four Diverse Contexts

Abstract

1. Objectives
This paper explores the initial stage of an RPP encompassing researchers of a consortium of universities, school and district-level practitioners from two neighboring districts and one state educational department in Chile. Our joint work uses principles from Networked Improvement Communities (NIC) to strengthen Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) within and among nine schools. We explore how roles, expectations and interpersonal relationships are navigated and negotiated as we launch this RPP.

2. Theoretical framework
To structure this RPP, we borrowed principles from Networked Improvement Communities (NIC). This social structure is conceptualized as highly structured, intentionally formed collaborations among educational professionals, researchers, and designers, that aim to address a high leverage practical problem (Bryk, Gomez & Grunow, 2011; Dolle, Gomez, Russell & Bryk, 2013). The RPP in this study used the NIC architecture, building a network HUB, internal hubs in each school to champion the work of PLCs and a network for leadership teams and PLCs leaders.
3. Methods
RPPs are built-in socio-political contexts larger than its boundaries, hence we draw on sociocultural perspectives that go beyond the individual behavior to look at how culture, policy environment and professional identities shaped the relational dynamics of our RPP. Using a research model to study RPPs developed by Cooper et al., (2019) for this paper we focus on the dimension, and subthemes, of collaborative processes: improvement planning and data use, communication, trusting relationships, brokering activities, capacity building; year) of our RPP.
4. Data sources
The data that informs this paper include field notes and artifacts from RPP meetings and transcripts of interviews with the various RPP actors: district leaders, district principal supervisors, state supervisors, principals, and teacher leaders.
5. Results
The collaborative processes that took place in this RPP were highly influenced by the policy environment. Engagement needed to be addressed constantly, as practitioners expected researchers to give answers and mark the pacing, while researchers hoped for a horizontal relation, where decision-making was shared. The network improvement HUB required honest conversations on role expectations, negotiation of roles and capacity building. Practitioners reported needing more scaffolding to facilitate their participation in the various tasks involved in creating a NIC and PLC. The pacing of state agencies, districts and schools was a problem for researchers as the development of a common protocols for inquiry for each PLC took longer than expected. Building capacity while implementing the design posed a challenge. Communication, data use and trust were key to move forward in the development of the partnership.

6. Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work
The districts in this partnership will soon be consolidated into one Local Educational Service as part of a structural reform of Chile’ public education and this RPP is an effort to contribute to the development of joint capacity building and trusting relationships before this change takes place. The implementation of this RPP can propose a methodology to work on problems of practice that guide coordinated, aligned improvement efforts at different levels of the system.

Authors

• Bárbara Zoro, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

• Rebecca Ipinza, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

• Marcela Pena Ruz, Universidad de Chile

• Fernanda Goni, Universidad de Chile

• Millicent Contreras, Universidad de Chile

• German Cona, Universidad Diego Portales

• Carmen Montecinos, Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso