Un Pasito pa’ Adelente, Dos para Atras”: A Reflection on the Challenges of RPP (Research-Practice Partnership) Work

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: School-University Partnership Research Roundtable: Research-Practice Partnerships (Table 4)

Abstract

In this paper we offer critical reflection of our work as researchers engaged in research-practice partnerships (RPP) work. Utilizing duoethnography, we framed our reflection using the “Collaborative Education Research Collective Framework.” Our findings contribute to narrowing the gap that exists when organizations with distinct cultures and institutional logics collaborate. We find that creating and sustaining partnerships is dynamic, non-linear, and requires ongoing learning. Often, you are taking one step forward and two steps back, requiring ongoing reflexivity about the RPP work, the structure of the partnership, how you as the researcher show up in these spaces, and the reasons for engaging in this work.

Authors

• Isela Peña, University of Texas - El Paso

• Rodolfo Rincones, University of Texas - El Paso