Building a Research-Practice Partnership for State-wide Early Math Professional Learning

• In Event: Surfacing Teacher Learning Needs from the Ground Up: Research-Practice Partnerships to Cultivate Innovative Practices

Abstract

Objectives
This paper describes the development of a research-practice partnership (RPP) for professional learning in early mathematics. In the development of our collaboration, the RPP work aimed to:
• Build trust and relationships with early childhood education leaders and teachers across Delaware (PreK-3rd grade)
• Develop a co-constructed understanding of the early mathematics professional learning landscape
• Identify shared needs, barriers, and goals to inform future research and collaboration
• Model practices that attend to equity and power dynamics in partnership formation
Perspectives
This work is grounded in the literature on research-practice partnerships (Henrick et al., 2017; Penuel, 2017). It draws on frameworks emphasizing relational trust (Bryk & Schneider, 2002) and practitioner knowledge as central to educational change (Fullan, 2016). By prioritizing our role as learners and emphasizing co-construction, this approach sought to amplify and build upon the expertise of practice partners, positioning their knowledge as central to the work.
Modes of Inquiry
The RPP employed participatory modes of inquiry that prioritized engaging in collaborative research based on commitment to reciprocity and mutual benefits (Engelke & Mashburn, 2006; Horowitz et al., 2009). The team embraced approaches that allowed for flexibility, relationship-building, and iterative sensemaking (Bush et al., 2017; Vaughn & Jacquez, 2020; Warren et al., 2018). Specifically, the modes of inquiry included:
1. Site Visits and Informal Observations: to observe classroom environments, interactions, and professional learning contexts.
2. In-Person and Virtual Listening Sessions: conversations with teachers, leaders, and stakeholders to surface local insights, needs, and aspirations related to mathematics professional learning.
3. Collaborative Analysis and Reflection: worked with partners to help identify emerging patterns, challenges, and opportunities.
Detailed notes, feedback, and reflections generated from these three modes of inquiry were systematically reviewed by the university team to identify recurring themes that emerged. Next we engaged in a partnership-wide, collaborative analysis of the themes identified. These findings were reviewed by all members of the RPP to ensure it reflected the lived experiences, expressed needs, and shared aspirations of early childhood educators, leaders, and researchers.
Results
The development of the RPP partnership revealed several insights. First, our partners consistently expressed that they felt underserved by existing professional learning models. Second, our partners were eager to explore new approaches that offered job-embedded, ongoing support for early childhood educators. Third, at the same time, structural challenges (e.g., workforce instability; funding limitations) emerged as significant factors influencing the feasibility of professional learning efforts. These insights informed the co-creation of a white paper that now serves as a foundation for ongoing co-design efforts and the development of a shared research and practice agenda.
Scientific or Scholarly Significance of the Study or Work
This work contributes to a growing body of scholarship on how research-practice partnerships can be more equitable, responsive, and grounded in practitioners’ knowledge. It offers a model for how partnerships within their first year of development can prioritize trust-building, reflection, and mutual learning.

Authors

• Annastasia Purinton, University of Delaware

• Lynsey K. Gibbons, University of Delaware