Improving Students' Academic Literacy Through a Research-Practice Partnership

• In Event: Partnering With Teachers: Changing Practice and Promoting Agency

Abstract

Our purpose was to explore how a research practice partnership might improve academic literacy in a large culturally and academically diverse school district. Our partnership began during the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic, when schools across the nation changed from in person to virtual learning. Although we anticipated and prepared for many challenges during the 2020 summer, we learned over and again the need for further modification of lessons and accommodations for virtual instruction, based on a series of new challenges that district leaders and teachers faced during the 2020-2021 AY. Our findings indicate that close collaboration between district leaders and interested teachers can lay the groundwork for future district wide implementation of important historical reading and writing lessons.

Authors

• Susan De La Paz, University of Maryland

• Cameron Butler, University of Maryland - College Park

• Josue Otarola, University of Maryland - College Park

• Tasha Harris, University of Maryland - College Park

• Eva Bialobrzeski, University of Maryland - Baltimore County