Purpose-Driven Engagement: An Experimental University-Community Research Partnership

• In Event: 79.051 - MTCC Roundtable Session 37
  In Roundtable Session: 79.051-6 - Complexities of Collaborative Research on School University and Community Partnerships

Abstract

As universities move to more community-focused engagement to create mutually beneficial university-community research partnerships, experimenting with new forms and types of university-community partnerships can create innovation and change for the good of the partnership and the larger community. This is an ideal setting for translational research, which aims to address pressing problems for communities in a timely manner. Presented here is a research project established with a unique university-research collaboration between university researcher, a community public library, and a community non-profit. Like Bryk et al. (2011), the ongoing work of this team uses iterations of the “plan-do-study-act” cycle to further the mission of the team, which is centered on improving school readiness and third-grade reading success.

Authors

• Constance C. Beecher, Iowa State University

• Craig Van Pay, Iowa State University