Toward a Developmental Trajectory for Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) Effectiveness: A Comparative Study of Two Computer Science RPPs

• In Event: Assessing the Effectiveness of Research-Practice Partnerships: Lessons From the Field

Abstract

Given the increasing popularity and investments in education research practice partnerships (RPPs), there is an urgent need for research on how RPPs develop, sustain, and work to accomplish their goals. Coburn and Penuel (2016) call for research that clarifies the skills, strategies, and roles needed to do partnership work well.

The RPP effectiveness framework (Henrick, Cobb, Penuel, Jackson, & Clark, 2017) is comprised of five broad dimensions of effectiveness that represent objectives shared across different types of RPPs. While the framework offers a way forward for RPPs interested in assessing their effectiveness, it does not provide guidance related to a developmental trajectory for newly formed RPPs interested in making progress along these goals. To begin to address this issue, Penuel and Gallagher developed a diagnostic rubric using the framework aimed at supporting RPP teams to assess their development along each of the 5 dimensions.

This analysis builds on this work by comparing the formative evaluation findings and recommendations from two Computer Science NSF funded RPPs in their early stages of formation as an RPP. The formative assessment data used in this analysis include audio recorded annual interviews of RPP leadership teams, observational data from RPP team meetings, and document analysis of RPP meeting notes. The study employs program- based evaluation design (Weiss, 1997) and qualitative methods to synthesize information across multiple information sources to document and compare progress along each dimension of the RPP framework.

The first partnership (formalized as an RPP in 2018) is between Education Development Center (EDC) and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). The second RPP (formalized in 2017) is an RPP between Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Loyola University- Chicago, The Learning Partnership, DePaul University, and University of Illinois at Chicago.

The findings illuminate the affordances and constraints of different RPP designs, routines, and strategies for accomplishing similar RPP goals and addressing common challenges. Both RPPs use co-design methodologies and address implementation issues related to computer science instruction across large urban school districts. Both RPPs determined the focus of the RPP work based on prior collaborative efforts and the needs of the district. Findings indicate that the location and size of the partnership impacts the partnership routines. One RPP is place-based and one is not, leading to differences in face-to-face meeting opportunities and data collection routines. In addition, one RPP is between two institutions and the other is between five institutions, leading to differences in available resources, personnel, and communication strategies. Both partnerships have specifically attended to the development of partnership relationships, but in different ways, leading to differences in how the partnerships address common challenges, including district-office turn over and accessing data in a large urban school district.

This study furthers the fields understanding of how and in what ways RPPs address complex challenges in education. This study can inform the development of new partnerships and provide research for existing partnerships to learn from one another to avoid pitfalls and challenges inherent in collaborative research.

Authors

• Erin Henrick, Partner to Improve

• Steven McGee, The Learning Partnership

• June Mark, Education Development Center, Inc.