RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS: EFFECTIVENESS

NNERPP RPP KNOWLEDGE CLEARINGHOUSE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Below you’ll find answers and resources to the following questions:

HOW CAN WE MEASURE RPP EFFECTIVENESS?

As research-practice partnerships grow in number and reputation, the issue of measuring their actual effectiveness becomes increasingly important. However, with the many arrangements RPPs can take and the various specific outcomes different partnerships identify for themselves, it is not easy to arrive at a common way of assessing effectiveness or even a shared definition of what constitutes effectiveness. Additionally, the evaluation of RPPs is complicated by their systems structure, RPPs being partnerships between two or more (sometimes many more!) different organizations. Arguably, the unifying purpose of all RPPs is to increase the use of research evidence in practice. As such, assessing the impact current RPPs have on local decision making may be a starting point for measuring RPP effectiveness, though this brings up new questions about how to precisely define and measure “impact” or “use of research.”

Accordingly, the literature on assessing RPP effectiveness remains scarce. Yet, some thinking around these ideas has been developed recently, and a unified framework for measuring effectiveness been proposed. These new ideas on effectiveness include partnering aspects such as relationship building and mutual support in addition to increased research use. Explore the resources below to learn about current thinking on the concept of RPP effectiveness.

RESOURCES | How can we measure RPP effectiveness?

INDICATORS OF RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP HEALTH AND EFFECTIVENESS: UPDATING THE FIVE DIMENSIONS FRAMEWORK

Erin Henrick, Caitlin C. Farrell, Corinne Singleton, Alison Fox Resnick, William R. Penuel, Paula Arce-Trigatti, Danny Schmidt, Stacey Sexton, Kristina Stamatis, and Sarah Wellberg | 2023

Framework published by NCRPP and NNERPP  

INDICATORS OF RPP HEALTH AND EFFECTIVENESS: INTRODUCING AN UPDATED FRAMEWORK

Paula Arce-Trigatti, Caitlin Farrell, and Alison Fox Resnick | 2023

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

DEVELOPING VALID MEASURES OF RPP EFFECTIVENESS: AN EVIDENCE-CENTERED DESIGN APPROACH

Caitlin C. Farrell | 2021

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

HOW TO KNOW AN IMPROVEMENT EFFORT IS SUCCEEDING?

David Hersh | 2021

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

MEASURING RPP HEALTH: INTRODUCING A NEW TOOL BASED ON THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF RPP EFFECTIVENESS

Elizabeth Barkowski and Carrie Scholz | 2021

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

RPP EVALUATION: WHAT DOES AN EVALUATOR DO?

Stacey Sexton, Erin Henrick, Madeline Noya, and Danny Schmidt | 2021

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

WHAT’S NEW WITH RPP EFFECTIVENESS?

Paula Arce-Trigatti | 2021

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

THE PROMISE OF A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO PROBLEM-SOLVING AND INNOVATION-TESTING: REFLECTIONS FROM A NEW RPP IN NEW YORK CITY

Barbara Condliffe, Rekha Balu, Margaret Hennessy, and Rachel Leopold | 2020

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

ATTENDING TO ISSUES OF EQUITY IN EVALUATING RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP OUTCOMES

Erin Henrick, Steven McGee, and William Penuel | 2019

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

MEASURING THE VALUE OF A RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP

Faith Connolly | 2019

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra  

MEASURING THE IMPACT OF RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION

Paula Arce-Trigatti and Caitlin Farrell | 2018

Post featured in NNERPP’s EdWeek blog, “Urban Education Reform: Bridging Research and Practice

RRP EFFECTIVENESS: WHICH STRATEGIES MATTER FOR IMPACT?

Laura Wentworth and Michelle Nayfack | 2018

Post featured in NNERPP’s EdWeek blog, “Urban Education Reform: Bridging Research and Practice

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE IES RPP IN EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM

Caitlin Farrell, Kristen Davidson, Melia Repko-Erin, William Penuel, et al. | 2018

NCRPP Technical Report No. 3

ASSESSING RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS: 5 DIMENSIONS OF EFFECTIVENESS

Erin Henrick, Paul Cobb, William Penuel, Kara Jackson, and Tiffany Clark | 2017

William T. Grant Foundation white paper

THE PARTNERSHIP PACT: FULFILLING SCHOOL DISTRICTS' RESEARCH NEEDS WITH UNIV-DIST PARTNERSHIPS

Nicole Ralston, Bruce Weitzel, Jacqueline Waggoner, Zulema Naegele, and Rebecca Smith | 2016

AILACTE Journal article

WHAT ARE SOME LESSONS LEARNED ON DOING THIS WORK WELL?

We continue to work on furthering our knowledge on how to measure the effectiveness of research-practice partnerships. In the meantime, below we share anecdotes, case studies, and short narratives from partnerships highlighting some important lessons learned.

RESOURCES | What are some lessons learned on doing this work well?

ONE PARTNERSHIP’S EXPERIENCE IN SUPPORTING RPP LEARNING & PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE NNERPP ANNUAL FORUM

Beth Vaade, Bri Monahan, and Paula Arce-Trigatti | 2022

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

CLOSING THE RESEARCH-PRACTICE GAP IN EDUCATION

Laura Wentworth, Ritu Khanna, Michelle Nayfack, and Daniel Schwartz | 2021

Article in Stanford Social Innovation Review

RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS ‘ON THE GROUND’: EXPLORING PARTNERSHIP WORK IN URBAN SCHOOLS UNDER PRESSURE TO IMPROVE

Hayley Weddle, Marie Lockton, and Amanda Datnow | 2021

Article in Studies in Educational Evaluation

DIMENSIONS OF EQUITY IN RPPs - A FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE PARTNERSHIP DISCUSSIONS

Stacey Sexton, Jean Ryoo, Lisa Garbrecht, and Renee Fall | 2020

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

FIVE WAYS RPPS CAN FAIL AND HOW TO AVOID THEM: APPLYING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS TO IMPROVE RPPS

Laura Booker, Carrie Conaway, and Nate Schwartz | 2019

Article posted on the William T. Grant Foundation website

RPP: APPLICATION TO IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTITIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Howard Goldstein, Meaghan McKenna, Robert M. Barker, and Tracye H. Brown | 2019

Article in Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups about an RPP implementing the 5 Dimensions of Effectiveness model 

SURVEY ADMINISTRATION IN A REAL-WORLD CONTEXT

Katherine Hayes, Los Angeles Unified School District | 2017

Post featured on NNERPP’s EdWeek blog, “Urban Education Reform: Bridging Research and Practice

WHAT CAN RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS LEARN FROM EACH OTHER?

Paula Arce-Trigatti and Nina Spitzley | 2017

Post featured on NNERPP’s EdWeek blog, “Urban Education Reform: Bridging Research and Practice

HOW CAN RPPs SUPPORT THE USE OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE IN PRACTICE?

One of the key goals many of the research-practice partnerships in NNERPP and the field more broadly are working towards is to support the use of research evidence in practice.

Historically, the concept of “research use” has been characterized most commonly in a simple linear fashion: researchers produce research, practitioners get said research, read it, understand it, and use it to help them with their decision making. Based on our experiences, this could not be farther from reality.

Here we share resources we’ve collected that can shed more light on the complexity of research use in practice. We also recommend readers visit the William T. Grant Foundation’s website on supporting research use for a more expansive collection of resources on this topic.

RESOURCES | How can RPPs support the use of research evidence in practice?

DO RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS DO ‘POLICY’? HOW RPPs ENGAGE IN AND THINK ABOUT POLICY-RELATED WORK

Nina Spitzley, with NNERPP members | 2023

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

EMPOWERING PRACTITIONERS, POLICYMAKERS, AND FUNDERS TO APPLY INSIGHTS FROM RESEARCH

Chloe Stroman and Lisa Quay | 2023

Brief published by the Student Experience Research Network

THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE USE IN PARTNERSHIPS

Kara S. Finnigan | 2023

Article published in Educational Policy

SURVEY OF EVIDENCE IN EDUCATION FOR SCHOOLS (SEE-S) DESCRIPTIVE REPORT

Elizabeth Farley-Ripple, Sam Van Horne, Kati Tilley, Samantha Shewchuk, Henry May, Deborah Amsden Micklos, and Horatio Blackman | 2022

Report by the Center for Research Use in Education (CRUE)

BUILDING CAPACITY FOR EVIDENCE-INFORMED IMPROVEMENT: SUPPORTING STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCIES

Elizabeth N. Farley-Ripple, Norma Ming, Dan Goldhaber, Akisha Osei Sarfo, and Paula Arce-Trigatti | 2022

Report

THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION RESEARCH AT IES: ADVANCING AN EQUITY-ORIENTED SCIENCE

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine | 2022

NASEM report

‘WHAT COUNTS’ AS RESEARCH? COMPARING POLICY GUIDELINES TO THE EVIDENCE EDUCATION LEADERS REPORT AS USEFUL

Caitlin C. Farrell, William R. Penuel, and Kristen Davidson | 2022

AERA Open article

ASKING THE RIGHT RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Nora Gordon and Carrie Conaway | 2021

ASCD article

DEMOCRATIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVIDENCE

Cara Jackson | 2021

Article published in Educational Researcher

FROM VISIBLE TO UNDERSTANDABLE: DESIGNING FOR TEACHER AGENCY IN EDUCATION DATA VISUALIZATIONS

June Ahn, Ha Nguyen, and Fabio Campos | 2021

Article in CITE Journal

HOW TO CREATE INCLUSIVE DATA VISUALIZATIONS

Negeen Aghassibake | 2021

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

THE ABSENCE OF CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE CAN PRODUCE OR EXACERBATE INEQUITIES

Rayanne de Sales Lima, Andréa Borghi Moreira Jacinto, and Rodrigo Arthuso Arantes Faria | 2021

Evidence & Policy Blog post

WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS SUCCEED?

Caitlin C. Farrell, Laura Wentworth, and Michelle Nayfack | 2021

Kappan article

THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL ROUTINES IN RESEARCH USE IN FOUR LARGE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Cynthia E. Coburn, James P. Spillane, Angel X. Bohannon, Anna-Ruth Allen, Riley Ceperich, Abigail Beneke, and Lok-Sze Wong | 2020

NCRPP Technical Report

VISUALIZING DATA FOR MEANINGFUL IMPACT ON DECISION MAKING

Based on tips from Anneli Joplin | 2020

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

HOW TO READ A RESEARCH PAPER: THE R3I METHOD

Carrie Conaway | 2020

Center For Research Use In Education blog post

IMPROVING THE USE OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE THROUGH COMMUNICATION SCIENCE PRINCIPLES: INSIGHTS FROM RPP COMMUNICATION LEADERS

With Megan Dillingham, Chelsea Farley, Lila Goldstein, Jessica Holter, and Sara Slaughter | 2020

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

THE PROBLEM WITH THE WAY WE USE EVIDENCE IN EDUCATION

Nora Gordon and Carrie Conaway | 2020

FutureEd article

EDUCATION LEADERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF CAUSAL RESEARCH DESIGN: A MEASUREMENT CHALLENGE

Heather C. Hill and Derek C. Briggs | 2020

Annenberg Institute at Brown University EdWorkingPaper

HOW CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS INFLUENCE SCHOOL LEADERS’ DECISION-MAKING: UNPACKING POWER DYNAMICS IN TWO SCHOOL-BASED DECISION-MAKING SYSTEMS

Lok-Sze Wong, Cynthia E. Coburn, and Ayah Kamel | 2020

Article published in the Peabody Journal of Education

A COMPARATIVE, DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THREE RESEARCH–PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS

William R. Penuel, Caitlin C. Farrell, Eleanor R. Anderson, Cynthia E. Coburn, Anna-Ruth Allen, Angel X. Bohannon, Megan Hopkins, and Stephanie Brown | 2020

National Center for Research in Policy and Practice technical report

IMPROVING USE OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE: INSIGHTS FROM COMMUNICATION SCIENCE

Itzhak Yanovitzky and Cindy Blitz | 2020

Article published in NNERPP’s quarterly magazine NNERPP | Extra

DECOMPOSITION OF PRACTICE AS AN ACTIVITY FOR RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS

Alison Fox Resnick and Elham Kazemi | 2019

Article published in AERA Open

BRACING FOR IMPACT

Elizabeth Farley-Ripple | 2019

6-part blog post series about research impact posted on the Center for Research Use in Education blog

MULTIPLE AUDIENCES FOR ENCOURAGING RESEARCH USE: UNCOVERING A TYPOLOGY OF EDUCATORS

Jennifer Watling Neal, Kristen J. Mills, Kathryn McAlindon, Zachary P. Neal, and Jennifer A. Lawlor | 2019

Article published in Educational Administration Quarterly

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF INFLUENCING POLICY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ADVICE TO ACADEMICS

Kathryn Oliver and Paul Cairney | 2019

Article in Palgrave Communications

GETTING BEYOND 'DID IT WORK?': PROPOSING A NEW APPROACH TO INTEGRATE RESEARCH AND POLICY

Morgan Polikoff and Carrie Conaway | 2018

Short brief featured on the Brown Center Chalkboard from Brookings

THE BEST WAY TO BUILD A CULTURE OF EVIDENCE-BASED GOVERNMENT

Andrew Feldman, Ruth Curran Neild, and David Yokum | 2018

Commentary

WHAT DOES GOOD EVIDENCE ‘USE’ LOOK LIKE?

Kathryn Oliver | 2019

Transforming Evidence blog post

WHAT RESEARCH DO EDUCATORS ACTUALLY FIND USEFUL?

Caitlin Farrell, NCRPP2018

Post featured on NNERPP’s EdWeek blog, “Urban Education Reform: Bridging Research and Practice

CONSIDERING INTEREST AND ACTION: ANALYZING TYPES OF QUESTIONS EXPLORED BY RESEARCHER-PRACTITIONER PARTNERSHIPS

Karen D. Thompson, Martha I. Martinez, Chelsea Clinton, and Guadalupe Díaz | 2017

Article published in Educational Researcher

WHAT RESEARCH DISTRICT LEADERS FIND USEFUL

William R. Penuel, Caitlin C. Farrell, Anna-Ruth Allen, Yukie Toyama, and Cynthia E. Coburn | 2016

Article published in Educational Policy

MOVING FROM DATA TO RESEARCH TO POLICY: WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

Kim DuMont and Timothy Smeeding | 2016

Article posted on the William T. Grant Foundation website