As the field of research-practice partnerships has expanded, so has an interest in exploring ways in which RPPs might continue to disrupt typical dynamics between research and practice by generating new opportunities for a wider variety of voices to co-construct knowledge for decision making. One of the ways that some of our members are exploring this further democratization of research generation and use is to further center the voices of those most directly impacted by education research collaborations – youth themselves. 

Since 2021, NNERPP’s Youth Voice 4 RPPs Awards, supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has worked to recognize, honor, and further support existing RPP efforts to broaden youth involvement in RPP work. In the spring of 2023, NNERPP launched its Youth Voice Subnetwork to provide a community of practice for those within and outside of NNERPP to collaborate on the successes and challenges of youth involvement in collaborative education research. Over the course of their work together, the Youth Voice Subnetwork has shared a great diversity of approaches to working with youth, accompanied by the common challenges unique to RPP work with youth – including shifting power in school systems and in research endeavors to give youth a primary role as researcher, exploring the role of youth in serving as research advisors sharing in RPP governance, and navigating the myriad institutional hurdles present when re-envisioning the role of youth as the researchers rather than the researched.

The resources below were curated by our Youth Voice Subnetwork as some of their “go-to” resources when thinking about RPP work with youth. You will find a variety of resources, including journal articles, videos, discussion protocols, and blog posts. Additionally, the resources reflect a diversity of approaches in working with youth, including but not limited to youth participatory action research, community engaged research, and appreciative inquiry. We hope these resources will be beneficial to you as you think more about the role of youth within your partnerships and how you might take your next right step towards elevating the voices of youth in education research. Do you have “go-to” resources to share? Feel free to submit them!

State education agencies are increasingly partnering with external researchers to form research-practice partnerships. There are several examples of state-level partnerships in NNERPP, including the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Research Partnerships, the Partnership for Pre-K Improvement, and a number of partnerships within REL Central, REL Midwest, REL Northwest, and REL Southwest.

Here we share a collection of resources specific to state education agencies that are interested in forming research-practice partnerships, including two NNERPP-sourced resources.