Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative Research for Educational Change
Deadline: 9-Nov-22
The Spencer Foundation is seeking applications for its Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) Grants Program to support education research projects that engage in collaborative and participatory partnerships with project budgets of up to $400,000 and durations of up to three years.
This grant program is open to partnerships between researchers and a broad array of practitioners. For example, practitioners might work in school districts, county offices of education, state educational organizations, universities, community-based organizations, and other social sectors that significantly impact learners’ lives. As such, the foundation defines practitioners broadly; they might be policy-makers, out-of-school-time providers and other informal educators, K-12 teachers and leaders, or families and other community members. The Foundation is open to applications from design-based research teams, networked improvement communities, place-based research alliances, and a wealth of other partnership arrangements.
Funding Information
Budget is up to $400,000 and durations of up to three years.
Activities
Research is fundamental to every research-practice partnership, and the foundation expects research activities to be the central element of every proposal. In addition to detailing a plan for research, applicants may also prioritize plans for communicating and disseminating key findings and other important partnership activities that have the potential to foster positive educational changes.
Research Activities
Each proposal should describe new research that would be launched or existing research activities that would be expanded with the grant. Examples might include randomized trials of new curricula, participatory studies with learner and family coresearchers; design-based research focused on teacher classroom practice; policy advocacy or implementation; needs mapping with community partners; or deep descriptive work focused on a range of learner outcomes. The foundation encourages a wide range of research methods and approaches.
Research Infrastructure
Funds may be used for building and sustaining infrastructure needs for the research activities of the partnership. These infrastructure needs may apply to the full range of methodological approaches. Examples may include the development of surveys, assessment tools, and other instruments; the development of co-designed protocols; and the upkeep of data archives and matching systems. Additionally, administrative activities concerning data may be supported by this grant. These may include developing IRB and review protocols, creating standard data definitions, co-designing consent forms, and developing data security and privacy protocols.
Outreach, Communications, and Relationship Building
Activities that strengthen the working relationship between partners and other stakeholders are also a possible component of the projects. Successful research practice partnerships devote a great deal of time and attention to building and maintaining trust across stakeholder groups and within their partnership. Potential activities may include convening researchers, educators, learners, families, and other participants to co-design a research agenda; hiring a communication specialist and/or developing a strategy for communicating research findings to important constituents; supporting staff in the partner organizations to manage partnership relations; and preparing research reports and other publications to present the work of the partnership to the public.
Capacity Development
Many research-practice partnerships seek to assist the practice partner in developing capacity to use research evidence and data in their daily decision-making. Funds could be used to learn how to better engage others in research, conduct better practice or policy-driven research, or to be better equipped to communicate complex research findings to practitioners, families, communities, or policy makers that were not primary partners.
Eligibility Criteria
Proposals to the Research-Practice Partnership program must be for research and other activities aimed at supporting collaborative partnerships between academic researcher(s) and a broad array of practitioner(s) of education.
Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Research-Practice Partnership Grant are expected to have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or demonstrated professional experience appropriate for this program. Note: If the PI or Co-PI from the practice/policy side of the partnership does not have an earned doctorate, they are expected to have appropriate professional experience to serve in this role in the partnership. While graduate students may be part of the team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.
The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Examples include non-profit or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS (or equivalent non-profit status if the organization is outside of the United States).
The PI associated with the administering organization for this grant could be either the practitioner/policymaker or researcher of the partnership. At least one Co-PI should be from the other member organization(s).
Proposals are accepted from the US and internationally. All proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in US Dollars.
For more information, visit https://www.spencer.org/grant_types/research-practice-partnerships