One powerful way to illustrate the impact of RPPs is to simply hear –and share– their stories: What have they worked on in a given timeframe? How has the work impacted students, teachers, and communities? Here, we “visit” six RPPs from across the country (as well as internationally) for a look at what they have been up to in 2025 – and what difference their work has made.
Research Insights
WHAT DO NEW TEACHERS NEED? HOW AN RPP WORKED TO TAILOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR FIRST-TIME TEACHERS
How can new teachers best be supported through professional learning? The Oakland Unified School District and University of California, Berkeley Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) shares research that explores new teachers’ experiences with professional learning in the district to better tailor early career learning that is valuable to these teachers.
SEEING AND SUPPORTING ALL STUDENTS THROUGH STRONG TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS
How can teachers help students from historically marginalized backgrounds feel valued and supported? The Northwestern-Evanston Education Research Alliance highlights insights from research that was conducted over the course of three years on strengthening teacher-student relationships using humanizing pedagogies.
STUDENT MOBILITY IN ST. LOUIS: UNCOVERING NEW CHALLENGES THROUGH DATA
St. Louis has disproportionately high rates of student mobility. Local practitioners wanted to better understand which students were moving, where, and why, in order to design more effective initiatives to meet student and educator needs. The St. Louis School Research Practice Collaborative shares its partnership research on student mobility, including how it led to deeper investigations into how data is collected and coded.
STORIES OF IMPACT FROM SIX RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
One of the best ways to demonstrate the “why,” “how to,” and “so what” of research-practice partnerships, we have found, is to share what RPP work looks like in real life – and what impact it has in real life. Here, we share six stories of RPP impact, as told by partnerships within NNERPP from various settings and contexts and at various different stages of their partnership journey.
ENGAGING PARENTS AS CO-DESIGNERS AND RESEARCHERS IN RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
Historically marginalized children, particularly those from underserved communities, often have limited access to enriching environments within their neighborhoods. An RPP between the Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) and the Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative (SAELI) works to transform everyday locations into vibrant spaces for rich STEM learning – by centering the voices, experiences, and expertise of parents in the co-design of these learning environments.
ASSESSING SECOND GRADERS’ HANDWRITING USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: FINDINGS FROM AN RPP IN FRANCE
Teachers and school staff in the French town of Besançon noticed that students did not want to write by hand anymore and were having difficulties in their handwriting. The local RPP –the first one in France– responded with a research project addressing elementary school students’ challenges with handwriting.
ENSURING EVERY STUDENT IS KNOWN: HOW AN RPP’S RAPID RESPONSE STUDY PROVIDED QUICK ANSWERS TO GUIDE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AT SCALE
A school district needed quick answers to guide the implementation at scale of its program to connect students with caring adults. By launching a “rapid response studies” strand of work, the Nashville Partnership for Educational Equity Research could help.
STORIES OF RPP IMPACT: SIX RESEARCH VIGNETTES
What does authentic RPP work look like? How does RPP research make an impact in the real world? We share six stories of RPP research and impact, as told by partnerships within NNERPP from various settings and contexts, to get at answering these questions.
LEARNING TO CO-DESIGN INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR SCALE AND SPREAD
The inquiryHub partnership, a design-based RPP, is co-developing high school instructional materials for biology, chemistry, and physics. What are students’ experiences of the curriculum, and how do they vary by race/ethnicity and by gender? How do teachers judge and experience the materials? iHub gives a behind-the-scenes look at partnership research exploring these questions by field testing curriculum materials.
HOW HAS THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ COMPUTER SCIENCE GRADUATION REQUIREMENT IMPACTED STUDENTS?
In 2016, Chicago Public Schools became the first school district in the nation to enact a high school computer science graduation requirement. How did it impact student access and outcomes? The Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFÉCS) gives a behind-the-scenes look at partnership research exploring this question.
INTEGRATING COMPUTER SCIENCE LEARNING IN RURAL CLASSROOMS: FROM BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITIES
How can rural K-8 educators be supported in integrating computer science into math and science instruction? The STEM Workforce Ready 2030 RPP gives a behind-the-scenes look at partnership research on barriers to integrating computer science in the classroom – and how these barriers can become opportunities.
