Racial and Social Justice Collaborative

The RPP Exchange: Equity through Research-Practice Partnerships

Listen to conversations from folks engaged in Research-Practice Partnerships.

Here, they discuss their challenges, successes, and how RPPs are addressing issues of equity in education.

SEASON FIVE

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Episode 1 (6/27/25)

The B.O.N.D.S. Project: Creating Connection for Teachers of Color through Mentorship

Dr. Lori Wimbush, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and School Improvement at Roanoke City schools, and Dr. Maxwell Yurkofsky, Assistant Professor in The Doctor of Education Program at Radford University, share the roots of their collaboration to increase retention for teachers of color through improvement science and a dissertation process that addresses systemic issues in education.

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Episode 2 (7/04/25)

The B.O.N.D.S. Project: The Power of Relationships in Retaining and Empowering Teachers of Color

Dr. Lori Wimbush, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and School Improvement at Roanoke City schools, and Dr. Maxwell Yurkofsky, Assistant Professor in The Doctor of Education Program at Radford University, share how their partnership leveraged relationships to support and empower teachers of color and how this work addresses institutional racism in both the short and long term.

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Episode 3 (7/11/25)

The B.O.N.D.S. Project: Weaving Mentorship into a Division-Wide Program

Dr. Lori Wimbush, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and School Improvement at Roanoke City schools, and Dr. Maxwell Yurkofsky, Assistant Professor in The Doctor of Education Program at Radford University, share how their work is expanding to provide mentorship to all teachers and educational leaders across the school division and what they have gained from their partnership.

Dr. Lori Wimbush

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and School Improvement

Roanoke City schools

Dr. Maxwell Yurkofsky

Assistant Professor

Doctor of Education Program

Radford University

Biography

Dr. Lori Wimbush is an Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and School Improvement at Roanoke City schools. Throughout her career, Dr. Wimbush has served in numerous school and central office roles, including Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, Director of Equity and Engagement, and Principal. Dr. Wimbush received her Doctorate from Radford University in 2023.

Biography

Yurkofsky obtained his Ed.D. in Educational Policy, Leadership, and Instructional Practice from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2020. He teaches courses in the Doctor of Education program focused on continuous improvement, leadership, collaborative inquiry, and equitable approaches to spreading change. His research centers on developing partnerships with school and system leaders to investigate how school systems can organize for continuous improvement toward more ambitious and equitable visions of learning. Dr. Yurkofsky is committed to preparing school and system leaders to strategically use improvement science, organizational theory, and collaborative leadership practices to inquire into and address high-leverage problems of practice in their settings. He partners with current and former students on research, professional learning, and writing projects focused on improving educational systems in Virginia.

Learn more about improvement science projects.

Learn more about Dr. Yurkofsky's approach to partnerships.

Learn more about Radford's Ed.D. program.

Education Doctorate Program at Radford

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Episode 4 (7/25/25)

The Improvement Scholars Network: Building the Field of Network Research and Continuous Improvement

In this episode, hosted by Dr. Christine Neumerski (University of Maryland), Dr. Donald Peurach (University of Michigan) and Dr. Jennifer Linn Russell (Vanderbilt University) share their personal and professional journeys that led them to build a field of network research and continuous improvement in education. They also discuss what sparked the Improvement Scholars Network, how they came to co-lead the network, and what they mean by the term "invisible college."

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Episode 5 (8/8/25)

The Improvement Scholars Network: Building Successful Partnerships from Lessons Learned

In this episode, hosted by Dr. Christine Neumerski (University of Maryland), Dr. Donald Peurach (University of Michigan) and Dr. Jennifer Linn Russell (Vanderbilt University) share their thoughts on Research-Practice Partnerships, talk about lessons learned during failed research collaborations that led to more effective future partnerships, and introduce us to a novel form of leadership they see developing within organizations that serve has hubs for networked improvements.

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Episode 6 (8/22/25)

The Improvement Scholars Network: Seeing Shifts in Education Policy as an Opportunity

In this episode, hosted by Dr. Christine Neumerski (University of Maryland), Dr. Donald Peurach (University of Michigan) and Dr. Jennifer Linn Russell (Vanderbilt University) expand on novel forms of leadership currently developing in networked improvement communities (NICs), offer advice for early career professionals looking to enter collaborative education research, and share their hopes for how current shifts in policy and research may be an opportunity to work more closely with local educational partners.

Dr. Donald Peurach

Dr. Jennifer Linn Russell

Biography

Donald J. Peurach is Professor of Educational Policy, Leadership, and Innovation in the University of Michigan’s School of Education. He is also a Faculty Lead for the EdHub for Community and Professional Learning, Co-Director of the Improvement Scholars Network, Senior Fellow of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a Faculty Associate in the Center for Positive Organizations in the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and a Senior Research Specialist at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Peurach’s research, teaching, and outreach focus on the organization, management, and improvement of instruction in education systems, with a particular focus on network-based continuous improvement. Among the aims of his research is to understand the production, use, and management practical knowledge as distributed among classrooms, communities, schools, and systems in complex, dynamic polic environments.

With support from the Spencer Foundation and the National Science Foundation, Peurach is collaborating with researchers from the University of Michigan and Northwestern University to study efforts to redesign classrooms, school, districts, and networks to function synergistically as instructionally focused education systems.

As the Co-Director of the Improvement Scholars Network and a Senior Fellow of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Peurach is collaborating with researchers and educational professionals to organize, expand, and advance the community of scholars engaged in the practice and study of improvement research and network-based continuous improvement. He is also collaborating with researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in measuring and supporting the development of improvement networks as scientific-professional learning communities.

Across both of the preceding, Peurach raises and examines cross-cutting issues of leadership, organization, and policy central to large-scale efforts to advance educational access, quality, and equity in the US and other national contexts, especially for students who have been historically marginalized both in public schools and in broader society.

Peurach is the co-editor of The Foundational Handbook on Improvement Research in Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022). He is also the author of Seeing Complexity in Public Education: Problems, Possibilities, and Success for All (2011, Oxford University Press) and co-author of Improvement by Design: The Promise of Better Schools (2014, University of Chicago Press).

Peurach's perspectives and research have been featured in commentaries, press reports, and op-ed pieces, as well as in blogs from Education Week, the Huffington Post, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Prior to joining the Marsal Family School of Education as a faculty member in 2011, Peurach served as an assistant professor at Michigan State University and at Eastern Michigan University.

He also served as a researcher on U-Ms Study of Instructional Improvement. Before pursuing an academic career, Peurach was a high school mathematics teacher and, before that, a systems analyst in manufacturing, health care, and higher education.

Peurach holds a BA in computer science from Wayne State University, an MPP from the Ford School of Public Policy at U-M, and a PhD in Educational Studies from the Marsal Family School of Education at U-M.

Biography

Jennifer Lin Russell is a Professor of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Co-Director (with Donald Peurach) of the Improvement Scholars Network. Her research focuses on organizing educational systems for improvement, with a particular emphasis on networked continuous improvement. Her work seeks to reshape the relationship between educational research and practice to create more equitable learning opportunities for students. She is co-editor of The Foundational Handbook on Improvement Research in Education (Rowman and Littlefield, 2022). She received her Ph.D. in education policy, organizations, measurement, and evaluation from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in curriculum and instruction from the University of San Francisco, and a B.A. in political science and urban studies from Northwestern University.

LEARN MORE.......

Improvement Scholars Network

EdHub for Community and Professional Learning

Democratizing Educational Innovation and Improvement:

The Policy Contexts of Improvement Research in Education

University of Michigan Online: Transforming Education in an Interconnected World

Transforming Education for Holistic Student Development

SEASON FOUR

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Episode 1 (1.10.25)

Equity in Uncertain Times: Navigating Change and Challenge

Dr. Doug Anthony at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland, guest hosts this conversation with Dr. Daryl Howard (MCPS) and Dr. Lorenzo Hughes (AAPS). They discuss concepts of equity and it's role in education in our ever changing sociopolitical landscape. Listen in as they consider pillars of equity, equity exhaustion, and equity's role in modern classrooms.

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Episode 2 (1.24.25)

Equity in Uncertain Times: Authentic Empowerment of Historically Marginalized Students to Inform Policy and Practice

Dr. Doug Anthony, at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland, guest hosts this conversation with Dr. Daryl Howard (MCPS) and Dr. Lorenzo Hughes (AAPS). In this episode our guests discuss authentic ways to empower historically marginalized students so that their voices influence policy and practice at the district, school, and class level.

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Episode 3 (2.7.25)

Equity in Uncertain Times: Thinking About Teacher Diversification in New Ways

Dr. Doug Anthony, at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland, guest hosts this conversation with Dr. Daryl Howard (MCPS) and Dr. Lorenzo Hughes (AAPS). In this episode, Dr. Anthony asks Dr. Hughes and Dr. Howard to discuss how we might go about increasing representation of Black men and other teachers of color in the workforce. They share their thinking around community responsiveness, innovative and engaging instruction, and increasing belonging for students of color as a means to achieve this goal.

Douglas W. Anthony, Ed.D

Lorenzo L. Hughes, Ph.D.

Daryl Howard, Ph.D

Biography

Dr. Douglas W. Anthony is the Director of the Doctorate of Education in School System Leadership and the Senior Fellow at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland. Anthony has over 30 years in public education working with school districts, universities and state departments of education across the country as a consultant and executive level coach. Prior to joining the university faculty, Anthony served as consulting program officer with the Wallace Foundation and a consultant with The Leadership Academy and Policy Studies Associates. Anthony served as an Associate Superintendent for one of the largest school districts in the country and brings a wealth of experience developing, securing and leading grants on school system leadership and teacher development. Anthony served in several roles throughout his career including: teacher; school development program facilitator; assistant principal; principal; director of school leadership; director of human capital management; interim chief of human resources; and executive director for talent management. He is recognized for successfully creating leadership development programs and opportunities, developing a principal pipeline, and developing strategic, meaningful partnerships. Anthony has presented nationally on several leadership topics, spoken on Capitol Hill and has been featured in several articles, podcasts and research reports on leadership.

Biography

A visionary and transformational educational leader with over twenty years of experience maintaining a laser-like focus on achievement for all students with an unwavering commitment those who have been marginalized. Effectively led turnaround efforts in a high poverty school district by restructuring the Division of Instructional Services to provide additional differentiated central office supports to struggling schools. Through careful quantitative and qualitative data analysis, prioritized strategic district goals then set clear key performance indicators while monitoring short-term and long-term progress. Customized professional development for district and school administrators to increase their capacity to lead for high quality instruction in every classroom. Revolutionized instructional program through a district-wide digital conversion resulting in increased student engagement through personalized learning to meet the needs of individual students. Highly effective communicator who is politically savvy and cultivates positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders to leverage critical partnerships to support students’ readiness for college, career, and life.

Biography

Daryl Howard, Ph.D is an equity instructional specialist in Montgomery County Public Schools whose work and research interests include race and cultural proficiency, social emotional learning, and the triumphs and challenges of African American male students. As the former chair of Maryland’s State Department of Education’s Advisory Council on Equity and Excellence for Black Boys, he researched and recommended policy and practice to disrupt harmful narratives, decrease disproportionality and elevate achievement. Howard is co-director of the Building our Network of Diversity (BOND) Project, where he leads initiatives focused on the recruitment, development and retention of male educators of color, as well as the empowerment of underserved male students. Howard lectures on the topics of race, sociology, and education at McDaniel and Prince George's Community Colleges and is the author of Complex People: Insights at the Intersection of Black Culture and American Social Life. Dr. Howard has been recognized by numerous universities and community groups and has received awards for his service and efforts for social change.

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Episode 4 (2.21.25)

Transforming Literacy Instruction: Listening and Collaboration Open the Door to an RPP with District of Columbia Public Schools

Danielle and Annie are researchers in a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) with a local DCPS school district focused on supporting district and school leaders in the implementation of evidence-based reading practices. This partnership began in 2021 and has served 27 elementary schools, including eight dual-language schools. Through the partnership, RPP leaders co-create monthly professional learning. Research endeavors include an investigation into the barriers to the implementation of reading practices, a quantitative study on the reading trajectory of students in grades K-2, and how RPP leaders learn together to support school leaders planning for the implementation of reading practices. Learn more about American University's School of Education.

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Episode 5 (3.7.25)

Transforming Literacy Instruction: Remaining Responsive to Partners' Needs

Danielle and Annie are researchers in a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) with a local DCPS school district focused on supporting district and school leaders in the implementation of evidence-based reading practices. In this episode, they discuss challenges they faced in their RPP and how being aware of and responsive to the various needs of stakeholders contributes to enduring partnership. Learn more about American University's School of Education.

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Episode 6 (3.21.25)

Transforming Literacy Instruction: Remaining Responsive to Partners' Needs

Danielle and Annie are researchers in a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) with a local DCPS school district focused on supporting district and school leaders in the implementation of evidence-based reading practices. In this final episode of a three part conversation, Danielle and Annie talk about equalizing power dynamics and practical implications of their RPP work. They also share their thoughts on how to keep partnerships going when funding is uncertain.

Learn more about American University's School of Education.

Danielle Gervais Sodani

Director

Institute for Innovation and Education

School of Education (American University)

Annie Karabell Murphy

Professorial Lecturer

Institute for Innovation in Education

School of Education (American University)

Biography

Danielle Gervais Sodani currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Innovation and Education in the School of Education at American University. As the director, she cultivates partnerships with educational organizations in DC, nationally, and internationally to conduct partner-based reciprocal research and implement research-informed professional development initiatives. She secures and manages external funding for projects supporting teacher preparation and professional development including projects from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the DC Office of the State Superintendent.

She is a Ph.D. candidate in Teacher Education Professional Development from the Teaching and Learning Policy and Leadership Program at the University of Maryland College of Education. She defended her dissertation in February 2025 and expects to graduate in May 2025. Her research focus is on how partners learn together to support the goals of educational Research-Practice Partnerships. She holds a BA and MA from American University.

Biography

Annie Murphy Karabell is a professorial lecturer in the Institute for Innovation in Education at the School of Education at American University. She teaches courses in reading instruction and enjoys collaborating with school and district partners to improve student outcomes. She has served as the program director for the Early Intervention Leadership (ELI) cohort of the EdD program and the lead instructor for the Collaborative for Reading Science and Inclusive Classrooms, a project funded by OSSE’s Special Education Enhancement Fund. Annie has also been a board member of the DC chapter of the International Dyslexia Association and a teacher mentor at the DC Reading Clinic.

She is a doctoral candidate in Special Education at the University of Maryland, where her work focuses on instructional coherence, inclusive practices, and data-based decision-making related to early reading and writing. She holds a BA from Wake Forest University and an MA from Georgetown University.

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Episode 7 (5.1.25)

National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP): Its Origin, Purpose, and Challenges

Dr. Christine Neumerski (RSJC-UMD) engages in conversation with Dr. Paula Arce-Trigatti and Dr. Kim Wright of the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP). They share how NNERPP began, how they entered the work, and common challenges faced by network members.

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Episode 8 (5.16.25)

National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP): Partnerships Work at the Speed of Trust

Dr. Christine Neumerski (RSJC-UMD) engages in conversation with Dr. Paula Arce-Trigatti and Dr. Kim Wright of the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP). In this episode, they discuss advice for education practitioners engaging in RPPs, building trust by doing the work, and the focus of RPPs outside of the United States.

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Episode 9 (5.30.25)

National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP): Reaching Out and Learning More about RPPs

Dr. Christine Neumerski (RSJC-UMD) engages in conversation with Dr. Paula Arce-Trigatti and Dr. Kim Wright of the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP). In this episode, they discuss tips for reaching out to potential RPP partners and how to access an array of resources related to RPPs through NNERPP.

Paula Arce-Trigatii, Ph.D.

Director

National Network of Education

Research-Practice Partnerships

Kim Wright, Ph.D.

Assistant Director

National Network of Education

Research-Practice Partnerships

Biography

Paula is the inaugural Director of NNERPP, which launched in 2016 at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. In this role, she organizes and coordinates learning opportunities for members across the Network and the RPP field at-large in order to improve both our theoretical understanding of partnerships and how they actually work in practice. Prior to joining NNERPP, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Houston, as well as an M.S. in economics, a B.A. in Music, and a B.S. in Business, all from Florida State University.

Biography

Kim joined NNERPP as Assistant Director in September 2022. She was previously at Texas A&M University where she was Assistant Research Scientist at the Education Research Center and also received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in technology and teacher education. Prior to her work at Texas A&M, Kim spent several years working as a classroom teacher and in teacher leadership positions. Bringing her experiences of working on both the research- and practice sides, leads NNERPP’s professional learning offerings and membership engagement.

Learn More

NNERPP Website

NNERPP Knowledge Clearinghouse

Brokering in RPPs

RPP Effectiveness Toolkit Page

NNERRP Extra Magazine

NNERPP Subnetworks information and sign up page

NNERPP Annual Yearbook page (stories of our members as told by them)

SEASON THREE

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Episode 1 (8.23.24)

The Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement: A Groundbreaking Partnership

In this episode Dr. Jean Snell and Dr. Segun Eubanks discuss the groundbreaking partnership between the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement (UMD) and Prince George's County and its central mission...to create scholarly practitioners.

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Episode 2 (9.5.24)

The Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement: Spanning Boundaries in RPPs

In this episode, Dr. Jean Snell and Dr. Segun Eubanks (CEii-UMD) discuss the nuanced understanding and work needed to span boundaries between school districts and research partners. Click here to learn more about the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvment at the University of Maryland-College Park.

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Episode 3 (9.19.24)

The Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement: Everybody Wants in on the Party

In this final episode of our conversation with Dr. Jean Snell and Dr. Segun Eubanks, we discuss some of the essential elements in remaining responsive to education practitioners and the payoff of institutional shifts after years of dedication to RPP work. Click here to learn more about the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvment at the University of Maryland-College Park.

Dr. Segun Eubanks

Dr. Jean Snell

Biography

Dr. Segun Eubanks is the Director of the Center for Education Innovation and Improvement and Professor of Practice at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Prior to joining UMD, Dr. Eubanks worked in various leadership roles at the National Education Association, including as Director of Teacher Quality and Director of Professional Educator Support. He previously served 11 years as the Director of Teacher Quality for the NEA. Dr. Eubanks also served as the Chair of the Board of Education for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), a 132,000-student school district bordering Washington, DC. In these roles, Dr. Eubanks led major policy initiatives and programs such as the Teacher Leadership Initiative, the Teacher Residency Taskforce, the National Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching, and the NEA’s Committee on Professional Standards and Practice.

Dr. Eubanks has spent his professional career working to promote opportunity, access and equity in America’s education systems. Dr. Eubanks is a staunch advocate for public education and an expert in teacher quality, teacher diversity and teacher professionalism. He has served in various leadership roles with national non-profit education organizations including as Executive Director of the Community Teachers Institute and Vice President of Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. Dr. Eubanks has given scores of speeches and presentations to a wide variety of audiences and has authored and/or contributed to many reports and publications on teacher quality and teacher diversity.

Dr. Eubanks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Advocacy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Master of Science degree in Human Services Administration from Springfield College, and a Doctorate of Education in Teaching and Learning Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Eubanks is the father of four and lives in Mitchellville, Maryland with his wife, Dr. Shyrelle Eubanks.

Biography

Dr. Jean Snell is the Associate Director and Senior Faculty Specialist for the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland. She co-facilitates improvement NICs for the Center, leads trainings and workshops on continuous improvement and school improvement planning, and she teaches and advises in the doctoral program in School Systems Leadership. Additionally, she is a Co-PI for the federally grant-funded School Improvement Leadership Academy initiative and the Racial Social Justice Research Practice Partnership Collaborative project. She has also served as a facilitator in the undergrad “Words of Engagement Intergroup Dialogue” (WEIDP) program.

Over the last twenty-five years, Dr. Snell has engaged with educators to help develop their capacity to close the achievement gap and to foster high quality teaching and learning conditions for all students. Before her role with the Center, Jean provided leadership coaching to school and teacher leaders and qualitative data evaluation services to school and program administrators, she directed the Maryland Master’s Certification program at the University of Maryland, and she served as one of the founding Program Directors for the Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Washington. Jean began her career in education as a secondary English teacher.

Improving America's Schools Together

Improving America’s Schools Together: How District-University Partnerships and Continuous Improvement Can Transform Education is the first definitive text on continuous improvement in school district-university partnerships, covering improvement methods, theory, research, and real cases across the United States with practical improvement tools that can be adapted to any setting. Through an array of in-depth stories, this book demonstrates how improvement science—as a shared method—can help universities, districts, and schools foster leaders and educators and enhance students’ learning and opportunities.

Learn more....

Carnegie has further developed and championed a science of improvement to help educators and systems get better at getting better, and to enable all students to thrive. Improvement science puts real problems of practice at the center, and acknowledges the role systems play in determining outcomes. It respects and integrates the knowledge of educators, families, and students – recognizing they are the central actors in any successful effort to improve teaching and learning. And it activates the agency of all stakeholders to work together, guided by inquiry and evidence, to improve outcomes reliably and at scale. Through testing innovations, refining, and testing them again, improvers transform systems and make progress on the most persistent challenges in education.

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Episode 4 (10.4.24)

Institute for School Partnership: Transforming St. Louis Schools through Meaningful Collaboration

In this episode, Rachel Ruggirello (Associate Director) and Carmen Stayton (Program Manager, Instructional Specialist) discuss the 40 year history of the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis. Through a focus on STEM instruction, equitable partnerships, and strengths-based collaboration, the Institute engages in data driven, meaningful collaboration with a wide variety of schools and districts in the St. Louis region.

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Episode 5 (10.18.24)

Institute for School Partnership: Sustainable Impact through Teacher Leadership and a Systemic Approach

In this episode, Rachel Ruggirello (Associate Director) and Carmen Stayton (Program Manager, Instructional Specialist) discuss how the creation of teacher leaders and a multi-leveled systemic approach ensures sustainable growth despite the pedulum swings of education reform and district leadership. Through a focus on STEM instruction, equitable partnerships, and strengths-based collaboration, the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis, engages in data driven, meaningful collaboration with a wide variety of schools and districts in the St. Louis region.

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Episode 6 (11.1.24)

Institute for School Partnership: Creating Equitable Classrooms by Connecting with Teachers

In this episode, Rachel Ruggirello (Associate Director) and Carmen Stayton (Program Manager, Instructional Specialist) begin by sharing their work in helping teachers explore their relationship with math to bring joy and rigor to the classroom. They discuss the process of building authentic, trusting relationships with practitioners and share what's next for the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis.

Rachel Ruggirello, PhD

Carmen Stayton

Biography

Rachel is associate director at the ISP. She leads the Institute to establish and sustain research-practice partnerships with schools and districts to transform STEM education in the St. Louis region. Rachel’s work emphasizes design and research focused on issues of broader implementation of best practices in STEM teaching and learning. Rachel leads educators in collaborative improvement research and provides training and implementation support. Using this disciplined approach, she supports teachers, leaders, and researchers to solve specific problems of practice and gain new insights into processes, practices, and policies that influence STEM education. She teaches graduate-level courses in STEM education to in-service teachers.

Rachel holds a B.S. in biology and sociology from Cornell University, an M.S. in chemistry education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in science and mathematics education from Curtin University. Before joining the ISP, Rachel taught high school biology, chemistry, and AP psychology in Camden, NJ.

Biography

Carmen is program manager and instructional specialist at the ISP. She leads the Institute’s innovative Math314, a program designed to improve mathematics teaching and learning in the St. Louis. Math314 develops educators who foster equitable learning environments. The program supports teachers in becoming learners and leaders who encourage inquiry, risk-taking and conceptual understanding by experiencing mathematics in rich and meaningful ways.

Carmen brings a wealth of teaching and school experience. She has served as an instructional coach for the Riverview Gardens School District and resource teacher in the Jennings School District, where she also taught third grade until 2018. Carmen taught kindergarten at the Jamaa Learning Center, the Kansas City School District, and served as Dean of Students at South City Preparatory Academy in St. Louis. She is an Education Consultant with the Social System Design Lab at WashU.

Carmen holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Dubuque, an MA in Education/Student Affairs from the University of Dubuque, an MA in Education/Early Childhood Education from UMSL.

Click here to learn more.....

The Institute for School Partnership (ISP) is a center at Washington University in St. Louis focused on achieving equity in K-12 education. The ISP’s mission is to advance equitable quality education through meaningful collaboration with schools and districts.

We envision a St. Louis region where all students have equitable learning opportunities; where educators are valued, working collaboratively and supported to create classroom communities that are places where deeper learning and loving growth are possible. We aim to transform schools into equitable places that empower all students to think critically, problem-solve creatively, and engage with the world’s challenges and possibilities.

The ISP has a 40-year history in the St. Louis region and provides professional learning, curriculum materials, and instructional infrastructure.

In 2023, more than 5,000 educators from 344 schools across 67 districts, charter networks and 19 private school sites participated in one or more ISP programs.

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Episode 7 (11.13.24)

The AIM Coaching Model: An RPP Provides Differentiated Support to Teachers

In this episode, Dr. Jade Wexler (University of Maryland) and Jaclynn Lightsey (Montgomery County Public Schools) discuss the origin of their partnership to bring Adaptive Intervention Model coaching to teachers in MCPS. They emphasize the importance of building trust, remaining student-centered, and having district leadership willing to facilitate the shared work.

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Episode 8 (11.29.24)

The AIM Coaching Model: the Power of Iterative Feedback and Flexibility in Creating Sustainable Change

In this episode, Dr. Jade Wexler (University of Maryland) and Jaclynn Lightsey (Montgomery County Public Schools) describe their process for iterative feedback from instructional coaches and practitioners. They discuss how centering practitioner voices and parallel growth of coaches and researchers are currently supporting district-wide scaling of their work.

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Episode 9 (12.13.24)

The AIM Coaching Model: The Necessity of Aligned Priorities

In this episode, Dr. Jade Wexler (University of Maryland-College Park) and Jacklyn Lightsey (Montgomery Co. Public Schools-MD) discuss the nuts and bolts of the AIM Coaching Model, the necessity of both district and research priorities being in alignment, and how they hope to continue their partnership.

Jade Wexler, Ph.D.

Jaclynn Lightsey

Biography

Jade Wexler, Ph.D. is a professor of special education and the inaugural College of Education Impact Professor at the University of Maryland. Her current research focuses on improving literacy outcomes for secondary students with reading difficulties and disabilities, via teacher professional development and the establishment of sustainable school-wide literacy models. Dr. Wexler has been the principal investigator and co-principal investigator on several federally funded adolescent literacy focused grants totaling approximately $8M. She has published over 55 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is the co-author of three books about adolescent literacy. As a former high school special education and reading teacher, Dr. Wexler aims to bring her practical experience in the field to her research. To connect with Dr. Wexler via X: @JadeSpecialEd

Biography

Jaclynn Lightsey is the Supervisor of Secondary English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy for Montgomery County Public Schools, the largest school system in the state of Maryland. Ms. Lightsey’s current priorities include effective and equitable implementation of aligned curriculum and elevating literacy instruction across content areas in service of improved student outcomes. Ms. Lightsey has been an educator since 2005 and has previously served MCPS in the roles of English/Journalism Teacher, English Department Leader, and Assistant Principal.

Click here to learn more.....

Learn more about English Language Arts in MCPS

SEASON TWO

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Episode 1 (5.31.24)

Teachers Talk: The Disconnect Between Research and Practice

In this episode Jenni Eaton (Doctoral Student-UMD; 9th grade English teacher) talks with four public school teachers about the disconnect between research and practice and how we can begin to address the gap. Our guests are Chanelle Cohen, Carolyn Martinez-Ross, Dr. Heidi Temple, and Elizabeth Vogel.

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Episode 2 (6.14.24)

Teachers Talk: Centering Teachers and Students in Education Research

In this episode Jenni Eaton (Doctoral Student-UMD; 9th grade English teacher) and four public school teachers offer their thoughts on how education research can be centered on teachers and students. Our guests are Chanelle Cohen, Carolyn Martinez-Ross, Dr. Heidi Temple, and Elizabeth Vogel.

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Episode 3 (6.28.24)

Teachers Talk: What Schools Need Now

We conclude our conversation with four public school educators who share their thoughts on education research, outdated systems, and the modern needs of students and teachers. Jenni Eaton, a 9th-grade English teacher and doctoral student at the University of Maryland, hosts. Our guests are Chanelle Cohen, Carolyn Martinez-Ross, Dr. Heidi Temple, and Elizabeth Vogel.

Chanelle Cohen has been teaching grades 5-12 for almost twenty years and currently teaches in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Her areas of expertise are educational policy, teacher mentorship, and curriculum design & instruction. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership and organizational innovation at Marymount University. In her free time, she enjoys writing and traveling to any location with plenty of sunshine.

Carolyn Martinez-Ross has been an English teacher for grades 6–12 and certified school librarian for 18 years. She has taught in Texas, Maryland, Georgia, and Utah.

Dr Heidi A Temple currently teaches Theatre at Bladensburg HS in Prince George’s County Maryland. Her 27 years of teaching experience include middle school and high school English and Theatre, as well as undergraduate and graduate university instruction in American Studies, Women’s Studies, and Education. Life-long learning has led to a BS in Education (English and Communications), a MA in Theatre Studies, and a PhD in American Studies. Mental health and wellness have become a priority in her last decade of teaching, leading her to yoga, pottery, crochet, and gardening :)

Elizabeth Vogel currently teaches Spanish 1 and 2 at the middle school level. With over 20 years of experience, she has taught English Language Arts, Reading and Spanish. While her expertise lies in language acquisition, her interests also include brain research revolving around ADHD and language based learning disabilities.

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Episode 4 (7.12.24)

Shifting the Culture: Centering RPPs in the Academe

Dr. Christine Neumerski (RSJC) talks with Dr. Kimberly Griffin (Dean, College of Education-University of Maryland) and Dr. Ana Taboada Barber (Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships - College of Education, UMD) about shifting the culture in academia around Research-Practice Partnerships.

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Episode 5 (7.26.24)

Shifting the Culture: Concrete Steps to Support RPP Work in Academia

Dr. Christine Neumerski (RSJC) talks with Dr. Kimberly Griffin (Dean, College of Education-University of Maryland) and Dr. Ana Taboada Barber (Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships - College of Education, UMD) about immediate steps for Deans and Associate Deans to center and support RPP work.

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Episode 6 (8.9.24)

Shifting the Culture: Building Relationships with Practitioners

Dr. Christine Neumerski (RSJC) talks with Dr. Kimberly Griffin (Dean, College of Education-University of Maryland) and Dr. Ana Taboada Barber (Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships - College of Education, UMD) about how to build relationships with education practitioners in Research-Practice Partnerships.

Kimberly Griffin, Ph.D.

Dean- College of Education

University of Maryland- College Park

Ana Taboada Barber, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships -College of Education

University of Maryland-College Park

Biography

Kimberly A. Griffin (she/her) was appointed dean of the College of Education in 2022. She has been a member of the University of Maryland faculty since 2012. Griffin joined the College as an associate professor in the Higher Education, Student Affairs and International Education Policy Program, and later served on the dean’s leadership team as the associate dean for graduate studies and faculty affairs. In this role, she led efforts to revise the College’s tenure and promotion policy, as well as support and guide faculty hiring and graduate student recruitment. Prior to joining UMD, she was a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University, an assistant dean for graduate studies at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and an admissions officer at Stanford University.

A leader committed to excellence, care, community, and equity, Griffin is energized by the opportunity to collaborate with faculty, staff and students to advance the College and its goals. She is driven by education's ability to make an impact in schools and communities and has worked tirelessly throughout her career to maximize the connection between research and practice.

As a scholar, Griffin identifies herself as a “problem-based researcher” and her work aims to promote access, equity, and justice in higher education. Much of her current research and writing focuses on mentorship, career development, and faculty and graduate student diversity. Her research has been funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Institutes of Health, and National Science Foundation. She previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Diversity in Higher Education from 2018 - 2022. Over her five-year term, her vision-driven leadership translated to notable growth in the journal’s readership, impact, and revenues.

Griffin’s work has been widely recognized for its relevance and effectiveness in addressing persistent problems in higher and science education. She received the Promising Scholar/Early Career Award by the Association for the Study of Higher Education in 2013, and was named an Emerging Scholar in 2010 and Diamond Honoree in 2020 by ACPA. In 2022 and 2023, she was named one of the 200 most influential education scholars by Education Week.

Griffin received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, her master’s degree in Education Policy and Leadership from the University of Maryland, and her doctorate degree in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Biography

Ana Taboada Barber serves as Professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education.

Ana Taboada Barber studies reading comprehension from a cognitive and motivational perspective. Her work centers on studying the influence of specific motivational variables (e.g., autonomy support, self-efficacy) and cognitive variables (e.g., executive function skills; inference making) on the literacy and language development of elementary and middle school students. She studies reading comprehension within classroom instructional contexts as well as an individual difference variable. As a former English as a Second Language teacher in full language immersion settings, Ana's work in reading comprehension development is principally concentrated within the population of Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) within the United States. More recently she has extended her focus to include Spanish-speaking students in South American countries (e.g., Chile and Argentina). Ana has also turned her attention to the possible roles that executive function skills (i.e., working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility) as one component of a larger system of self-regulation, play in the reading comprehension and language development of Emergent Bilinguals and of English-only speaking children.

At UMD Ana is currently the Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships for the College of Education.

http://blog.umd.edu/diversereaderslab/

SEASON ONE

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Episode 1 (3.22.24)

Scratch Encore: An RPP Meets Challenge with Innovation

Listen to this conversation between David Weintrop, PhD. and Kris Beck, Director of the Office of Computer Science for Chicago Public Schools where they discuss how they created a Research-Practice Partnership that resulted in a successful intermediate computer science curriculum that gives equal value to improving equity and student learning outcomes.

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Episode 2 (3.29.24)

Scratch Encore: An RPP Meets Challenge with Innovation

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Episode 3 (4.5.24)

Scratch Encore: Authentic Engagement and Transparency

Episodes 1-3: Links to learn more.....

Learn more about Scratch Encore

Learn more about Participatory Design

Coenraad, M., Palmer, J., Eatinger, D., Weintrop, D. & Franklin, D. (2022) Using Participatory Design to Integrate Stakeholder Voices in the Creation of a Culturally Relevant Computing Curriculum. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 31, 100353.

Franklin, D., Weintrop, D., Palmer, J., Coenraad, M.*, Cobian, M.#, Beck, K.#, Rasmussen, A.#, Krause, S., White, M.*, Anaya, M.*, & Crenshaw, Z#. (2020). Scratch Encore: The Design and Pilot of a Culturally-Relevant Intermediate Scratch Curriculum. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 794–800.

Learn more about the Office of Computer Science

(Chicago Public Schools)

Dr. David Weintrop

Associate Professor

University of Maryland- College Park

Director of Computer Science

Chicago Public Schools

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Episode 4 (4.10.24)

Commitment to Impact: RPPs as Scholarly & Professional Identity

Dr. Laura Wentworth (California Education Partners) and Dr. Jing Liu (University of Maryland - College Park) discuss how involvement in RPP work as a graduate student impacts one's career forever, the creation and impact of California Education Partners, and scalability through work with district leaders.

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Episode 5 (4.19.24)

Commitment to Impact: An RPPs Influence on District, State, and National Policy

Dr. Laura Wentworth (California Education Partners) and Dr. Jing Liu (University of Maryland - College Park) discuss the impact of RPP work on many levels , the nuances of district data, and how RPP work is publishable and generalizable.

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Episode 6 (4.26.24)

Commitment to Impact: Routines and "Brokering" in RPP Work

Dr. Laura Wentworth (California Education Partners) and Dr. Jing Liu (University of Maryland - College Park) discuss the importance of routines in moving RPP work forward and how all RPP partners can act as "brokers" across institutional and community spaces.

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Episode 7 (5.3.24)

A Conversation with Dr. Bill Penuel

This episode was prerecorded in the Fall of 2023. Dr. Bill Penuel, an RPP expert and scholar, spoke at the launch event for the Racial and Social Justice Collaborative on October 11, 2023. Dr. Christine Neumerski joins Dr. Penuel to discuss how RPPs can address many of the challenges in public education in our time.

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Episode 8 (5.9.24)

Commitment to Impact: Researcher Agency and the Many Benefits to Universities Who Embrace RPP Work

Dr. Laura Wentworth (California Education Partners) and Dr. Jing Liu (University of Maryland - College Park) discuss nonprofit stakeholders as "brokers", researcher agency in RPP work, and the many rewards and benefits to universities who embrace RPPs in their graduate and research programs.

Dr. Jing Liu

Assistant Professor

Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership

University of Maryland- College Park

Dr. Laura Wentworth

Director of Research-Practice Partnership Program

California Education Partners

Episodes 4-8: Links to learn more.....

NNERPP’s Brokering Workshop (that Jing took):

Routledge book where NNERPP members published tools about brokering (its open-access)

Stanford’s Certificate in Partnership Research

Stanford GSE incentive fund for projects in SFUSD /

Article on Creation of Joint Work

Considering Interest and Action: Analyzing Types of Questions Explored by Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships

Webpage for the Stanford-SFUSD Partnership

What are the conditions under which research-practice partnerships succeed? by Caitlin C. Farrell, Laura Wentworth, and Michelle Nayfack in Phi Delta Kappan. March 22, 2021.

A university and district partnership closes the research-to-classroom gap, by Laura Wentworth, Richard Carranza, and Deborah Stipek in Phi Delta Kappan. May 1, 2016.

The Stanford-SFUSD Partnership: Development of Data-Sharing Structures and Processes, by Moonhawk Kim, Jim Shen, Laura Wentworth, Norma Ming, Michelle Reininger, and Eric Bettinger, in Handbook on Using Administrative Data for Research and Evidence-based Policy. 2020.

Dr. Liu's paper on absenteeism

Paper cited by the White House

The White House statement that cited this work

Dr. Liu's paper on school discipline

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