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. 

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. 

Episode 2 (3.29.24)

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. 

Episode 3 (4.5.24)

Scratch Encore: Authentic Engagement and Transparency

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. 

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) 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.