Are you curious about the new trend toward research-practice partnerships (RPPs) in education? Whether you want to learn more about the concept, are interested in starting a partnership, or are already in a partnership, our upcoming Research-Practice Partnerships Forum’s monthly webinars will offer information, strategies, and discussion about partnership experiences.
Starting and maintaining a collaboration involves not only identifying prospective partners for joint work, but also collectively identifying the focus of that work, the aims or desired outcomes, the roles of participants, the process through which the team will work together, a means to kick off collaborative problem-solving, and more. As RPPs in education continue to grow, focused conversations are needed about these opportunities and challenges. We offer this series to do just that.
Every third Thursday, 5-6pm ET/ 2-3pm PT from October 2015 through March 2016, Bill Penuel will moderate a panel of leaders from RPPs across the country. The RPP Forum will speak to the “life cycle of a partnership”: from getting started, to addressing roles, challenges and impacts, to long-term sustainability.
Topics include:
OCTOBER 15, 2015: Getting a Partnership Started
How do partnerships get off the ground? How do we find the right partners to work with and become effective collaborators?
NOVEMBER 19, 2015: Defining the Focus of Partnership Work
How do partners who bring different strengths, needs, and interests decide on a productive focus for their work together? How does this focus change or stay the same over time?
DECEMBER 17, 2015: Negotiating Roles in Partnerships
How do partners negotiate roles and responsibilities in their collaborative work? How do they balance their commitments and priorities to the partnership and to their own organizations?
JANUARY 21, 2016: Addressing Challenges in Partnerships
What challenges do partnerships encounter at various stages of the work? How can collaborators anticipate and respond flexibly to the inevitable bumps in the road partnerships encounter?
FEBRUARY 18, 2016: Measuring Impacts of Partnerships
What kinds of impacts can partnerships have? How do we know when and to what extent partnerships are having an impact?
MARCH 17, 2016: Sustaining Partnerships
What sustains a partnership? How can partners maintain partnerships when funding ends and key individuals leave partner organizations?
