Faith Connolly

University-District Partnership Research to Understand College Readiness among Baltimore City Students.

The concept of college readiness is complex because of its many components, and its meaning is further complicated by disparate definitions applied by different postsecondary institutions. The research featured in this study attempts to measure college readiness according to traditional indicators, such as high school GPA and course taking, but also by assessed need for developmental courses upon college arrival. The analyses feature a cohort of graduating students from the Baltimore City Public Schools, which are part of an urban, high-poverty, predominantly African American school system. This research is part of a larger effort to inform the school districts efforts at improving college readiness, and was conducted by the Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC), a partnership of local university researchers and school district representatives. The history and current activities of this partnership with respect to college access and readiness research are described, along with descriptive findings concerning the extent to which the academic characteristics of graduates corresponded with readiness definitions at their most frequently attended postsecondary institutions.

Research Practice Partnerships: A Strategy for Promoting Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Education.

Abstract Background: In the United States, an emphasis on evidence-based decision-making in education has received renewed interest with the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act. However, how best, in practice, to support the use of evidence in educational decision-making remains unclear. Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are a popular strategy for cultivating evidence-based decision-making among educators, but understanding the ways in which partnerships can influence educators’ use of research evidence in their decision-making is limited. Purpose: This paper explores the influence that Research Practice Partnerships can have on educators’ evidence-based decision-making. Sources of evidence: A framework is offered for examining the impact of Research Practice Partnerships on behaviours such as educators’ evidence-based decision-making, in the context of school and district improvement efforts. The framework suggests a host of intermediary and long-term outputs: for example, the ‘mindsets’ of researchers and practitioners which are most conducive to enabling evidence-based decision-making among those engaged in Research Practice Partnerships. We explore this framework through short illustrations of the experiences of three Research Practice Partnerships, contextualising the ideas within the literature, and presenting the process of our design and pilot of a survey instrument used to examine the perceived impact of Research Practice Partnerships. Main argument: We argue that participants’ self-reported behaviours and perceptions are important elements in examining the influence of Research Practice Partnerships on educators’ evidence-based decision-making. Additionally, this paper examines the potential benefits and challenges of attempting to measure the outputs and outcomes of a Research Practice Partnership using a survey measure. Conclusions: The process of developing the pilot survey suggests that certain conditions in Research Practice Partnerships may be more conducive to the development among educators of behaviours, mindsets and perceptions associated with evidence-based decision-making.

Baltimore: A multifaceted approach to developing relationships

As community schools spread across the country, community school staff need effective approaches to engaging families and community-based partners. Such principles must be broadly applicable, given community schools’ mandate to adapt to different local contexts. Based on recent research on Baltimore City’s community schools, the authors highlight the approaches shared by community school coordinators in schools that have demonstrated comparatively high student attendance and positive school climate.As community schools spread across the country, community school staff need effective approaches to engaging families and community-based partners. Such principles must be broadly applicable, given community schools’ mandate to adapt to different local contexts. Based on recent research on Baltimore City’s community schools, the authors highlight the approaches shared by community school coordinators in schools that have demonstrated comparatively high student attendance and positive school climate.