The first time I heard the term research-practice partnership (RPP) was during one of our meetings in the ÉòоÓïÀÏʦ¼Ò·ÃÂ黨ÊÓƵ College of Education’s Translational Research in Instruction, Intervention, and Implementation Lab (TRI³-LAB). I learned that a leader from a Maryland school, which serves students with learning disabilities primarily in reading and writing, had reached out to explore a collaboration. The school had built a strong literacy curriculum but was facing significant challenges in math instruction. As a former special education teacher whose research centers on math education for students with disabilities, I immediately felt drawn to this partnership.
At the time, I was early in my doctoral studies. Most of the research studies I had encountered up to that point were researcher-led: questions designed in universities, data collected in schools and findings written up in journals. But this was something else—a collaboration grounded in real needs, led by practitioners seeking answers. That simple reversal shifted how I thought about research entirely.
We didn’t begin the partnership with a set research question. Instead, we started by listening. Over the first year, our team met with school leaders and teachers to understand their challenges, routines, priorities and the types of data that would be most useful to collect—from their perspective. We coconstructed every step, and the process felt both rigorous and respectful. It was the first time I understood how research could connect to local needs and build on relationships, trust and shared purpose.
That experience left a lasting impression on me. I began attending conferences and learning from the broader RPP community. The more I learned, the more curious I became about how RPPs function, how members interact and how they overcome challenges like balancing priorities and ensuring all voices are heard. These questions became the foundation for my dissertation. I conducted a systematic review of RPPs focused on math instruction, identifying trends in how these partnerships operate and where they fall short. In addition, I conducted a qualitative study with RPP members to capture their experiences during the planning and development stage.
My study reveals several key insights. Existing collaborative relationships often serve as strong foundations, with early investments in shared goals, routines and communication channels proving essential for trust-building and long-term success. Member involvement is dynamic, shifting in influence and contributions over time. Many challenges, such as power imbalances, bureaucratic hurdles and system-level constraints, are underreported in published accounts. Those engaging in RPPs should address these challenges directly. At the same time, promising but underutilized practices, such as joint learning between researchers and practitioners and stronger use of practice-driven data, emerge as valuable strategies for strengthening collaboration and long-term sustainability. RPP members should build these practices into their work.
As a former teacher, I know how isolating it can feel to be handed a program and not have adequate resources for implementation. I want to support educators so they don’t have to be in this situation. What excites me most about RPPs is their potential to bridge the gap between research and practice in ways that are practical, inclusive and grounded in the realities of schools. The real change does not come from doing research on schools but with them.
Yang Fu earned her Ph.D. in special education from the ÉòоÓïÀÏʦ¼Ò·ÃÂ黨ÊÓƵ in August and is now an assistant professor for elementary education at Wichita State University. Her dissertation was supported by the College of Education’s Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration (SPARC).
