Research has a critical role to play in challenging damaging narratives and establishing different perspectives. In supporting the project “Public Learning in a Multiracial Democracy,” we hope to help change the environment for antiracist education in ways that foster greater understanding of the importance of teaching about race and racism.
Local policymakers often lack rigorous data and analysis about which programs are most effective. But too often academics do not apply their knowledge to the most pressing policy issues in these local contexts. This creates a “valley of death” between knowledge and practice that leaves many local policy problems unadressed. As local institutions, universities have […]
Funders shape what research is conducted on which questions. Funders can also support the infrastructure that is vital to engagement between policymakers and researchers. And while the grants funders make are public knowledge and have received attention in the literature, we know far less about how and why funders decide on what to support.
The recent special collection of Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World began with a question: “If research is to make a difference in reducing inequality… how?” Offering new perspectives on ways that the social sciences can drive action and address large-scale social change, a new set of commentaries on the special collection outlines potential […]
It’s one thing to know how research is used in policy and practice—to understand the conditions that enable thoughtful deliberation and sense-making of the evidence and the infrastructure that supports those conditions. It’s another thing altogether to create those conditions and the supporting infrastructure so that research routinely serves the public interest. I recently took […]
By bringing together university researchers with practitioners and community members, RPPs in education help to ensure that the processes and outcomes of research directly enrich educational practice and policy in ways that community members most desire.
Even to a casual observer, the research-practice partnerships “tent” has expanded considerably since the seminal 2013 paper by Coburn et al., Research-Practice Partnerships: A Strategy for Leveraging Research for Educational Improvement in School Districts.
RPPs have the potential to forge relationships that lead to new possibilities for racial justice. However, they also run the risk of reproducing the very inequities that many claim to challenge. To avoid the second scenario, we need to confront racial injustice directly and build RPPs that are committed to dismantling it.
President’s Note Race is a key dimension of inequality in youth outcomes. For researchers who seek to study ways to reduce racial inequality, the starting point is a well-conceived research question grounded in a rich understanding of what racial categories mean and how racism is instantiated in systems, policies, institutions, and the like. With a […]
The Foundation hopes to support more solution-oriented research that not only richly theorizes anti-Asian racism but also identifies ways to counter racism, xenophobia, and other forms of oppression.
Improving the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth requires clarity not only about what counts as quality evidence, but also what counts as quality use. Surprisingly, the question of what it means to use research evidence well remains largely unexplored, even amid wide-ranging international efforts to strengthen the role of research in […]
In early September, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued a directive that barred federal agencies from providing staff training on concepts including critical race theory and White privilege. This directive, which characterized such training as “un-American propaganda” encouraged agencies to cancel contracts and divert funding from organizations that provide such opportunities. Later in […]
By institutionalizing collaborative research and building sustained knowledge-building partnerships with local service providers, universities can lead the way towards a more prosperous and equitable future.
At our recent William T. Grant Scholars retreat, I had the opportunity to share my reflections with early- and mid-career academics about ways they might meet this social and political moment. In this post I expand on three recommendations: 1) act now but plan for the long game, 2) build your relationships with change partners and your understanding of change processes, and 3) know yourself and care for yourself.
Insight & Analysis
President’s Comment: Advancing Research on Racial Equity in a Time of Polarization
Research has a critical role to play in challenging damaging narratives and establishing different perspectives. In supporting the project “Public Learning in a Multiracial Democracy,” we hope to help change the environment for antiracist education in ways that foster greater understanding of the importance of teaching about race and racism.
Tips for Researchers: Navigating the Gaps Between Research and Policy
Local policymakers often lack rigorous data and analysis about which programs are most effective. But too often academics do not apply their knowledge to the most pressing policy issues in these local contexts. This creates a “valley of death” between knowledge and practice that leaves many local policy problems unadressed. As local institutions, universities have […]
Vivian’s Voice: The How and Why Behind Funders’ Decisions
Funders shape what research is conducted on which questions. Funders can also support the infrastructure that is vital to engagement between policymakers and researchers. And while the grants funders make are public knowledge and have received attention in the literature, we know far less about how and why funders decide on what to support.
Webinar: What is the Role for Social Science in Reducing Inequality? Four New Critiques
The recent special collection of Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World began with a question: “If research is to make a difference in reducing inequality… how?” Offering new perspectives on ways that the social sciences can drive action and address large-scale social change, a new set of commentaries on the special collection outlines potential […]
Vivian’s Voice: On uniting to transform how research is produced and used
It’s one thing to know how research is used in policy and practice—to understand the conditions that enable thoughtful deliberation and sense-making of the evidence and the infrastructure that supports those conditions. It’s another thing altogether to create those conditions and the supporting infrastructure so that research routinely serves the public interest. I recently took […]
Research-Practice Partnerships for Racially Just School Communities
By bringing together university researchers with practitioners and community members, RPPs in education help to ensure that the processes and outcomes of research directly enrich educational practice and policy in ways that community members most desire.
Partnerships in Action: A New RPP Highlights the Field’s Evolution
Even to a casual observer, the research-practice partnerships “tent” has expanded considerably since the seminal 2013 paper by Coburn et al., Research-Practice Partnerships: A Strategy for Leveraging Research for Educational Improvement in School Districts.
Racial Equity and Research Practice Partnerships 2.0: A Critical Reflection
RPPs have the potential to forge relationships that lead to new possibilities for racial justice. However, they also run the risk of reproducing the very inequities that many claim to challenge. To avoid the second scenario, we need to confront racial injustice directly and build RPPs that are committed to dismantling it.
How We Can Engage with Race and Racism in Research: Developing a Racial Analysis
President’s Note Race is a key dimension of inequality in youth outcomes. For researchers who seek to study ways to reduce racial inequality, the starting point is a well-conceived research question grounded in a rich understanding of what racial categories mean and how racism is instantiated in systems, policies, institutions, and the like. With a […]
Meeting this Moment (Part II): Unpacking Anti-Asian Racism
The Foundation hopes to support more solution-oriented research that not only richly theorizes anti-Asian racism but also identifies ways to counter racism, xenophobia, and other forms of oppression.
Using Research Well: A Framework for Understanding Quality Use of Research Evidence
Improving the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth requires clarity not only about what counts as quality evidence, but also what counts as quality use. Surprisingly, the question of what it means to use research evidence well remains largely unexplored, even amid wide-ranging international efforts to strengthen the role of research in […]
In a new post published by The Hill, Vivian Tseng outlines how incorporating democratic principles will be key to building trust in science in the coming years, writing: “Democratizing evidence would foster an informed citizenry, in which those furthest from opportunity could influence the development and use of evidence to drive stronger government, policy, and […]
President’s Comment: Anti-Racist Education is Essential for Research Universities
In early September, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued a directive that barred federal agencies from providing staff training on concepts including critical race theory and White privilege. This directive, which characterized such training as “un-American propaganda” encouraged agencies to cancel contracts and divert funding from organizations that provide such opportunities. Later in […]
President’s Comment: It’s Time for Universities to Fulfill their Promise as Engines of Social Change
By institutionalizing collaborative research and building sustained knowledge-building partnerships with local service providers, universities can lead the way towards a more prosperous and equitable future.
Vivian’s Voice: Meeting this Moment
At our recent William T. Grant Scholars retreat, I had the opportunity to share my reflections with early- and mid-career academics about ways they might meet this social and political moment. In this post I expand on three recommendations: 1) act now but plan for the long game, 2) build your relationships with change partners and your understanding of change processes, and 3) know yourself and care for yourself.