We are very pleased to announce the finalists for the 2020 Institutional Challenge Grant. Launched in 2017, the Institutional Challenge Grant program encourages research institutions to build long-term research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. To do so, research institutions will need to shift their policies and practices to value collaborative research. The program aims to bring research, policy, and practice communities together in ways that advance the use of research evidence and reduce inequality in youth outcomes.
“After a rigorous review, the Institutional Challenge Grant selection committee has invited four finalists from a pool of 25 applications,” said Senior Program Officer Kim DuMont, who oversees the program. “This group of research-practice partnerships shows great promise for using research to address existing inequalities that affect youth’s experiences and outcomes at school. Further, the proposed plans for institutional change will better support and value researchers who engage in this important type of scholarship. We commend each team for their ideas and efforts.”
This group of research-practice partnerships shows great promise for using research to address existing inequalities
The winning partnership will be announced at the end of March 2020. This announcement will include details about the partnership’s research agenda to reduce inequality, as well as the research institution’s proposed changes in policies and practices to ensure a robust and sustained partnership. The selected institution will receive $650,000 over three years, with the opportunity to apply for a two-year continuation grant to solidify the partnership and institutional changes. The Institutional Challenge Grant is aligned with the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to connect research, policy, and practice.
The 2020 Institutional Challenge Grant finalists are:
David Figlio, Northwestern University and Eric A. Witherspoon, Evanston Township High School District 202
The Northwestern-Evanston Education Research Alliance (NEERA): Designing for Equity and Excellence in Education
Emily Ozer, University of California, Berkeley and Norma C. Ming, San Francisco Unified School District
Understanding and Intervening on Inequities in Chronic Absenteeism and its Consequences among High School Students
Marcy Singer-Gabella, Vanderbilt University and Paul S. Changas, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
Complex Assessment & Support in Elementary Schools (CASES): Building Capacity to Reduce Disciplinary Inequity
Gautam Yadama, Boston College School of Social Work and Michael K. Durkin, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
The Impact of Upstream Prevention of Homelessness on Youth Educational and Developmental Outcomes
Learn more about the Institutional Challenge Grant program.
