Research–Practice Partnerships

Research–practice partnerships (RPPs) are long-term, mutualistic collaborations between practitioners and researchers that are intentionally organized to investigate problems of practice, with the goal of improving teaching and learning. In this entry, practitioners refers to informal education organizational leaders, designers, and facilitators, and researchers refers to those with training in research theory and methods.

RPPs differ from other types of research collaborations because practitioners are not just the subject of research or the consumers of research but, rather, the coproducers of research evidence. RPPs have the potential to bring the cultural worlds of research and practice closer together, through sustained and equitable interactions between researchers and practitioners.

Not all collaborations between researchers and practitioners are RPPs. For example, an out-of-school time program might have a grant requirement that ...