Our Approach - Research for Action

We are committed to conducting clear and accessible research that helps drive decision-making and promote educational equity. We center equity in our collaborative research, which is responsive to the real-life information needs of our partners and decision-makers.

With an intentional focus on a holistic understanding of historical and current conditions throughout the research process, we seek to identify existing inequities, structural barriers, and root causes to contextualize our research findings and recommendations.

Partnership & Collaboration

Collaboration is a fundamental component of our process. Our relationship-driven approach allows us to build a strong foundation with our partners and within the research context. This foundation allows us to embrace flexibility and transparency throughout the process, and we tailor our approach to produce research that effectively answers our partners’ most important questions. Our partners include schools, districts, institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit education providers large and small. Our research is inclusive, as well as accessible, informative, and impactful for wide audiences.

Data Informed Decision Making

We address pressing research questions and inform recommendations, using context and expertise to transform data into action. Our findings provide our partners and collaborators with what they need to make decisions about curriculum, programming, and other education initiatives, as they need it. We strategically develop products that best communicate critical takeaways and offer clear recommendations based on our research findings.

Capacity Building

We design and execute meaningful research and evaluation plans that consider the information needs and goals of our partners. Our experience with diverse partners informs the effective development of these plans. The plans might include developing and refining theories of change; sharing formative feedback on programs and implementation; providing additional support for internal data collection and analysis; providing evidence of outcomes or impact; and supporting growth, replication, and scaling.