PROJECTDC Education Research Collaborative

Education research conducted in partnership with educators, practitioners, and education leaders is more likely to provide useful information to support decisions that improve student outcomes.

In 2018, the DC Council passed legislation to create an Education Research Practice Partnership (RPP) to provide actionable, independent research to support improvement in public schools, including both district and public charter schools.

In January 2021, the Urban Institute was selected to lead the RPP, and subsequently launched the DC Education Research Collaborative. The Collaborative is composed of 21 education stakeholders (the Advisory Committee) and 15 research organizations (the Research Council). The Advisory Committee, in consultation with the Research Council, determines the Collaborative's research agenda, and the Research Council members conduct rigorous research designed and implemented in partnership with members of the DC education community. As the managing entity, Urban provides leadership and oversight of research projects for the duration of the partnership.

Read our research agenda here. 

We welcome your feedback, ideas, and questions. You can contact us at [email protected] or sign up for our newsletter.

--

Upcoming meetings:

Past meetings:

---

Our mission

The Collaborative’s mission is to provide everyone who has a stake in the success of DC’s public education community with robust, meaningful, and actionable information to support decisions that improve outcomes and advance equity.

Our values

The Collaborative’s work will be grounded in the following values:

  • Independence from government, funders, and outside interests
  • Collaboration with policymakers, district and school leaders, teachers, families, and others working to improve public schools
  • Quality in our research and research products
  • Relevance to the needs and contexts of local stakeholders
  • Transparency about our funding, methods, and findings
  • Equity as both a goal of our research and an integral part of our interactions with stakeholders

Our partners

Our funding

We are currently in the process of securing support for the start-up and launch of the Collaborative, and we welcome inquiries from potential funders who are willing to meet Urban’s funding principles.  

We are committed to being transparent about funding sources, and will list supporters on this page and on the Collaborative’s eventual website. In the long run, we anticipate the Collaborative’s work will be supported by a diverse set of local and national funders. You can read more about our approach to funding on page 28 of our proposal.

The Collaborative is grateful for the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Education Forward DC.

Our next steps

In the coming months, we plan to engage District stakeholders via online listening sessions and meetings. If you or your group would like to meet with Collaborative leadership, please reach out to [email protected].

Learn more

Last updated February 2023
Research Areas Education
Policy Centers Center on Education Data and Policy