Collaborations Between Researchers and Practitioners

IES encourages the development of partnerships between researchers and education agencies to advance the relevance of education research and the accessibility and usability of the findings for the day-to-day work of education practitioners and policymakers. Funding is provided under several grant programs intended to support research that is carried out by research institutions and state and local education agencies working collaboratively on problems or issues that are a high priority in the field¹. Education agencies are expected to be full partners from the start of the work with the identification of the research questions, design of the project, carrying out of the research, and adoption and dissemination of the results. The research may focus on students within a wide range of education settings from prekindergarten through postsecondary and adult education with the goal of improving education outcomes for all students, particularly those at higher risk of failure.

• Continuous Improvement Research in Education
• Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies
• Improving Pandemic Recovery Efforts in Education Agencies
• Low-Cost, Short Duration Evaluation of Education Interventions
• Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research
• Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Policymaking

¹In some cases, other organizations may serve as the practitioner partner when a state or local agency is not appropriate.