Partnering to Scale Instructional Improvement - A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia

Partnering to Scale Instructional Improvement proposes a framework for designing research-practice partnerships (RPPs) that can generate new knowledge and build capabilities to improve teaching and school systems. It addresses the complexity of establishing an RPP and the dual learning imperatives: managing the challenges of changing instruction at scale and developing an effective model of partnership. The framework centers on partner commitments, enabling structures, evolving expertise, and social learning capabilities to support equitable instructional reform over time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time1 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Instructional Improvement at Scale

Research-Practice Partnerships

Partnering Requires Learning

Partnering Over Partnership

A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships

Key Components of Partnering for Instructional Improvements at Scale

Component 1: Commitments

Component 2: Structures

Component 3: Expertise

Component 4: Social Learning

Conclusion

Appendix: The Framework Tool

Endnotes

About the Authors

Partnering to Scale Instructional Improvement A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships Kelly McMahon, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Erin Henrick, Partner to Improve Felicia M. Sullivan, Jobs for the Future June 2022 I PARTNERING TO SCALE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful to the following individuals, whose perspectives and insights informed the development of this report: Kaitlyn Ferris, Senior Consultant, Insight Consulting Group; Bree Jones, Superintendent, La Veta Schools, Colorado; Rey Junco, Senior Director of Innovation, Healogix; Brad Mitchell, Senior Strategist Partnerships, Battelle for Kids; Katie Peyton, Director, Generation Schools Network; and Huifang Zuo, Research and Evaluation Associate, University of Chicago. In addition, the authors acknowledge the members of the Hewlett Deeper Learning and Scaled Innovation and Impact Network who offered important insights and feedback that shaped this project. Much gratitude, too, to the contributions of current and former Carnegie colleagues in the creation and production of this report Anthony Bryk, Louis Gomez, Lisa Gonzales, Jon Norman, Donald Peurach, David Sherer, and Ash Vasudeva. Without their generosity of time and spirit, this work would not have been possible. We are grateful to the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation for funding this work. Core operating support for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The suggested citation for this report is: McMahon, K., Henrick, E., & Sullivan, F. (2022). Partnering to Scale Instructional Improvement: A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships. Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This [report can be found online at ](report can be found online at www.carnegiefoundation.org/partnering-to-scale-instructional)[www.carnegiefoundation.org/partnering-to-scale-instructional](report can be found online at www.carnegiefoundation.org/partnering-to-scale-instructional)improvement. Permission must be obtained to reprint any of the copyrighted graphics in this document. II PARTNERING TO SCALE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Instructional Improvement at Scale 4 Research-Practice Partnerships 6 Partnering Requires Learning 8 Partnering Over Partnership 9 A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships 10 Key Components of Partnering for Instructional Improvements at Scale 12 Component 1: Commitments 12 Component 2: Structures 15 Component 3: Expertise 17 Component 4: Social Learning 20 Conclusion 23 Appendix: The Framework Tool 26 Endnotes 28 About the Authors 31 1 PARTNERING TO SCALE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT Executive Summary For decades, researchers and educators alike have been caught in waves of reforms that sought to change the quality of teaching and learning at scale. The press to make instruction more engaging has been amplified by calls to make our educational systems more effective and equitable. While progress has been made in identifying practices and conditions that promote deeper learning in some classrooms, knowing how to scale ambitious instructional reforms equitably remains an open question. Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) emerged as a promising strategy for generating new knowledge and building new capabilities for improving teaching and school systems through research. Defined as“a long-term collaboration* aimed at educational improvement or equitable transformation through engagement with research,” partnerships are “intentionally organized to connect diverse forms of expertise and shift power relations in the research endeavor to ensure that all partners have a say in the joint work.”1 What this definition doesn’t capture, however, is the complexity of stand

FAQs

What problem does the report aim to solve about instructional reform at scale?

It focuses on the open challenge of how to scale ambitious instructional reforms equitably, including how to build new capabilities through research-practice partnerships.

How does the report define research-practice partnerships (RPPs)?

It describes RPPs as long-term collaborations organized to connect diverse expertise and shift power relations so all partners have a say in joint work.

What are the four elements of the framework for partnering?

The framework includes partner commitments, structures that enable shared learning, initial and developing expertise, and social learning capabilities that help partners learn together.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia