Creating Meaningful Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in College Access Research

1
Creating Meaningful Researcher-Practitioner
Partnerships in College Access Research

• September 13, 2004
• Council for Opportunity in Education
• Session 32

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Outline of Session

• Overview of key questions
• Research and curriculum design
• Research and program design- SummerTIME
• Research and product design- CHEC-List
• Options for creating partnerships
• Question and Answer Session

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Key questions

1. What does it mean to do research?
2. How do findings inform curriculum and program
   design?

4
SummerTIME Seminar(Tools Information Motivation
Education)

• How did the research process lead to the creation
  of SummerTIME?
• U.S. DOE study designed to determine what makes
  an effective college preparation program
• Collaboration with 12 high schools, multiple
  stakeholders

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Major findings

• Preparing for College text (researchers)
• Case studies (practitioners, students families)
• Monograph available on website (researchers and
  practitioners)

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How findings informed curriculum

• Year 1 Writing the personal statement
• (academic rigor)
• Year 2 Articulating a college plan
• (guidance)
• Year 3 Building your college network
• (social support networks)

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Lessons learned re collaboration

• Intended goal to give back but we learned so
  much at the same time
• Insight into how complicated application process
  is
• Insight into challenges practitioners face
  (follow-up, programming, family involvement)
• Good PR for future research
• Increased visibility on campuses -reciprocity

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The CHEPA CHEC-list(Creating Helpful
Environments for College-going)

• How did the research process come together to
  create a practical use product?
• Our research context
• Previous and on-going research in large, urban
  high schools serving mainly students of color
• A university level research center with project
  team members
• Established contacts with local practitioners

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Useful Collaborations

• Collaborating with researchers
• Creating a writing group
• Discussing our visions
• Collaborating with practitioners
• Organizing focus groups
• Integrating new ideas
• Working with multiple stakeholders

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Creating the CHEPA CHEC-list

• The CHEPA CHEC-list is a booklet that includes
  research based practical suggestions for
  counselors as they work on issues of access with
  three key stakeholders
• Students
• Families
• Other counselors

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Creating the CHEPA CHEC-List

• Results of the collaboration
• A document that intersects research, practice,
  and the voices of those involved in college
  access
• Continued and new partnerships with a number of
  key constituents
• View the CHEC-List at http//www.usc.edu/dept/che
  pa
• Challenges and opportunities
• Locating informed collaborators who could
  participate over time
• Finding a time for all collaborators to work
  together
• Sorting through multiple options for translating
  research to practice

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Creating Partnerships

• University research centers
• Practitioner organizations
• Useful texts

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Facilitator Information

• Dr. Myron Pope, Assistant Vice President of
  Student Services, University of Central Oklahoma,
  Mpope5_at_ucok.edu
• Zoë Blumberg Corwin, Research Assistant, Center
  for Higher Education Policy Analysis, University
  of Southern California, zcorwin_at_usc.edu
• Kristan M. Venegas, Research Assistant, Research
  Assistant, Center for Higher Education Policy
  Analysis, University of Southern California,
  kristanv_at_usc.edu