Fostering university-school partnerships in community-engaged research

On October 29, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI), Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS), and College of Education hosted the second event in the 2024-25 Community-Engaged Research Series. Organized for researchers across campus who are interested in partnering with K-12 schools, including public, private, and university lab schools, the event attracted 80 researchers from nearly 50 units and 8 colleges across the Illinois campus. A recording is available.

Moderated by Assistant Professor of Special Education Erica Mason, the event showcased an interactive panel discussion about Illinois’ campus procedures for research with schools, thinking critically about the needs of schools and how to address them through community-engaged research, and best practices for working with school partners. A diverse panel of experts from education and community backgrounds came together to offer high-level insights and strategic perspectives for researchers to consider when collaborating with school partners.

Key insights and best practices for building and sustaining meaningful university-school research partnerships covered during the event included:

• Building trust and relationships
• Ensuring mutual benefit and reciprocity
• Acknowledging historical context, power dynamics, and school needs
• Identifying strategies to overcome challenges and maximize flexibility
• Engaging with family and communities for inclusive research

Meghan Fisher is the Director of the Office of School-University Research Relations in the Bureau of Educational Research in the College of Education. Formerly a postdoc and specialized faculty member at Illinois and equipped with varied experience, Fisher understands a broad range of perspectives and needs within the research community. Fisher offered a few suggestions on how to form successful community partnerships, encouraging attendees to prioritize relationship-building and focus on transparency.

“Put your research topics and questions to the side, put your research goals from a project standpoint to the side, and concentrate on the relationship aspect of the partnership,” Fisher said. “Because that is really going to make or break the collaboration and impact the potential to form a long-lasting partnership.”

Gary Lewis is the Regional Superintendent in Regional Office of Education #9 for Champaign and Ford Counties, overseeing 16 public school districts and approximately 27,000 students as well as parochial schools. Many schools in the region are short-staffed and often have substitutes teaching throughout the school year, impacting time and effort for K-12 schools to get involved with researchers at Illinois. Lewis encouraged attendees to consider the needs and constraints of school staff, especially smaller schools and rural schools.

“These schools don’t have the resources or the knowledge necessary to analyze data from various organizations and really want to partner with researchers at Illinois,” Lewis said. “They want to come to researchers with their needs and work together to figure out how you guys can help. It’s just a time that it needs to be real life instead of theoretical needs, and something they can use in school for them to spend the time and energy to make it worthwhile.”

Kevin Tan, Associate Dean for Engagement and DEI and Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, was a school social worker for six years before coming to Illinois. Through that lens, Tan approaches community-engaged research partnerships he develops within communities. Explaining that the needs and challenges of each school community are shaped by unique social, emotional, and cultural history, he encouraged attendees to acknowledge past challenges and to recognize and understand context and dynamics.

“We need to respect the schools’ ongoing efforts, existing programs, and their willingness to work with us, being cautious not to approach these partnerships with a settler colonist mentality,” said Tan. “Flow with the expertise of the school, align with their needs and priorities, and consider the benefits we can provide. Centering the schools’ needs is how we foster mutually beneficial relationships.”

Throughout the event, organizers and attendees sough advice from the panel on a variety of aspects in collaborating with school partners, including what motivates them to collaborate with researchers as well as how Illinois faculty can get started working with schools in a research capacity.

Associate Head and Teaching Assistant Professor of Special Education Kary Zarate’s work centers on improving educational outcomes for students with significant emotional, behavioral, and cognitive needs through personnel preparation. 

“Is there a way for schools to know which Illinois researchers are available and the topics that we could provide support in as a means to increase trust?” Zarate asked during the event. “Instead of us reaching out to them, they reach out to us, so it doesn’t feel so much like we are forcing our way in?”

Lewis shared that the process at ROE#9 begins with K-12 teachers reaching out about the school problems and challenges for which they could use support from Illinois researchers. Tan suggested synergistic efforts at the university level to showcase the broad  range of research happening at Illinois and engaging with communities to share the services that Illinois researchers can offer.

Community-engaged research with schools provides a valuable opportunity to align academic research with the needs of educators and students. Sustaining a school-university partnership requires clear communication, continuous engagement, and alignment with the school's mission and goals. By prioritizing trust, reciprocity, and an understanding of local contexts, researchers can foster successful partnerships that benefit both academic and educational communities.

Co-sponsored by the CSBS, College of Education, and IHSI, the Community-Engaged Research Series aims to build and enhance the experience of community-engaged researchers across campus and provide them with the skills and resources needed to impact research in this space.  

Emily Stone, the Director of Public Engagement in the College of Education and a facilitator for the series, is optimistic that these events will push researchers to think more deeply about issues of reciprocity, trust, and mutual benefit in their research collaborations.

“We want Illinois researchers to be a model of ethical and thoughtful research design,” Stone said. “We hope that this event will help them to more deeply consider the needs of local schools and how both researchers and educational partners can benefit through partnership.”

If you are planning a research project with a local school, please contact Meghan Fisher, Director of School-University Research Relations. To connect with our Regional Office of Education, contact Jeri Callaway, ROE SchoolWorks Director.

Please contact Emily Stone, with questions and ideas for community-engaged collaboration and events. Look for more information coming soon about two events on community-engaged writing and publishing in Spring 2025.