Description:

The Center forms and maintains partnerships at national, regional, and local levels. Several objectives are established to accomplish this goal. Beginning with the 04-05 academic year, the CPRP will assist with the development and implementation of research projects designed in local school districts and intermediate units. Many school districts, particularly small and rural districts, do not have the capacity to engage in wide-scale research efforts. Yet, these districts often have very significant needs for empirically-based decision making. The CPRP will provide a cost-effective vehicle for these districts to engage in such research efforts.

Another level of partnership for the CPRP is interdisciplinary research within the University community. This objective will be met through facilitating cross-college and cross-program proposals. Continuous efforts will be made to invite colleagues from across departments and colleges in the University to join with faculty in the College of Education in pursuing research interests that are within the mission of the Center. Efforts will also continue to conduct research with colleagues across institutions. Currently, three of four active projects in the Center are linked to partner institutions including University of California – Riverside, University of Oregon, and the Instructional Research Group in Long Beach, California, and Pacific Institutes for Research in Eugene, Oregon, both private research institutes.

To strengthen partnerships across institutions, the director of the CPRP will meet personally with directors of several Centers across universities in the United States. These visits will be conducted to learn more about how successful Centers with missions similar to the CPRP operate, as well as to plant the seeds of personal partnerships for future projects. In addition, the Center Advisory Board meeting will be held to provide feedback on the strategic direction, goals, and operation of the Center.