by Nick Tallant
I have spent the last six months at the Consortium on School Research as an inaugural Applied Data Fellow for the International Innovation Corps, a program at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. A unit of the Urban Education Institute, the Consortium is a well established research-practice partnership with the Chicago Public Schools located right next door to the Harris School, where I am a graduate candidate.
Finding my fellowship placement in research - let alone next door to the studies I was leaving for a year - initially left me apprehensive. The IIC had promised an opportunity to “translate data-driven insights into actionable policy recommendations, new programs, and operational changes” - could this be done by writing papers? Was a year of research going to exercise my skills developed in my professional schooling? Fortunately, I am happy to report that the IIC was able to fully deliver on its promise. I am confident my work will not only further my career goals of policy action and practice, but will also impact the well-being of students in the Chicago Public Schools and other large urban school districts for many years to come.
The Consortium is an interesting cog in the machine of education and education policy within Chicago, and has become my ideal example of a research-practice partnership. Coburn, Penuel, and Geil at the William T. Grant Foundation, provide the best high level description of such a relationship that I have seen:
“[Research-practice partnerships] foster reciprocal interaction in which practice informs research and vice versa. At their best, these partnerships facilitate the development of more relevant, actionable research and its use within the practice community.“
The key driver of impact is the bidirectional flow of ideas between researchers and practitioners. In my time at the Consortium, we have continually discussed our research with the Chicago Public Schools and other stakeholders such as the Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Teachers Union to share and to listen. I am able to inform my research with the context and on-the-ground knowledge of practitioners and they are able to empower their practice with my research.
While we strive to communicate our work, the Consortium pursues its mission of building capacity for school reform through research, not policy recommendations or actions. My opportunity for data-driven insights on policy-action as a fellow therefore requires my research be so accessible and plainly communicated that the range of optimal policy actions seem apparent. The sophistication and depth of our analysis makes this task an incredible challenge. Confidence needs to be inspired in the methodology without becoming too technical, objectivity needs to be present while equity needs to be prioritized, and general conclusions need to be communicated without generalizing too broadly. A delicate balance needs to be taken as a technician and a communicator - exactly the role ascribed to an Applied Data and Governance Fellow. I believe the need for this type of role will grow alongside the presence of data in our social life and social systems, and am thankful to the IIC and the Consortium for providing an opportunity to grow along with it.