Source: Educational Researcher, 44(1), January/February 2015, p. 17-26.
This article describes a study which examined the structuring of university–community research partnerships that facilitate theoretically grounded research while also generating findings that community partners find actionable.
The authors analyzed one partnership that positions university-based researchers as members of a team working to create, maintain, and use a longitudinal multiagency data source.
Through their focus on the evolution of this university–community collaboration, they show how researchers established their commitment to a mutually beneficial exchange.
They also show how data-driven action emerged when community agencies assumed ownership and prioritized action throughout the research process.