Grand Challenges: Racial and Social Justice Research-Practice Partnership Collaborative
Grant Type: Team Project Grant
Topics: Racial and Social Justice, Education
Colleges Represented: EDUC, SPP
The RPP Exchange Podcast: Equity through Research-Practice Partnerships - Equity in Uncertain Times: Navigating Change and Challenges
January 10, 2025
UMD Team Builds Social Justice Research-Practice Partnership with Area School Districts
September 26, 2024
“Equitable, Trusted Partnerships” for Racial and Social Justice in Education
December 7, 2023
May 8, 2025
Racial and Social Justice Collaboration Bright Spots Community Forum
4:30-6:30 pm, Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center
Featuring Katara West, Senior Equity Specialist, AACPS, and Miesha Walker, Senior Equity Specialist, AACPS
Register here.
The Racial and Social Justice Research-Practice Partnership Collaborative (RSJC) leverages the power of research-practice partnerships (RPP) to address one of the grand challenges of our time: deep, persistent educational inequities in learning opportunities and outcomes that disproportionately impact historically marginalized students. RPPs are centered on equity: 1) 
equity of the research outcomes, aimed at pushing research towards solving practical problems that our most marginalized communities face; and 2) equity of the research process, aimed at disrupting the traditional power dynamic between researchers (“experts”) and practitioners (passive recipients of the "experts"’ knowledge). The RSJC is partnering with local educational practitioners around the pressing challenges they face. Through a collaborative effort that spans the UMD College of Education, Office of Community Engagement, School of Public Policy, and local school districts, the RSJC is designing and implementing research-practice partnerships that tackle pressing problems of racial and social justice in our school communities; fostering connections among UMD faculty and local practitioners; and building the capacity of UMD faculty and students to engage in impactful RPPs.
Leadership Team:
 PI: Christine Neumerski (EDUC), Senior Research Fellow |
 Apolonia Calderon (SPP), Assistant Professor, Public Policy |
 Jean Snell (EDUC), Senior Faculty Specialist |
 Segun Eubanks (EDUC), Director of the Center for Education Innovation and Improvement |
 Pamela Shetley (EDUC), Partnership Coordinator |
 Brandi Slaughter (SPP), Associate Clinical Professor, Public Policy |
 Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, Director, Office of Community Engagement |
 Sonya Riley (EDUC), Manager, PDS Partnerships and Programs |
 Cherise Hunter (EDUC), Fellow, Center for Education Innovation and Improvement |
 Douglas W. Anthony (EDUC), Director of the Doctorate of Education, and Fellow, Center for Education Innovation and Improvement |
 Jennifer Eaton (EDUC), Ph.D. Student, Teacher Education & Professional Development |
 Staci Pippin-Kottkamp (EDUC), Ph.D. Student, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership |
 Awilda Rodriguez (EDUC), Associate Professor, Dept. of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education |
 Tracy Sweet (EDUC), Associate Professor, Dept. of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology |
 Jennifer Turner (EDUC), Associate Professor, Dept. of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership |