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Defined

The National Education Association defines racism as a “[h]istorically rooted system of power hierarchies based on race — infused in our institutions, policies and culture — that benefits white people and hurts people of color. Racism isn’t limited to individual acts of prejudice, either deliberate or accidental. Rather, the most damaging racism is built into systems and institutions that shape our lives. Most coverage of race and racism is not ‘systemically aware,’ meaning that it either focuses on racism at the level of an individuals’ speech or actions, individual-level racism, dismisses systemic racism, or refers to racism in the past tense.”

Though many RPPs are explicitly designed to address historical disconnects –and distrust– between the research- and practice-side in education, racist systems, histories, and power imbalances can persist within partnerships if not specifically and critically examined and addressed. As John Diamond observes in his reflection on the “Research-Practice Partnerships in Education: The State of the Field” white paper, RPPs don’t just automatically promote racial equity due to their good intentions to democratize the research process and bring together a broad range of actors and institutions – they must “intentionally … challenge various forms of oppression” (bolding added for emphasis) and “confront the institutional histories, power asymmetries, and racialized organizational processes that shape them.” At the same time, RPPs also often work in highly politicized contexts. These realities mean that partnerships must forefront conversations about actually pushing against racism and oppression.

As a starting point for how the RPP community can take part in ending current systems of oppression and creating a more equitable future, we have previously put forth the following ideas (read more in our Statement on George Floyd):

  1. Collaboratively explore the ways in which institutional and systemic forces continue to uphold the very patterns we are trying to break, and identify ways in which the practice and research communities can lead for change. This includes assessing our own home institution’s processes, programs, and people for evidence of practices perpetuating racism.
  2. Ensure equitable engagement of all partners in the production and use of evidence to support decision making, especially seeking out the voices and meaningful engagement of communities that have historically experienced marginalization, and committing to responsible use of such evidence.
  3. Carefully assess assumptions that are held with respect to the framing of research questions, the collection of data, and the use of such knowledge in decision making, paying close attention to ways in which the research may unintentionally perpetuate a false narrative.
At NNERPP, we have become increasingly intentional in exploring how RPPs can hold anti-racist principles and work centrally. For example, at recent NNERPP Annual Forums we have featured sessions on exploring anti-racist frameworks and how to invite critical self-reflection in partnership work, Quantitative Critical Race Theory, anti-racist decision making, diversity in RPP leadership, and more, led by both NNERPP members sharing their work in these areas and by invited guests. While we still have much to learn and do, the NNERPP community is committed to continuing to create partnerships that can, in fact, “[facilitate] racial justice and healing,” as Jasahn Larsosa puts it in this NNERPP Extra article on the topic.

Key Resources

Below, we list some key resources related to race and racism in RPP work. You can browse a full list of resources in our RPP Knowledge Library.

“Continuum on Becoming a Transformative Anti-Oppression Organization”: A tool for determining where your organization falls on a continuum ranging from exclusionary institution to transformative institution, and what it takes for an organization to become transformative.

“Toward a Critical Race RPP: How Race, Power and Positionality Inform Research Practice Partnerships”: The authors use Critical Race Theory to propose a Critical Race-RPP (CR-RPP) methodology, offering best practices for fostering more transformative and racially-just partnerships.

“AREPA: Anti-Racist Education Partners for Action”: A network of RPPs in Southern California focused on partnering with educators to examine how to utilize the latest research about anti-racism to make positive changes in local schools, led by the Orange County Educational Advancement Network.