LAERI aims to produce research that decision makers and educators find useful for improving educational quality and equity. LAERI’s research-to-practice model emphasizes the importance of locally-developed research questions; sustained collaboration and communication; and cumulative projects that build toward solutions.
LAERI’s vision is that Los Angeles decision makers and educators will have the research evidence they need to improve policies and practices so that all Los Angeles students experience educational success.
LAERI’s mission is to improve Los Angeles students’ educational experiences and outcomes by bringing researchers and practitioners together to collaborate on important educational challenges.
Trust
LAERI is committed to being a trusted partner in efforts to improve Los Angeles County students’ educational outcomes. Toward that end, LAERI collaborates with policymakers and practitioners at all stages of the research process, from project conception to final publication. LAERI research affiliates and staff commit to a “no surprises” policy that provides an opportunity for our practice partners to review and comment on findings before they become public.
Usefulness
LAERI aims to make its research useful and relevant to educational improvement by developing research questions and methods in collaboration with policymakers and practitioners, communicating with practitioners about research questions and analyses at several stages of each project to better address emerging issues, and communicating research findings in ways that make the results more tangible, practical, and actionable.
Independence
LAERI strives to conduct and support careful, thoughtful analyses, and to communicate transparently about the limitations of research.
Quality
LAERI values multi-disciplinary, multi-method research of the highest technical quality.
LAERI engages in a set of inter-related activities to realize its mission and ensure research use by:
Conducting high-quality research relevant to practitioners
Engaging practitioner partners throughout the research process by:
- Developing research questions/topics collaboratively
- Discussing various iterations of preliminary findings
- Incorporating feedback on publications/presentations before public release
Developing a learning community focused on using high-quality research, by:
- Sharing relevant external research
- Learning from other partnership practices
- Building practitioner capacity in research methods
Engaging the broader LA community