Project Objectives
- Coordinate Expertise: Leverage collective knowledge to move beyond a fragmented educational research infrastructure.
- Develop a Statewide Framework: Create a "North Star" for shared research infrastructure.
- Produce a Comprehensive Report: Synthesize history, scope, impact, lessons learned, and desired future state.
- Create Resources and Funding: Rationale for a new budget line item based on report evidence.
- Inform Research, Policy, and Practice: Provide a formal roadmap for collaboration in decision-making.
Participation and Engagement
We invite members of California’s research university, non-profit and for profit research institutes, SEA, LEAs, and community based organizations as well as individuals and professionals currently or could be (but are currently not) engaged in the research infrastructure to be part of the collective work on this infrastructure.
Hosted by: Michelle D. Young (UC Berkeley), Renee Starowicz (UC Berkeley), and Laura Wentworth (California Education Partners / Stanford University)
How to be involved?
Virtual Discussions:
- Attend our upcoming online, 90-minute facilitated discussion during summer-fall 2026.
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Registration Link for Session 3
- These will be large, heavily facilitated online discussions where participants will share their input on these questions:
- Historically, what are the characteristics of California’s education research infrastructure?
- How has the research infrastructure benefited and constrained California’s education sector and its impact?
- What are the desired future characteristics of California's education research infrastructure?
Participants have the option to contribute to this collective knowledge in these ways:
- Be listed as a contributor to the comprehensive report produced based on the discussions.
- Write and submit a short vignette answering either of the questions above to be included in the report
- Engage in one of the local in-person discussions in fall 2026 aimed at contributing to this report (to be announced at the online discussions)
In-Person Engagement:
- Host or engage in one of the local in-person discussions in fall 2026 aimed at contributing to the report.
Resources
As a part of setting the stage for this work, we developed five draft memos to coalesce early discussions around. They were the first phase toward our more comprehensive stakeholder engagement and planned report.
- Memorandum One: California’s Education Research Ecosystem
- Memorandum Two: University-affiliated education R&D centers
- Memorandum Three: Non-university, non-governmental R&D organizations active in California
- Memorandum Four: Models from other States/Regions
- Memorandum Five: Who is Funding Our Work
To learn more about our early findings, please review our thematic discussion memos:
Community Stakeholders have also shared a number of resources that will be a part of the final report reflections:
Acknowledgements
This project is generously funded by the Stuart Foundation.
Please complete the registration for the Facilitated Online Discussions as early as possible to contribute to the statewide roadmap.
Berkeley School of Education
Renee Starowicz
rstarowi@berkeley.edu
California Education Partners
Laura Wentworth
Laura@caedpartners.org