District staff and community members rarely get a say in how research is used to shape students’ learning experiences. 

Research may inform school district decisions, from professional development to curriculum design to resource allocation. Yet the communities most affected by these decisions rarely have a meaningful role in determining what research gets used, how it’s used, or whose priorities it reflects.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the nation’s third-largest school district, is currently implementing a strategic plan to bridge the gap between research, district and school staff, and the communities they serve. With support from the William T. Grant Foundation, this study explores whether this strategic plan can meaningfully shift who participates in research-driven decision-making—and how that shift shapes decisions about PreK-12 teaching and learning. 

NORC is co-leading a collaborative study of how Chicago Public Schools can bring district staff and community voices into research decisions.

Partnering with Chicago Public Schools and the University of Colorado Boulder, we are using a mixed-methods approach including interviews with district and school staff and communities, observations of how research informs decision-making, and surveys. The study examines whether and how CPS’s deliberate effort to build infrastructure for community involvement in research can connect researchers, communities, and district and school staff, as well as reduce disparities in who uses research across race, gender, and education.

The research team is using a community-engaged approach that centers the perspectives and experiences of district staff, school staff, and communities throughout the study, working with them to shape research questions, make shared meaning of findings, and discuss implications for action. These groups will be active participants in the study, helping ensure that the project is useful, relevant, and actionable for district and school partners.  

Findings will offer school districts a practical model for involving district staff and communities in research-driven decisions.

This three-year study will produce findings relevant both to Chicago Public Schools and to school districts nationwide. By documenting if and how CPS’s strategic plan makes connections between researchers, communities, and district and school staff, the project will generate practical insights into what it takes for CPS and other large districts to make research use more inclusive and equitable. The research team will share findings through direct engagement with CPS district staff and communities, academic publications, and practitioner-focused reports.