Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are increasingly recognized as crucial frameworks worldwide for bridging the gap between educational research and practice. These collaborations are characterized as "long-term collaboration aimed at educational improvement or equitable transformation through engagement with research, intentionally organized to connect diverse forms of expertise and shift power relations in the research endeavor[…].” (Farrell et al., 2021). Recent systematic reviews suggest that contextual conditions significantly influence RPP development, though comprehensive studies in this area remain limited (Schlicht-Schmälzle et al., forthcoming). Unlike North America, where RPPs have been extensively explored and promoted through entities like the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP), Europe lacks similar structures, and little is known about how these partnerships operate under diverse political and educational frameworks. In two connected ECER symposia, we aim at comparing the evolution of RPPs in Europe and how macro systemic and micro level dynamics influence their development.

RPPS are pivotal in aligning research with practical educational needs (Snow, 2016) and fostering a culture of evidence-based practices in schools (Coburn et al., 2021). This symposium will explore and compare three case studies from France, Sweden, and Germany to examine the unique success factors of these partnerships but also to identify macro-political conditions shaping RPP evolution in these distinct contexts. According to typologies by Archer (1979), Esping-Andersen (1990), and Willemse & de Beer (2012), France, Sweden, and Germany represent unique types of education and welfare system within Europe. France, categorized as a liberal system by Willemse & de Beer (2012), Germany as a conservative system, and Sweden as a social-democratic model, offer rich grounds for investigating how the political framework of the education systems impact RPP evolution. We will discuss how macro-systemic features, such as corporatism, decommodification, stratification, (de)centralization, and school autonomy, influence the formation and efficacy of RPPs. The symposium will also scrutinize the internal structure and development stages of the partnership case studies, including but not limited to the implementation of brokering roles, boundary-crossing infrastructure, stakeholder involvement, partnership goals and visions, and research approaches and explore how these aspects of partnership evolution are connected to the systemic conditions under which they operate.

The three detailed studies are:

[Study 1: France] Analysis of trust and power dynamics within eight RPPs in the highly centralized system of France, focusing on relationships between researchers and school district leaders.

[Study 2: Sweden] Examination of how shifts between decentralization and centralization affect RPPs in Sweden.

[Study 3: Germany] Evaluation of system-wide factors influencing RPP development in Germany, based on extensive mapping data and a long-standing RPP case-study focusing on teacher training including a wide array of stakeholders.

By systematically comparing these case studies and integrating both internal and contextual aspects, the two symposia aim to enhance understanding of what factors contribute to the success or failure of RPPs in varied European educational settings. The discussions of both symposia will build-up on each other by addressing questions about a) the macro-systemic conditions of developing RPPs on the national level, b) common challenges and needs for developing RPPs, and c) the potentials of European structures – similar to NNERPP in the US -for the evolution of RPPs in Europe.

Archer, M. S. (1979). Social origins of educational systems. Routledge. Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton University Press. Farrell, C. C., et al. (2021). Research-practice partnerships in education: The state of the field. William T. Grant Foundation. Retrieved from http://wtgrantfoundation.org/research-practice-partnerships-in-education-the-state-of-the-field Coburn, C. E., et al. (2021). Fostering educational improvement with research-practice partnerships. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(7), 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/00317217211007332 Snow, C. E. (2016). The role of relevance in education research, as viewed by former presidents. Educational Researcher, 45(2), 64–68. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16638325 Schlicht-Schmälzle, R. S., et al. (under review). Research-practice partnerships in education - A literature review on their mechanisms for educational improvement. Willemse, N., & de Beer, P. (2012). Three worlds of educational welfare states? A comparative study of higher education systems across welfare states. Journal of European Social Policy, 22(2), 105-117. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928711433656