Bridging Research and Practice: Be the Hyphen!

1. Bridging Research and Practice: Be the Hyphen! Edward O’Connor, Ph.D. Midwest Instructional Leadership Council Elizabeth Witter Freeman, Ph.D. Monona Grove School District Monona, WI Bradley C. Niebling, Ph.D. Midwest Instructional Leadership Council (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

2. Presentation Overview • Research-to-Practice Gap • Scientist-Practitioner Model • Problem-solving Model Applied • Problem Identification • Problem Analysis • Intervention Design • Call to the Field (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

3. Synopsis • This paper has the following objectives: • To briefly summarize the professional discussion regarding "research-practice" problems • To discussion the limitations of the scientist-practitioner model to reduce the “research-to-practice gap” • To initiate discussions of a new, alternate role structure for school psychologists • One that better addresses research-practice problems • One that will call upon the development of a new school psychologist “role” (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

4. Research-to-Practice Gap • General agreement of existence of gap • Lack of agreement as to whether the gap is considered problematic • PITs special issue (May, 2005) • Gap as delay • Reading • Problem Solving • RtI (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

5. The Previous Solution…. The proposed remedy to reduce this gap seemed to be to train professionals to be Scientist-Practitioners (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

6. Scientist-Practitioner Model: History • 1949 - Boulder Conference on Graduate Education in Clinical Psychology (Raimy, 1950) • 1954 – APA’s Thayer Conference on School Psychology • 1984 - Barlow, Hayes and Nelson articulated a "Scientist-Practitioner" model to serve as a framework for the training of school psychologists.  (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

7. Scientist-Practitioner Model • Model of training and education • adhere to scientific methods, procedures, and research in their day-to-day practice. • clinicians are to • use scientific methodology in their practice-decision; • to work with clients using scientifically valid methods, tools, and techniques; • to inform their clients of scientifically-based findings and approaches to their problems; • and to conduct practice-based research (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

8. Solution…Interrupted • Scientist-practitioner remains elusive • Production of research from former school psychology graduate students is lacking (Gelso, 2006) • The Use of research- and evidence-based practices in schools falls short of ambitions set 60 years ago (Broekkamp& Van Hout-Wolters, 2007; Riley-Tillman et. al, 2005). • Research-to-practice gap continues to be identified as a major problem in the field (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

9. Back to Square One There is a need to re-examine the scientist-practitioner model and ways to reduce the research-practice gap (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

10. Setting the Stage - Phases (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

11. Problem-Solving Model • A framework to guide study and discussion of the research-to-practice gap • Provides a framework to organize the discussion • Promotes “scientific” thinking • Addresses the need to prioritize and clarify critical elements of the “problem” • Provides a foundation for systems level research (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

12. Curtis, M. J., Cohen, R. & Castillo, J. (2009). Facilitating Implementation of PS/RtI Using Systems Change Principles. NASP Convention: Boston, MA (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

13. Problem-Identification • Problem: Gap between research and practice. • Defined as: the delay or latency between the emergence of compelling and substantial research evidence regarding effective instructional practices and the widespread use and application of those practices by educators.  • Evidence examples: • RtI – 27 years • Deno &Merkin, 1977 • IDEA 2004 • Effective Reading Instruction (DI) – 24 years • 1977 “Project Follow Through” evaluated • Reading First (NCLB 2001) (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

14. Current Reality (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

15. Problem-Analysis and Hypothesis Development • Need to generate possible “root-causes” or “keystone” circumstances that serve to create and sustain the problem. • Our initial thinking… • Top-down View • Missing Perspectives • Unrealistic Model • Lacking Infrastructure (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

16. PA: Top-down View • Expressed implicitly in the language used (“research to practice”) • Mechanisms applied to generating and evaluating research • Lack of true collegial opportunities offered to practitioners • Solutions for “practice” to change and lessen the gap • Professional training and conferences highlights academicians (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

17. PA: Missing Perspectives • Practitioner perspective often absent from discussion on research-to-practice gap • Practitioners and action-research is under published • Psychology in the Schools (2005) issue devoted to the research-to-practice gap finds that twenty-eight of thirty authors are affiliated with university or other research institutions • Pre-service practitioners (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

18. PA: Unrealistic Model • Boulder placed the burden of this model on the practitioner • Is it viable for practitioners to “do it all”, especially in this age of increased accountability, economic cutbacks, and underfunding? • Present status indicates that it is too great of an expectation (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

19. PA: Lacking Infrastructure • Two distinctly different settings • Lacking opportunities for collaboration • Participant recruitment • Practical training of graduate students (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

20. Intervention Design – Setting the Stage • Quantifying baseline explicitly elusive • Lack of available research- and/or evidence-based interventions matched to identified needs • Given persistence of problem, existing efforts and ideas to solve the problem, and case examples, we need to move forward (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

21. Intervention Design – Goal Areas • Develop a framework • Recognition and pursuit of developing the role of "hyphen” • Improved communication and collaboration • Changes in research • Changes in practice (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

22. Intervention Design – Framework Components • Scientists, Practitioners, and “Hyphens” • Hyphen roles • Support change • Listen and learn • Translate • Train and Coach • Advocate • Evaluate • Communication and collaboration (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

23. Intervention Design– Proposed Framework Communication and Collaboration Practitioner Scientist Evaluate Support Change Advocate Listen and Learn Translate Train and Coach Communication and Collaboration (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

24. More Examples of “Hyphen” Activities Current Approximations We Have Observed (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

25. District – University Partnerships • Monona Grove/University of Wisconsin-Madison • School Psychology Students • Assist with Benchmark Assessments • Participate in District Trainings • Assist in Delivery of Trainings • Gain Access to Schools for Conducting Research • Faculty • University and District Faculty Collaboration • High quality learning experiences • Coordination of objectives • Teaching Objectives • Research Objectives • Continuous Improvement Activities (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

26. District to District Collaboration • Southern Wisconsin Problem Solving Consortium • Space and structure for joint learning • Efficient delivery option for “best-practices” • Opportunity to share resources • Structure for political action • Opportunity for expanding University – District Partnerships (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

27. Midwest Instructional Learning Council • Coordination of Professional Development • Conference • Direct District Support • Information dissemination • Research Funding • Research Production • Support for University – District Collaboration (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

28. Intervention Design – Key Questions • Do we need hyphens? • If yes, then • are the correct components in place in the proposed framework? What needs to be added? Removed? Changed? • are the components correctly operationalized? (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

29. Intervention Design – Required Conditions • To succeed, the work conditions around the effort must included: • Leadership for change • A framework for implementation • Infrastructure in place to promote communication • Credibility in both settings to facilitate the communication • Time and resources available to organize and maintain the conversation • Change in cultural beliefs and new traditions among individuals working in practice and those in research that include positive perceptions of each other • In short, we believe the gap between research and practice will diminish when there are professionals with the skills to build the bridge….a Research-Practice Broker (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

30. Call to the Field • Help build the new model • Infrastructure • Communication • Norms • Structures, routines (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

31. Let’s Start! Communication and Collaboration • Ed O’Connor • eoconno11@charter.net • Elizabeth Freeman • ewfreeman@gmail.com • Brad Niebling • bradniebling@gmail.com • Twitter name: bniebling • Skype name: bniebling • Blog: http://alignguy.blogspot.com/ • Midwest Instructional Leadership Council • http://www.milcleaders.org/ • Discussion Boards (coming soon) • Wiki • Potentially coming soon • Send us your links and contact information and we’ll post them Presenter Information Web Information (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council

32. References • IDEA 2004 – RtI and • ESEA/NCLB in 2001 - Reading First • Deno, S. L. and Merkin, P. K. (1977) Database program modification: A manual. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children • Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (National Research Council 1998) and/or National Reading Panel (2000) (c) Midwest Instructional Leadership Council