A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Grants for Further Research on High Performance Learning Communities

This Institute (in collaboration with three other research institutes in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement) is supporting two major 5-year projects to develop new knowledge about how the concept of high performance learning communities can be applied in schools and school districts. Both projects are designed to combine research theory with insights from best practice,

The two studies use different research method, but they address similar issues: What is a high performance learning community? Do classroom learning communities insure that all students achieve at high levels? How can schools and school districts become learning communities and support classroom learning?

University of Pittsburgh, Learning Research and Development Corporation-LRDC ($6,177,464 for 5 years) is collaborating with Harvard University and New York City, Community School District 2. This research team will focus on one New York City school district where a high performance learning community is emerging. LRDC's expertise in cognitive science and work on "New Standards," Harvard's policy research expertise, and experience with ongoing change initiatives in the district will be mutually reinforcing. The researchers and the practitioners will work together to extend theory, understand practice at the district, school, and classroom levels, and produce a family of cognitive "tools" for widespread use. For example, the Instruction and Learning Profile, a self-study instrument, will help schools reflect upon and improve their practice. (Principal investigators: Lauren Resnick, Richard Elmore, and Anthony Alvarado).

RPP International, Inc. ($5,945,279 for 5 years) is working in partnership with the University of California-Berkeley. This action-research team, which includes experts on educational change and learning theory, will establish a Consortium of 24 or more high poverty schools in California and Oregon. Within the Consortium, schools will be at various stages of development as high performance learning communities. The study will look at what strategies for creating learning communities are effective in various circumstances. All schools participate in three project strands: research, support, and networking. This study will produce a number of high performance learning community prototypes as well as tools, processes, and research findings that will inform other schools and policymakers. (Principal investigators: Paul Berman and Eugene Garcia).

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