Collaborative Design of an Inclusive Education Model for Students with Emotional Disabilities: A Research-Practice-Policy Partnership

Abstract

Despite the benefits of inclusive education, students with emotional disabilities (EDs), who are disproportionately Black, male, and economically marginalized, continue to be placed in segregated education settings more than students with many other classifications (OSEP Fast Facts: Children Identified With Emotional Disturbance, 2020. Retrieved from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/osep-fast-facts-children-IDed-Emotional-Disturbance-20). In this paper, we describe the functioning of a multiyear university-district research-practice partnership (RPP) and the structures that support the partnership’s ability to engage in boundary spanning between researchers, practitioners, and district leaders, toward the ultimate goal of implementing a comprehensive inclusive education model for students with or at risk for EDs. First, we examine survey data from partnership members reflecting on elements of the partnership that we hypothesize to be important for supporting strong communication. Next, we present network data from meetings, one of our partnerships’ boundary spanning practices, to illustrate the formal connections between RPP members. We found that the partnership had frequent meetings (N = 389), with high levels of co-attendance between university and district members (33%), although there was some variation based on district members’ roles. Overall, members were satisfied with the RPP and perceived the partnership positively in terms of its resources, leadership and members, and effectiveness. This paper contributes to an understanding of both boundary spanning practices in RPPs and some of the key partnership conditions and structures that support the implementation and adaptation of a challenging initiative in school-based mental health.