Catalyzing systems change through research

RFA recognizes research as a powerful mechanism for advancing education systems change. We partner with education change agents to design and implement actionable research and evaluation projects and disseminate empirical evidence to catalyze the development and scale of equitable and just education programs, policies, and systems.

State of Inequity: Disparities in Pennsylvania School Districts by Degree of Funding Adequacy

Pennsylvania school districts with inadequate funding serve students with greater needs, provide fewer opportunities, and experience worse outcomes. The analysis should inspire Pennsylvania lawmakers to fully and irreversibly close the funding disparities among schools.

You're Invited to Roots & Resistance: A Black Educator Audio Experience

Black teachers are powerful changemakers—yet too often, their voices are overlooked. Roots & Resistance is a dynamic virtual event that centers the lived experiences of Black educators in Allegheny County and beyond.

Educational Opportunity Dashboard

Built with data from the 2017-18 federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), this interactive tool from RFA allows users to compare disparities in access to educational opportunity for students in all 50 states and the nation. Visit the Dashboard to examine the data on your home state and review RFA’s reports about educational opportunity in the nation and in Pennsylvania.

Visit the Dashboard

Top 5 Insights from RFA's Community Research Partnership

Becoming a Community-Engaged Research Organization

We know that research is better and more impactful when communities are engaged throughout the research process. But how can research organizations become community-engaged? To document the “how,” Research for Action launched a Community Research Partnership, and after its first year, we’re documenting our learnings through a brief and an audio-doc, which share five key insights we’ve drawn from embarking on this transformative journey.

Top 5 Insights

About Us

RFA harnesses research to transform the education landscape, from preK-12 to postsecondary. Through statewide evaluations and program design to policy analysis and technical assistance, RFA brings innovative, community-engaged approaches to systems and change agents. We partner with educators, system leaders, policymakers, advocates, philanthropy, media, communities, students, and families—building knowledge and actionable insights to create a just education system where all learners can thrive.

Featured Projects

Research for Action was awarded a $3.2 million grant—its first Education Research Grant from the Institute of Education Sciences—for a five-year study to evaluate the implementation, impact, and cost-effectiveness of developmental education reforms in all 116 community colleges across California, the largest system in the nation. The grant was awarded through a competitive review process, and RFA is leading the project in collaboration with The University of Texas at Austin.

We are building a network of Black teacher-researchers from across the country who use their expertise and lived experiences to serve all students and support a just education system.

Research for Action (RFA) is partnering with the Lumina Foundation as part of its Great Admissions Redesign initiative. Over the next 16 months, RFA will gather, analyze, and disseminate information on designing and implementing innovative approaches in postsecondary admissions at the state, system, and institutional levels. In addition, we will design research projects that will provide new knowledge and evidence to advance systems change and promote equitable outcomes in admissions for students of color.

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Our Approach

A hallmark of RFA’s research and evaluation work is our responsive and collaborative approach to partnerships. Our research directly addresses the information needs of our partners and key stakeholders, knowing that education policies and contexts can shift, and important decisions need to be made to seize the moment to improve policy and practice.

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