Research for Action: Strategic Plan 2025-2029
RFA has launched a new five-year strategic plan that will build on our more than 30 years of actionable research and insights to create a just education system where every learner can thrive.
After 30 years in the field, it became clear that traditional research approaches too often fail to address the concerns and perspectives of students, families, practitioners, and other community members. This disconnect became even more untenable as the COVID-19 pandemic, along with significant national education funding constraints, placed immense pressure on communities and education systems and exposed many vulnerabilities in whom they were designed to serve.
As a critical component of our plan, we will continue to share skills with individuals or entities that can inspire change within an organization, community, or system. We also will continue to sharpen our approach to community-based research, to more intentionally address the concerns and perspectives of students, families, teachers, and other community members. And we will strengthen how we apply a systems-thinking approach, with a focus on how components of the education system, along with other systems (e.g., health care, workforce development), interconnect to improve people’s lives from early childhood through adulthood.
As we implement the plan, we will build on our years of experience in the education sector, combined with our expertise in rigorous qualitative and quantitative research methods with a focus on action. We will also model community building and collaboration within RFA, so that we can strengthen how we apply these practices with our clients and other external groups.
You can learn more about our strategic plan—as well as different ways to collaborate with us—in this overview publication.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to RFA to support our work in this plan and in all of our actionable projects, or you can mail a check to:
Research for Action
3675 Market Street, Suite 200
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Finally, be sure to join our mailing list for the latest news and updates from RFA!