Highlight on: Research for Action

Abstract

Introduction

Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” The same could be said for Research for Action (RFA), which in the past year has undergone significant changes in its governance, organization structure and strategic priorities. When RFA was conceived in 1992, its two founders, Eva Gold and Jolley Bruce Christman, envisioned an organization that would fill a void in the debate about long-term school reform efforts. These advocates-turned-PhDs saw the need for an organization that could conduct high-quality, relevant research that added expertise, built capacity and fostered collaboration among educators, students, community leaders and policymakers at the local, state and national levels. For 18 years, Gold and Christman nurtured and grew their organization through their dual management and research roles, and expanded the organization’s internal capacity to conduct policy studies, formative evaluations and action research projects with youth organizing groups and others.

But after nearly two decades at the helm of RFA, Gold and Christman saw an opportunity to bring about a new direction for the organization. They set into motion a deliberate and thoughtful succession plan that would span more than a year, that would engage the board of directors at a high level, and that embarked upon a national search for a leadership replacement. As it turned out, RFA didn’t have to look far for that replacement. Kate Shaw, a former deputy secretary of postsecondary education at the Pennsylvania State Department of Education and professor at Temple University, was hired as RFA’s first executive director in the fall of 2009.

Just 18 months have passed since Shaw assumed the leadership of RFA, yet the organization has undergone significant change and experienced remarkable progress. Shaw ushered in new strategic goals, doubled the organizational budget and shifted the structure of the organization. Shaw’s leadership has launched RFA in a new direction, but what will it take to sustain, and even grow, the progress made? This article will examine the history, mission and strengths of RFA, outline the internal and external changes undertaken, and propose strategies to ensure that RFA has the sustainability to continue to impact education policy and practice in Philadelphia and nationwide.