Priority Actions to Establish the Foundation for Inclusive R&D
Ensure the core project team and leadership team reflect the identities of the students being served
Teams with members who share lived experiences with the students being served bring essential cultural knowledge and critical perspectives to R&D work. Intentionally recruit and elevate team members and leaders whose identities reflect your student population, ensuring their voices shape decisions.
Build interdisciplinary teams that bridge research, development, practice, and community expertise
Effective inclusive R&D requires expertise beyond traditional R&D roles. Build teams that include researchers, developers, practitioners, students, and content experts who have different ways of understanding learning. Individuals with experience across multiple sectors can be valuable in building bridges among expertise areas. This interdisciplinary approach ensures research and products are grounded in both scholarly rigor and classroom realities.
Structure school partnerships to ensure full participation from members of the school community who best know and understand the strengths and needs of the students you are aiming to serve
Members of the school community who know students’ strengths and needs bring essential expertise, and partnering with them requires intentional structures that enable their participation. Before any inclusive work can begin, project teams must identify the right school system contacts, secure permissions, and ensure leadership support, particularly from building-level leaders who shape teachers’ time. Create clear pathways for educators, families, and students to engage by compensating them fairly, scheduling meetings at workable times, and hosting meetings in accessible locations (virtually or in person). When these structures are in place, partners can fully contribute their lived and professional expertise to guide decisions and co-create solutions.
Define explicit actions and reflection practices that help you reach your equity goals
Equity can remain vague and aspirational without explicit attention. Articulate clear equity definitions and objectives that teams can work toward and assess progress on. Create structured reflection practices such as team debriefs, equity reviews, and progress check-ins that prompt honest examination of how well your work centers marginalized communities.
Build critical knowledge and awareness of the lived experiences and strengths of students and communities being served
Develop awareness of the strengths, cultural practices, and lived realities of your community. Learn about the systemic inequities the community you are partnering with navigates and the assets they possess. This knowledge foundation mitigates deficit-oriented approaches and centers community brilliance.
Invest early in building strong relationships with educators, students, and family members
Strong relationships are the foundation of inclusive R&D. Begin with relationship-building before diving into project work. Learn about individuals’ values, priorities, and expertise. Keep meeting times consistent, and create space for honest conversations that allow people to be themselves. This upfront investment in trust creates the conditions necessary for genuine partnership and shared decision-making.
Establishing the Foundation for Inclusive R&D in Practice
Hear from educators, researchers, and developers about why building a strong foundation for inclusive R&D was important to their work.
Questions to Ask Yourself
How do the decisions we make at early stages of our project impact our ability to do inclusive R&D?
Choices made at the start shape everything that follows. Inclusive R&D begins with intentional early decisions—from team composition to communication and meeting structures to research design—that affect your ability to engage school communities, build authentic relationships, and share power. Consider how your project’s design, team structure, and planning choices create space for collaboration, community engagement, and shared leadership.
How have systems that result in inequities shaped our ability to connect across differences, and how can we respond with intention?
Inequities that exist within larger systems shape how we see, value, and engage with others. Taking time to notice how these forces influence us can open the door to understanding biases and blind spots. We can then approach relationships with more humility, share power intentionally, and strengthen equity-centered collaboration.
How can we create spaces where colleagues from historically marginalized groups lead and thrive?
Equity within teams requires intentional structures that distribute power and recognition. People who have traditionally been in positions of power must make room for the brilliance and experience of their colleagues to shine. Create leadership pathways that are transparent and accessible and provide resources—time, compensation, and mentorship—to support their success. When colleagues from marginalized groups lead, their insights strengthen collaboration and innovation for all.
How can we be more attentive and responsive to the communities we serve so our work reflects their strengths, priorities, and needs?
True responsiveness grows from authentic partnership. Building trust means sharing power — allowing community needs to guide decisions. Reflect on how you gather input, honor lived experience, and adapt your work to amplify the community’s strengths and priorities.
VOICES FROM THE EF+MATH COMMUNITY
Learn How the Inclusive R&D Process Works
In Research
Explore priority actions, examples, and resources for inclusive research practices.
In Development
Explore priority actions, examples, and resources for inclusive development practices.
In Evaluation
Explore priority actions, examples, and resources for inclusive evaluation practices.