The Power of R&D: Embedding Research and Development in Public Schools

For many years, our team at the Rennie Center has been talking about the need to rethink education to meet the needs of students in our rapidly evolving world. This change won’t happen overnight. For new ideas to lead to lasting progress, they must be tested, refined, and scaled in ways that reflect the needs of every community. That’s why a critical piece of rethinking education is strengthening the research and development infrastructure within public schools. 
 

We want research to happen alongside teaching and learning, the way healthcare research happens alongside patient care. Researchers and practitioners in many hospitals test evidence-based innovations in real-life situations, draw lessons from those experiences, and apply the results in the hospital setting in a sustainable and scalable way. This can, and should, happen in public education, too.
 

For the past few years, we’ve been working with schools across the Commonwealth to do just that. The Rennie R&D Labs support schools as they test and refine new and innovative strategies with their students. Eventually, we will be able to bring these ideas to more practitioners and policymakers so that they can be scaled across schools and districts.
 

“It creates the infrastructure districts need to harness R&D methods as an engine for continuous learning—enabling them to investigate, understand, and overcome the many challenges schools face, and to apply this disciplined approach to any problem they encounter,” Rennie Center Director of Policy Alexis Lian said at a recent hearing on Beacon Hill. 
 

And, we are beginning to see real progress on the ground. Earlier this month, we hosted our annual Condition of Education in Western Massachusetts event, where we talked with a panel of local leaders who are working to move ideas from theory to lasting change. Kelley Gangi, Chief of School Innovation at the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, joined us on stage to share how SEZP is collaborating with Harvard Medical School’s MEDscience program. Through immersive, simulation-based medical scenarios, students gain hands-on experience that mirrors real clinical decision-making. This work is part of a broader R&D partnership with Rennie aimed at expanding pathways that connect students to career opportunities beyond traditional college routes and align with leading regional industries.
 

SEZP represents just one part of a broader regional movement. Across Western Massachusetts, other leaders, working independently from Rennie, are applying R&D principles in ways that reflect the distinct needs of their communities. During the panel discussion, Modesto Montero-Forman, President of Libertas Academy Charter School, described how a flexible daily schedule enables educators to rapidly adjust supports based on student needs and strengthen transitions from middle school to high school. Ben Sosne of the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield discussed how his organization’s model of research and development drives innovation across sectors, by connecting schools, higher education, and businesses in meaningful ways. Finally, Dr. Jennifer Stratton shared her work on scaling evidence-based literacy practices, including an innovative idea to train museum staff—from security guards to tour guides—on effective early literacy practices so they can all help young people visiting exhibits.
 

These local efforts reflect a growing statewide focus on building R&D capacity in schools, one that the Rennie Center is working to accelerate. We’ve partnered with five Massachusetts schools on a variety of innovative projects, with each school focused on testing, refining, and continuously learning from the changes they’re making. In addition to our partnership with the SEZP, we worked with the McDevitt Middle School in Waltham to assess and refine its recently developed Newcomer Program. At the Boston Adult Technical Academy, we’re partnering with practitioners to develop impact metrics for alternative schools. We’re teaming up with Fenway High School in Boston to expose students to structures in high school that mirror the college experience, such as a final exam week. And we worked with the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers in Boston on their efforts to develop an incentive-based scholarship program for college, career, and life readiness skills.
 

Together, all of these examples point to what is possible when schools embrace a culture of disciplined learning. As Lian reminded us, “We must create a system that learns from itself, values evidence over impulse, and builds reform not around silver bullets, but around practices that research shows help students thrive.”
 

If your school or district is interested in working with the Rennie R&D Labs please reach out to Senior Director of Research Annelise Buzaid.