In many sectors, research and development (R&D) is an integral part of day-to-day operations. In healthcare, for example, research often happens in hospitals right alongside patient care. This gives researchers and practitioners the ability to 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.
Research doesn’t look like this in K-12 education. Of course there is ample research focused on education, but there is no formal system for research and development within schools themselves. Every day, in classrooms across Massachusetts, educators are testing new and innovative ideas with their students. But without a formal structure or dedicated support system, these ideas often fail to gain attention or traction at the district and state levels, and they rarely serve as a basis for driving systemic change. Most of the time, these ideas go no further than the school in which they were created, while others remain unaware of their promise.
We want to change that. In order to address glaring and persistent gaps in opportunities and outcomes for students, it is critical to build into the structure of education a better approach to identifying, adapting, and spreading effective practices. We want schools to have functioning R&D operations with the resources, time, and support they need to really explore and activate new ideas.
Our R&D work is grounded in three core tenets:
- We believe systemic change is possible by building formal R&D lab sites to test and refine innovation and then share and replicate in schools across the Commonwealth.
- We believe all students can thrive when we bridge research and practice to create meaningful outcomes that prepare students for an ever-changing world.
- We believe educator and student voices lead sustainable improvement through a culture of continuous learning and rapid-cycle testing that turns real-world challenges into actionable plans.
Two Paths to Innovation: Lab Sites & Learning Cohorts
We offer two distinct ways for schools and districts to engage in the R&D process, depending on their goals and capacity.
R&D Lab Sites: Lighthouses for innovation designing the future of public education
Lab schools act as regional hubs, demonstrating the potential of embedding R&D directly into daily school operations. These schools commit to a multi-year partnership to serve as demonstration sites for the Commonwealth, sharing learnings and outcomes that will be developed into products (e.g., playbooks, toolkits, protocols) for field-facing dissemination while supporting the learning and adaptation of practices within the R&D Learning Cohorts.
What a Lab Partnership Looks Like:
R&D Learning Cohorts: Strategic learning communities for schools to adopt innovative strategies
Our cohorts are designed for schools ready to tackle specific, persistent challenges without having to design solutions from scratch. Participants engage with a structured, research-informed set of strategies that support rapid adoption and evaluation. Topics are chosen each year based on key learnings and programs designed within the Lab Sites.
What Participants Receive:
- Customized Needs Assessment: A collaborative process to identify specific strengths and gaps to ensure work is actionable
- Monthly Individualized Coaching: One-on-one support for program design and leadership decision-making
- Cohort Learning Sessions: Structured learning sessions that emphasize continuous improvement practices, prototyping and testing of innovative programs and models, and the use of research, data analysis, and evidence to inform decision-making
- Rennie’s R&D Syllabus: Access to 12 adaptable, research-based modules based in improvement science
- Annual Summit: A culminating event to showcase school learning and influence broader systems change
Join the Movement
Schools are increasingly faced with preparing students for a rapidly changing future. Our R&D Labs provide a strategic learning community where educators can use liberatory design, continuous improvement, research and data analysis to build lasting systems change centered on equity and the lived experiences of students.
Stay tuned for an announcement of cohort topics for the school year 2026 -2027!
Interested in joining a Learning Cohort? This comprehensive support, valued at $40,000, is offered to schools for $10,000 per year. To learn more, reach out to Rennie Center’s Chief of Staff, Elle Jansen.