The Center for P-16 Research and Collaboration of the Indiana University School of Education was founded in 2006 to facilitate partnerships that lead to educational improvement from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education. These strategic partnerships involve better understanding the current needs of schools and bringing together the groups within IU, schools, communities, and businesses that can address the complex challenge of improving education.

With a focus on high-need schools, the overarching goal of the Center is to improve graduation rates and better prepare students for postsecondary education. To help schools develop research-based approaches to school improvement, the Center engages in partnerships where University faculty and school personnel co-construct projects that address the specific needs of schools and communities. The core of these partnerships is the development and delivery of professional development that is tailored to the needs of the school, educators, and students.

Because the transformation of education requires the coordinated efforts of many groups, the Center also helps to foster internal partnerships that cross disciplinary and administrative boundaries to facilitate access to IU resources, enhance research collaboration, and increase the competitive advantage of grant proposals focusing on school improvement and student achievement. As these University and preK–12 school partnerships lead to the development of research-based models of best practices, the Center shares the findings through professional development to other teachers and through summer courses, degree programs, Web resources, and other dissemination channels. The Center offers a wide range of on-site and online training opportunities, including workshops, conferences, and degree programs. Through a dynamic Web site, educators and youth-serving professionals can find information about professional development opportunities, current research models, funding opportunities, and other resources.