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Session 5. Partnerships, the Two-Page Brief and Presenting It
Objective. Set up a realistic research-practice partnership, finish a two-page brief, and present it in five minutes to a board, answering questions honestly.
The best brief is wasted if it is read at the wrong moment or in the wrong way. You also rarely work alone: schools and universities, methodists and researchers hold pieces of the same puzzle. This lesson shows how to make a modest, honest partnership, how to polish the brief to two pages, and how to speak for five minutes so that a board knows what to decide and trusts you when it asks hard questions.
Key ideas
Research-practice partnerships
- Coburn, Penuel and Farrell describe research-practice partnerships as long-term collaborations between practitioners and researchers that work on problems of practice. Both sides share authority over the question and over how results are used.
- Why bother: questions that fit real decisions, local data that outsiders cannot see, and findings that are more likely to be used. The authors also say research on partnerships themselves is still limited, so stay modest in what you promise.
- A small version is feasible: a cluster and a teacher-training institute or university department agree one question, share anonymised data, meet each term and publish a short joint note. Reuse the ethics of 11.5: consent, confidentiality, data kept safely.
Agree the basics in writing
- One page is enough: the shared question, who does what, how often you meet, what data is shared and how it is protected, who may publish, and how disagreements are settled.
- Typical strains: different timelines (a school term versus a research year), different words, and unequal status. Name them early and give each side a real vote.
- Protect pupils and staff: no names in shared files, only the data the question needs, and a plan to delete it. A partner who asks for more than that deserves a polite question.
Finishing the two-page brief
- Page 1: decision requested, problem with one sourced number, options in a small table. Page 2: evidence and how sure we are, recommendation, risks and actions, cost in money and teacher minutes, timeline and next step. Sources in a short list at the bottom.
- Aim for roughly 600 to 750 words and one table. Cut anything that does not help the decision. Keep plain verbs that match the claim ladder, and state limits in one honest paragraph.
- Check before sending: every number has a source, no names of pupils or colleagues, the ask is in the first three lines, a stranger can restate it in 30 seconds. Cite sources by name and link; never invent a reference.
Presenting and answering honestly
- Five minutes plus five for questions. Structure: the ask (10 seconds), the problem with its number, the options, the recommendation and why, the risks and cost, the ask again. One simple slide or one sheet is enough; read nothing aloud word for word.
- Prepare for three hard questions: What does it cost? What if it does not work? Why not do nothing? Write a two-sentence answer to each. Rehearse aloud with a timer and a colleague who plays a sceptical board member.
- When you do not know: say what you do know, say what you do not, and promise a figure by a date. A guessed number can sink the whole proposal later. After the decision, report back on what happened.
From draft to decision
Partnerships that last
Long-term partnerships work when both sides gain. The school wants answers to its own questions and quick, usable results; the researcher wants real classrooms and good data. Start with one question that both care about, a short written agreement and one meeting every term. Let teachers present at least one result at the university, and researchers at least one at the school.
Keep promises small. Coburn, Penuel and Farrell note that we still know little about how partnerships themselves work, so write what you will do rather than what you hope to change. Share summaries in plain language with the pupils' families when the study is finished, without names.
The sceptical board member
Prepare for the person who asks the question you hoped nobody would. A good board member is doing you a favour: if your plan cannot answer the cost, the risk or the alternative question in a minute, it is better to learn this in the room than a year later.
The pattern for an honest answer is: what we know, what we do not know, and when we will know. 'I do not have the cost per pupil; I will send it to you by Friday' is a stronger answer than a guess. Afterwards, send what you promised. Delivering on a small promise builds trust for the next brief.
Examples from the classroom
The university team
Scene. A teacher-training institute in Samarkand offers to study a cluster's reading problem. The methodist, Dilnoza, asks for a one-page agreement: the question, what data the schools share (anonymous term check counts), who may publish and a meeting each term. The researchers agree to present their first results to the teachers before anything is published.
Insight. A good partnership starts with a short, clear agreement and shared control over the question.
The five-minute slot
Scene. Jasur has five minutes at the district meeting. He begins: 'I ask you to approve a one-term pilot by 1 November.' He gives the problem number, three options, his recommendation, the cost and the next step, then stops at four minutes thirty. The chair has time for three questions, and two of them are about how to start, not whether.
Insight. Beginning with the ask leaves time for the discussion that matters.
The guessed figure
Scene. Aziz is asked the cost per pupil and says 'about 5,000 so'm' without checking. A week later the district finds the true figure was far higher. The board hesitates about the whole plan. For the next brief Aziz keeps a one-page costing sheet and answers, 'Let me confirm and send it by Friday.'
Insight. One guessed number can damage trust in everything else; promise the figure and deliver it.
Common pitfalls
- Starting a partnership with large promises instead of one shared question.
- Reading the brief aloud word for word instead of speaking to the decision.
- Defending every point when a board member raises a weakness, instead of noting it and answering.
- Guessing a number under pressure and leaving it uncorrected.
Brief Clinic and Board Rehearsal
- Open the Activity Kit: the two-page checklist, the 60-second opening template, the hard-question cards and the feedback form. Pairs (5 min): swap your current brief drafts and read only the first five lines.
- Pairs (15 min): clinic. Using the checklist, tell your partner the decision requested and the problem back in one breath. Mark any line that needs rewriting, any number without a source and any verb too strong for the evidence.
- Trios (20 min): board rehearsal. One presents for 5 minutes, one is a sceptical board member who draws two hard-question cards, one keeps time and fills the feedback form (two stars and one wish). Rotate so everyone presents; shorten to 3 minutes if time is short.
- Part B, alone (10 min): rewrite your first 60 seconds using the opening template: the ask, the problem with its number, the recommendation, the cost and the next step. Read it aloud once and time it.
- Whole group (5 min): two volunteers read their opening. The group says back the ask in one sentence.
- Alone (5 min): fix the date, place and audience for your real presentation and write the names of the two colleagues who will give you feedback.
Your facilitator will guide you through this activity in the session.
Questions to discuss
- What was the clearest sign in a rehearsal that the ask had not landed?
- Which hard question was the most uncomfortable, and what honest answer did you find?
- Who could become a long-term partner for your school's questions?
Reflect
- What would a real partnership with a university or training institute need from your school, and what could it give?
- What is your usual response when you are asked something you cannot answer, and what would you change?
- After the decision, how will you report back so the next brief is trusted more?
Try it tomorrow
- Draft the one-page agreement for a partnership you would like: question, data, roles, meetings, publishing, ethics.
- Time your 60-second opening aloud twice, then cut every sentence that does not help the decision.
- Write a two-sentence honest answer to each of your three hardest questions: cost, risk, why not do nothing.
Further reading and links
A good brief and talk start with the ask, carry one sourced number and a fair comparison, and admit what is not known. Long-term partnerships with researchers make the questions and the evidence better.