UCLA researchers and community college practitioners partnering for equity-focused change

UCLA × CC

UCLA School of Education and Information Studies researchers are excited to collaborate with community college practitioners to develop research-practice partnerships.

 

Learning Together gathers community college faculty, managers, and staff; UCLA faculty and graduate students; and nationally recognized researchers and practitioners to create a space for equity-focused inquiry, learning, and action.

Learning Together (LT) models the researcher/practitioner partnership (RPP) created by educators at UCLA’s School of Education and Pasadena City College in 2000.  The community of practice has relied on inquiry and has focused on a variety of “problems of practice” including designing and evaluating programs for scale and building the capacity to collect and use data effectively.  This productive collaboration has led to innovation and transformation at PCC to support students’ academic and professional success.

  • Pilot Project

Learning Together

Cohort 2, 2026

Learning Together supports individuals who are committed to social justice, equity, and anti-racism and who will lead change initiatives, in collaboration with their peers and in service to their students. Participants will solicit, recognize, and honor students’ voices throughout the inquiry process. The primary focus of the RPP is the Student Voices Project. The data collected from students at each campus guide the work of the college practitioners and inform their solutions.

In 2026 participants from Crafton Hills College (CHC), Pierce College, Pasadena City College (PCC), and UCLA are working together to address their need to develop strong and effective practitioners in all areas of their institutions who are committed to tackling the problems of practice that they face.

The goal of Learning Together is to improve outcomes for Black/African American and Latina/o/x students.

Dual Enrollment Exprience

Learning Together

Outcomes

At the end of the program, participants will have developed:

An identity as an equity- centered practitioner dedicated to transforming classroom and campus-wide practices, policies, structures, and systems

A sense of community and shared vision among colleagues committed to addressing urgent problems of practice over time

The skills and strategies needed to create racial equity through inquiry into the experiences of students of color

Partnership Commitment

  1. Access to dedicated UCLA School of Education and Information Studies faculty researchers, graduate and undergraduate student researchers, policy advocates, and speakers
  2. Customized coaching by expert community college practitioners
  3. Qualitative research support that helps participants understand the student and faculty experience
  4. Quantitative research support that informs participants’ choices and decisions and guides their evaluation process
  5. Access to UCLA resources including Moore Hall, School of Education and Information Studies, for meetings, workshops, and retreats
  6. Project management, evaluation, marketing, and documentation expertise

Our 2026 Community College Partners

Learning Together will engage with CHC, Pierce, and PCC leaders in a sustained inquiry process to identify and address a problem of practice at their institution.

Contact Us

For more information about Learning Together, please contact us at learningtogether@seis.ucla.edu.
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