Presentation Session I

The Hawai‘i Education Research Network (HERN) brokers research-practice partnerships (RPPs) between the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education and the Hawai‘i Department of Education (HIDOE). HERN projects have a “tripartite” model with each RPP team consisting of a faculty member, HIDOE partner, and graduate student. Employing a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 project participants to explore how HERN partnerships facilitated capacity building and systems change. Findings revealed that HERN projects act as a vital relational infrastructure, breaking down institutional silos. HERN projects fostered mutual learning among partners and produced actionable knowledge that influenced state-level decision-making. Challenges for project teams included systemic barriers, unmet expectations, and resource constraints. The study revealed that HERN’s value not only lies in specific project outcomes but in its role as an institutional broker—building capacity and career readiness through the inclusion of graduate students in its model.