SPARC's Mission

Mission Statement

The School Participatory Action Research Collaborative is a research consortium among faculty and students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and school leaders, faculty and students at a cohort of leading independent schools. The purpose of the collaboration is to systematically mobilize student insights and voices to improve school culture, policy and practice.

Vision Statement

• The School Participatory Action Research Collaborative will continue to improve its models of youth participatory action research and collaboration between schools and university faculty.
• The success of the Center will be assessed by its impact at multiple levels: on participating students and teachers, on member schools and school communities, in the independent school sector, and on educational policy and scholarship. Through its efforts to incorporate student voices, the Center will demonstrate the power of YPAR to facilitate meaningful change in schools.
• Ultimately, working with member schools, SPARC will extend its reach by modeling and sharing our proven tools, strategies and research findings with educators across the country and around the world.