The Philadelphia Participatory Research Collective grew out of an earlier research collective that was formed in 2016 to better understand the ongoing transformation of Philadelphia-area public schools with a specific focus on parent and community organizing for education justice. Members of this team wanted to continue the use of critical participatory action research to support and strengthen social movements by producing knowledge for community-driven efforts to solve pressing urban issues.
Drs. Kristen Goessling and Shivaani Selvaraj along with four Philadelphia community leaders make up the collective who are designing and conducting research in the areas of public education, opioid impacts, and the institutional pressures and evolving dynamics in urban coalitions. In addition to these areas of focus, the collective is particularly interested in the catalytic possibilities of leadership programs grounded in a radical vision of equity and healing.
Awarded: 2019–2020