Description: By using the popular form of a podcast as a dissemination method, David Naff (Associate Director of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium; MERC) explores how it can potentially facilitate stakeholder engagement with research findings and further build the partnership between researchers and community partners. This presentation explores a case study in which the podcast Abstract (produced by Naff) is used to communicate educational research with decision-makers in public schools. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, as well as implications for the literature on research use and podcasting as a communication tool in education. Naff has also published on his work with podcasting and research in the International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership. The workshop will explore the process of setting up a podcast as a way of sharing research with the public.

Bio: David Naff is the associate director of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). He is a recent graduate of the in the VCU School of Education. Dr. Naff is a principal investigator on the MERC Equitable Access and Support for Advanced Coursework study. He is also the host of the MERC podcast Abstract, and leads planning efforts for the annual MERC Conference. His research focuses on research dissemination and use in researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) with K-12 public schools. Dr. Naff also serves on the Virginia Advisory Council for the Education of the Gifted. Prior to coming to MERC, Dr. Naff served as a high school counselor for four years in North Carolina.

For more information about Dr. Naff's work, please visit the MERC website.