National Farm to School Network Research priority areas of work (drafted by Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe & Anupama Joshi

For discussion purposes at the Detroit Short Course – May 2010 Strategic activities: • Priority area work-groups

o Work-group co-leads: o Foster effective topical work-groups in the three priority research areas of (1)

academic achievement, (2) economic development, and (3) student knowledge, attitudes, behavior re. healthy eating, (4) parent and family level outcomes (5) producer/processor/ distributor /agriculture -end outcomes (6) documenting specific outcomes in low-income schools (7) farm to school program profiles and statistics

Host annual workgroup meetings Foster effective collaborations through joint grant proposals….

o Connect with pre-school, child care researchers / work?

• Common templates o Common templates co-leads: o Facilitate process that results in the identification of preferred outcome measures and

data collection instruments o Develop templates / reporting forms

(1) Sites to articulate their program activities o Work with USDA ERS and REE, CDC, numerous universities and stakeholders to

craft and pilot survey instruments that similarly access data collection o Connect into existing data collection schemes at the federal and state level; and / or

develop our own system of keeping a pulse on research in this area.

• Annual short course o Annual short-course co-leads: o Host an annual short course on research and evaluation at the Farm to Cafeteria

Conferences. Attended by approximately 50-100 people, this is the one annual opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and funders from across the country, Canada and Mexico to come together to build skills, network, and collectively move forward in a coordinated effort.

o Regional events – if the need arises

• Online social network – www.datadorksunite.ning.com o NING co-leads:

o Host online social networking site entitled Farm to School & School Garden Research Consortium

Intentionally cultivate active membership of key stakeholders Bi-weekly postings to

• Stimulate robust conversations related to study design, data collection and analysis

• Dissemination of promising practices • Collaboration and fostering effective public-private partnerships.

o Only online community for scholars, advocates, funders and practitioners to find one another and collaborate, blog, post videos, and inform members of upcoming events

o Site currently has 172 members o Currently working on a map-making feature that would allow researchers to locate

potential study sites

• Webinars o Webinars co-leads:

o Host monthly webinars on hot topics related to research and evaluation including updating on current research project and preliminary findings, open RFPs, presentation on data collection instruments, etc.

• Communications

o Communications co-leads:

o Communicate need for relevant research in the priority areas Author letters to the editor, viewpoints, opinion pieces, and articles in peer

reviewed journals for a variety of scholarly audiences that outlines needs for, and direction of national research agenda and priority research areas

o Disseminate research findings Translate research findings for public and policy makers through key media

markets

• Matchmaking o Matchmaking and Mentoring co-leads:

o Study sites and researchers Directly connect sites (schools, farms etc.) with potential research partners Maintain list of potential study sites Maintain a list of potential academic research partners

o Mentoring Directly connect early career entrants into the field of farm to school research

with established professionals