Bridging Research + Practice

Organizing Collaboration for Educational Advancement Network (UCI OCEAN) is a network of research-practice partnerships between K-12 schools, non-profit organizations, and the UCI School of Education. We engage in actionable scholarship to positively impact the diverse communities that we partner with. We have a particular focus on contributing to our local Orange County area, but our faculty and students also develop partnerships throughout Southern California, the United States and other regions.

Mission

Our mission is to help develop community partnerships that foster: collaboration, mutual respect, community needs and priorities, and the use of research to improve learning and education in our region.

Our core capacity at OCEAN is to conduct research that can inform the decisions and improvement efforts of our partners.

Community-Centered Research-Practice Partnerships

From our Partners

“We are thrilled to embark on this groundbreaking partnership with UC Irvine that will undoubtedly enhance the educational experience at Monroe Elementary School. By combining the innovative research and academic excellence of UC Irvine with the deep community ties and dedication of our district, we are creating a collaborative model that will not only benefit our students and teachers but also inspire similar initiatives across the state.”

Jerry Almendarez, Superintendent, Santa Ana Unified School District

News & Events

Big things are happening at UCI OCEAN! Check out our 2025 Story of Impact on the @rpp_network 2025 Yearbook! That’s a wrap on the Fall 2025 UCI OCEAN Seminar series! What an incredible and productive 2-day Alianza MX Summit at @ucirvine! 🎉 We brought together amazing partners including UANL Tigres Foundation 🇲🇽 , Ricky Martin Foundation 🇵🇷 , La Academia Santa Ana, and Universidad de Granada 🇪🇸 to advance a shared vision for early childhood and youth development. Thanks to everyone who participated in our OCEAN seminar this afternoon. Specially want to thank Naomi Knox for an incredible and insightful presentation. Join us on November 6th where we will continue our discussion with Naomi Knox and explore the timeline of California’s history and its profound impact on Orange County and its Indigenous population. Naomi Knox will delve into the complex conflicts that arise from the historical erasure within the Mission system and how those effects persist today for California Mission Indians. #ResearchPracticePartnerships #indigenousCommunities What an incredible couple of nights of connection and inspiration! We teamed up with @laacademia_sa and their amazing young athletes and families for an unforgettable experience at a couple of UCI Soccer games! Dear UCI OCEAN Community, Vision. Collaboration. Success. That sums up today’s @santaanausd Community Schools Convening! We are delighted to invite our OCEAN community to the first seminar of the fall 2025 quarter! As we launch into a new academic year, we are excited to share the progress and future direction of OCEAN. This is a must attend event, particularly for new PhD students interested in community engaged research. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Associate Director, Adam M. Lara, Ph.D at adam.lara@uci.edu. @uci.education Register now for the upcoming Student and Community Voice AI Summit! (Registration link on profile).