Purpose: A growing body of research suggests that Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are contributing to greater use of research in decision-making around school improvement efforts. The current study is part of an RPP including 11 K-12 schools in an urban fringe school district in California. This RPP aims to develop a deeper understanding of successful change efforts toward learner-centered education and the role of culture and climate. The current case study examines how, over time, this RPP developed into a data-driven dialogue around high-leverage areas for school improvement. Design/methodology/approach: This mixed-methods study involves survey data and a series of individual principal interviews coupled with an innovative method, Conditional Mean Independent Correlations and growth functions, to support district decision-making. Findings: This case study demonstrated that an RPP can both reveal and shape the ways in which principals examine the views and ideas that guide their leadership practices. Research limitations/implications: Implications about weaving thriving ecosystems for learning and flourishing are discussed. Originality/value: This study explores how an RPP fosters a learning ecosystem that empowers school leaders in setting strategic priorities and making informed leadership decisions, particularly in the complex environment of school improvement. The RPP approach provided the opportunity to discover and address different perspectives between research findings and principals' ideas on high-leverage areas for improvement. By focusing on research-informed measures of critical elements such as culture and climate, this study contributes to the broader goal of developing equity-centered school improvement strategies through the work of RPP.