Cracking the Code is a recently completed three year Advancing Informal Science Learning (AISL) innovations research project funded by NSF, between KQED, Texas Tech and Yale universities. This project represents one of the largest public investments in science communication and media research practitioner partnerships (RPPs). Rockman et al Cooperative conducted a rigorous external process evaluation of this unique RPP that provided insights into the opportunities and challenges provided towards improving the quality of science communication research, practice and dissemination.