Application to Conduct Research

Office of Research and Evaluation 130 Trinity Ave., SW, 6th Floor | Atlanta, Georgia 30303 | P: 404.802.2672 | F: 404.802.1601

Dear Prospective Researcher,

Thank you for your interest in conducting research in the Atlanta Public Schools (APS). It is the goal of APS and the Office of Research & Program Evaluation to participate in research efforts that will substantially benefit APS, its students, and/or staff.

Each year, APS receives a number of requests to participate in research investigations. While we are eager to participate in research that will substantially benefit our system, students, and/or staff, it is not feasible or desirable for APS to participate in every proposed research project. Thus, researchers are required to submit a Research Study Application for proposed research projects. The Research Study Application is designed to provide the review committee with sufficient information in order to reach a decision about the appropriateness of APS participation in the research project. Your application will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

 Use of APS staff and student time and resources  Value of the research study to APS  Alignment of proposed research with APS strategic goals and objectives  Research design: research question and purpose, data collection methods, analytical approach, tools and methods  Level of data extraction from central records  Ability to comply with human research informed consent procedures  Thoroughness of research plan and application

Please carefully review the Research Application Resource Guide available on the Office of Research and Evaluation website prior to completing this application. The Resource Guide provides detailed information about the application submission process including the timeline for when proposals will be reviewed and when notifications of committee decision will be sent out.

Questions about the application process and/or application materials should be directed to 404.802.2672 or [email protected]. Again, thank you for your interest. We look forward to receiving your research application.

Office of Research and Evaluation

Page | 1 Atlanta Public Schools Research Study Application Cover-page

Name of Researcher:______

University/Institution/Organization:______

Title of Study: ______

This checklist is to assist you in submitting a complete research study application packet to the Atlanta Public Schools Office of Research and Evaluation, please include this page with your application. Please note the committee will not review an incomplete application packet. Please submit the following materials electronically.

Basic Elements to include: Completed Research Study Application

Copy of institution's IRB approval letter or letter of support from graduate program. Must be provided on official stationary. Consent and assent forms (based on research population) Copies of data collection instruments (interview protocols / survey instrument / observation rubric) Recruitment material (flyers, recruitment letters, enrollment forms etc.)

Researcher Assurances

By my signature as the principal Investigator/researcher, I certify that all information within the accompanying application is true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I assure that I will comply with all Atlanta Public School guidelines and researcher expectations.

Signature of Researcher:______

Date:______

Page | 2 SECTION A: APPLICATION INFORMATION Title of Research Project:

Researcher’s Full Name(s): Title/Position:

University/Institution/Organization: Mailing Address: Email Address: Daytime Phone:

Date Submitted: Is this the final version of the proposal? Yes No

Projected Start Date (mm/yyyy): Projected Completion Date (mm/yyyy): I have reviewed and understand: Research Application Resource Guide Yes No

The research is related to a: Doctoral Study Masters Study Class Project

Professional Project (Non-profit organization) Professional Project (For-profit organization)

Have you included a copy of your Institutional Review Board (IRB) Yes No approval form with your application?

Has any APS staff member already agreed to assist you upon approval of Yes No (if yes, please provide documentation this study? (Please note that this agreement is not binding) of the agreement)

Graduate students only: Please fill out the information below Atlanta Public Schools reserves the right to contact university faculty associated with a proposed research project. Advisor contact information is required for ALL graduate student projects. Advisor’s Name: Title/Position: E-mail Address: Daytime Phone:

Mailing Address:

Have all advisory/regulatory committee members formally approved this research? Yes No

Atlanta Public School Employees Only: Please fill out the information below

School Principal' Name: Title/Position: Email Address: Daytime Phone: Mailing Address: Has the principal formally approved Yes No (if yes, please provide documentation of the agreement) this research? Page | 3

SECTION B: STUDY SPECIFICATIONS Elementary School Middle School High School Study includes participants at: Charter School Alternative School Administrative Office Check all that apply. Other (please explain):

Please list the specific schools or APS locations you anticipate participating in your study.

Academic achievement At-risk students College readiness

Curriculum or Educational policy English language learners instruction or leadership

Ethnic or cultural Physical health or Professional development Area(s) of Study: Check all that apply. studies safety

Special education Student social or Supplemental programs emotional development Teacher professional Other(please explain): practices

Type of Study Quantitative Qualitative Mixed-Methods

Relevance of Research to APS‐ Describe why the research is specifically relevant to APS and its Strategic Plan and how it would substantially benefit APS, its students, and/or staff. (Response should not exceed 200 words.)

Page | 4 Does study employ: Check all that apply. Non-school personnel surveys (e.g., surveys of District level staff, like superintendents) All Yes No surveys must be attached. School administrator surveys. All surveys must be attached. Yes No Teacher surveys. All surveys must be attached. Yes No Student surveys. All surveys must be attached. Yes No Parent surveys. All surveys must be attached. Yes No Non-school personnel interviews Yes No School administrator interviews Yes No Teacher interviews Yes No Student interviews Yes No Parent interviews Yes No Classroom observations Yes No Audio recording of APS staff Yes No Audio recording of APS students Yes No Video recording of APS staff Yes No Video recording of APS students Yes No

SECTION C: DATA RECORDS REQUEST Does study access, require, or record: Check all that apply.

De-identified student-level information Yes No De-identified staff-level information Yes No Aggregated student-level information Yes No Aggregated staff-level information Yes No School-level information Yes No

Data Elements: What data elements are you requesting? (Skip this section if you are not requesting any student record data) Attendance Demographics Discipline Grades Student Promotion

Graduation Teacher promotion Test/Assessment scores

Other (please explain):

One time only Annually Every semester Graduation Data Pull Schedule: Other (please explain):

Page | 5 Please provide a detailed description of any existing data that you are requesting. Please avoid the use of terms such as "academic information" and "test scores." Include the academic years that you are requesting and at what point during the research study this data will be needed. For example: "For the 2010-2011 school year, please provide de-identified student level data (researcher will provide Student ID numbers, gathered from the permission form) including: ethnicity, gender, school number, days attended / enrolled by semester, and school year GPA.”

Page | 6 Page | 7 Instructions: Please answer each question below within this document.

Relevant documents (e.g., questionnaires, consent forms, IRB approvals, etc.) should be sent electronically with this application.

1. Purpose and research questions: Specify purpose of research study and the primary research questions to be addressed. (Response should not exceed 500 words)

2. Rationale for Research- Provide a brief description of the theoretical background for the study, including references, where appropriate. (Response should not exceed 500 words.)

3. Research Design- This section should include a summary of your research or evaluation design, including statistical analysis procedures to be applied. Please include your data collection procedures and activities across the different study groups in sufficient detail for a review to fully understand the implementation plan. Also include a description of the sample and proposed analyses. (Note: The technical soundness of your research methodology, measures, and analysis will be considered in the review process) Please attach all surveys and assessments you propose to use during the research.

4. Timeline: Describe your timeline for the research study, include when you plan to analyze and report on the data.

5. How much time will each of the various sets of participants be required to commit to this study?

6. Describe any existing data that you will need from the school system (e.g., demographics, test scores) and how this will help you answer your research questions.

7. Identify any ethical or privacy issues that may be of concern to APS or parents, and explain how you have addressed them.

8. What is your plan to share and disseminate results? -Describe with whom and how you will share your results.

9. Participant consent: Researchers must obtain written permission from the student participant’s parent/guardians using a Parent/Guardian consent form. Please attach a copy of the consent forms you will us to obtain permission from all study participants, including parents if students are involved. Page | 8 10. Confidentiality: If central data is requested, researchers will only be provided with de-identified student data. Please explain how you will maintain the confidentiality of your study participants. Specifically, who will have access to this data? For what purposes will research data be shared? What will you do with the data after the analyses are complete? What security measures will you take with the data?

11. Human Subjects: How do you plan to protect human subjects during this research?

12. Compliance: Are you prepared to comply with all the terms in the Resource Guide? Yes No

Page | 9