Principal Interview and consent form

Principal Interview Protocol for Non-AMSTI Schools
Name of Principal: ______________________
Name of School: ________________________
Interviewer Name: _______________________
Date of Interview: _______________________
The principal interview should be administered to the principals in schools where one
teacher is observed and interviewed, and one additional teacher is interviewed. Ideally,
the interview should occur subsequent to the teacher observations and interviews, so that
the interviewer can interview the principal in the context of greater knowledge about the
instructional practices, student response, and additional training and technical assistance
needs of teachers observed and/or interviewed. If this is not possible, however, the
principal interview can occur prior to the teacher observations and interviews. The
interviewer should begin by providing a very brief description of the overall AMSTI
study, the purpose of the principal interview, and assurance of confidentiality procedures.

INTERVIEW INTRODUCTION
Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. We are conducting brief interviews with
principals of schools that applied for AMSTI, but are not participating this year, as part of
a comprehensive research study of AMSTI. As you may know, the AMSTI study
involves collecting data from state staff, AMSTI trainers, teachers, principals, and
students. The principal interviews are intended to provide us with baseline information,
from the principal’s perspective, about school math and science programs prior to
participation in AMSTI. It is not, in any way, concerned with you or your school’s math
or science performance. This interview is different from a survey that you were asked to
complete several months ago. The interview should take between 10 - 20 minutes.
Your responses to the interview are completely confidential. Data from the interviews
we are conducting with the principals from schools delaying AMSTI implementation for
a year will be combined for each region and comparisons made (1) among regions and
(2) between AMSTI and not-yet-AMSTI schools. We would like to ask you to sign two
copies of a data collection consent form. I will leave one copy with you.
Do you have any questions before we begin?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How do your see your role with regard to the implementation of math and science
curricula and instruction in your school?
2. What has been your school’s overall experience in supporting the math and
science curricula? What has been successful? What has been challenging?
3. Has your school been provided any on-site technical assistance, support, or
coaching from a university-based math and science program?
a.
b.
c.
d.

What type of support has been provided?
Has the support been provided when teachers need it?
How has this technical assistance or support been helpful?
What additional assistance and support was/is needed?

4. How would you assess the availability and usefulness of hands-on math and
science materials for use by your school staff?
5. To what extent have teachers who have recently received training in math and
science improved their math and science instructional practice? In what ways
have teachers experienced success teaching math and science? What has been
challenging for them?
6. In what ways has technology been integrated into math and science instruction?
What has been done to facilitate the use of technology in the math and science
lessons? What, if any, challenges have the teachers had incorporating technology
into the math and science lessons?
7. What, if any, feedback have you received from other teachers and parents about
your school’s math and science program?
8. Have you and/or your school staff been engaging in any work to prepare for
becoming an AMSTI school next year? If so, please describe.
9. Do you have any additional comments, questions, or concerns about AMSTI or
this evaluation?