Contacting Principal Protocol

Strategies for American Indian Parent Involvement

(Revised Updated Version – May 7, 2007

Exhibit A:

Protocol for Contacting Principal

for Participation of School

School: _______________________________________________________________________

Principal’s Name _______________________________________________________________

Phone Number _________________________________________________________________

Time and date of call: ___________________________________________________________

Caller: _______________________________________________________________________

Introduction

Hello, my name is _______________________. I am a staff member from the Regional Educational Laboratory that serves this region. I am also an American Indian from the ________________ tribe. I am calling to tell you about a study of American Indian parent’s involvement in school that I feel is very important and that I’d like your school’s American Indian parents to participate in. May I tell you more about it? (If no, thank them and end the call.)

If Yes: We believe little is known about why American Indian parents do or do not participate in their children’s schools. We are proposing to gather a group of American Indian parents from your school to learn from them how they think about participation. We would like to have both parents who are actively engaged in the school and those who are not in the group. The group facilitator will be an American Indian educator. The session will be non-threatening and culturally appropriate. We want to learn from parents how they think about being engaged in their child’s school or their child’s education and what forms engagement takes for them. We are also interested in what barriers they see to being engaged and what would remove the barriers. The session should last about an hour. It will be held at (designated site) and the school will not need to provide anything other than a list of parent names.

Do you have questions about what I have told you so far?

(Whether or not there are questions, tell them that the study has been approved by a Human Subjects Review Board and by the government (read them the Paperwork Burden Statement if they ask about government approval). The participating parents will be carefully told about the study and what it entails and will be asked to sign a consent form).

Would you like me to read to you the primary questions to be used in the focus group? (If so, read the attached list of questions.)

Would you like me to fax you a copy of the Group questions and the consent form? (If so, ask for the fax number to use.)

We will be holding four groups and will then prepare a report of what has been learned. We will be glad to send you a copy of the report. In it no school or parent will be identified by name. We will also send you a report just from your school if you would like, again with no parents names included.

We would like your consent for your school’s American Indian parents to be asked if they would participate. All we would need from you is a list of parent names and contact information. Do you have additional questions?

Would you be willing to have your school’s parents participate?

Response: ____Yes (If yes, arrange for receiving list of parents.)

____No

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-xxxx. The time required to provide the requested information is estimated to average a maximum of 1.5 hours including the time to get instructions, sign consent forms, and respond to the group facilitator’s questions. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4700. If you have comments or concerns regarding this group session, write directly to: Sandra Garcia, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Room 506C, Washington, D.C. 20208-4651.

Areas of Questions for Groups

Lead 1: Have you heard the term parent involvement? What comes to mind when you hear people talk about parent involvement?

Lead 2: How do you think schools want parents to be involved in their children’s education?

Lead 3: Why do you think schools want parents to get involved in their children’s education?

Lead 4: There are many ways in which parents and families participate and become involved in their children’s education. Which of your family members is involved in your children’s education?

Lead 5: What things do you do to support your children’s education?

Lead 6: How do your children feel about your involvement in their education?

Lead 7: Do you think that your involvement/participation in your children’s education helps them do better in school? If so, why?

Lead 8: Have you ever encountered any difficulties or obstacles to getting involved in your children’s education?

Lead 9: Schools sometimes try to get parents to participate in their children’s education. What strategies have schools used that have helped you, as American Indian parents, get involved your children’s education?

Lead 10: Do you have any suggestions for schools or districts that would help you get more involved in your children’s education?

American Indian Parent Involvement

Exhibit A: Principal Contact Protocol Form Page A-4