Survey of RCC-Level Project Participants

OMB No. xxxx-xxxx

Exp. xx/xx/xx

National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Technical Assistance Centers

Survey of Regional Comprehensive Center (RCC) Participants

Dear Colleague,

This survey is designed to gather your feedback on the assistance that [Name of Content Center] provided to your regional center in connection with the following set of activities:

[Name of Project]

Your name was included on a list of RCC staff members who participated in one or more of the following:

• List of key activities (include date and location) or resources

(Additional detail about this set of activities and resources can be found on the first page of the survey.)

For the purpose of this survey, please consider the contribution of [Name of Content Center] to the work of your RCC, even though your center may also have been responsible for collaborating with [Name of Content Center] and [Name(s) of collaborating RCCs, if any] on this set of activities and resources to serve states.

We need your feedback to inform the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Centers being conducted for the U.S. Department of Education by Branch Associates, Decision Information Resources (DIR), and Policy Studies Associates (PSA).

Every effort will be made to protect the confidentiality of the data collected through this survey. Responses to this survey will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this study will summarize finding and will not associate responses with a specific organization or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your organization to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

[On paper version of the survey, insert instructions for returning surveys here.]

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this survey is xxxx-xxxx. The time required to complete this survey is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and respond to the survey questions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

Glossary of Terms

[Name of Project]. Please answer the following survey questions in regard to your experience with any of the following set of activities and resources. This set of activities [began in/occurred on] [month/year] and continued through [month/year], and included:

• List of activities (include date, location, and key presenters)

• Continue list

Participants may also have used the following materials and resources:

• List of publications and other resources

• Continue list

Participants may also have interacted with Content Center staff on:

• Advance planning

• Follow-up and action plans

• Ongoing consultation on this topic

Please answer the following survey questions based on your experience, whether you participated in all of the activities or received all of the resources listed above, or just a few. Reviewing the materials you received from this set of technical assistance activities and resources may help you answer these questions.

“State-level staff.” The term “state-level staff,” where it appears on this survey, refers to staff in state education agencies (SEAs), staff of other state offices (for example, governor’s offices), staff of intermediate education agencies, state task forces, and school support teams assigned to low-performing schools.

[Note: For the web-based version of the survey, this box will appear as a header at the top of several screens throughout the survey.]

Participation

1. Did you participate in any of the activities described in the box above? (Select one.)

1. Yes

2. No (STOP HERE)

3. Unsure/Don’t remember (STOP HERE)

2. How much time did you spend participating in each of the following types of activities or making use of each of the following types of resources, of those available to you through [Name of project]? (Select one response in each row.)

	More than 5 days	3-5 days	1-2 days	Less than 1 day	Not applicable; not part of [Name of project]
Conferences	4	3	2	1	99
Training	4	3	2	1	99
Task force meetings	4	3	2	1	99
Reviewing general or background information provided by the Content Center	4	3	2	1	99
Using tools and other resources provided by the Content Center	4	3	2	1	99
Advance planning	4	3	2	1	99
Ongoing consultation on this topic	4	3	2	1	99
Follow-up and action plans	4	3	2	1	99

3. Were you personally involved at all in determining the goals or designing the content or format of these activities or resources? In what ways? (Select all that apply.)

1. Identifying the problem or need to be addressed

2. Selecting or framing the content

3. Providing data or other background information during the planning phase

4. Identifying or recruiting project participants

5. Identifying or recruiting presenters or resources

6. Designing activities

7. Planning for or leading dissemination of new ideas and information

8. Coordinating this project with other work that my organization does

9. Planning logistics

10. Other (Specify: ______________________________________)

11. I did not contribute at all to the design of this set of activities and resources

Relevance and Usefulness

4. Based on your experience, to what degree was this set of activities and resources relevant to your work, in each of the following respects? (Select one response in each row.)

The activities and resources:	To a very high degree	To a high degree	To a moderate degree	To a low degree	To a very low degree	Not able to judge
Addressed a need or problem that my center’s state-level clients face	5	4	3	2	1	99
Addressed an important priority of my center’s state-level clients	5	4	3	2	1	99
Addressed a challenge that my center’s state-level clients face related to the implementation of NCLB	5	4	3	2	1	99
Provided information, advice, and/or resources that could be applied to my center’s work or our state-level clients’ work	5	4	3	2	1	99
Addressed the particular state context in which our state-level clients operate	5	4	3	2	1	99
Addressed our state-level clients’ specific challenges (e.g., policy environment, leadership capacity, budget pressures, local politics)	5	4	3	2	1	99
Provided information, advice, and/or resources that could be used by state-level clients to guide decisions about policies, programs, and practices	5	4	3	2	1	99
Highlighted the implications of research findings (or information about best practice) for state-level clients’ policies, programs, or practices	5	4	3	2	1	99

5. Based on your experience, to what degree was this set of activities and resources useful to you, in each of the following respects? (Select one response in each row.)

The activities and resources:	To a very high degree	To a high degree	To a moderate degree	To a low degree	To a very low degree	Not able to judge
Provided resources that were easy to understand and easy to use	5	4	3	2	1	99
Employed an appropriate format (e.g., a work group, a conference, individual consultation, written products)	5	4	3	2	1	99
Provided adequate opportunity to learn from other states	5	4	3	2	1	99
Included adequate follow-up to support the use of new information and resources	5	4	3	2	1	99
Were timely	5	4	3	2	1	99
Helped my center to help our state-level clients solve a problem	5	4	3	2	1	99
Helped my center to help our state-level clients maintain or change a policy or practice	5	4	3	2	1	99
Helped my center to help our state-level clients take the next step in a longer-term improvement effort	5	4	3	2	1	99
Provided my center with information or resources that we will use again	5	4	3	2	1	99
Helped my center to develop a shared expertise or knowledge-base	5	4	3	2	1	99
Helped individuals in my center to develop skills that they will use again	5	4	3	2	1	99

6. How could this set of activities and resources (described in the box on the first page) have been made more relevant or more useful for your Center?­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ ______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Priorities for Technical Assistance

7. Please consider your center’s priorities for the technical assistance it receives from the Content Centers. With which of the following tasks does your center have the greatest need for technical assistance? Did the set of activities and resources described in the box on page 1 of this survey address any of the following tasks related to helping states with NCLB implementation?

(In Column A, rank your center’s top three priorities for technical assistance, where “1” is your highest priority, “2” is your second highest, and “3” is your third highest.

In Column B, select “yes” or “no” for all rows, not only your center’s top three priorities.)

Tasks Related to NCLB Implementation	Column A	Column B
	Rank your center’s top 3 priorities for assistance	Did the set of activities and resources address this task?
Helping state leaders formulate or refine policies that respond to NCLB requirements	_____________	Yes / No
Helping states build or manage a state-level system to support districts and schools identified for improvement under NCLB	_____________	Yes / No
Training or helping to train or manage the state-level staff who provide support to districts and schools identified for improvement under NCLB	_____________	Yes / No
Helping state-level staff work directly with low-performing districts and schools on school improvement activities	_____________	Yes / No
Helping state-level staff design or implement statewide assessment and accountability systems	_____________	Yes / No
Helping state-level staff to aligning state accountability systems with NCLB accountability systems	_____________	Yes / No
Supporting the use of assessment data by schools and districts	_____________	Yes / No
Disseminating information on scientifically-based research to states, or helping state-level staff disseminate information on scientifically-based research to districts and schools	_____________	Yes / No
Identifying and/or developing programs or models that address state, district, or school needs	_____________	Yes / No
Helping state-level staff provide training and other professional development to local educators in academic subjects (reading language arts, mathematics, science)	_____________	Yes / No
Helping state-level staff monitor compliance with NCLB requirements in districts and schools	_____________	Yes / No
Helping state-level staff communicate with the public about NCLB requirements or report cards	_____________	Yes / No
Other priorities (Specify: ______________________________)	_____________	Yes / No
Other priorities (Specify: ______________________________)	_____________	Yes / No

Capacity to Carry out Responsibilities Related to NCLB

8. To what extent has the set of activities and resources described in the box on the first page expanded the capacity of your Comprehensive Center, including your own capacity, to help states to carry out their responsibilities related to NCLB? (Select one response in each row.)

The activities and resources:	To a great extent	To a moderate extent	To a small extent	Not at all	Too early to tell	Does not apply or unable to judge
Confirmed what states were already doing	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to raise awareness of new developments in fields important to states	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to help states define or understand a problem in new ways	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to help states accomplish a goal or solve a problem	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to help states improve or support an ongoing state program, policy, or practice	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to help states plan or initiate a new state program, policy, or practice	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center enhance states’ ability to address NCLB requirements	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center improve states’ ability to work with districts	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center improve states’ ability to work with schools identified for improvement under NCLB	4	3	2	1	88	99
Put my Center in touch with other organizations engaged in similar tasks	4	3	2	1	88	99
Enabled my Center to carry out its work more effectively	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to help states complete NCLB-related applications, plans, and reports	4	3	2	1	88	99
Helped my Center to help states make a tangible change to a policy or practice	4	3	2	1	88	99
Other (Specify below ________)	4	3	2	1	88	99

9. How could this set of activities and resources have better helped to expand your organization’s capacity to help states carry out responsibilities related to NCLB?

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Your Job Responsibilities

Please consider all of your job responsibilities when responding to the questions in this section, not just those most closely related to the set of activities and resources described on the first page of this survey.

10. Please indicate the type of agency for which you work: (Select all that apply.)

1. Regional Comprehensive Center

2. Regional Educational Laboratory

3. Other federally-funded technical assistance provider (Specify: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________________)

4. University or college

5. Private firm

6. Other (Specify: _____________________________)

11. If you work for a Regional Comprehensive Center, please indicate your role at your center: (Select all that apply.)

1. State liaison

2. Content or topic area specialist (Specify: ­______________________________)

3. Project-specific manager or specialist

4. Center director or assistant director

5. Support staff (technology, research, logistics, publishing, financial)

6. Consultant

7. Other (Specify: _____________________________)

8. I do not work for a Regional Comprehensive Center.

12. Which of the following statements best describes your job responsibilities related to NCLB implementation? (Select all that apply.)

1. Helping state leaders formulate or refine policies that respond to NCLB requirements

2. Helping states build or manage a state-level system to support districts and schools identified for improvement under NCLB

3. Training or helping to train or manage the state-level staff who provide support to districts and schools identified for improvement under NCLB

4. Helping state-level staff work directly with low-performing districts and schools on school improvement activities

5. Helping state-level staff design or implement statewide assessment and accountability systems

6. Helping state-level staff to aligning state accountability systems with NCLB accountability systems

7. Supporting the use of assessment data by schools and districts

8. Disseminating information on scientifically-based research to states, or helping state-level staff disseminate information on scientifically-based research to districts and schools

9. Identifying and/or developing programs or models that address state, district, or school needs

10. Helping state-level staff provide training and other professional development to local educators in academic subjects (reading language arts, mathematics, science)

11. Helping state-level staff monitor compliance with NCLB requirements in districts and schools

12. Helping state-level staff communicate with the public about NCLB requirements or report cards

13. Providing technical assistance to SEA or other state-level staff

14. Other responsibilities (Specify: _________________________________________________)

15. Other responsibilities (Specify: _________________________________________________)

13. What percent of your time is spent on all the tasks you selected in Question 12 above, combined? (Select one.)

1. 0-25 percent

2. 26-50 percent

3. 51-75 percent

4. 76-100 percent

14. Have you received any other technical assistance provided by this Content Center, other than the one described at the beginning of the survey? (Select one.)

1. Yes

2. No

3. Unsure/Don’t remember

Thank you!

[On paper surveys, include instructions for returning.]

Project Participant Survey for RCC Staff (9-14-07)