Assessment of the Language Resource Centers Program Surv

Assessment of the Language Resource Centers Program

Survey of National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NADSFL) Members

—

U.S. Department of Education

International Education Programs Service (IEPS)

Survey of NADSFL Members

Introduction

The International Education Programs Service (IEPS) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is conducting an assessment of the Language Resource Centers (LRC) Program. As part of this assessment, this survey asks about your experiences working with the LRCs and the use of their products, services, and materials in your district’s foreign language curriculum. As a consumer or potential consumer of many of the products disseminated by the Language Resource Centers, your input is critical to understanding the degree to which the LRCs are helping to improve the foreign language capacity of the United States.

Survey Instructions

The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Not all questions in the survey may apply to you. We are interested in collecting information from NADSFL members. When completing the survey, please respond based on your experiences related to foreign language education, whether currently or in the past. Topics will include:

• Your role(s) and affiliation(s) with school districts, specifically related to foreign language education

• Your familiarity with the Language Resource Centers Program, products, and services

Your participation in this survey is voluntary and responses will be aggregated when presenting findings to ED and for reporting purposes.

Returning the Survey

Please complete the survey prior to DATE. If you have any questions about the study or would like to request a paper copy of the survey with a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope, please feel free to contact Ms. Andrea Coombes, Survey Coordinator, by mail, phone, or email:

Andrea Coombes

American Institutes for Research

1000 Thomas Jefferson St., NW

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 403-5278

acoombes@air.org

We look forward to receiving your responses and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Background

1.	What is your current occupation?

Occupation

Check all that apply

a. Foreign language instructor

What grade(s)/level(s) do you teach?

Level	Check all that apply
1. Pre-kindergarten/Kindergarten	
2. Elementary/Middle/Secondary	
3. University/College/Community college	
4. Teacher Training	



b. School district foreign language coordinator/director/supervisor

What is your job title?



c. Administrator/department chair

At what level(s)?

Level	Check all that apply
1. Pre-kindergarten/Kindergarten	
2. Elementary/Middle/Secondary	
3. University/College/Community college	



d. Retiree from foreign language instruction/administration

What was/were your job title(s)?



e. Foreign language consultant



f. Other (please specify):



2.	Which of the following best describes your affiliation with school districts as part of your current or previous occupation(s)?

School district affiliation	Check one
a. I am currently or have previously been affiliated as part of my occupation (e.g., instructor, school coordinator, district supervisor) with a specific school district.	
b. I have never been affiliated with a specific school district as part of my occupation.	 Skip to 10

3.	For how many years in total have you worked as an educational professional (e.g., teacher or administrator)?
	Total number of years:

The questions in the following section ask about the school district you are associated with through your occupation. If you are not associated with a specific school district as part of your current occupation, please respond to the following set of questions based on your most recent affiliation.

4.	How many students are enrolled in your school district?
	Total number of students:

5.	In which region of the country is your school district located?

Region of the United States	Check one
a. Midwest region	
b. Northeast region	
c. South region	
d. West region	

6.	Is your school district located in an urban or rural area?

Area	Check one
a. Rural (i.e., less than 50,000 people)	
b. Urban (i.e., 50,000 or more people)	

7.	At what grade levels is foreign language instruction in languages other than English offered in your district?

Grade level	Check all that apply
a. Pre-Kindergarten	
b. Kindergarten	
c. 1st grade	
d. 2nd grade	
e. 3rd grade	
f. 4th grade	
g. 5th grade	
h. 6th grade	
i. 7th grade	
j. 8th grade	
k. 9th grade	
l. 10th grade	
m. 11th grade	
n. 12th grade	
o. Other (please specify): __________________________	

8.	Which of the following languages are offered in your district as part of the foreign language curriculum?

Language	Check all that apply	Number of years used
a. Spanish		___
b. French		___
c. German		___
d. Italian		___
e. Latin		___
f. Slavic and Eastern European language(s)		___
g. Other European language(s)		___
h. East Asian language(s) (e.g., Chinese, Japanese)		___
i. South Asian language(s) (e.g., Hindi, Pashto)		___
j. Southeast Asian language(s) (e.g., Lao, Thai)		___
k. African language(s)		___
l. Middle Eastern language(s)		___
m. Other (please specify): ______________________		___

9.	Which of the following best describes your role as it relates to foreign language education?

Role	Check one
a. I am responsible for selecting or developing the foreign language curricula adopted by the district	
b. I provide guidance to other administrators/principals/teachers on the selection or development of the foreign language curricula adopted by the district	
c. I do not play a role in the selection or development of the foreign language curricula	
d. Other (please specify):	

Familiarity and Experiences with the Language Resource Centers Program

10.		Using the scale below, please indicate your familiarity with the Language Resource Centers Program administered by the U.S. Department of Education (Select one). For your reference, a list of the Language Resource Centers is provided below.
1 Not Familiar				2 Minimally Familiar		3 Moderately Familiar	4 Extremely Familiar
	You have completed this survey. Thank you!		Continue to question 11

List of Language Resource Centers

Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER), Pennsylvania State University

Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), University of Minnesota

Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS), University of Oregon

Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL), University of Arizona

Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR), Michigan State University

Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), Indiana University

Language Acquisition Resource Center (LARC), San Diego State University

National African Language Resource Center (NALRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison

National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC), George Washington University, Georgetown University

National East Asian Language Resource Center (NEALRC), Ohio State University

National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), University of Hawai’i, Mānoa

National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), Iowa State University

National Middle Eastern Language Resource Center (NMELRC), Brigham Young University

National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC), University of California, Los Angeles

Slavic and East European Language Resource Center (SEELRC), Duke University

South Asia Language Resource Center (SALRC), University of Chicago

11.	Have you or staff in your district used any of the products, services, or materials disseminated by the Language Resource Centers noted above?
	a. Yes		
	b. No		
		You have completed this survey. Thank you!

11.1	Which of the following types of products, services, or materials disseminated by the Language Resource Centers have been used by you or staff in your district?

Products, services, and materials	Check all that apply
a. Reports/Monographs	
b. Journal articles or publications	
c. Textbooks or workbooks	
d. Curricula	
e. Assessment materials	
f. Toolkits and instructional materials	
g. Conference presentations, lectures, and seminars (other than workshops)	
h. Audio and video materials, etc.	
i. Podcasts, moodles, wikis, databases, web portals, etc.	
j. Brochures	
k. Workshops and training sessions	
l. Other (please specify):	

12.

Using the scale below, please indicate the usefulness of the following types of products, services, and materials disseminated by the Language Resource Centers in providing foreign language instruction in your district. If you are not familiar with the products, check the box in the “Not familiar with products” column, do not provide a rating, and move to the next row.

1 Not Useful		2 Minimally Useful	3 Moderately Useful				4 Extremely Useful
	Products, services, and materials			Not familiar with products	Select one per row					Would use again
	a. Reports/Monographs				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	b. Journal articles or publications				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	c. Textbooks or workbooks				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	d. Curricula				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	e. Assessment materials				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	f. Toolkits and instructional materials				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	g. Conference presentations, lectures, and seminars (other than workshops)				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	h. Audio and video materials, etc.				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	i. Podcasts, moodles, wikis, databases, web portals, etc.				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	j. Brochures				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	k. Workshops and training sessions				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	l. Other (please specify):				1	2		3	4	Yes	No

	13.	Using the scale below, please indicate your familiarity with the products, services, and materials disseminated by each of the following Language Resource Centers (LRCs):
1 Not Familiar			2 Minimally Familiar	3 Moderately Familiar	4 Extremely Familiar
		Language Resource Center				Select one per row
		Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER), Pennsylvania State University				1	2	3	4
		Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), University of Minnesota				1	2	3	4
		Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS), University of Oregon				1	2	3	4
		Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL), University of Arizona				1	2	3	4
		Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR), Michigan State University				1	2	3	4
		Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), Indiana University				1	2	3	4
		Language Acquisition Resource Center (LARC), San Diego State University				1	2	3	4
		National African Language Resource Center (NALRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison				1	2	3	4
		National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC), George Washington University, Georgetown University				1	2	3	4
		National East Asian Language Resource Center (NEALRC), Ohio State University				1	2	3	4
		National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), University of Hawai’i, Mānoa				1	2	3	4
		National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), Iowa State University				1	2	3	4
		National Middle Eastern Language Resource Center (NMELRC), Brigham Young University				1	2	3	4
		National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC), University of California, Los Angeles				1	2	3	4
		Slavic and East European Language Resource Center (SEELRC), Duke University				1	2	3	4
		South Asia Language Resource Center (SALRC), University of Chicago				1	2	3	4

14.

Using the scale below, please indicate the usefulness of the products, services, and materials disseminated by the following Language Resource Centers in providing foreign language instruction in your district. If you are not familiar with the Language Resource Center, check the box in the “Not familiar with LRC” column, do not provide a rating, and move to the next listed LRC.

1 Not Useful		2 Minimally Useful	3 Moderately Useful				4 Extremely Useful
	Language Resource Centers			Not familiar with LRC	Select one per row					Would use again
	Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER), Pennsylvania State University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), University of Minnesota				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS), University of Oregon				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL), University of Arizona				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR), Michigan State University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), Indiana University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Language Acquisition Resource Center (LARC), San Diego State University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National African Language Resource Center (NALRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC), George Washington University, Georgetown University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National East Asian Language Resource Center (NEALRC), Ohio State University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), University of Hawai’i, Mānoa				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), Iowa State University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National Middle Eastern Language Resource Center (NMELRC), Brigham Young University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC), University of California, Los Angeles				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	Slavic and East European Language Resource Center (SEELRC), Duke University				1	2		3	4	Yes	No
	South Asia Language Resource Center (SALRC), University of Chicago				1	2		3	4	Yes	No

15.

Using the scale below, please indicate the relevance of the products, services, and materials disseminated by the Language Resource Centers to the foreign language instruction needs of your district. If you are not familiar with the products, check the box in the “Not familiar with products” column, do not provide a rating, and move to the next row.

1 Not Relevant		2 Minimally Relevant	3 Moderately Relevant		4 Extremely Relevant
	Products, services, and materials			Not familiar with products		Select one per row
	a. Reports/Monographs					1	2	3	4
	b. Journal articles or publications					1	2	3	4
	c. Textbooks or workbooks					1	2	3	4
	d. Curricula					1	2	3	4
	e. Assessment materials					1	2	3	4
	f. Toolkits and instructional materials					1	2	3	4
	g. Conference presentations, lectures, and seminars (other than workshops)					1	2	3	4
	h. Audio and video materials, etc.					1	2	3	4
	i. Podcasts, moodles, wikis, databases, web portals, etc.					1	2	3	4
	j. Brochures					1	2	3	4
	k. Workshops and training sessions					1	2	3	4
	l. Other (please specify):					1	2	3	4

16.	Using the scale below, please indicate the level of demand for the following products, services, and materials as part of foreign language instruction in your district (from any provider or source regardless of whether they are disseminated by LRCs).

1 No Demand		2 Minimal Demand	3 Moderate Demand			4 Significant Demand
	Products, services, and materials			Select one per row
	a. Reports/Monographs			1	2		3	4
	b. Journal articles or publications			1	2		3	4
	c. Textbooks or workbooks			1	2		3	4
	d. Curricula			1	2		3	4
	e. Assessment materials			1	2		3	4
	f. Toolkits and instructional materials			1	2		3	4
	g. Conference presentations, lectures, and seminars (other than workshops)			1	2		3	4
	h. Audio and video materials, etc.			1	2		3	4
	i. Podcasts, moodles, wikis, databases, web portals, etc.			1	2		3	4
	j. Brochures			1	2		3	4
	k. Workshops and training sessions			1	2		3	4
	l. Other (please specify):			1	2		3	4

17.	Are there other kinds of products, services, and materials related to foreign language instruction that the Language Resources Centers are currently not disseminating that you think would be of value to your district?
	a. Yes	
	b. No			Skip to 18

17.1	What kinds of additional products, services, and materials would be most valuable to your district?

	18.	How often do the Language Resource Centers seek your or your staff’s input in program and product development (Select one)?
1 Never			2 Rarely	3 Sometimes	4 Often

19.	Are there barriers that have prevented your district from using some of the products, services, and materials disseminated by the LRCs?
	a. Yes	
	b. No			Skip to 20

19.1	What are the biggest barriers to using more products, services, and materials from LRCs as part of your district’s foreign language curriculum?

Barriers to using products	Check all that apply
a. Cost of products is prohibitive	
b. Lack of information about products provided by LRCs	
c. Required to use products from other vendors	
d. Products are not relevant to curriculum	
e. Quality of products is not acceptable	
f. Quantity of products available is insufficient	
g. Lack of time to become familiar with LRC products	
h. Other (please specify):	

20.	Overall, how would you describe the role of the products, services, and materials disseminated by the Language Resource Centers in meeting the needs of your district’s foreign language program (Select one)?

1 No Role

2 Minimal Role

3 Moderate Role

4 Significant Role

21.	Overall, how would you describe the quality of the products, services, and materials disseminated by the Language Resource Centers that your district has used as part of its foreign language curriculum (Select one)?

1 Poor Quality

2 Average Quality

3 Good Quality

4 Excellent Quality

22.	Would it be useful if the Language Resource Centers provided more products, services, or materials related to the following areas?

Product areas	Check all that apply
a. Assessment resources	
b. Learning strategies	
c. Technology for language learning	
d. Specific language(s) please specify language(s):	

Thank you very much for completing this survey!