Appendix F Notification Letters

Appendix F

Notification Letters

STATE NOTIFICATION LETTER

Dear Sal TIFName TILName:

We are writing to ask you to participate in a survey as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) study of the implementation of the Title I/II program initiatives included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). All states and districts that received funding through the Title I or Title II programs are required under the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (34 C.F.R. § 76.591) to participate in this study. The study will examine the implementation of policies promoted through ESEA at the state, district, and school levels in four core areas: state content standards, assessments, accountability and low-performing schools, and teacher and principal evaluation. The study involves surveys of all 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as nationally representative samples of 570 districts, 1,300 schools, and 9,100 teachers. 

We ask that you or your designee(s) complete the electronic survey by no later than DATE. A member of the research team will contact you shortly to provide information on how to access the survey, provide additional study details, answer any questions, and request your help in identifying additional state-level staff with appropriate expertise to respond to parts of the state survey. The survey has been divided into four sections based on four core areas. To complete each survey section will require as litte as 15 minutes or up to an hour or more depending on the section. All data collected for this study will be kept confidential (per The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 outlined below), except as required by law. A report will be published with results aggregated across all respondents. You will be able to use this information to compare your state’s strategies and policies to those reported in aggregate by other states across the nation.

The names of the districts sampled from your state are provided in the attachment. If you receive inquiries from local administrators, we appreciate your encouragement of their participation in the survey. Your support is important to the success of the study.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation in this study conducted by Westat and its partners, Mathematica Policy Research and edCount. If you have questions about the study, please contact Camilla Heid, the Project Director at 1-888-441-3221 or at TitleI-IIStudy@westat.com. If you have questions about the state survey, please contact Brian Gill, the study’s Co-Principal Investigator at Mathematica Policy Research, at (617) 301-8962 or at bgill@mathematica-mpr.com. We look forward to learning more about the current policy initiatives in your state.

Sincerely,

Camilla Heid, Ed.D. Brian Gill, Ph.D., J.D.

Implementation of Title I/II Program Initiatives Implementation of Title I/II Program Initiatives

Project Director Co-Principal Investigator

Westat Mathematica Policy Research

Attachment: List of Sampled Districts from the State

Cc: Title I Coordinator

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183).  Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes.  The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific state or individual.  We will not provide information that identifies you or your state to anyone outside the study team, except required by law.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

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 XXXX-XXXX. The approximate time required to complete the survey is estimated to be 180 minutes. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimates or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

DISTRICT NOTIFICATION LETTER

Dear Sal SupFName SupLName:

Your district has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) study of the implementation of Title I/II program initiatives as included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). All states and districts that received funding through the Title I or Title II programs are required under the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (34 C.F.R. § 76.591) to participate in this study. The study will examine the implementation of policies promoted through ESEA at the state, district, and school levels in four core areas: state content standards, assessments, school accountability, and teacher and principal evaluation. The study involves surveys of all 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as nationally representative samples of 570 districts, 1,300 schools, and 9,100 teachers. 

In order to participate, you or your designee(s) should complete a web survey by no later than DATE. The survey will take approximately 60 minutes to complete and will likely require more than one respondent. Attached to this email is information about access to the website including the survey website location and your password. All data collected for this study will be kept confidential (per The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 outlined below), except as required by law. A report will be published with results aggregated across all respondents. You will be able to use this information to compare your district’s strategies and policies to those reported in aggregate by other districts across the nation.

The names of the schools sampled from your district are provided in an attachment. If you receive inquiries from local administrators, we appreciate your encouragement of their participation in the survey. Your support is important to the success of this study.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation in this study conducted by Westat and its partners, Mathematica Policy Research and edCount. A paper version of this letter and the attachments will be mailed to your office to ensure your receipt of these materials. If you have questions about the study, please contact Camilla Heid (Project Director) or Janet Friedman (Operations Director). We can be reached by calling 1-888-441-3221 or by emailing TitleI-IIStudy@westat.com. We look forward to working with your district to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Camilla Heid, Ed.D.

Implementation of Title I/II Program Initiatives

Project Director

Westat

Attachment 1: Information about Access to the Survey Website

Attachment 2: List of Sampled Schools from the District

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183).  Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes.  The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual.  We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except required by law.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

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 XXXX-XXXX. The approximate time required to complete the District Information Form and survey is estimated to be 70 minutes. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimates or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

SCHOOL NOTIFICATION LETTER

Dear Sal FName LName:

Your school has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) study of the implementation of Title I/II program initiatives as included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). We realize that your time is valuable and we will do our best to make your school’s voluntary participation in this study as easy as possible. To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 incentive upon submission of your completed survey.

The study will examine the implementation of policies promoted through ESEA at the state, district, and school levels in four core areas: state content standards, assessments, school accountability, and teacher and principal evaluation. The study involves surveys of all 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as nationally representative samples of 570 districts, 1,300 schools, and 9,100 teachers. The sample includes both principals in Title I and non-Title I schools.

As a participant, (a) you or your designee should complete a web-based 2012-13 teacher roster by no later than DATE from which we will draw a sample of approximately seven teachers in your school, and (b) you should complete the principal web survey by no later than DATE. The roster and survey will each take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Attached to this email is information about access to the website including the teacher roster website location, survey website location and your password.

Your input on the survey will provide valuable information about how the different policies promoted by Title I and Title II influence teaching and learning at the school level. The study also will provide a unique opportunity for you, your teachers, and your district to share information about any challenges to implementing the policies. We have provided your school superintendent with the names of all of the schools in the district that have been selected to participate and have obtained any research approvals required by your district.

Teacher participation is critical to the success of the study. We request that you notify your teachers that some will be selected to participate in the study and encourage them to complete their surveys. Although teachers selected from sampled schools are not required to participate in this study, their participation is important and they will receive a $20 incentive after completing their survey (if your district allows teacher incentives).

All data collected for this study will be kept confidential (per The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 outlined below), except as required by law. A report will be published with results aggregated across all respondents. You will be able to use this information to compare your school’s and district’s strategies and policies to those reported in aggregate by other schools and districts across the nation.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation in this study. A paper version of this letter and the attachments will be mailed to your office to ensure your receipt of these materials. If you have questions about the study, please contact Camilla Heid (Project Director) or Janet Friedman (Operations Director). We can be reached by calling 1-888-441-3221 or by emailing TitleI-IIStudy@westat.com. We look forward to working with you to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Camilla Heid, Ed.D.

Implementation of Title I/II Program Initiatives

Project Director

Westat

Attachment: Information About Access to the Teacher Roster and Survey Website

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183).  Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes.  The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual.  We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except required by law.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

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 XXXX-XXXX. The approximate time required to complete the online teacher roster and principal survey is estimated to be 60 minutes. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimates or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

TEACHER NOTIFICATION LETTER

Dear Sal FName LName:

You have been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) study of the implementation of Title I/II program initiatives as included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Your participation is voluntary and extremely important. We know your time is valuable, so we are asking for approximately 30 minutes of your time to read this email and respond to a brief web survey by no later than DATE. To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $20 incentive upon submission of your completed survey.

The study will examine the implementation of policies promoted through ESEA at the state, district, and school levels in four core areas: state content standards, assessments, school accountability, and teacher evaluation. The study involves surveys of all 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as nationally representative samples of 570 districts, 1,300 schools, and 9,100 teachers. The sample includes teachers in Title I and non-Title I schools.

Your input will provide information to help describe what is taking place in schools and classrooms nationwide. Attached is information about access to the survey website location and your password. Any research protocols required by your district have been submitted and approved.

All data collected for this study will be kept confidential (per The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 outlined below), except as required by law. A report will be published with results aggregated across all respondents. You will be able to use this information to compare your instructional practices and experiences to those reported in aggregate by other teachers across the nation.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this study. If you have questions about the study, please contact Camilla Heid (Project Director) or Janet Friedman (Operations Director). We can be reached by calling 1-888-441-3221 or by emailing TitleI-IIStudy@westat.com. We look forward to working with you to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Camilla Heid, Ed.D.

Implementation of Title I/II Program Initiatives

Project Director

Westat

Attachment: Information About Access to the Survey Website

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183).  Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes.  The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual.  We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except required by law.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

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 XXXX-XXXX. The approximate time required to complete the survey is estimated to be 30 minutes. Your participation is voluntary. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimates or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

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