Teacher Survey Notifications and Reminders

Initial Survey Information Letter:

[Date]

[Teacher Name]

[School Name]

[School Address]

[City], [ST] [Zip]

Dear [Teacher Name],

[School Name] is participating in the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Intervention, a national research study to help determine what types of instruction will best help English Learners (ELs) and disadvantaged non-EL students in the 4^th and 5^th grade improve language skills needed for reading and writing in school. The study is sponsored by the National Center for Education Evaluation (NCEE) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and is being conducted by MDRC and Abt Associates, two social science research firms.

As part of this study, you will be asked to complete three surveys: one in fall 2017, a second in spring 2018, and the third in spring 2019. These surveys will ask about your experiences teaching EL and disadvantaged non-EL students, your education, training, the types of instructional techniques you use, and the challenges you encounter in your classroom. Each survey should take approximately 35 minutes to complete. Taking part in the surveys is voluntary. The research team will not share your individual survey responses with your school, district, state, or the U.S. Department of Education. No reports will identify you or any other individual teacher or school.

As a token of appreciation for your time, you will receive $[XX] two weeks after submitting each completed survey. Our study team will send a follow-up email with the first survey link in a few weeks.

If you have any questions about the study or about the surveys, please contact Carter Epstein at Abt Associates via email at [STUDY NAME]@abtassociates.com or toll free at 800-[XXX-XXXX].

Sincerely,

William Corrin

Project Director

Initial Survey Link Email:

Subject: Important survey for the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Intervention – please share your experiences!

Dear [Teacher Name],

We are excited to invite you to participate in a survey of teachers for the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Intervention (ALI), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Your participation is extremely important–whether you received any professional development in the selected intervention or not. Your individual survey responses will not be shared with your school, district, state, or the U.S. Department of Education. No reports will identify you or any other individual teacher or school.

As a reminder, the ALI study aims to help determine what types of instruction will best help English Learners (ELs) and disadvantaged non-EL students in the 4^th and 5^th grade improve language skills needed for reading and writing in school. The online survey asks about your experiences teaching ELs and disadvantaged non-EL students, as well as your education and training. It should take approximately 35 minutes to complete.

To access your online survey, copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

[UNIQUE LINK]

You can save your answers and return to complete the survey as many times as you need. We ask that you complete the survey within the next [XX] weeks. As a token of our appreciation, you will receive $[XX] two weeks after submitting the completed survey.

If you have any questions about the study or the survey, including difficulties logging into or accessing the survey, please contact Carter Epstein at Abt Associates via email at [STUDY NAME]@abtassociates.com or toll free at 800-[XXX-XXXX]. If you would you rather take a paper survey, contact Carter at the email address or phone number above.

Thank you very much for your participation in this important study!

Sincerely,

William Corrin

Project Director

First Email Reminder:

Subject: Reminder: Survey for the U.S. Department of Education

Dear [Teacher Name],

On [DATE], you should have received an email invitation for a survey for the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Intervention, sponsored by the National Center for Education Evaluation (NCEE) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

If you have already completed the survey, thank you!

If you have not yet had a chance to complete the survey, we hope you will do so in the next week. As a reminder, your individual survey responses will not be shared with your school, district, state, or the U.S. Department of Education. No reports will identify you or any other individual teacher or school.

To access your online survey, copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

[UNIQUE LINK]

You can save your answers and return to complete the survey as many times as you need. We ask that you complete the survey within the next week. As a token of our appreciation, you will receive $[XX] two weeks after submitting the completed survey.

If you have any questions about the study or the survey, including technical difficulties, please contact Carter Epstein at Abt Associates via email at [STUDY NAME]@abtassociates.com or toll free at 800-[XXX-XXXX].

Thank you very much for your participation in this important study!

Sincerely,

William Corrin

Project Director

Second Email Reminder:

Subject: Complete a survey about your teaching experiences and receive $[XX] for your time!

Dear [Teacher Name],

This is a reminder to please share your experiences teaching students who are English Learners (ELs) or disadvantaged non-EL students. The information you can provide is very important for the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Interventions, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

Please complete this survey by [DATE]. Upon completion, you will receive $XX in appreciation for your time.

[UNIQUE LINK]

Remember, you can save your answers and return to complete the survey as many times as you need. Get started today!

If you have any questions about the study or the survey, including technical difficulties, please contact Carter Epstein at Abt Associates via email at [STUDY NAME]@abtassociates.com or toll free at 800-[XXX-XXXX].

Thank you very much for your participation in this important study!

Sincerely,

William Corrin

Project Director

Final Email Reminder:

Subject: Deadline approaching: Please complete your survey!

Dear [Teacher Name],

The deadline to complete the survey for the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Intervention is [DATE]. Please follow the link below and share your experiences:

[UNIQUE LINK]

We know teachers are extremely busy, so we truly appreciate your time. As a token of our appreciation, we will send you $[XX] after you complete the survey.

As a reminder, your responses are confidential. If you have any questions about the study or the survey, please contact Carter Epstein at Abt Associates via email at [STUDY NAME]@abtassociates.com or toll free at 800-[XXX-XXXX].

Thank you in advance for the helpful insights into teaching English Learners (ELs) and disadvantaged non-EL students that you can provide!

Sincerely,

William Corrin

Project Director

Thank you email:

Subject: Thank you for your participation

Dear [Teacher Name],

Thank you for your participation in the Impact Evaluation of Academic Language Intervention, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The information that you have provided is a valuable contribution to the Department’s research on what types of instruction best help English Learners (ELs) and disadvantaged non-EL students in the 4^th and 5^th grade improve language skills needed for reading and writing in school.

Please accept the following gift certificate with our thanks for your time.

If you have any questions, please contact Carter Epstein at Abt Associates via email at [STUDY NAME]@abtassociates.com or toll free at 800-[XXX-XXXX].

In [MONTH] [YEAR], we will contact you again to ask you to complete another survey about the types of instructional techniques you have used, and challenges you have encountered, teaching ELs and disadvantaged non-EL students throughout this school year. (You will receive an additional gift certificate for completing this next survey.)

As a reminder, the research team will not share your individual survey responses with your school, district, state, or the U.S. Department of Education. No reports will identify you or any other individual teacher or school.

Thank you again for your participation in this important national study.

Sincerely,

William Corrin

Project Director