Informed Consent for Participation in the Study (Parent)

Informed Consent for Participation in the Study

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Your child’s school was selected to pilot a new text messaging tool for the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the study is to understand if sending parents text messages about student attendance improves students’ attendance and achievement.

As a participant in this study, you may receive text messages related to your child(ren)’s attendance. You may also be asked to participate in a short (10 minutes or less) parent survey in the spring, which you will receive a $15 gift card for completing.

The study is being led by a non-profit research group called American Institutes for Research (AIR). AIR studies programs that intend to improve the lives of children, families, and communities.

It is important for you to read the following information:

• Participating in this study will help educators learn about how to support students and their families, and to improve attendance in schools.

• The study presents minimal risk to you and your child and has been approved by a group that looks at the risks of studies called the Institutional Review Board.

• Being part of this study is voluntary. You may opt out of the study at any time. Doing this will not affect you or your child’s rights in any way.

• Participating in the study means that you may receive periodic text messages related to your child(ren)’s attendance, including information and resources that you may find helpful. Standard text messaging fees may apply.

• Participating in the study means that the research team will access school or district data on your child(ren). Specifically, the research team will obtain students’ attendance and academic achievement as well as background characteristics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, and special education status for the school years 2016-17 and 2017-18).

• Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences. All information from this study will be kept confidential as required by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (Title I, Part E, Section 183). The collected data will be used only for study purposes. Personally identifiable information about individuals will not be reported. The research team will not provide information that identifies you, your child, your child’s school, or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

You do not need to do anything if you would like to participate in the study. If you do not wish to participate in the study, below is a form for you to fill out.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Attendance Messaging Project, please contact Anja Kurki at akurki@air.org or 202-403-5153. If you have questions about your child’s rights as part of the study, you should contact the Chair of AIR’s Institutional Review Board (which is responsible for the protection of project participants): IRB Chair at IRBChair@air.org, toll free at 1-800-634-0797, or c/o IRB, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007.

Thank you for your cooperation in this very important effort!

Attendance Messaging Study Opt Out Form

If you decline participation in the Attendance Messaging Project, please check the box below, fill out the information requested, and return this form to your child’s school.

• I DO NOT want to participate in the Attendance Messaging Project.

SIGN AND DATE:

SIGNATURE OF PARENT OR GUARDIAN

DATE

YOUR FULL NAME (PLEASE PRINT)

CHILD’S FULL NAME (PLEASE PRINT)

CHILD’S GRADE

CHILD’S CLASSROOM TEACHER

CHILD’S SCHOOL

American Institutes for Research OMB Clearance Request: Informed Consent—2