Impact Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools

APPENDIX G
DISTRICT RECRUITMENT LETTER

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance

December X, 2017
[Superintendent- Prefix] [Superintendent - First Name] [Superintendent – Last Name]
[Superintendent - Title]
[District Name]
[District Address 1]
[District Address 2]
[City], [State] [ZIP]
Dear [Superintendent - Prefix] [Superintendent – Last Name]:
Would departmentalized instruction in 4th and 5th grades lead to better student achievement?
Would departmentalized instruction better serve students in some of your schools, especially lowperforming schools?
In a departmentalized school, how can teachers be assigned to particular subjects to best enhance student
achievement? Is one approach better than another?
How will principals and teachers feel after adopting departmentalized instruction, and might it affect
teacher retention?
These issues are on the minds of educators across the country as they continue to seek ways to improve
student achievement. The U.S. Department of Education is mounting an effort to study the benefits of
departmentalized instruction, with the aim of answering the kinds of questions listed above. Although
departmentalized instruction has been used in upper elementary grades for some time, we don’t have
much solid evidence on how well it works or on its implementation.
I am writing to you because we would like you to consider joining this important effort to better
understand departmentalized instruction. Schools that implement departmentalized instruction as part
of the study will receive complimentary support from a team of experts. A member of the team leading
this effort—Mathematica Policy Research and its partner Social Policy Research Associates—will contact
you soon to explore your district’s possible participation. He or she will be able to explain what
participation would involve and answer questions. To assist with this conversation, we have enclosed a
brochure that describes the effort in greater detail. I encourage you to review the brochure and share it
with colleagues. If you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact the study director,
Alison Wellington, at awellington@mathematica-mpr.com or (202) 484-4696.
Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to the possibility of working with you.
Sincerely,
Thomas Wei, Ph.D.
Project Officer and Senior Research Scientist