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PK11 Research and Survey Proposals

Research Review Committee

All proposals for District participation in educational research or surveys projects involving APS students as subjects, all research projects requiring instructional/instructor time, and all classrooms as observation sites will be reviewed by the APS Research Review Committee (RRC), which will be formed by the Director of Research, Development and Accountability (RDA). (Classroom-based research by the assigned classroom teacher is governed by state regulations and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.)

Briefly, the important points to help distinguish empirical research and data gathering are:

  1. Surveys, focus groups, and other data gathering in your school community for the intent of school improvement is NOT considered research and does NOT require Research Review Committee approval. SRC, SIM, Cluster Forum activities would meet this definition.
  2. Data gathering that will be used by the school SRC/staff for improvement efforts AND that will be part of a formal research study does fall under the definition of research and must be reviewed by the Research Review committee. An example is: a university student wishes to conduct a survey to fulfill class requirements and offers to address your school’s particular issues. The student must follow the research policies.
  3. Data gathering that is conducted by individuals who intend to use the information for profit must be approved through the Research Review Committee. Some examples: asking teachers to pilot instructional materials that ultimately will be published, having students complete a behavior/attitudes survey that will ultimately be a published survey; having students take tests as part of a norming study.

Review Criteria

  1. The RRC reviews research proposals using the following criteria: interest, relevance, technical adequacy, and intrusiveness on instructional and employee time.
  2. The RRC will comply with all provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, all policies of the District, and all regulations of the State Department of Education.
  3. Even though a project may have RRC approval, participation by APS personnel, students, or parents is voluntary. The researcher will assume full responsibility for making arrangements with all APS personnel who may be involved.
  4. With cause, APS participation may be terminated by the chairperson of the RRC. Individuals have the option of terminating personal involvement at any time.
  5. Upon completion of the research, a copy of the findings will be submitted to the chairperson of the RRC for use by district personnel.
  6. The author of any publication resulting from research conducted in the District will guarantee anonymity of the District and all participants.
  7. RDA assumes no responsibility for the technical accuracy of the research or expenses incurred.
  8. The RRC reviews research proposals using the following criteria: interest, relevance, technical adequacy, and intrusiveness on instructional and employee time.
  9. The RRC will comply with all provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, all policies of the District, and all regulations of the State Department of Education.
  10. Even though a project may have RRC approval, participation by APS personnel, students, or parents is voluntary. The researcher will assume full responsibility for making arrangements with all APS personnel who may be involved.
  11. With cause, APS participation may be terminated by the chairperson of the RRC. Individuals have the option of terminating personal involvement at any time.
  12. Upon completion of the research, a copy of the findings will be submitted to the chairperson of the RRC for use by district personnel.
  13. The author of any publication resulting from research conducted in the District will guarantee anonymity of the District and all participants.
  14. RDA assumes no responsibility for the technical accuracy of the research or expenses incurred.

Cross Ref.:

NSBA/NEPN Classification: LC

Revised: May 1995
Revised: April 1996
Revised: May 1997

This page was last updated on: December 9, 2009.