Academic Research

The school division recognizes and values quality educational research and tries to support as many requests to conduct research as possible. The school division accepts applications from researchers—both individuals and other organizations or agencies—to be completed with or within the school division. The school division will ensure that research and data collection does not overly interfere with daily instructional activities or require excessive division resources (e.g., staff time) in order to be completed.

The following principles are essential to the review process for requests to conduct research in partnership with or within the school division, requests to collect data from individuals or groups within or associated with the school division (e.g., staff, parents, community partners), and requests for existing school division data:

• Research topic and objectives to include research questions;
• Purpose of the research study, data collection, or requested data;
• Documentation of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct research from affiliated college/university or other organization, if applicable;
• Research methodology and data collection (i.e., data collection procedures and instrumentation);
• Informed consent, if applicable, and other communications with potential participants;
• Expected timeline for completion of the research or the timeframe for the requested data;
• Potential participants for the research including the time requirements for their participation; and
• The value the research may add to the school division and its strategic goals.

Individuals, organizations, or agencies interested in conducting approved research are responsible for identifying participants or facilitating contact with potential participants for research or data collection. Participant involvement in any research is strictly voluntary. Once approval to conduct research or collect data from identified individuals or groups has been received by the person making the request, it is the requester’s responsibility to contact the staff cited in the request to conduct research or collect data.

Please note that research and data collection may be limited during periods of time around state testing, summer, or other timeframes that may affect school division initiatives. Requests for data that are not publicly available may require an investment of time and effort by school division personnel and could be subject to an hourly fee being charged for the compilation or extraction of the requested data according to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Requests of this nature will be directed to the school division’s FOIA Officer. More information about FOIA requests can be found on the Freedom of Information Act page.

Individuals or agencies wanting to conduct research or collect data in the school division—whether affiliated with a college/university or not—are required to complete and submit the Request to Conduct Research or Request Data Formto the Office of Accountability and Assessment. All requester’s will be asked to agree to the following:

• Any acceptance of a request to conduct research and/or collect data in no way obligates the school division to participate in the proposed research or data collection.
• Approval does not constitute commitment of resources or endorsement of the research or its findings by the school division or the school board.
• Approval to conduct research and/or collect data allows the requester to contact the staff identified within the submitted application only.
• Staff participation in any approved research or data collection is strictly voluntary and the school division is not responsible for facilitating participation or access to participants.
• The anonymity of all participants will be preserved in all reporting of research and/or data to include identifiable characteristics of individuals, schools, and the school division without prior written permission.
• Requests for data, which are not publicly available, may be subject to charges for time and efforts to meet the request according to FOIA guidelines.
• If approved, the requester will abide by all policies and regulations of the school division along with any stipulations provided in the approval notification provided by the Office of Accountability and Assessment.
• A copy of any final product or publication associated with the research, data collection, or requested data will be provided to the school division at the conclusion of the study or project.

Research involving students will require an additional level of review; parental consent is required for the participation of any student under the age of 18. Research involving students that takes away instructional time may not be approved.

An IRB approval is required for any research that involves human subjects, including interviews, surveys, and any form of data collection where the researcher interacts with or gathers information from individuals. The purpose of the IRB review is to ensure the ethical conduct of research and the protection of the rights and well-being of the research participants. Individuals completing a capstone project are not exempt from this requirement. The IRB is responsible for assessing the research proposal, including data collection methodology, participant consent, and data management plans to determine whether the research meets ethical standards. An IRB approval is required for all research and capstone projects unless found to be exempt according to the reviewing board.

Researchers should consult with academic advisors or the affiliated college/university IRB office early in the research planning process to understand the specific requirements and procedures for obtaining IRB approval for all research. The approval process can vary by institution.

All requests to conduct research, collect data, or request data should be made to Dr. Molly Guthinger in the Office of Accountability and Assessment by completing the required application. All supporting documentation must be received before the application is reviewed. This documentation includes invitation to participate communications, informed consent, IRB approval, and data collection instrument as applicable.

A written notification indicating the approval or denial of each request will be provided from the Office of Accountability and Assessment once the review is completed. No contact with potential participants or data collection should take place until written permission is received.

Schools, departments, teachers, and other employees or groups with the school division may conduct research or utilize a variety of data during normal operations and performance of job responsibilities. Job-related data are available via established procedures within the school division. Research studies, data collection activities, and requests for data conducted by school division employees for internal purposes only, as directed by the superintendent or superintendent’s designee, do not require review or prior approval.