11-1-07 memo

MEMORANDUM

To: Amy Feldman
Ray Valdivieso

From: Neal Finkelstein, Thomas Hanson

CC: Gary Estes
Nikola Filby
Hans Bos
Raquel Sanchez

Date: November 1, 2007

Re: 200707-1850-005: QTEL questions Part II

Below are our responses to written questions from OMB that we received from IES on October 29, 2007. We would be happy to discuss these responses with you by telephone conference if that would be helpful.

#7. Please pledge confidentiality PER the statute (by name) in the consent document itself.

We have included the confidentiality pledge, inserting “per” instead of “in accordance with,” in all the documents (see consent document attached).

#9. Please provide information about the cost per school (rather than data on total study cost).

The total cost per school is $118,500 over the entire study period. Each school receives 3 years of intervention services, at a cost of $39,500 per year per school.

# 14. OMB is still uncomfortable with the incentives. The agreement on incentives was that no incentives would be given to teachers who receive professional development. Is it just the control group teachers receiving this incentive?

Just the control group teachers will receive an incentive of $30 for study participation. Teachers in treatment schools receive the QTEL program at no cost.

#17. Engagement of principals and other school-site staff in the study.

Principal and teacher buy-in is critical for the success of the evaluation. This study will encourage buy-in at the school level through presentations with individual principals of individual school sites. In these presentations and subsequent contacts with schools, it will be clearly communicated to principals, other administrators, and teachers that their school has a 50 percent chance of being assigned to the group that will receive the program and that participation in the study requires participation in data collection activities – including completion of knowledge tests, surveys, and assistance with observations in classrooms. Once school principals agree to participate, consent forms describing the study and study requirements will be distributed to teachers.

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