Recruiting Materials and Protocol

SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSENT FOR CONTACT INFORMATION

TO BE PRINTED ON SCHOOL DISTRICT STATIONERY

Our SCHOOL DISTRICT is one of about 400 districts across the country that is taking part in the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS-2012), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. We hope that the study will help districts like ours learn more about what student need to make their lives successful after high school, and to improve our ability to serve student needs.

The study will interview students, parents, and teachers to learn about their experiences. The study will not affect your child’s schooling in any way. The other side of this document provides you with information you need to make an informed decision regarding your child’s participation in the study.

To respect your privacy, we are asking your permission to give your name, address and telephone number to the study team so they can contact you to tell you more about the study. If you agree to allow us to give your contact information to the study team, you are not committing to participate in any study activities. You are just agreeing to be called and you can decide whether to take part in the study (or not) after you hear more about it. The Department of Education has assured us that your information will not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any purpose unless otherwise compelled by law (Public Law 107-279, Section 183).

COMPLETE AND SIGN:

Print Your Child’s Name:

Parent/Guardian Signature: ____________________________________ Date:

Print Parent/Guardian Name:

Enter Your Telephone Number: (______) - ________ - __________

 MARK (X) ONLY ONE BOX:

 YES, I CAN be contacted as part of the National Longitudinal Transition Study

 NO, I CANNOT be contacted as part of the National Longitudinal Transition Study

RETURN THIS FORM: Return using the attached postage-paid envelope or to your child’s teacher.

National Longitudinal Transition Study

(NLTS-2012)

Help­ing youth to make successful transitions beyond high school is important not only to individual families but also to the U.S. economy. In fact, ensuring that all students leave high school prepared for post-secondary educa­tion, productive employment, and satisfying lives is a national priority. To address this priority the U.S. Department of Education is collecting information on the challenges youth encounter and the factors that help them transition to adulthood. The information collected via this study may be used in the future to improve education policy or the way schools serve students.

NLTS-2012 is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (ED/IES) which conducts research and evaluation on behalf of the Department of Education.

Why is This Study Important?

Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Evaluation

Each youth will complete a survey over the telephone—once in 2012 and 2014. Their parent or guardian will also complete a telephone survey at that time. Your voluntary participation in the study is the only way this important information can be obtained and used in the future to inform education policy.

Youth who complete the survey will receive a monetary thank you of $10 and their parents will receive $20 as an expression of appreciation for their time and effort.

What Will be Asked of Students and their

Parents?

What Benefits do We Receive for Participating?

Researchers will collect information on 15,000 students in about 400 districts, randomly selected to represent all public school students age 13 to 21. In spring 2012 and 2014, the study team will conduct surveys with youth and their parents, teachers, and principals and also extract school records. In the future, ED/IES plans to obtain longer-term follow-up data on students’ experiences and outcomes after high school.

How Will Information be Gathered and Used?

All information gathered for the study will be kept confidential and will only be used for research purposes. The information collected about your child will be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (Public Law 107-279, Section 183).

Questions About the Study?

If you have any questions, please contact Mathematica at 1-866-964-7962 or send an email to [email protected].

Who Will Conduct the Study?

Mathematica Policy Research (www.mathematica-mpr.com), the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota (http://ici.umn.edu), and Decision Information Resources (www.dir-online.com) will conduct the study.