Topics to be Covered in Recruitment Phone Calls and Site Visits

APPENDIX F

DISTRICT LETTER

ED LETTERHEAD

(LETTER BELOW IS STRUCTURED FOR AN STM SAMPLE DISTRICT THAT HAS SCHOOL TURNAROUND MODELS BEING IMPLEMENTED THROUGH RTT AND SIG FUNDS. THE LETTER WILL BE ADJUSTED ACCORDING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF EACH DISTRICT REGARDING FUNDING SOURCES AND SAMPLE TYPE.)

Month XX, 2011

Firstname Lastname

Superintendent [or other title]

District

Street Address

City, ST ZIP

Dear Dr./Mr./Ms. Lastname:

Congratulations on your district’s participation in school turnaround efforts funded by Race to the Top (RTT) and the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. I am writing to let you know that the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is conducting an evaluation of RTT and SIG. The evaluation will provide important evidence on how RTT and SIG affect state, district, and school practice and whether they are associated with gains in student achievement.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) included $7.35 billion for the RTT and SIG programs. These funds are designed to support states, districts, and schools as they identify and implement educational reforms to help struggling schools turn around and improve the academic performance of all students. Determining whether these programs achieve these goals is of paramount importance to educators and policymakers.

We have contracted with Mathematica Policy Research and its research partners, American Institutes for Research and Social Policy Research Associates, to conduct this evaluation, which will include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, approximately 240 school districts, and approximately 1,200 schools. Because RTT and SIG aim to support an integrated and intensive approach to reform at every level of the educational system, the evaluation will collect information at the state, district, and school levels. Additional information about the evaluation is provided in the enclosed information sheet.

Your support is important to the success of the study. As you may know, all states and districts that received funding through ARRA grant programs are required under The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (34 C.F.R. § 76.591) to participate in the study. If you receive inquiries from your school administrators, we would greatly appreciate your confirming that your district is participating in this important study.

A member of the research team will contact you to tell you more about the study and to discuss your district’s participation. If you have any questions, please contact the Project Officer, Thomas Wei at (202) 208-0452 or at [email protected]. We look forward to learning more about the exciting reform efforts underway in your district.

Sincerely,

John Q. Easton, Director

Institute of Education Sciences