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Appendix
H
Site
Visit Interview Protocol: State Education Agency (SEA) Representative
U.S. Department of Education State
Bullying Laws and Policies Implementation Study
Field
Interview Protocol
State
Education Agency (SEA) Representative
The
U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a study about bullying in
schools. The
purpose of the study is to describe bullying policy implementation
within local school districts and school sites. We are interested in
determining the factors that facilitate or impede implementation
(e.g., legislation, state model policies, and school contextual
factors) and identifying lessons from the field that can inform the
development of policies and school-based practices to promote
positive climate and reduce bullying behavior. We
are asking you to share your observations about bullying in schools
and your impressions about the policies that are being used to combat
bullying behavior in your state. You have been invited to participate
in this study because you may be knowledgeable about the development
of model policies and guidance for school districts that supports
local implementation of laws and policies.
POTENTIAL
RISKS OR BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION
There
are no anticipated risks involved in taking part in this study.
Participation
may not
benefit
you personally. However, the
information gathered in this study may be valuable for developing
effective policies for responding to bullying in schools.
CONFIDENTIALITY
We
will not share information identifying you with anyone outside of the
study team except if required by law. No one in your state education
agency administration will be told of your responses to interview
questions and your responses will not be tied to any review or
evaluation of your professional performance. Responses will be
summarized in individual case studies for states, districts, and
schools to provide examples of policy implementation in a manner that
does not associate responses with a specific individual and does not
identify a school or district by name.
VOLUNTARY
PARTICIPATION/WITHDRAWAL
If
you agree to complete the interview, you will be considered a
participant in a research study on the implementation of state
bullying laws and policies. Your
participation in the research study is completely voluntary.
You may decide not to join, to only answer some questions, or to
leave the study at any time. There is no penalty for choosing not to
participate.
U.S. Department of Education State
Bullying Laws and Policies School Implementation Study
State
Education Agency (SEA) Representative Interview
Respondent
Information
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
-
|
What
is your job
position and title?
|
|
-
|
How
long
have you worked for the State Department of Education in
this role?
Less
than one year
1-2
years
3
-4 years
5-9
years
10
years or more
|
|
-
|
What
are your specific
professional roles and responsibilities related
to bullying in schools?
|
|
-
|
How
much
time
do you spend on bullying issues?
[PROBE]
Less
than 5%
5
to 10%
11
to 30%
31
to 50%
51
to 75%
More
than 75%
|
|
State
Model Policy Development
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
-
|
Tell
me about the development of the state model policy on bullying
and other technical support and resources that are provided to
school districts within your state.
|
|
|
What
year
was the
state
model bullying policy created?
|
|
|
What
prompted
the policy’s development?
|
|
|
Which
organizations or departments within your state were responsible
for developing the policy?
School
boards association
State
Department of Education
External
contractor (e.g., university)
Other:
______________________________________________
|
|
|
Was
the policy developed through a collaborative
process?
If so, which stakeholder groups participated?
State
agency representatives
State
school boards association representatives
District
administrators
School
administrators
Teachers
Families
Students
Community
groups or organizations (specify)
Law
enforcement
Other:
______________________________________________
Did
not involve a collaborative process
|
|
|
How
would you describe the roles
of different stakeholders or stakeholder groups
(respondent’s own role, roles of district and school
personnel, parents, students) in developing the policy?
|
|
|
What
were the most
important influences shaping the development
of the model policy?
Research
and evidence-base practice
State
legislative requirements
State
model policies and guidelines from other states
State
school boards’ association guidelines
Other
sources
|
|
-
|
What
were some of the
most
significant challenges in formulating the state model policy?
[PROBES]
What
specifically made
these challenges difficult?
To
what extent was there disagreement
on
any specific components of the policy? If so, what were the
areas of contention?
How
were disagreements
resolved?
In
what ways, if any, do provisions
in the state model policy differ from the provisions in state
legislation
(e.g., expands on minimum requirements, adopts different
definitions, incorporate new components). What was the
rationale for these differences?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Development
of District/School Site Policy
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
7
|
Tell
me about the development and review of school district policies.
|
|
|
How
was the state
model policy disseminated to school districts (e.g.,
memorandums to superintendents, posted on departmental
websites)?
|
|
|
Did
the state offer any
additional
support
to districts to assist with policy development, such
as on-site training or technical support?
On-site
training or technical support
Technical
support provided by telephone or e-mail
Other:
______________________________________________
|
|
|
To
what extent did districts utilize
the technical support
that was available?
|
|
|
What
were the most
frequent questions or issues raised by districts
that were seeking assistance with their local policies? How
were requests for technical assistance documented?
|
|
|
Were
there established
deadlines
for completing school district policies? If so, what was the
required date for completion?
|
|
|
Were
districts required to submit
policies for review
by the state to ensure compliance with the law?
|
|
|
What
is the process
for policy review?
What criteria are applied?
|
|
|
How
frequently are policies reviewed?
|
|
|
Are
there any sanctions
imposed on districts
that are not in compliance with state policy requirements? If
so, what is the nature of the sanctions and how are they used?
|
|
School
Personnel Training
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
7
|
Tell
me about any additional program resources or supports that the
state provides to districts to facilitate policy implementation.
|
|
|
Does
the state law require districts
to provide training to school personnel on bullying issues?
State
law requires districts to implement school personnel training.
State
law encourages districts to implement school personnel.
State
law does not contain expectations regarding personnel training.
|
|
|
Describe
any resources
provided by the state to support training
of school personnel?
Technical
support for training development
In-person
training-of-trainers
Model
training curriculum, materials
Web-based
tutorials
Presentations
Links
to other training resources
Other:
______________________________________________
|
|
|
What
was the content of the training materials?
|
|
|
Does
the law require districts
to implement school programs or approaches to address bullying
(prevention, intervention, and whole-school approaches to
promote school climate)? How do they assist with selection?
|
|
Prevention
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
-
|
Describe
any resources provided
by the state to support the implementation of school programs or
approaches to address bullying (prevention,
intervention, and whole-school approaches to promote school
climate)?
Technical
support for prevention program development
In-person
training-of-trainers
Model
training curriculum, materials
Web-based
tutorials
Presentations
Links
to other prevention resources
Other:
______________________________________________
|
|
Transparency
& Monitoring
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
7
|
Tell
me about the state department’s role in collecting
and compiling incident data.
[REFER TO STATE DATA ON INCIDENT REPORTING GATHERED THROUGH
INITIAL SITE CONTACT]
|
|
|
What
are the expectations
for districts to record and report
information on bullying incidents to the state?
[PROBES]
|
|
|
[If
district reporting is mandated] Describe the method
that is used for data reporting.
Specifically, are districts required
to report data using a standardized reporting form?
|
|
|
[If
district reporting is mandated] What types of incidents are
required to be reported
bullying incident be reported
(e.g.,
incidents resulting in suspension or expulsion, or incidents
referred to law enforcement)?
All
bullying incidents reported to the school administration are
recorded in incident reports submitted to the state
Only
bullying incidents resulting in a suspension or expulsion for
bullying behavior are reported (please define what types of
suspension or expulsion, e.g., in-school or out, with or
without services)
Only
bullying incidents that constitute criminal offenses are
reported to the state
Other:
_____________________________________________________________
|
|
|
Does
the department provide
guidance to districts on how specific bullying offenses should
be defined for
the purposes of data reporting? If so, what are those
guidelines?
|
|
|
How
frequently
are districts required to report data to the state?
|
|
|
How
frequently
is data reviewed
by the department?
|
|
|
Are
summaries of compiled incident
data disseminated to the public
(e.g., posted on departmental websites)? If so, how is data
presented?
|
|
|
How
is the incident reporting used
by the state (e.g., to support planning and program
development, to determine how resources should be allocated)?
Used
to support policy development
Used
to support program development
Used
to support decisions regarding resource allocations
Used
to monitor school district compliance with bullying policies
Other:
______________________________________________
|
|
|
Are
there sanctions
imposed on districts that are not in compliance
with state data reporting requirements? If so, how are
sanctions used?
|
|
|
Are
there any actions
taken to address bullying
in districts with more severe and persistent bullying problems?
|
|
|
What
are the legal
concerns for schools related to liability for
bullying behavior?
|
|
Costs
to Implement
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
7
|
Tell
me about the costs of implementing bullying policy for
districts.
|
|
|
Does
state legislation authorize
funding to support implementation of bullying policy
requirements?
If yes, what are the sources of funding?
|
|
|
Is
funding
contingent upon compliance
with policy development or data reporting requirements? If so,
describe how these determinations are made.
|
|
|
To
what extent has funding
been an issue for local districts
in implementing anti-bullying policy?
|
|
|
What
have been the most
costly aspects of
implementing anti-bullying policy (e.g., training, information
dissemination, infrastructure development, investigation,
liability concerns and protection)?
|
|
Policy
Application and Effectiveness
|
|
Interview
Questions
|
Open-Ended
Elaboration
|
-
|
What
have been the biggest challenges
for districts in addressing traditional bullying behavior
on their school campuses (both direct and indirect forms of
aggression)?
|
|
-
|
Are
you aware of any innovative
strategies
that are being used by school districts in your state to combat
bullying on their school campuses?
|
|
7
|
What
have been the biggest challenges
for districts in addressing cyberbullying behavior
on their school campuses?
|
|
-
|
Are
you aware of any innovative
strategies
that are being used by school districts in your state to combat
cyberbullying on their school campuses?
|
|
-
|
What
have been the biggest
challenges for districts in developing, implementing, and
enforcing bullying policies?
|
|
-
|
Has
your agency encountered
any other challenges related to implementing other legislative
requirements?
What are some of these challenges? How have you attempted to
resolve them?
|
|
File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
Author | Tori Cassel |
File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
File Created | 2021-01-31 |