US Department of Education RSN Services Feedback - State

US Department of Education RSN Services Feedback - State Leads Survey

The Department of Education and the Reform Support Network (RSN) are committed to providing quality technical assistance (TA) services to Race to the Top (RTT) States. The RSN provides TA to grantees in the form of webinars, working groups, convenings, products, and individualized technical assistance through five communities of practice and work streams:

     • Teacher and Leader Effectiveness/Standards and Assessments
     • Instructional Improvement/Data Systems
     • School Turnaround
     • SEA Capacity Building
     • Stakeholder Communications and Engagement.

In order to better understand the perceived impact of RSN support in helping states work towards achievement of their RTT goals, we invite those who have been actively involved as State leads to complete this survey. Please answer the following questions based upon your knowledge of the support provided through the RSN and how it has impacted education reform efforts in your State. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1880-0542

Overall State Participation in RSN

The first set of questions asks you to reflect on your knowledge of the RSN from your perspective as a State lead.

1) How long have you been involved with the RSN?

( ) Less than 3 months

( ) 3 to 6 months

( ) 6 months to 1 year

( ) 1 to 2 years

( ) More than 2 years

2) Please rate the quality of RSN Support provided to your State during RTT implementation.

	Poor Fair	Good	Very Good	Excellent	Not Aware (NA)
a. High-quality content	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )
b. Usefulness/Relevance	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )
c. Timeliness	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )
d. Assistance in dealing with implementation challenges	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )

3) Please rank order the following attributes of RSN technical assistance from those that are the most helpful (5) to least helpful (1).

________a. Increases knowledge or informs attitudes for myself and my colleagues

________b. Supports professionals working in education reform to have better access to current expertise, resources and support.

________c. Provides assistance in a manner that is useful to our needs (e.g., individualized assistance, publications, working groups).

________d. Provides timely and current assistance when I need it.

________e. Provides a means to connect with my colleagues in other States around common challenges.

4) As a result of the assistance received through the RSN (Choose top three choices. Optional – Please specify any examples from your work)

[ ] a. Knowledge/awareness regarding key issues in education reform has increased.

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] b. Attitude/beliefs regarding key issues in education reform were informed.

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] c. Our State was able to develop, improve, support, or advocate for priority policies.

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] d. Our State was able to develop, improve, support, or advocate for quality practices.

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] e. Our State improved our communication around our comprehensive reform goals

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] f. Our State improved our collaboration with other States

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] g. Our RTT implementation was of higher quality

(Please specify: _________________________________________________)

[ ] h. Other: _________________________________________________

5) If the RSN did not exist, please select the various ways in which your education reform work around these topics might be affected. (Choose top three choices)

[ ] a. It would be harder to connect with other States experiencing similar challenges

[ ] b. I would not have adequate access to experts in education reform issues

[ ] c. It would cost more money to get the information and resources needed

[ ] d. It would be harder to stay informed of effective practice

[ ] e. It would be more difficult to identify and solve implementation challenges

[ ] f. It would be harder to implement and sustain effective policies and programs

[ ] g. It would make my job more difficult

[ ] h. Other: _________________________________________________

[ ] i. Not applicable/Our work related to RTT would not be affected

6) In the past year, when your State participated in RSN technical assistance, how often did that participation inform State work?

( ) Never ( ) Rarely ( ) Sometimes ( ) Often ( ) Always

7) Please rate the extent to which RSN support has helped your State/staff build capacity to accomplish your reform goals for each of the following areas:

	Low Impact	Low-Medium	Medium Impact	Medium-High	High Impact
Successfully implement our RTT plan	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )
Continuously improve work quality and process	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )
Work more strategically and sustainably	( )	( )	( )	( )	( )

8) As a result of participation in the Reform Support Network, how has your State changed or improved practice? (Please cite specific examples)

9) How can the supports provided by the RSN be improved to better meet the needs of your State? (Please cite specific recommendations)

10) Are there other high-priority and urgent areas in which your State could use additional support from the RSN in order to sustain your education reform work?

Thank you for providing feedback on your experiences with the Reform Support Network. If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact:

Christine Leicht, RSN Evaluation Lead
[email protected]

PRA Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1880-0542.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary.  If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, application or survey, please contact Danielle Smith, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave, S.E., Washington, DC 20202 directly. [Note: Please do not return the completed survey to this address.]