REL Evaluation Appendix A, Survey

Draft REL Customer Survey

June 10, 2011

To better meet the needs of education policymakers and practitioners, the National Center for Education Evaluation (NCEE), part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences (IES), invites you to participate in this brief survey about the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) and your education research and technical assistance needs.

We begin by asking about your education research and technical assistance needs.

A1. Please indicate from the topics below your level of need for research and/or technical assistance. Select one response in each row.

	High need for research and/or assistance	Moderate need for research and/or assistance	Low or no need for research and/or assistance
a. Achievement Gaps			
b. Assessment (Formative or Summative)			
c. Behavior, Character Education, or Health			
d. College or Career Readiness			
e. Content Standards, Curriculum or Instruction in:
e1. Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM)			
e2. Reading/Writing			
e3. Other (e.g., Social Studies, fine arts)			
f. Dropout Prevention			
g. Early Childhood			
h. English Language Learners			
i. High School Reform			
j. Leadership			
k. Longitudinal Data Systems			
l. Parental Involvement			
m. Professional Development			
n. Rural Schools			
o. School Accountability			
p. School Choice			
q. School Finance			
r. Students with Disabilities			
s. Supplemental Education Services			
t. Support for Low Achieving Schools			
u. Teacher/Staff Evaluation			
v. Using Data for Decisions			
w. Other (Please specify) _____________________			

A2. To what extent do you rely on each of the following sources for education research or technical assistance. Select one response in each row.

Sources	Rely on source to a great extent	Rely on source to a moderate extent	Rely on source to a small extent		Do not rely on source at all
a. The REL program nationwide					
b. If marked 1, 2, or 3 for (a) ask about: [REL Appalachia, CNA; McREL, etc.] with additional response option of “Don’t know.”					
c. U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Comprehensive Centers					
d. Other federally funded technical assistance providers					
e. Other products or resources from ED including websites such as Doing What Works					
f. Professional associations (e.g., ASCD, Council of Chief State School Officers)					
g. Colleges and universities					
h. Consulting firms or private contractors					
i. Your counterparts at other LEAs or SEAs					
j. A technical assistance center supported by your state					
k. Education journals and publications					
l. Other (Please specify) ________________________					

A3. How easy is it for you to access education research and/or technical assistance when you need it?

MARK ONE ANSWER

 Very easy

 Moderately easy

 Not at all easy

A4. Overall, how well do your sources for education research and/or technical assistance meet your needs. Would you say …

MARK ONE ANSWER

 Very well

 Moderately well

 Not well

The REL Program consists of a network of laboratories that serve the educational needs of a designated region by providing access to research and technical assistance activities.

We would like to find out about your experience with the REL program nationwide, including [NAME OF REGIONAL REL – ORGANIZATION, such as REL Appalachia at CNA].

B1. How familiar are you with the REL program overall (e.g., Ask A REL, reports produced by the RELs, conferences or Bridge Events held by the RELs)?

MARK ONE ANSWER

 Very familiar

 Somewhat familiar

 A little familiar

 Not familiar at all SKIP TO B9

B2. Which services provided by [NAME OF REGIONAL REL - ORGANIZATION] have you used in the past 12 months?

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

 A live or virtual event (e.g., Bridge Event, Webinar) SKIP TO B4

 Technical assistance SKIP TO B4

 Responses to data or research requests via email or phone (e.g. Ask A REL) SKIP TO B4

 Information on the REL’s website SKIP TO B4

 Some other service (Please specify) __________________________ SKIP TO B4

 I haven’t used any services provided by the REL in my region in the past 12 months

B3. Why haven’t you used the services provided by [NAME OF REGIONAL REL - ORGANIZATION] in the past 12 months?

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

 I had no need for the REL’s resources in the past 12 months. SKIP TO B5

 My needs were met elsewhere. SKIP TO B5

 The REL in my region does not have a good reputation. SKIP TO B5

 There is not a good match between my current needs and the REL’s resources. SKIP TO B5

 I didn’t know what services were available through the REL. SKIP TO B5

 Some other reason(Please specify) __________________________ SKIP TO B5

B4. What type of contact did you have with [NAME OF REGIONAL REL - ORGANIZATION]?

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

 I contacted a reference desk for help or used the Ask A REL link on the web site.

 I attended a REL sponsored conference, training, or workshop

 A REL representative was present at a meeting or workshop I attended.

 My organization and/or I contacted the REL for research or other assistance.

 I forwarded a request that came to me or my organization to the REL.

 Some other means (Please specify) ___________________________

B5. Have you ever read any reports produced by one of the RELs nationwide, including [NAME OF REGIONAL REL - ORGANIZATION]?

 Yes

 No If responded No to B5 and checked response 6 for B2 SKIP TO B9

 Don’t know If responded Don’t know to B5 and checked response 6 for B2 SKIP TO B9

B6. In the last 12 months, how well did the REL program nationwide, including [NAME OF REGIONAL

REL – ORGANIZATION] meet your education research and technical assistance

needs? Select one response in each row.

[WEB INSTRUCTIONS: FOR EACH TOPIC AREA MARKED 1 OR 2 IN A1, ASK:]

The REL met my research and technical assistance needs…	Very well	Moderately well	Not at all well		Did not receive assistance from the REL
a. Achievement Gaps					
b. Assessment (Formative or Summative					
c. Behavior, Character Education, or Health					
d. College or Career Readiness					
e. Content Standards, Curriculum or Instruction in:
e1. Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM)					
e2. Reading/Writing					
e3. Other (e.g., Social Studies, fine arts)					
f. Dropout Prevention					
g. Early Childhood					
h. English Language Learners					
i. High School Reform					
j. Leadership					
k. Longitudinal Data Systems					
l. Parental Involvement					
m. Professional Development					
n. Rural Schools					
o. School Accountability					
p. School Choice					
q. School Finance					
r. Students with Disabilities					
s. Supplemental Education Services					
t. Teacher/Staff Evaluation					
u. Support for Low Achieving Schools					
v. Using Data for Decisions					
w. Other (Please specify) _____________________					

B7. Considering all your experiences with the REL program nationwide in the past 12 months,

including [NAME OF REGIONAL REL – ORGANIZATION] (i.e., any reports from the RELs

that you have read, conferences or Bridge Events that you have attended, and other

services your or your organization received from the RELs), to what degree was the work

of the RELs relevant and useful to your work or the work of your organization? Select one

response in each row.

The work of the RELs…	To a high degree	To a moderate degree	To a low degree		Not able to judge
a. Addressed an important need or problem that you or your organization face					
b. Addressed a topic in a timely manner for you or your organization					
c. Contributed new information on the topic being addressed					
d. Provided information that could be used to inform decisions about policies, programs, or practices					
e. Was convenient to access					
f. Was presented in a way that was easy to understand					
g. Was presented in a way that was easy to use					
h. Provided information that you or your organization will use again					

B8. Overall, how satisfied were you with the work of the REL program nationwide including [NAME OF REGIONAL REL – ORGANIZATION] ?

MARK ONE ANSWER

 Very satisfied

 Somewhat satisfied

 Not at all satisfied [If not at all satisfied , a pop-up text box will

appear with the question “Please explain briefly why you are not satisfied with the RELs.”]

B9. Which of the following best describes your current job position?

MARK ONE ANSWER

 State-level education administrator

 District-level superintendent / assistant superintendent

 District-level central office staff

 Other (Please specify)

Thank you very much for your time.