Teacher/Program Staff Site Visit Interview Protocol

Attachment 9

Strategies for Preparing At-Risk Youth for Postsecondary Success
Teacher/Program Staff Protocol

Bolded questions should only be asked of teachers who are integrally involved in program implementation.

I. Background

1. Tell me a little about your professional background leading up to this position.

2. What is the nature of your involvement with the [insert name of program] and how long have you been involved?

3. How, if at all, has engaging in the program affected your role as a teacher?

II. Program Description

A. Vision/Goals

4. What are the program’s major goals/priorities? How, if at all, has this vision evolved or changed since you have been involved?

B. Target Population

5. What are the characteristics of students who are currently in the program? Probe for: demographics, achievement levels, motivation

1. Has the target population changed over time? If so, how and why?

2. Do you believe the “right students” are being targeted for support?

C. Program Strategies and Practices

6. What, if any specific instructional strategies do you implement to help improve the outcomes of at-risk youth?

7. What, if any specific instructional strategies do you implement to prevent students from dropping out?

1. Can you provide some concrete examples of curricular and pedagogical strategies that you use to engage students at risk of dropping out of high school?

2. Can you provide some concrete examples of how you make instruction rigorous/challenging?

3. Do you use any non-academic support strategies to keep students engaged in class?

4. What challenges and barriers do you face in implementing these strategies?

8. Does the district/CMO/school/program have a credit recovery system in place for students who have insufficient credits for grade promotion or on-time graduation?

1. Describe the main provisions under the credit recovery program.

2. Who is eligible for participation in the program? Do all students who need credit recovery have access to the program?

3. What are the main successes of the credit recovery program and evidence thereof? Main challenges?

9. [FOR DROPOUT RECOVERY PROGRAMS ONLY:] What instructional strategies do you implement to serve students who have dropped out of the traditional school system?

1. Can you provide some concrete examples of curricular and pedagogical strategies that you use to engage students who have already dropped out of high school?

2. Can you provide some concrete examples of how you make instruction rigorous/challenging?

3. Do you use any non-academic support strategies to keep students engaged in school?

4. What challenges and barriers do you face in implementing these strategies?

10. What, if any specific instructional strategies do you implement to improve at-risk students’ chances of graduating college and/or career-ready after high school? Can you provide some concrete examples of curricular or pedagogical strategies that you use to engage students at risk of not graduating college- and or career-ready after high school?

1. Can you provide some concrete examples of curricular and pedagogical strategies that you use to engage students at risk of dropping out of high school and help them achieve college readiness?

2. Can you provide some concrete examples of how you make instruction rigorous/challenging?

3. Do you use any non-academic support strategies to keep students engaged in school?

4. What challenges and barriers do you face in implementing these strategies?

11. What specific supports and services are available to students to help them make postsecondary plans (e.g., college fairs, campus tours, speakers; help with resumes, job applications, getting references)?

1. What challenges and barriers do you face in providing these supports?

12. What kinds of support strategies do you use to meet the individual needs of at-risk youth? Probe for: counselors, social workers, advisories, supplemental services, differentiated instruction, summer school/additional periods, credit recovery.

1. If you use online learning as a strategy to serve at-risk youth, what are some of the benefits and challenges to this approach?

III. Use of Data

13. Once individual at-risk youth are identified, what data do you use to track their progress? Progress on what (e.g., attendance, grades, course failures, timely submission of assignments)?

14. Who is responsible for tracking the data on identified students? How are the data analyzed? To what extent does that analysis influence decisions about the services that students receive?

15. Do you have access to the type/level of data you need to support at-risk students? If not, what additional information do you need to successfully implement those support strategies?

IV. Capacity and Sustainability

16. Is there any special training or professional development on implementing targeted support strategies for dropout prevention, reengagement of youth, credit recovery, and/or college readiness?

V. Outcomes

17. In what ways do you think the academic/social supports at your school are effective in addressing individual student needs?

18. In your opinion, in what ways does the program need to improve?

VII. Wrap-Up

19. Is there anything else about the program and its successes or challenges that you think we should know?

OMB Information Collection Request: Teacher/Program Staff Protocol 2