5 School Principal Process

Process Evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps Site Visit Protocol: Site Director/School Principal

Process Evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps

Site Director/School Principal

School Name:

Site Visitor Name:

Date:

Location:

Interviewee Name(s) and Title(s):

Introduction

Good morning/afternoon. My name is [INSERT NAME] and I am with [NORC at the University of Chicago/TIES]. We are working on behalf of the Corporation for National and Community Service to conduct a process evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps program to provide a thorough understanding of the operations and activities of the MRC as it is implemented in each PreK site or elementary school. It will seek to determine if the actual activities and service are true to the intended model of the program, and to assess whether the actual process is likely to produce the intended outcomes and reach the intended target population.

This interview will address these topics and others as we seek to understand your project’s processes and strategies and any aspects of your program that can be replicated in other AmeriCorps programs. The interview should take approximately 30 minutes. Your open and honest opinions are appreciated, but participation is voluntary and you may choose to skip any questions or end the interview at any time. Please also be advised that we will be providing an evaluation report for each individual project to CNCS. While we will not use your name or any others in this report, and we will attempt to minimize the use of identifiable information, it may be possible for CNCS to identify you through your position or through other details that you share in your interview.

If you have questions about the study after this interview, please contact the Project Director, Carrie Markovitz, at 301-634-9388. If you have questions about your rights as a participant in this research project, please call the NORC Institutional Review Board Administrator at 866-309-0542.

Do you consent to participate in this discussion?

[IF YES, then proceed. IF NO, then terminate interview.]

I would like to record this interview in case my notes are not clear and comprehensive, and to make sure that we accurately report your responses. The recording will be shared only with the small team of researchers working on this study and will be deleted at the end of the project. Do you agree to have this interview recorded for note-taking purposes only?

[IF YES, then proceed. IF NO, then: “That’s fine. Please be patient as I take notes.”]

To begin, we would like to ask some background questions about your site/school. Then we would like learn about the process for selecting an AmeriCorps Member, staffing and management of the MRC program, the students and the Members. Finally we would like to discuss facilitators and barriers to program implementation and conclude with the results of the MRC program and lessons learned.

BACKGROUND

We are interested in learning about the process for developing and implementing the MRC program and hosting the AmeriCorps member at [name of site/school].

1. We understand that the program was implemented here at [name of site/school] in __________.

Why did [name of site/school] apply for the program?

2. Who was involved in deciding to apply? Were you involved?

3. Did staff have any concerns about adhering to the MRC model as a condition for becoming an MRC site?

4. Were any school policies and procedures changed to support program implementation?

YES NO

1. [IF YES] Please describe.

AMERICORPS MEMBER SELECTION PROCESS

We are interested in learning about the process for selecting the AmeriCorps Member to serve at [name of site/school].

5. Please briefly describe the process of selecting the AmeriCorps Member (s) to serve as a tutor at [name of site/school].

[PROBE: What was the school’s role in this process? Who was involved? [Identify by role/function]

6. What characteristics or qualities were you looking for in an AmeriCorps Member?

7. Were any school policies and procedures changed to support hosting an AmeriCorps member? If so, what were they?

[PROBE: Schedule for interventions; Who is allowed to bring into school premises; Board or District approval; Data collection and management; Parental permission; Other]

STAFFING/MANAGEMENT OF PROGRAM

Please tell us about the staffing and management of the program.

8. Who is involved in program implementation? Briefly describe their roles.

[NOTE: Optional question. Will ask only if evaluation team meets with Director/Principal prior to meeting with the Internal Coach.]

1. Director/Principal

2. Reading Corps Program Coordinator

3. Internal and Master Literacy Coach

1. Who is designated as the “Internal Coach”? Is there one? More than one?

2. Who is the MRC-designated Master Coach?

4. Classroom Teachers

9. How have Minnesota Reading Corps staff—Program Coordinators and Master Coaches—supported you in implementing the program at your site/school? [PROBE: planning, monitoring, training]

10. How do all the parties involved in overseeing and implementing the program communicate? [PROBE: Internal Coach, Master Coach, Program Coordinator, Director/Principal].

STUDENTS

We understand that _____ students are targeted to participate in the MRC program during this school year.

11. What are the desired student outcomes of the tutoring programs?

1. Pre-K

2. K-3

12. How do students respond to being provided Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions [PreK]/tutored [K-3]?

FACILITATORS AND BARRIERS TO PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

We would like to talk with you about what has worked well in implementing the program, where there may have been some challenges, and where some changes may be needed.

13. How well do you think the MRC program has been implemented at this site /school? Please explain.

14. What problems or challenges were encountered during implementation? Please describe.

[PROBE: Changes in leadership; Changes in school personnel; Scheduling; Integrating AmeriCorps Member into school environment; Teacher resistance to intervention; Student Turnover; Other]

Challenge	Why was this a challenge?	How was it resolved?

15. Are site/school staff (i.e., administrators, teachers) supportive of the AmeriCorps Members(s)?

[PROBE: If staff originally resistant, what changed over time?]

16. From your perspective, are there any policies and procedures that could be changed to make it easier to implement the program as intended [in this site/school?] Please describe.

[PROBE: School district, MRC, AmeriCorps State/National]

SATISFACTION WITH AMERICORPS MEMBERS AND MRC

We have a few questions about your satisfaction with the AmeriCorps Members and MRC’s support for program implementation.

17. In your opinion, is the training provided by MRC to the AmeriCorps Member(s) sufficient? [PROBE for intensity, quality]

18. In your opinion, is there sufficient support for implementing the program? [PROBE: Minnesota Reading Corps? Region or school district? Site/school? Other?]

1. Could any changes be made with to better support program implementation?

1. Minnesota Reading Corps

2. Region or school district

3. Site/school

4. Other source of support

19. Is there anything you would change about the MRC program? YES NO [PROBE: With the model? As implemented at this site/school? Need to adapt to the population?]

1. [IF YES] What?

RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED

As we conclude our interview, we would like to ask you about your perceptions about the effectiveness of the MRC program and what have been some of the key lessons learned.

20. Are you satisfied with the effectiveness of literacy interventions [PreK]/tutoring services [K-3] provided by the AmeriCorps Member(s)? YES NO

1. [IF YES] What specifically?

2. [IF NO] What needs to be improved?

21. What kind of feedback have you received about the program:

1. From teachers?

2. From parents?

3. From community members?

4. In each case, what factors do you think contribute to this perception?

22. In your opinion, has MRC helped students better meet their reading proficiency targets? Why or why not?

22. What lessons have been learned about implementing the program at [name of site/school] that might be helpful to other sites/schools?

Thank you for your time. We appreciate it very much.

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