Program Staff Interview Protocol-TA to Promote the Implementation of Re-Engagement Centers for Out- of-school-youth

Re-Engagement Center

Program Staff Interview Protocol (for Individuals or Focus Group)

Assent Script

Thank you for taking time today to talk with us about your program. We are interviewing staff from several programs like yours across the country to learn as much as possible about your work. The U.S. Dept. of Education has asked us to develop a resource guide on programs designed to reconnect out-of-school youth (often called re-engagement centers) so that others who want to set up similar programs don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The guide will be broadly disseminated and help build awareness about programs like yours. Do you have any questions about the purpose of the research?

In this interview, we are going to focus on the purpose of your program, the strategies you are using to re-engage disconnected young people, how you operate, and the results of your work. We want to learn about what’s working, and also about the challenges you’ve faced to make the resource guide as informative as possible. It should take about an hour, does that work for you? Responses to this data collection will be used only for research purposes. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. The contractor will not provide information that identifies a subject or district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

We tape-record the interview, but your name will not be included in the transcripts, and all information will be kept in a secure location in our offices at Johns Hopkins. Please let me know if there’s any point at which you would like me to turn off the tape recorder. Are you willing to participate in the interview? [hand out written consent form if not already signed] We need your signature on this form to indicate that you understand the purpose of the research and that you are participating of your own free will. [collect form(s)]. Thank you, let’s get started.

Questions

1. Information about Youth Served

   1. Describe the youth your program serves? What is the age range? Does your program target a particular group or groups? [e.g. in/out of school; recently dropped out; AfAm males/females, teen parents, ELL/migrant, in welfare or justice systems, LGBT, homeless?

   2. Was there any data analysis that guided decisions about which youth most needed your program services in your community?

      1. If yes, please describe.

2. Purpose

   1. What is the purpose of your program? At the end of the day, what are you trying to accomplish?

3. Service Approach/Strategies/Roles

   1. What is your role in the program? What do you do?

      1. outreach and recruitment strategies?

      2. intake and assessment?

      3. referral and placement?

      4. Counseling?

1. What kind?

   1. Career/College

   2. Academic

   3. Health, Mental Health

   4. Social service—e.g. child care, housing,

2. What are the goals of the counseling you provide?

5. Instruction?

   1. What kind?

      1. Credit recovery?

      2. Proficiency (focused on passing assessments)?

      3. Blended (computer & classroom)

      4. Dual enrollment?

      5. Career/internship?

   2. What is the goal (GED, HS Diploma, Post-Sec enrollment)?

6. follow-up or provide ongoing case management?

2. Are parents or families involved in your program? In what ways?

3. Do you work with partner organizations or agencies? How does that work?

4. Apart from what you have already mentioned, are there other ways in which technology is used in your program?

   1. Are any services provided to students or prospective students online? How does that work? Is it effective?

5. Does your program use particular strategies or have specially designed programs or approaches to address the unique needs of the different youth subgroups you serve? (e.g. in/out of school; recently dropped out; AfAm males/females, teen parents, ELL/migrant, in welfare or justice systems, LGBT, homeless?

6. Do you receive feedback on the effectiveness of the services you are providing? How??

7. From the experience of your program, what have you learned are the most effective strategies for re-engaging youth?

   1. Academic, behavioral, career preparation

8. Are there any ineffective strategies that centers should avoid?

4. Outcomes/Impact

1. How do you know when a student is successful in your program (or as a result of participating in your program)

2. How do you measure your impact?

1. E.g. # youth referred; # youth re-engaged; GEDs; HS diplomas; job placement; college readiness; postsecondary enrollment/diploma

2. E.g. improved literacy, numeracy, credit recovery, academic tenacity and persistence, social skills, job skills

3. What outcomes have you achieved on those measures?

4. Are there any other outcomes you have achieved you’d like to share

1. E.g. community impact, coalition building, influencing policy

5. Is there an independent evaluation of [program name]?

6. Do you use the information/data you gather through the course of your work to:

   1. Reflect on and improve your program?

   2. Inform others in the district and/or community about the unique needs of the young people you serve?

7. In an ideal world, how would you track the impact of your program?

5. Challenges and Lessons Learned

   1. Are there any other challenges you’ve encountered in your work that you would like to share?

   2. What words of advice would you give someone who wanted to create a program similar to yours in their community?

Public 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. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.5 hours 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. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1810-XXXX.