Discussion Guide

Attachment I

Discussion Guide

Form Approved

OMB No.0920-xxxx

Exp. Date xx/xx/20xx

Youth@Work – Talking Safety Curriculum Dissemination Project:

Incentives for adoption among public school districts – Discussion Guide

Date/Time:

District:

Respondent ID:

Interviewer Initials:

Note taker Initials:

A. Background

First, let’s talk a little bit about your role within your district.

1. What is your position or title?

2. How long have you worked at [DISTRICT NAME]

3. How many middle schools are in your district?

4. How many high schools are in your district?

5. Which—if any—specialized types of high schools, such as STEM, CTE, or Early Colleges, does your district have?

B. Making decisions about curricula

Next, let’s discuss the way that people in your district make decisions about implementing new materials into school programs.

1. Who makes curricular decisions in the district? Are you the only person who does this?

2. At the district level, how do you make decisions about implementing new materials into school programs?

   1. What is the role of the Board of Education in making decisions about implementing new material into school curricula or programs?

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3. Once a decision is made, how are these decisions implemented at the school level?

Probe: How does the district get schools to implement new material? What is the communication process? Are the new materials mandated by the district or state? What input do schools have into what is implemented? What input do schools have into how it will be implemented?

4. How do district staff interact with principals and teachers to institutionalize decisions that affect classroom content?

Probe: How do you communicate with school staff/teachers who will be implementing new materials into school programs (e.g., staff meetings, memos, email, etc)? What training or professional development is provided for new materials or initiatives?

C. General perceptions, current practice

Currently, most approaches to developing students who are career and college ready do not specifically address life skills for safe and healthy work. NIOSH emphasizes a set of eight core competencies, which were included in the initial materials we sent to you. They include competencies such as recognizing how to prevent injury and illness and recognizing employer rights and responsibilities that play a role in safe and healthy work. Do you remember reading these competencies? [If no, read them. If yes, move on.]

I would like to get a sense of the career readiness curricula in your district and perceptions of including workplace safety and health as part of preparing students for their futures.

1. Are basic life skills for safe and healthy work currently included in any component of your district’s curriculum?

[IF YES]

1a) In what grade levels and educational areas?

Probe: Taught to all grade levels, middle school/high school, and all students? In what classes, such as Health, Family and Consumer Science, or CTE [CA: in the Linked Learning program?] are life skills for safe and healthy work taught? In what specific types of schools, such as STEM, CTE, traditional, early college, are they taught?

[FOR EACH PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE WORKPLACE SAFETY, ASK QUESTIONS 1B, 1C, 1D]

1b) About how much time is devoted to these issues?

Probe: How many lessons are there and how long do they last? Does the district use a specific curriculum? If yes, what is the name of the curriculum?

1c) About how many of your students are exposed to this content? Does every student in these programs get exposure to these concepts?

1d) What do you think is the benefit of including this information in this program/class/school?

Probe: Academic? Social? Life Skills? Career readiness?

[AFTER GOING THROUGH ALL THE PLACES IT IS TAUGHT, CONTINUE.]

[IF NO]

1e) Often injury prevention may be taught in health classes, CTE, career readiness, or other work/vocational classes. In which of these—or related areas—could these concepts be found?

C. Youth @ Work-Talking Safety.

Before we set up this call, you had received a brochure describing the Youth @ Work: Talking Safety Curriculum from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The brochure noted that about 80 percent of teens have held a job before they finish high school and that young workers get hurt at twice the rates of older workers.

The free Youth @ Work curriculum consists of 11 flexible lesson plans, instructions for teachers, a step-by-step guide for presenting the material, and resources for each state. No special training is necessary to use the curriculum.

C1. If you were provided with a free, tested, and relevant curriculum such as this, how might this fit as part of every student’s education?.

[IF THEY SUGGEST ANY WAY THEY MIGHT FIT]

1. In what programs/classes do you think these competencies could be taught?

2. At what grade level(s) do you think these competencies could be taught?

3. What materials in addition to the curriculum might you need to facilitate its use?

4. How would you persuade others in your district to implement it?
   Probe – How might people respond to appeals that workplace injuries and illnesses have a negative impact on students’ attendance? Academic performance? How persuasive are personal testimonials from injured youth? Teachers? Parents?

[IF NO]

C3a. What barriers would prevent you from considering using a curriculum like this?

[FOR EVERYONE]

C4a If there were a video for all students that could be viewed, how would you use that? [Probe: school-wide assembly? As part of classroom instruction? Other?]

C4b If Youth@Work were aligned with the Common Core standards would you be able to make it available to all students.

C4c. If NIOSH developed an online assessment tool about these competencies, and students passing could earn a certificate from them, how would that influence your decision about using the Youth @ Work- Talking Safety curriculum?

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. If later you have any questions about this study, please do not hesitate to contact me. If interested in pursuing the Youth @ Work curriculum, contact Rebecca Guerin at NIOSH. We will send you her contact information separately.