Digital Nutrition Education Materials for Middle School Teachers (SLT) - IC 1 of 2

OMB Control # 0584-0524

Expiration Date: 9/30/2019

Attachment P – Teacher and Principal Communication Documents: Initial Contact Email, Follow Up to Initial Contact Email, and Information about Pilot Opportunity

OMB Burden Statement: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0524. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Initial Contact Email

Subject: Education Pilot Opportunity for Teachers

Dear [Insert Teacher/Principal’s Name],

I am writing to inform you about an exciting research opportunity for you and your school. In partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Michael Cohen Group (MCG) and Applied Curiosity Research (ACR) are piloting nutrition education materials in 8 middle schools across the country. We’d like to offer teachers at your school an exciting and exclusive opportunity to pilot these materials prior to their release.

Who: 3-4 health, ELA, science, and/or social studies/geography teachers at your school

What: Opportunity for teachers to pilot new, free-of-cost nutrition education materials that include informational texts, interactive activities, and videos.

When: Spring 2017

Why: Materials promote healthy eating in students and align with the appropriate standards. In addition, your school and teachers will be compensated for your time and resources.

Each school will receive a $150 facility fee, and each teacher will receive a $75 incentive for participating in the pilot. If you are interested in learning more about the research, or if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us by email or phone. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

[Insert Researcher’s Name]

OMB Burden Statement: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0524. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Follow up to Initial Contact Email

Dear [Insert Teacher/Principal’s Name],

I am writing to follow up to my previous email regarding the opportunity for teachers at your school to pilot nutrition education materials this spring for the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.

The materials are free of cost and include informational texts, interactive activities, and videos, which are aligned to the relevant learning standards. Each school will receive a $150 facility fee, and each teacher will receive a $75 incentive for participating in the pilot. If you are interested in learning more about the research, or if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us by email or phone. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

[Insert Researcher’s Name]

Information about Pilot Opportunity

Background & Purpose

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is developing education materials that raise awareness of the importance of healthy food choices among middle school children. Michael Cohen Group and Applied Curiosity Research are gathering feedback from teachers and students on the materials, and a total of 24 teachers across the country will be selected to pilot the materials in their classrooms. Teachers from your school of multiple subjects from 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade are invited to participate.

It is important for us to get teacher and student feedback about these materials so the final products are relevant, meaningful, and fun. Piloting these activities is an opportunity for teachers to implement them into their classroom teachings, and to influence the development of a nationally-available curriculum so that it will be suitable for all teachers.

You will receive a $75 incentive for your time and resources and your school will be provided with a $150 facility fee.

Your Role and Responsibilities

Pilot Activities While piloting the materials, you will be asked to complete:

• Implement 3 lesson plans in your class (~45 minutes each)

• Distribute passive consent forms to all students in your class.

• Complete an educator journal

• Distribute a student assessment to all students before and after implementing the activities

Included in the Materials:

• One lesson plan document outlining the 3 activity sessions and the learning objectives

• 2 informational text passages and a list of accompanying comprehension questions

• Animated video and interactive application

• Educator Journal

• Student assessment survey

• Teacher and student consent forms

Provide Feedback. At the end of the pilot, researchers will visit your school to:

• Interview you one-on-one to learn about your experience with the materials

• Speak with you in a small group with other pilot teachers to get feedback on distribution and implementation.

• Conduct 2-3 student focus groups with students from two pilot classrooms to collect student feedback on the materials.

Pilot Timeline

The pilot materials can be implemented at a time that is convenient to you and must be completed by <<DATE>>. Researchers will visit your school between <DATE> and <DATE>.

OMB Burden Statement: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0524. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

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