Teacher Recruitment Letter

APPENDIX G
TEACHER RECRUITMENT LETTERS

This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.

OMB Number: [XXXXXX]
Expiration Date: [XXXXX]

1100 1st Street, NE, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20002-4221
Phone: (202) 484-9220
Fax: (202) 863-1763
www.mathematica-mpr.com

[Month] [Year]
Dear [Year 1 Teacher],
Congratulations on your new teaching position in [District]. I am writing to tell you about an exciting
opportunity for elementary school teachers in your district. Your district is participating in a U.S.
Department of Education study that will provide individualized feedback and coaching to support new
teachers. Selected teachers will be assigned a coach who reviews video recordings of their classroom and
provides actionable steps that teachers can take to improve their instruction. We are inviting you to participate
in this opportunity that is available to fourth and fifth grade teachers who are in their first year of teaching.
The program. Eligible teachers will receive individualized feedback and coaching 10 times
throughout the school year. The feedback will focus on skills that new teachers often struggle to master in their
first year, such as classroom management, engaging students in classroom instruction, and providing feedback
to extend students’ learning. A coaching cycle will involve the following steps:
1. The study team will video record the teacher’s classroom. The study team will work with teachers to
schedule video recordings at convenient times.
2. The coach will review the video and provide written feedback to the teacher.
3. The teacher will review the video of their teaching and the coach’s feedback.
4. The coach will hold a one-on-one discussion with the teacher to review the feedback and provide
suggestions for improving their teaching practices.
Study design. To learn how this feedback and coaching affects teacher practices and student
achievement, the study team will assign each participating teacher, by lottery, to one of two groups:
 The feedback and coaching group will receive written feedback plus one-on-one discussions with a
coach (or via video or phone) who provides actionable steps for improving their instruction.
 The comparison group will not receive feedback or coaching through the study.
All teachers will continue to participate in the district’s usual professional development activities for the
2017–2018 school year.
Confidentiality. You should know that:
 Coaches will be provided by a coaching provider that has been selected through a national
competition. They will not be district employees.
 Only you and members of the study team will be allowed to view the videos of your classroom. The
videos will not be shared with others in your district.
 All information collected by the study will be confidential and collected for research purposes only.
 The study will not release information identifying any school, classroom, teacher, or student, except as
required by law.
Also, participation in the study will not affect any staffing decisions or professional development
activities provided by the school district.

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

LETTER TO:
FROM:
DATE:
PAGE:

[Teacher]
Susanne James-Burdumy
[Month] [Year]
2

Study activities. Teachers participating in the study will be asked to:
 Complete a teacher participation form providing background information and indicating agreement to
participate in the study.
 Attend a one-day orientation session in summer 2017. During the orientation session, teachers in the
feedback and coaching group will learn about the individualized feedback and coaching they will receive.
All participating teachers will take two assessments (the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching and
the Haberman Star Teacher Pre-screener) and be briefed about classroom video recordings and data
collection activities.
 Allow the study team to video record their classrooms. The study team will video record the classrooms
of teachers in both study groups at the beginning and end of the school year. Teachers in the feedback and
coaching group will also have their classrooms video recorded during the school year (these are the videos
used by coaches to provide feedback). Teachers in the feedback and coaching group will be video recorded
a total of 15 times, and teachers in the comparison group will be video recorded 6 times.
 Participate in the feedback and coaching activities if assigned to the feedback and coaching group. If
assigned to the feedback and coaching group, teachers agree to participate in the feedback and coaching
activities described above.
 Complete survey and assessment in spring 2018. Teachers in both study groups will complete an online
survey and a follow-up Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching assessment in spring 2018.
Teachers will be compensated for their time spent on study data collection activities. Teachers will be
compensated for completing the 30-minute Haberman Star assessment ($30), the Praxis Principles of Learning and
Teaching assessment ($100 for each completed two-hour assessment), and the 30-minute spring survey ($30).
To learn more about the study and participate. Please contact [RECRUITER NAME] from the study team
if you would like to participate, by phone at [RECRUITER PHONE] or by email at [RECRUITER EMAIL]. You
can find additional information about the study at [WEBSITE] and you can contact [RECRUITER NAME] with any
questions you have about this important study.
{IF APPLICABLE: You can also contact [DISTRICT LIAISON NAME] at [CONTACT INFORMATION] at
the district for assistance with this request.}
In addition to providing valuable support to new teachers in [DISTRICT], the study will also inform the
broader education field about the effectiveness of individualized feedback and coaching. We are glad to have
[DISTRICT] in this important study and hope you will participate as well.

Sincerely,

Susanne James-Burdumy, Ph.D.
Project Director
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. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is xxxx-xxxx. The
time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average up to 5.25 hours across all data collection requests
including 15 minutes for the teacher participation form, 30 minutes for the teacher survey, 30 minutes for one administration of the
Haberman and 2 hours for each of the two administration of the PLT assessment. If you have any comments concerning the
accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington,
DC 20202. If you have comments or concerns regarding the content or the status of your individual submission of this form, write
directly to: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 550 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

OMB Number: [XXXXXX]
Expiration Date: [XXXXX]

1100 1st Street, NE, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20002-4221
Phone: (202) 484-9220
Fax: (202) 863-1763
www.mathematica-mpr.com

[Month] [Year]
Dear [YEAR 2 TEACHER],

I am writing to tell you about an exciting opportunity for elementary school teachers in your district.
Your district is participating in a U.S. Department of Education study that will provide individualized feedback
and coaching to support new teachers. Selected teachers will be assigned a coach who reviews video
recordings of their classroom and provides actionable steps that teachers can take to improve their instruction.
We are inviting you to participate in this opportunity that is available to fourth and fifth grade teachers who
will be entering their second, third, or fourth year of teaching in fall 2018.
The program. Eligible teachers will receive individualized feedback and coaching 5 or 10 times
throughout the school year. The feedback will focus on skills that teachers often struggle to master in their first
few years, such as classroom management, engaging students in classroom instruction, and providing feedback
to extend students’ learning. A coaching cycle will involve the following steps:
5. The study team will video record the teacher’s classroom. The study team will work with teachers to
schedule video recordings at convenient times.
6. The coach will review the video and provide written feedback to the teacher.
7. The teacher will review the video of their teaching and the coach’s feedback.
8. The coach will hold a one-on-one discussion with the teacher to review the feedback and provide
suggestions for improving their teaching practices.
Study design. To learn how this feedback and coaching affects teacher practices and student
achievement, the study team will assign each participating teacher, by lottery, to one of three groups:
 The first feedback and coaching group will receive written feedback plus one-on-one discussions
with a coach (via video or phone) based on video recordings of their classrooms 10 times during the
2018–2019 school year.
 The second feedback and coaching group will receive written feedback plus one-on-one discussions
with a coach (in person or via video or phone) based on video recordings of their classrooms 5 times
during the 2018–2019 school year.
 The comparison group will not receive the study feedback or coaching through the study.
All teachers will continue to participate in the district’s usual professional development activities for the
2018–2019 school year.
Confidentiality. You should know that:
 Coaches will be provided by a coaching provider that has been selected through a national
competition. They will not be district employees.
 Only you and members of the study team will be allowed to view the videos of your classroom. The
videos will not be shared with others in your district.
 All information collected by the study will be confidential and collected for research purposes only.
 The study will not release information identifying any school, classroom, teacher, or student, except as
required by law.
Also, participation in the study will not affect any staffing decisions or professional development
activities provided by the school district.
An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

LETTER TO:
FROM:
DATE:
PAGE:

[Teacher]
Susanne James-Burdumy
[Month] [Year]
2

Study activities. Teachers participating in the study will be asked to:


Complete a teacher participation form providing background information and indicating agreement
to participate in the study.

 Attend a one-day orientation session in summer 2018. During the orientation session, teachers in
the two feedback and coaching groups will learn about the individualized feedback and coaching they
will receive. All participating teachers will be briefed about classroom video recordings and data
collection activities.
 Allow the study team to video record their classrooms. The study team will video record the
classrooms of teachers in all three study groups at the beginning and end of the school year. Teachers
in the two feedback and coaching groups will also have their classrooms video recorded during the
school year (these are the videos used by coaches to provide feedback). Teachers in the first feedback
and coaching group will be video recorded a total of 15 times, teachers in the second feedback and
coaching group will be video recorded a total of 10 times, and teachers in the comparison group will
be video recorded 6 times.
 Participate in the feedback and coaching activities if assigned to the feedback and coaching
group. If assigned to the feedback and coaching group, teachers agree to participate in the feedback
and coaching activities described above.
 Complete survey in spring 2019. Teachers in all study groups will complete a 30-minute online
survey and be compensated $30 for completing it.
To learn more about the study and participate. Please contact [RECRUITER NAME] from the study
team if you would like to participate, by phone at [RECRUITER PHONE] or by email at [RECRUITER
EMAIL]. You can find additional information about the study at [WEBSITE] and you can contact
[RECRUITER NAME] with any questions you have about this important study.
{IF APPLICABLE: You can also contact [DISTRICT LIAISON NAME] at [CONTACT
INFORMATION] at the district for assistance with this request.}
In addition to providing valuable support to new teachers in [DISTRICT], the study will also inform the
broader education field about the effectiveness of individualized feedback and coaching. We are glad to have
[DISTRICT] in this important study and hope you will participate as well.

Sincerely,

Susanne James-Burdumy, Ph.D.
Project Director
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. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is xxxx-xxxx. The
time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average up to 5.25 hours across all data collection requests
including 15 minutes for the teacher participation form, 30 minutes for the teacher survey, 30 minutes for one administration of the
Haberman and 2 hours for each of the two administration of the PLT assessment. If you have any comments concerning the
accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington,
DC 20202. If you have comments or concerns regarding the content or the status of your individual submission of this form, write
directly to: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 550 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20202.