Study of the ESEA Title VI Indian Education LEA Grants Program

Appendix F

Tribal Leader Interview Protocol

Introduction to the Tribal Leader Interview

• Introduce the interviewer(s).

• Explain the purpose of the study and topics to be covered in the interview. Interviewers will read the following statement to interview respondents at the beginning of each interview:

We are conducting this interview as part of the Study of the Implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title VI Indian Education LEA Grants Program, being carried out under contract for the U.S. Department of Education by Policy Studies Associates (PSA), a research organization, and SRI International (SRI), an independent, nonprofit research institute, as well as researchers from Arizona State University and the University of Alaska Anchorage. The study is not intended to examine the outcomes of the program, nor will findings be attributed to any one site. We are conducting interviews to gather descriptions of grant activities that can help illustrate the findings from a survey of all grantees. This interview will focus on the strategies grantees use to:

• provide culturally responsive services and activities and help Native students meet state standards;

• align and leverage program-funded services with those funded by other federal, state, and local sources;

• accurately identify eligible Native students;

• establish and implement project priorities with parent, community, and tribal involvement;

• measure progress toward Title VI project objectives.

Upon completion of the study, findings will be shared with all grantees and be available for the general public.

• Explain the provisions for protecting respondent’s privacy. Interviewers will read the following statement to interview respondents at the beginning of each interview:

As part of the study, the study team will share its findings with the U.S. Department of Education. However, the results of the interviews will be summarized across all the districts and programs participating in interviews. Individuals will not be identified by name in any form of analysis or report, and data will be reported in a manner that does not reveal your identity or the identity of your project. In addition, when we need to use quotes to help illustrate the findings, we will use them anonymously. Except for what is already public, the study team will store all data collected for the study in secure environments and will protect the confidentiality of the information you provide, to the extent provided by law. Finally, your participation in this interview is voluntary and you may decline to respond at any time.

• Advise the respondent that the interview will last approximately 45-60 minutes.

• Explain that a member of the study team may follow-up by phone to clarify responses to interview questions.

• Invite questions from the respondent.

• Ask permission to audio-record the interview using the following statement:

We would like to record this conversation to ensure that we accurately capture your comments. If you agree, we would retain the recording only until we can validate the notes, at which point the voice recording would be destroyed. The transcripts will be destroyed at the end of the study. If at any point you would like to say something off the record, I will stop the recording. Do you agree to allow us to record the interview?

• Confirm respondent’s current roles and responsibilities within the agency/organization and in terms of the Title VI Grants Program. Ask if there are others we should speak with regarding Title VI.

Notes: (1) Before going on site visits, interviewers will review all extant data on grantee (grant size, goals, services provided, demographics of students served) and school/project plans and policy documents (including any information available about the district’s comprehensive plan and Title VI Parent Advisory Committee). (2) Interviewers will ask all follow-up questions as specified in the protocol. In addition, interviewers will be directed to seek clarification of any response they judge to be vague or incomplete. The primary strategy for seeking clarification will be to ask respondents to provide specific examples to illustrate their responses. A second strategy will be to ask respondents to “say more” or to “expand on” or “explain the meaning of” a particular comment. Interviewers will use locally recognized terms (e.g., in referring to the AI/AN population), as appropriate.

Tribal Leader Interview Protocol

Note: This interview protocol will be used with LEA grantees.

I. Background

1. Do you consult with [LEA name] on issues affecting Native students? If so, how long have you been involved with [LEA name]? In what ways have you been engaged? Has the level or nature of your involvement changed over time?

We are going to ask you a series of questions about providing services for the Native students here, planning those services, and specific activities that have to do with student eligibility requirements for the Title VI Grant Program. We realize that you may not be the person who deals with all of these aspects of Title VI. Please let us know if there is someone else to whom we should address some of these questions.

II. Services Provided

2. Are you aware of the services and activities that are provided to Native students in [LEA]? [Probe for services reported on EASIE APR Report that are not mentioned.]

3. In what ways does [the LEA] try to ensure that educational services and activities reflect the language and cultural needs of the children? Prompt for each of the following:

   1. Instruction in students’ heritage language (i.e., the language used by local tribes)

   2. Native history and culture are incorporated into the curriculum

   3. Learning is connected to students’ local contexts, such as their town or community (i.e., place-based learning)

   4. Teachers receive professional development in culturally responsive instructional strategies

   5. Native teachers and support staff are hired

4. What are the challenges to providing culturally responsive services and activities to eligible Native students? [Probe for funding, staff capacity]

5. How are these challenges addressed?

6. What kind of support does the tribe lend to the services provided to Native students in [LEA]?

7. Have you observed any changes in the services provided through federal grant programs? If yes:

   1. What has changed?

   2. What led to the changes? [Probe for role of tribal and Native parent input, needs assessment, new information about culturally responsive practices.]

III. Planning Services

8. Are you (or have you been) or is someone on your staff/council involved in planning the services and activities in [LEA name] that are provided to Native students? If yes:

   1. What role have you played? [Probe for formal role as member of Title VI Advisory Committee, participation in public hearings, involvement in needs assessment.]

9. Does [LEA name] consult with your tribe on the Title VI grant?

10. What mechanisms are in place to support tribal consultation? [Probe for regular meetings, public hearings, interagency task force, written communication, other.]

11. What is the focus of the consultation? [Probe for needs assessment, selecting services, planning for service delivery.]

12. What do you know about how consultation impacts what the district offers?

    1. How does the LEA share information about program implementation?

13. Are there any plans for work sessions or retreats between tribes and LEA program coordinators to further meaningful collaboration?

14. How would you characterize your relationship with the LEA?

15. In your opinion, what are the most effective ways for [the LEA] to engage the tribal community in planning services for Native students? Why?

16. What are the biggest challenges to providing input to [the LEA] in planning services for Native students? Why?

17. Ultimately, what factors determine which services and activities are provided to eligible Native students? [Probe for input from tribal leaders, Native parents, use of needs assessment, new information about culturally responsive practices, local capacity and availability of services.]

18. If you could design an ideal program, what would it look like?

IV. Identifying and Counting Eligible Children

19. Are you (or have you been) involved in supporting [the LEA] to design or carry out supports or technical assistance to ensure the accurate and timely completion of Indian student certification (ED 506) forms? If yes:

    1. What role have you played?

    2. Please describe the supports/technical assistance you have been involved with?

    3. What groups are targeted for support? [Probe for parents, community-based organizations.]

    4. What challenges does [the LEA] face ensuring the completion of Indian student certification forms?

20. What more could be done to support the accurate and timely completion of the Indian student certification forms?

V. Measuring Progress Toward Title VI Project Objectives

21. Are you aware of the objectives for services provided to Native students in [the LEA]? [Probe for the objectives reported on EASIE Budget Report that are not mentioned.]

22. How do you learn whether the project is achieving its objectives?

VI. Wrap-up

23. What are your hopes for your community by having Title VI-funded services and activities available to serve the needs of eligible Native students?

24. Is there anything else that we didn’t cover but you think is important for the study to capture about [the LEA’s] efforts to provide services for Native students?

25. With whom else should we be talking about these issues?

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