Study of the ESEA Title VI Indian Education LEA Grants Program

Appendix G

Parent/Guardian/Family Member
Focus Group Protocol

Introduction to the Parent/Guardian/Family Member Focus Group

• 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 focus group participants at the beginning of each focus group:

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 focus group participants at the beginning of each focus group:

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 focus group will last approximately 45-60 minutes.

• Invite questions from the respondents.

• Ask permission to audio-record the focus group 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?

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 adapt questions for BIE and tribe grantees and use locally recognized terms (e.g., in referring to the AI/AN population), as appropriate.

Parent/Guardian/Family Member Focus Group Protocol

I. Background

1. Do you have a child or children currently enrolled in [project name]? If yes, what grade(s)?

2. Do you serve on [project name]’s Title VI Parent Advisory Committee? If so, how long have you served on the committee? [Note: When inviting parents to participate in focus groups, the study team will seek to include parents/guardians/family members who serve on the Title VI Parent Advisory Committee and those who do not.]

3. Were you a student in this [school/district] yourself?

We are going to ask you a series of questions about providing services for the Native students here, planning for 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 involved in these activities and so may not have information to share.

II. Services Provided

4. Are you aware of any services and activities that are provided to Native students? [Probe for services reported on EASIE APR Report that are not mentioned.] If yes:

   1. Please describe the services and activities.

   2. When and where are these services and activities provided to Native students?

5. In what ways does [your project] try to ensure that educational services 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

6. What challenges does the district face providing educational services that reflect the language and cultural needs of the children? [Probe for adequate funding, accessibility, internet connectivity, family or student factors, etc.] How are they addressed?

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 stakeholder input, needs assessment, new information about culturally responsive practices.]

8. [For those who were students in this school/district themselves] What were your experiences with educational services that reflect the language and cultural needs of the children? How have services and activities changed for students attending school here today?

III. Planning Services

9. Are you (or have you been) involved in planning the services and activities in [grantee name] that are provided to Native students? If yes:

   1. What role have you played? [Probe for formal role as member of Title VI Parent Advisory Committee, participation in public hearings, parent invited to provide input (as part of needs assessment).]

   2. Who else is involved in decisions around what services and activities to provide?

   3. How do the various groups work together? [Probe for regular meetings, public hearings, interagency task force, written communication, other.]

   4. What is the focus of your collaboration with these partners? [Probe for needs assessment, selecting services, planning for service delivery.]

   5. What process does your [district, tribe, school] use for developing a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of Native children?

10. In your opinion, what strategies do you believe are most effective in engaging parents in planning services for Native students? Why?

11. What are the biggest challenges to engaging parents in planning services for Native students? Why? How do you know?

12. Ultimately, how does [grantee name] determine which services and activities to provide to Native students? [Probe for input from stakeholders, use of needs assessment, new information about culturally responsive practices, local capacity and availability of services.]

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

IV. Identifying and Counting Eligible Children

14. Do you recall completing the Indian student certification (ED 506) form? If yes:

    1. What supports did you receive to complete the form? [Ask for detailed examples.]

    2. What challenges did you face, if any, completing the form? [Probe for tribal membership or enrollment number, letter from tribe, online accessibility.]

15. Have you been involved in helping others complete the form? If so, in what capacity? Describe.

16. Are you (or have you been) involved in designing or carrying 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, tribes, and community-based organizations.]

    4. What challenges do you face providing supports/technical assistance?

17. What more could [project name] do to support the accurate and timely completion of the Indian student certification forms?

V. Measuring Progress Toward Title VI Project Objectives

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

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

VI. Wrap-up

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

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

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