School Survey of Crime and Safety (SSOCS) Incident Count Check Cognitive Interviews Update
NCES System Clearance for Cognitive, Pilot, and Field Test Studies 2019-2022
Appendix A SSOCS-CRDC Incident Count Cog Lab Recruitment Materials
School Survey of Crime and Safety (SSOCS) Incident Count Check Cognitive Interviews Update
OMB: 1850-0803
School Survey of Crime and Safety (SSOCS) Incident Count Check Cognitive Interviews
Appendix A
Recruitment
Materials
(original and revised versions)
OMB #1850-0803 v.262
Submitted by
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education
February 2020
All Phase 1 letters have been approved (OMB #1850-0803 v.250) and all Phase 2 materials will be updated and provided to OMB as a change request in February 2020.
Contents
Page
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email 11
Eligibility/Scheduling Email 13
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text) 14
Thank You Letter to Schools (Mailed) 18
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email 19
Nonresponse Follow-up Email 27
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email 29
Eligibility/Scheduling Email 31
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text) 32
Affidavit of Non-disclosure 35
Thank-You Letter to Districts (Mailed) 37
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email 38
SSOCS Revised Recruitment Materials 41
Nonresponse Follow-up Email 47
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email 49
Eligibility/Scheduling Email 52
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text) 53
Thank You Letter to Schools (Mailed) 56
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email 57
CRDC Revised Recruitment Materials 59
Nonresponse Follow-up Email 65
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email 67
Eligibility/Scheduling Email 70
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text) 71
Thank-You Letter to Districts (Mailed) 74
Upon evaluation of the methods and materials used during Phase 1, the letter and email templates were reworded to appeal more to the sample members. This includes updating the language and shortening the length of the main email/letter content; with supplemental information included in text below the main message. Both original and revised, email templates and letters are provided in this appendix.
NCES Introduction Email
To: School Administrators
From: NCES
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seeks your feedback on school crime data
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for your response to the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) during the 2017–18 school year. As a follow up to the SSOCS data collection, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education would like to conduct an interview with your school to better understand the process involved in reporting crime incidents on SSOCS. We hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which participants will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
In addition to interviewing your school, NCES plans to conduct a separate interview with your district, which provided similar data on crime incidents as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a district-level Department of Education survey. In order for us to fully understand the process, it is critical for us to hear from both schools and districts to understand any differences in how crime incidents are reported in the two surveys.
First and foremost, please know this is not an evaluation of your school or district, and reports of our findings will not identify participating schools, districts, or staff. Your feedback will inform potential improvements to future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to SSOCS. The results from your school and district will be combined with others to help inform decisions to limit overlap between the two surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys. Although participation in the interview is voluntary, the success of this research depends on the willingness of selected schools and their districts to participate.
NCES has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a research company, to facilitate the interviews and analyze results. A member of the AIR team will contact you via email within the next few days to schedule your interview. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another district staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the SOCSS data collection process, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker at [email protected] or 202-403-6385, or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
We thank you in advance for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
James L. Woodworth
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
AIR Initial Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) needs your feedback on school crime and safety data
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
My name is [Insert District and School Leader Name] and I am a researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). We have been contracted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to follow up with you on your school’s participation in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and to gather additional information on your experiences responding to survey questions about incidents of school crime.
Dr. James L. Woodworth, Commissioner of NCES, recently informed you that you have been selected to participate in a follow-up interview to discuss the process of reporting crime on SSOCS. We hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which participants will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
The purpose of this follow-up interview is to understand the differences in how schools and districts reported data in SSOCS and the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a district-level Department of Education survey. We are asking schools and districts that participated in these surveys during the 2017–18 school year to answer some questions about how they prepared their responses to the survey. In order to have a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing these items, it is important that we interview SSOCS as well as CRDC participants. We plan to reach out to your district to schedule a separate interview with them to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided on the 2017–18 CRDC, and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation. We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
More information on these interviews can be found below. I will call you within the next few days to answer any questions you may have and to schedule your interview. Alternatively, you may email [Insert AIR email] or call [Insert AIR telephone number] for additional information and to schedule an interview or to let us know if you are not the correct person to respond to this request.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and we truly appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-up
The following scripts should NOT be read verbatim. Interviewers should familiarize themselves with the content in advance. The text in brackets represents instructions and possible scenarios for the interviewer.
My name is [Insert Name] from the American Institutes for Research. May I speak with [Insert School Administrator Name]?
SPEAKING WITH GATEKEEPER – POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
May I speak with [Insert School Administrator Name]?
Can you please connect me to [Insert School Administrator Name] voicemail so that I could leave a message?
[If asked why you are calling…] I am calling to speak with [Insert School Administrator Name] about an invitation that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sent to [her/him] to participate in an interview on school crime data.
May I leave a message for [Insert School Administrator Name] with you?
IF RETURNING A PHONE CALL OR MAKING SECOND CALL TO SAMPLE MEMBER
I am following up with [Insert School Administrator Name] regarding a message that I left on [Insert date].
I am returning [Insert School Administrator Name]’s phone call. May I speak with [her/him]?
[IF NEEDED, see above for information on why you are calling]
LEAVING A VOICEMAIL MESSAGE or LEAVING A MESSAGE WITH GATEKEEPER:
Hello [Insert School Administrator Name], my name is [Insert Your Name]. I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. We would like to follow up with you about an invitation you received inviting you to participate in an interview about your participation in the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) during the 2017–18 school year.
We are conducting follow-up interviews to learn more about the process that schools go through to fill out SSOCS as well as how their districts provide answers to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in SSOCS. In order to have a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing these items, it is critical for us to hear from both schools and districts to understand any differences in how items on school crime data are reported in the two surveys. We plan to reach out to your district to schedule a separate interview with them to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided on the 2017–18 CRDC, and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Please call me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] or contact me via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] to schedule your interview. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
SPEAKING WITH SAMPLE MEMBER OR PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING SSOCS ASKED WHY YOU ARE CALLING
I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, to follow up on a recent invitation they sent [Insert You/School Administrator] to partake in an interview about your participation in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS).
We are conducting follow-up interviews to learn more about the process schools go through to fill out the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), as well as how districts provide answers to the Office for Civil Rights’ Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in SSOCS. In order to have a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing these items, it is critical for us to hear from both schools and districts to understand any differences in how items on school crime data are reported in the two surveys. We plan to reach out to your district to schedule a separate interview with them to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided on the 2017–18 CRDC, and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. During the interview, we will ask you to share some information on how you report crime incidents on SSOCS. The results from your school and your district will help inform decisions to limit overlap between the two surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys.
We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Do you have any questions?
Would you be willing to participate in the interview?
[If asked how sample member was selected…] You were selected because your school provided data to the 2017–18 SSOCS and your district provided data to CRDC. We would like to follow up on the responses your school provided to the 2017–18 SSOCS.
[If yes] Fantastic! I have a few quick questions just to make sure you are eligible for the interview:
Did you have primary responsibility for completing the questions on counts of crime incidents that occurred at school in the 2018 SSOCS?
Yes (Respondent is eligible for the study. SCHEDULE INTERVIEW.)
No (Respondent is not eligible for the study but PROCEED TO #2.)
Do you know who was responsible for completing this section?
Yes
What was their name? __________________________________
What was their position? ________________________________
No, can you recommend someone who may know who filled out this section?
What is their name? ______________
What is their position? ________________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Sidney.)
Are they still employed in your school?
Yes, could you provide their contact information? _________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER.)
No (Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Sidney.)
[If school administrator is not eligible for the study]
Thank you for your time and information. Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews.
[If soft no….] See REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE below
[If hard no] We know that there are many demands on your time. I completely understand. As always, you can reach out to us if you have questions or want to provide feedback to the team.
[If school administrator IS eligible for the study]
Great, you are eligible to participate in this study. Your input will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States.
Before we finish scheduling your interview, we want to ask you for permission to discuss your school’s participation in SSOCS with your district during the separate interview we plan to schedule with them. When you responded to the 2017–18 SSOCS, you were assured that your school’s responses would not be shared with your district. Your district provided some overlapping counts as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and as part of these interviews we would like to share limited information about your responses to select incident items in SSOCS. No exact counts will be shared, and the district respondent will be required to sign a non-disclosure affidavit. Do you consent to us sharing this limited information about your school’s responses in SSOCS as part of the district interview?
[If soft no or sample member demonstrates concerns] We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive and we want to ensure you that your responses are protected. We will not share the actual counts your school reported on SSOCS and all district participants will have to sign a non-disclosure form. We also want to ensure you that this is not an evaluation of your answers to SSOCS or information you have provided to your district or that your district has provided in CRDC.
[If hard no] We understand. We will not share any information about your school’s responses in SSOCS 2017–18 with your district. We would still like to hear about your reporting process. If it is alright with you, I’d like to schedule an interview with you at this time.
SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEW
Thank you; we can now schedule your interview. Would you be available to participate in the interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone, if needed]?
[If not available…] Is there a different time that day or week that would work for you? Please suggest a time/date between [Insert a timeframe and time zone] that will work for you.
Great! I will send an email shortly confirming your participation on [Insert day of the week, month, day and time zone and time of scheduled interview], which will include the log-in information to participate in the web-based interview session. The email will also include a consent form, which we ask that you read, sign, and return to us by [INSERT DATE]. This form must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
Is [Insert School Administrator email address] the correct email address to send this information to?
If you have any additional questions prior to your interview or need to reschedule, please feel free to reach out to me through the contact information provided in the confirmation email. I look forward to talking more with you soon.
REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE
May I answer any questions about the interview or the surveys for you? [REFER TO FAQs TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS.]
Your participation is very important. Only a small number of schools have been selected to participate, and your experience will represent that of similar schools. Your responses will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States.
The interview can be scheduled at your convenience.
To improve these surveys, we need your help. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that the information provided as part of this interview may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [if requested: 20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151]. Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary reports.
As you may or may not be aware, questions on crime incidents that appear in SSOCS are also included in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a district-level survey conducted by the Department of Education. We are exploring the context around the reporting of incident items in SSOCS and CRDC with the goal of removing the questions from one of these surveys and reducing the burden on responding schools and districts.
While your decision to participate is voluntary, we do hope that you will participate in the interview. The data you provide will be combined with the information provided by others and will help NCES to improve the SSOCS and CRDC surveys.
We recognize that everyone has different experiences with regard to reporting information in SSOCS and we want to stress that there are no right or wrong answers. This interview is not an evaluation of your school or district.
This is not an evaluation of your answers to SSOCS. In order for us to advise NCES on which survey is best suited to collect this information, we need to hear your thoughtful and honest feedback. I want you to know that your participation is voluntary, and your responses will not be disclosed. They will only be used to improve future data collections. We want you to feel like you can speak freely, and what you say here will not be repeated outside of the research team.
Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seeks your feedback on school crime data
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
I am writing to follow up about an email I sent [Insert date] informing you that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is seeking feedback from schools who participated in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) to gain a better understanding of the process involved in reporting crime incidents. Your feedback will help improve federal surveys—including SSOCS and the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a district-level Department of Education survey—as well as reduce the burden of future data collections and ensure that the resulting data are more helpful to you, other schools, districts, states, and data users. To accomplish these goals, we need your help. We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which school administrators will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
You will be asked to answer questions about how your school collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at school, and how you understand the questions on the SSOCS questionnaire and report crime incidents there. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that your responses will not be disclosed, and this interview is not an evaluation of your school or your district. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). While your decision to participate is voluntary, your participation is crucial to improve the data collection process for schools and districts and to ensure that data on crime incidents in in schools in the United States are of high quality. We hope that you will participate in the interview.
The interview session can be scheduled at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. More information on these interviews can be found below. You can contact me at [Insert AIR Email] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] to ask any questions you may have and to schedule your interview today.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and we appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-Up #2
[This step in the recruitment process will use the same materials as the prior telephone follow-up step on page 5]
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: School Administrators
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder to participate in the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) interviews on school crime
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
We need your help to improve the collection of school crime data. We understand that this is a busy time of year, so we wanted to send you this friendly reminder about participating in a follow-up interview about school crime questions in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which participants will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for their time and input.
We are also seeking the participation of your district in a separate interview to discuss the data on crime incidents that was provided as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a district-level Department of Education survey. It is critical for us to hear from schools and their districts to understand any differences in how incidents of crime are reported in the two surveys, so we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
If you are willing to participate in an interview, please contact me at [Insert AIR Email address] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] with a date and time that will work for you between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the SSOCS data collection process, please contact me using the information provided above.
Thank you for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Screener Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for contacting us and for your interest in participating in an interview to provide feedback on your experiences reporting school crime data.
Prior to scheduling an interview, we would like to confirm that you are eligible to participate. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions, which will help our research team determine your eligibility:
Did you have the primary responsibility for completing the section of the 2018 SSOCS questionnaire reporting counts of crime incidents that occurred at school?
If not, do you know who was responsible for completing the incident count questions in the 2018 SSOCS questionnaire (or can you recommend who we should contact who might know)?
Please return your answers to these questions to me at [Insert AIR email address] by [Insert day, month, day, year]. I will follow up with you in the next few days via [email/telephone] to let you know if you are eligible to participate. In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can reach me at the above email address or [Insert AIR telephone number].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Eligibility/Scheduling Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: RE: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for returning your responses. Our team has reviewed your responses.
[If school administrator is not eligible for the study] Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews. We appreciate your time and assistance.
[If school administrator is eligible for the study] You are eligible to participate in an interview. As a reminder the interview will take approximately one-hour (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for your participation.
As we have mentioned in a previous email, we will also reach out to your district to request their participation in a separate interview about the incident counts they provided for your school as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). It is critical for us to hear from both schools and districts to understand any differences in how these items are reported in the two surveys.
When you responded to the 2017–18 SSOCS, you were assured that your school’s responses would not be shared with your district. Your district provided some overlapping counts as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and as part of this interview we would like to share with your district limited information about your responses to select incident items in SSOCS. No exact counts will be shared, and the district respondent will be required to sign a non-disclosure affidavit.
Please reply to this email with your consent to us sharing this limited information about your school’s responses in SSOCS as part of the district interview and let me know if you will be available to participate in an interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone]? If this day and/or time does not work for you, please provide a day and or time that will work for you between [Insert Date] to [Insert Date].
[If original sample member provides new contact]
Thank you for providing the contact information for the person who completed the 2017-18 SSOCS. We will follow up with him/her. We appreciate your assistance.
[SEND NEW CONTACT INVITATION EMAIL]
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text)
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Confirmation of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) interview
Attachment: Consent form; Survey Item Handout
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). I look forward to speaking with you on [Insert day of the week, month, day, 2019] at [Insert Time] [Insert Time Zone].
Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email] by [INSERT DATE].
This form must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
As a note, you may find it helpful to have access to information about incident crime reports in your school from the 2017-18 school year during the interview. We have attached a copy of the incident count questions in SSOCS (“[FILE NAME].pdf”) for your reference.
To participate in the interview, which will be conducted using GoToMeeting—a simple web-based conferencing software that may need to be installed on your computer—click on the link below and you will instantly join the GoToMeeting session. You will have the option to call in using a phone number or use computer audio through the program.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/XXXXXXXXX
You can use computer audio or dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (XXX) XXX-XXX
Access Code: XXX-XXX-XXX
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/XXXXXXXXX
Should a scheduling conflict arise with the above interview date and time, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can reschedule your interview at your earliest convenience. You can reach me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] (weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm EDT) or via email at [insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Consent Form - School
You are invited to participate voluntarily in this interview, which is being administered by the American Institutes for Research, a contract research firm, on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of this interview is to help NCES learn about experiences schools and districts have with questions on crime incidents that were included in the 2017–18 administration of the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).0
The interview and discussion will take approximately 60 minutes. During the interview, you will be asked about your processes for collecting and reporting crime data. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions and this is not an evaluation of your school or district. We just want to hear about your experience with the surveys and gain an understanding of the processes you follow to answer the survey questions.
There is no physical risk to participating and, because we use strict protocols to protect your information, only minimal risk exists associated with data protection. You may refuse to answer any question, and you may take a break at any time. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes, and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). Although the interview session will be audio-recorded, the information collected will be used only for research purposes and recordings will be destroyed following the completion of the interviews. The information you give us will be combined with the responses of others in a summary report that does not identify you as an individual, your district, or schools within your district.
These interviews will help us improve the data collection process for schools and districts and ensure that data on crime incidents in U.S. schools are of high quality. Upon completing the interview, you will receive a $50 gift card in appreciation for your time and input.
If you have questions about this interview, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, via phone at 202-403-6385 or email at [email protected], or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
Consent to share school information with district:
When you responded to the 2017–18 SSOCS, you were assured that your school’s responses would not be shared with your district. Your district provided some overlapping counts as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and as part of this interview we would like to share limited information about your responses to select incident items in SSOCS with your district. No exact counts will be shared, and the district respondent will be required to sign a non-disclosure affidavit.
Please select one box to indict your affirmation or refusal of consent:
☐ I consent to the sharing of information on my school’s participation in SSOCS with my district.
☐ I do not consent to the sharing of information on my school’s participation in SSOCS with my district.
Consent to participate in interview:
I have read the attached consent form and all of my questions have been answered. I agree to participate in this interview.
Name of Participant________________________________
Signature of Participant________________________________
Date ___/___/___
Reminder Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder of Interview
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about school crime data. I am looking forward to speaking with you [tomorrow or day], [month and date], at [Insert time and time zone]. As a reminder, the interview will last approximately one hour and we will send you a $50 gift card to thank you for your participation.
[IF CONSENT FORM NOT RETURNED]. We have not received your signed consent form. Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email address] by [DATE]..
Should you need to reach me in regard to your interview session, please call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm (EDT) or email me at [Insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Thank You Letter to Schools (Mailed)
[Insert Date]
[School Administrator Name]
[Insert School Name]
[Insert Address]
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for your participation in the interview on school crime data on [Insert Date]. As a respondent to the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to provide firsthand feedback on your experience. The results from your school [and district] will help inform decisions on how to limit overlap between SSOCS and the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys. As a token of our appreciation for your participation, we have included a $50 gift card with this letter.
Please let us know if you have any remaining questions about the interviews. I can be reached via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] or telephone at [Insert AIR Telephone Number]. Thank you again for your time and input!
Kind regards,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Enclosed
Gift card
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Request for Confirmation of Gift Card Delivery
Dear [INSERT NAME],
I hope this email finds you well. Thank you again for taking the time to provide valuable feedback about school crime data. I’m writing to request confirmation that you received the $50 gift card that [I/my colleague] mailed to your [home/school] address on [Insert Date]. Please reply to this email to confirm that you received the gift card.
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)? SSOCS is a recurring survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that focuses on the frequency of crime and violence in public schools and the programs and practices schools have developed to provide a safe school environment. SSOCS collects data from a sample of K–12 public schools.
What is the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)? CRDC is a biennial (i.e., every other school year) survey conducted since 1968 and required by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). CRDC collects data from public local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools on leading civil rights indicators related to access and barriers to educational opportunity at the early childhood through grade 12 levels.
Who is conducting this interview? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is conducting this study and has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to administer the interviews. AIR is a not-for-profit social science research organization headquartered in Washington, DC. AIR’s mission is to carry out and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people’s lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. You can learn more about AIR at www.air.org.
Will I be paid for participating? As a token of our appreciation for your participation, you will receive a $50 gift card within 10 business days of completing your interview.
How was my school selected? Schools that participated in the 2018 SSOCS and whose district also reported data in the 2017–18 CRDC were identified using a random sampling procedure.
Can I participate if my district does not participate? Yes! You can still provide valuable information by answering questions on your school’s processes for reporting crime incidents on SSOCS.
What will I need to do? You will be asked to answer questions on how your school collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at your school, as well as on how you understand the questions on the SSOCS questionnaire and report crime incidents in SSOCS. You will be asked to sign and return a consent form in order to participate. All personal identifying information will be destroyed at the conclusion of all of the interviews.
Will my participation affect my responses to SSOCS? No. While the interview will follow up on your school’s participation in the 2018 SSOCS, your feedback will be used only to inform potential improvements in future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to SSOCS. Your responses will be used by NCES to gain a better understanding of the process involved for respondents to report crime incidents on SSOCS and CRDC and will not change any previous responses you have provided as part of SSOCS.
How long is an interview session? Approximately one hour (60 minutes).
When and where will the interview be conducted? The interview will be held in summer 2019. All interviews will be conducted through a simple-to-use web conferencing software.
Is participation mandatory? Your participation is completely voluntary. You can choose to not participate. You also have the right to stop participating at any time.
Who can I contact to participate or for more information? If you would like to discuss the interview further, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, at [email protected] or 202-403-6385, or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
CRDC Recruitment Materials
NCES Introduction Email
To: District Administrators
From: NCES
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seeks your feedback on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for your recent response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). As a follow up to the CRDC data collection for the 2017–18 school year, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education would like to conduct an interview with your district to better understand the process involved in reporting crime incidents on CRDC. We hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which participants will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
In addition to interviewing your district, NCES will conduct a separate interview with one or more schools in your district that provided similar data on crime incidents as part of a school-level survey conducted by NCES, the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). It is critical for us to hear from both districts and their schools to understand any differences in how crime incidents are reported in the two surveys. A school from your district has already agreed to participate in an interview and we need your help to fulfil this two-part interview operation by agreeing to participate in an interview to share information on the district’s reporting in CRDC.
First and foremost, please know this is not an evaluation of your district or your schools, and reports of our findings will not identify participating schools, districts, or staff. Your feedback will inform potential improvements to future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to CRDC. The results from your district and school(s) will be combined with others to help inform decisions to limit overlap between the two surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys. Although participation in the interview is voluntary, the success of this interview operation depends on the willingness of selected districts and their schools to participate.
NCES has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a research company, to facilitate the interviews and analyze results. A member of the AIR team will contact you via email within the next few days to schedule your interview. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another district staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the CRDC data collection process, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, at [email protected] or 202-403-6385, or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
We thank you in advance for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
James L. Woodworth
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
AIR Initial Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Provide feedback to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
My name is [Insert District and School Leader Name] and I am a researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). We have been contracted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to follow up with you on your district’s recent participation in the 2017–18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and to gather additional information on your experiences responding to survey questions about incidents of school crime.
Dr. James L. Woodworth, Commissioner of NCES, recently informed you that you have been selected to participate in a follow-up interview to discuss the process of reporting crime incidents on CRDC. We hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which participants will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
The purpose of this follow-up interview is to understand the differences in how districts and schools reported data in CRDC and the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), a school-level survey conducted by NCES. We are asking districts and schools that responded to these surveys and provided data for the 2017–18 school year to answer some questions about how they prepared their responses to the survey. In order to have a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing these items, we need to be able to interview both the school and the district. A school in your district has already agreed to participate in a separate interview, and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation. We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
More information on these interviews can be found below. I will call you within the next few days to answer any questions you may have and to schedule your interview. Alternatively, you may email [Insert AIR email] or call [Insert AIR telephone number] for additional information and to schedule an interview (or to let us know if you are not the correct person to respond to this request).
Thank you in advance for your assistance and we truly appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-up
The following scripts should NOT be read verbatim. Interviewers should familiarize themselves with the content in advance. The text in brackets [ ] represents instructions and possible scenarios for the interviewer.
My name is [Insert Name] from the American Institutes for Research. May I speak with [Insert District Administrator Name]?
SPEAKING WITH GATEKEEPER – POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
May I speak with [Insert District Administrator Name]?
Can you please connect me to [Insert District Administrator Name] voicemail so that I could leave a message?
[If asked why you are calling…] I am calling to speak with [Insert District Administrator Name] about an invitation that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sent to [her/him] to participate in an interview on school crime data.
May I leave a message for [Insert District Administrator Name] with you?
IF RETURNING A PHONE CALL OR MAKING SECOND CALL TO SAMPLE MEMBER
I am following up with [Insert District Administrator Name] regarding a message that I left on [Insert date].
I am returning [Insert Name]’s phone call. May I speak with [her/him]?
[IF NEEDED, see above for information on why you are calling]
LEAVING A VOICEMAIL MESSAGE or LEAVING A MESSAGE WITH GATEKEEPER
Hello [Insert District Administrator Name], my name is [Insert Your Name]. I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. We would like to follow up with you about an invitation you received inviting you to participate in an interview about your recent participation in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).
We are conducting follow-up interviews to learn more about the process that districts go through to fill out the (CRDC) as well as how schools within districts provide answers to the NCES School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in CRDC. In order to have a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing these items it is critical for us to hear from both schools and districts to understand any differences in how items on school crime data are reported in the two surveys. A school in your district has already agreed to participate in a separate interview to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided on the 2017-18 SSOCS, and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Please call me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] or contact me via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] to schedule your interview. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
SPEAKING WITH SAMPLE MEMBER, OR PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING CRDC ASKED WHY YOU ARE CALLING
I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, to follow up on a recent invitation they sent you to partake in an interview about your recent participation in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).
We are conducting interviews to learn more about the process that districts go through to fill out CRDC as well as how schools within districts provide answers to the NCES School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in CRDC. In order to have a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing items on school crime incidents, it is critical for us to hear from both schools and districts to understand any differences in how these items are reported in the two surveys. A school in your district has already agreed to participate in a separate interview to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided on the 2017-18 SSOCS and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. During the interview, we will ask you to share some information on how you report crime incidents on CRDC. The results from your district and the schools within your district will help inform decisions to limit overlap between the two surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys.
We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Do you have any questions?
Would you be willing to participate in the interview?
[If asked how Sample Member was selected…] You were selected because your district provides data for CRDC, and one or more schools in your district also provided data for SSOCS. Since one or more schools in your district has already agreed to participate in a separate interview to discuss their responses on the 2017-18 SSOCS, we would like to follow up on the responses your district provided for CRDC during the 2017–18 school year.
[If yes] Fantastic. I have a few quick questions just to make sure you are eligible for the interview:
Did you have primary responsibility for completing the section on counts of crime incidents that occurred at schools in your district in the 2017–18 CRDC?
Yes (Respondent is eligible for the study. SCHEDULE INTERVIEW.)
No (Respondent is not eligible for the study but PROCEED TO #2.)
Do you know who was responsible for completing this section of the 2017–18 CRDC data collection?
Yes
What was their name: __________________________________
What was their position: ________________________________
No, can you recommend someone who may know who filled out this section?
What is their name: __________________________________
What is their position: ________________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Sidney.)
Are they still employed in your district?
Yes, could you provide their contact information? _________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER.)
No (Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Sidney.)
[If district administrator is not eligible for the study]
Thank you for your time and information. Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews.
[If soft no] See REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE below
[If hard no] We know that there are many demands on your time. I completely understand. As always, you can reach out to us if you have questions or want to provide feedback to the team.
SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEW
Great! Thank you for your patience. Your input will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States. Would you be available to schedule the interview on [Insert day, time and time zone]?
[If not available] is there a different time that day or week that would work for you? Please suggest a time/date between [Insert a timeframe and time zone] that will work for you.
Great! I will send an email shortly confirming your participation on [Insert day of the week, month, day and time zone and time of scheduled interview], which will include the log-in information to participate in the web-based interview session. The email will also include a consent form and affidavit of non-disclosure, which we ask that you read, sign, and return to us by [INSERT DATE]. These forms must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
Is [Insert District Administrator email address] the correct email address to send this information to?
If you have any additional questions prior to your interview or need to reschedule, please feel free to reach out to me through the contact information provided in the confirmation email. I look forward to talking more with you soon.
REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE
May I answer any questions about the interview or the survey for you? [REFER TO FAQs TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS.]
Your participation is very important. Only a small number of districts have been selected to participate, and your experience will represent that of other similar districts. Your responses will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States.
The interview can be scheduled at your convenience.
To improve these surveys, we need your help. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that the information provided as part of this interview may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [if requested: 20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151]. Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary reports.
As you may or may not be aware, questions on crime incidents that appear in CRDC are also included in the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), a school-level survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Department of Education. We are exploring the context around the reporting of incident items in SSOCS and CRDC with the goal of removing the questions from one of these surveys and reducing the burden on responding schools and districts.
While your decision to participate is voluntary, we do hope that you will participate in the interview. The data you provide will be combined with the information provided by others and will help NCES to improve CRDC and SSOCS.
We recognize that everyone has different experiences with regard to reporting information in CRDC and we want to stress that there are no right or wrong answers. This interview is not an evaluation of your district or schools.
This is not an evaluation of your answers in CRDC. In order for us to advise NCES on which survey is best suited to collect this information, we need to hear your thoughtful and honest feedback. I want you to know that your participation is voluntary, and your responses will not be disclosed. They will only be used to improve future data collections. We want you to feel like you can speak freely, and what you say here will not be repeated outside of the research team.
Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: District Administrators
From: District and School Leader
Subject: RE: Provide feedback to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
I am writing to follow up about an email I sent [Insert date] informing you that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is seeking feedback from school districts who participated in the 2017–18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) to gain a better understanding of the process involved in reporting crime incidents. Your feedback will help improve federal surveys—including CRDC and the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), a school-level survey conducted by NCES—as well as reduce the burden of future data collections and ensure that the resulting data are more helpful to you, other districts, schools, states, and data users. To accomplish these goals, we need your help. We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which district administrators will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
You will be asked to answer questions about how your district collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at schools within your district, as well as on how you understand the questions on the CRDC questionnaire and report crime incidents there. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that your responses will not be disclosed, and this interview is not an evaluation of your district or your schools. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). While your decision to participate is voluntary, your participation is crucial to improve the data collection process for districts and their schools and to ensure that data on crime incidents in schools in the United States are of high quality. We hope that you will participate in the interview.
The interview session can be scheduled at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. More information on these interviews can be found below. You can contact me at [Insert AIR email] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] to ask any questions you may have and to schedule your interview today.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and we appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-Up #2
[This step in the recruitment process will use the same materials as the prior telephone follow-up step on page 24]
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder to provide feedback to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
We need your help to improve the collection of school crime data. We understand that this is a busy time of year, so we wanted to send you this friendly reminder about participating in a follow-up interview about school crime questions in the 2017–18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which participants will receive a $50 gift card as a “thank you” for their time and input.
One or more schools in your district has agreed to separately participate in an interview to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided as part of a school-level Department of Education survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). It is critical for us to hear from districts and their schools to understand any differences in how incidents of crime are reported in the two surveys, so we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
If you are willing to participate in an interview, please contact me at [Insert AIR Email address] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] with a date and time that will work for you between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another district staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the CRDC data collection process, please contact me using the information provided above.
Thank you for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Screener Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for contacting us and for your interest in participating in an interview to provide feedback on your experiences reporting school crime data.
Prior to scheduling an interview, we would like to confirm that you are eligible to participate. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions, which will help our research team determine your eligibility:
Did you have the primary responsibility for completing the section of the 2017–18 CRDC questionnaire reporting counts of crime incidents that occurred in your district?
If not, do you know who was responsible for completing the incident count questions in the 2017–18 CRDC questionnaire (or can you recommend who we should contact who might know)?
Please return your answers to these questions to me at [Insert AIR email address] by [Insert day, month, day, year]. I will follow up with you in the next few days via [email/telephone] to let you know if you are eligible to participate. In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can reach me at the above email address or [Insert AIR telephone number].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Eligibility/Scheduling Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: RE: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for returning your responses. Our team has reviewed your responses.
[If district administrator is not eligible for the study] Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews. We appreciate your time and assistance.
[If district administrator provides new contact] Thank you for providing the contact information for the person who completed the 2017-18 CRDC. We will follow up with him/her. We appreciate your assistance.
[SEND NEW CONTACT INVITATION EMAIL]
[If district administrator is eligible for the study] You are eligible to participate in an interview. As a reminder the interview will take approximately one-hour (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for your participation.
Would you be available to participate in an interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone]? If this day and/or time does not work for you, please provide a day and/or time that will work for you between [Insert Date] to [Insert Date].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text)
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Confirmation of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) interview
Attachments: Consent form; NDA; Survey Item Handout
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). I look forward to speaking with you on [Insert day of the week, month, day, 2019] at [Insert Time] [Insert Time Zone].
[If school has agreed to share their data] Since we are separately interviewing one or more schools in your district regarding their responses to school crime questions on the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), we may share some information about a school’s participation in SSOCS with you as part of your interview. We have received consent from the school to share this information, but we also need you to sign an affidavit of non-disclosure form to confirm you will not disclose this information outside of the interview.
Please review, sign, and return the attached affidavit of non-disclosure form and consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email] by [INSERT DATE]. These forms must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
[If school has NOT agreed to share their data] Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email] by [INSERT DATE]. This form must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
As a note, you may find it helpful to have access to information about incident crime reports in your district from the 2017-18 school year during the interview. We have attached a copy of the incident count questions in CRDC (“[FILE NAME].pdf”) for your reference.
To participate in the interview, which will be conducted using GoToMeeting—a simple web-based conferencing software that may need to be installed on your computer—click on the link below and you will instantly join the GoToMeeting session. You will have the option to call in using a phone number or use computer audio through the program.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/XXXXXXXXX
You can use computer audio or dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (XXX) XXX-XXX
Access Code: XXX-XXX-XXX
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/XXXXXXXXX
Should a scheduling conflict arise with the above interview date and time, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can reschedule your interview at your earliest convenience. You can reach me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] (weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm EDT) or via email at [insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Consent Form – District
You are invited to participate voluntarily in this interview, which is being administered by the American Institutes for Research, a contract research firm, on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of this interview is to help NCES learn about experiences schools and districts have with questions on crime incidents that were included in the 2017–18 administration of the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).0
The interview and discussion will take approximately 60 minutes. During the interview, you will be asked about your processes for collecting and reporting crime data. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions and this is not an evaluation of your school or district. We just want to hear about your experience with the surveys and gain an understanding of the processes you follow to answer the survey questions.
There is no physical risk to participating and, because we use strict protocols to protect your information, only minimal risk exists associated with data protection. You may refuse to answer any question, and you may take a break at any time. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes, and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). Although the interview session will be audio-recorded, the information collected will be used only for research purposes and recordings will be destroyed following the completion of the interviews. The information you give us will be combined with the responses of others in a summary report that does not identify you as an individual, your district, or schools within your district.
These interviews will help us improve the data collection process for districts and schools and ensure that data on crime incidents in U.S. schools are of high quality. Upon completing the interview, you will receive a $50 gift card in appreciation for your time and input.
If you have questions about this interview, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, via phone at 202-403-6385 or email at [email protected], or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
Consent to participate in interview:
I have read the attached consent form and all of my questions have been answered. I agree to participate in this interview.
Name of Participant________________________________
Signature of Participant________________________________
Date ___/___/___
Affidavit of Non-disclosure
____________________________________
(Job Title)
____________________________________ __________________________
(Organization, State or Local Agency Name) (Organization or Agency Address)
School Survey on Crime and Safety
(NCES Database, File, or Project Providing Access to Individually Identifiable Information)
I, __________________________________________________________________________ , do solemnly swear (or affirm) that when given access to information on schools that participated in the 2018–School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), I will not:
(i) use or reveal any individually identifiable information furnished, acquired, retrieved, or assembled by me or others, under the provisions of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. §9573) and Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, Title III, Part B, Confidential Information Protection for any purpose other than the statistical purposes specified in the NCES survey, project, or agreement;
(ii) publish or disclose any information whereby a sample unit or survey respondent (including principals, teachers, and schools) could be identified or the data furnished by or related to any particular person or school under these sections could be identified; or
(iii) permit anyone other than the individuals authorized by the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to examine the individual reports.
[The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of not more than $250,000 (under 18 U.S.C. 3571) or imprisonment for not more than five years (under 18 U.S.C. 3559), or both. The word "swear" should be stricken out when a person elects to affirm the affidavit rather than to swear to it.]
___________________________________ ____________________
(Signature) (Date)
Reminder Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder of Interview – National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about school crime data. I am looking forward to speaking with you [tomorrow or day], [month and date], at [Insert time and time zone]. As a reminder, the interview will last approximately one hour and we will send you a $50 gift card to thank you for your participation.
[IF CONSENT FORM AND/OR NDA NOT RETURNED]. We have not received your signed [NDA/Consent form], which must be completed before the start of the interview. Please review, sign, and return the attached [consent form/NDA] to me via email at [Insert AIR email address] prior to your interview.
Should you need to reach me regarding your interview session, please call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm (EDT) or email me at [Insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Thank-You Letter to Districts (Mailed)
[Insert Date]
[Insert District Administrator Name]
[Insert District Name]
[Insert Address]
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for your participation in the interview on school crime data on [Insert Date]. As a respondent to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to provide firsthand feedback on your experience. The results from your district and school(s) will help inform decisions on how to limit overlap between CRDC and the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys. As a token of our appreciation for your participation, we have included a $50 gift card with this letter.
Please let us know if you have any remaining questions about the interviews. I can be reached via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] or telephone at [Insert AIR Telephone Number]. Thank you again for your time and input!
Kind regards,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Enclosed
Gift card
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Request for Confirmation of Gift Card Delivery – National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) feedback interviews
Dear [Insert Name],
I hope this email finds you well. Thank you again for taking the time to provide valuable feedback about school crime data. I’m writing to request confirmation that you received the $50 gift card that [I/my colleague] mailed to your [home/school] address on [Insert Date]. Please reply to this email to confirm that you received the gift card.
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)? CRDC is a biennial (i.e., every other school year) survey conducted since 1968 and required by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). CRDC collects data from public local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools on leading civil rights indicators related to access and barriers to educational opportunity at the early childhood through grade 12 levels.
What is the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)? SSOCS is a recurring survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that focuses on the frequency of crime and violence in public schools and the programs and practices schools have developed to provide a safe school environment. SSOCS collects data from a sample of K–12 public schools.
Who is conducting this interview? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is conducting this study and has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to administer the interviews. AIR is a not-for-profit social science research organization headquartered in Washington, DC. AIR’s mission is to carry out and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people’s lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. You can learn more about AIR at www.air.org.
Will I be paid for participating? As a token of our appreciation for your participation, you will receive a $50 gift card within 10 business days of completing your interview.
How was my district selected? Districts that participated in the 2017–18 CRDC and that also had a school that participated in the 2018 SSOCS were identified using a random sampling procedure.
Can I participate if schools in my district do not participate? We have contacted you because one or more schools in your district have already agreed to participate in a separate interview to discuss the data on crime incidents they provided in the 2017–18 SSOCS data collection. It is critical for us to hear from districts and their schools to understand any differences in how incidents of crime are reported in the two surveys and we need your participation to fulfill this two-part interview operation.
What will I need to do? You will be asked to answer questions on how your district collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at schools in your district, as well as on how you understand the questions on the CRDC questionnaire and report crime incidents in CRDC. You will be asked to sign and return a consent form and an Affidavit of Non-disclosure in order to participate. All personal identifying information will be destroyed at the conclusion of all of the interviews.
Will my participation affect my responses to CRDC? No. While the interview will follow up on your district’s participation in CRDC during the 2017–18 school year, your feedback will be used only to inform potential improvements in future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to CRDC. Your responses will be used by NCES to gain a better understanding of the process involved for respondents to report crime incidents on CRDC and SSOCS and will not change any current or previous responses you have provided as part of CRDC.
How long is an interview session? Approximately one hour (60 minutes).
When and where will the interview be conducted? The interview will be held in summer 2019. All interviews will be conducted through a simple-to-use web conferencing software.
Is participation mandatory? Your participation is completely voluntary. You can choose to not participate. You also have the right to stop participating at any time.
Who can I contact to participate or for more information? If you would like to discuss the interview further, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, at [email protected] or 202-403-6385, or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
Revised Items for Phase 2
SSOCS Revised Recruitment Materials
NCES Introduction Email
To: School Administrators
From: NCES
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seeks your feedback on school crime data
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for your response to the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) during the 2017–18 school year. As a follow up to the SSOCS data collection, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education would like to conduct an interview with your school to better understand the process involved in reporting crime incidents on SSOCS. You are part of a select number of previous SSOCS respondents that have been sampled to participate in this important study. Therefore, your input will be used to represent similar schools across the country. We hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
Your feedback will inform potential improvements to future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to SSOCS. This is not an evaluation of your school or district, and reports of our findings will not identify participating schools, districts, or staff. The results from your school will be combined with others to help inform decisions to improve questions on school crime and safety across federal surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys. Although participation in the interview is voluntary, the success of this research depends on the willingness of selected schools to participate.
NCES has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a research organization, to facilitate the interviews and analyze results. A member of the AIR team will contact you via email within the next few days to schedule your interview. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another school staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the SOCSS data collection process, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 202-245-7082 or the AIR project lead, Korantema Kaleem at [email protected] or 202-403-6137.
We thank you in advance for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
Rachel Hansen James (Lynn) Woodworth, Ph. D.
NCES Project Officer Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Education
AIR Initial Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) needs your feedback on school crime and safety data
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
My name is [Insert District and School Leader Name] and I am a researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Dr. James L. Woodworth, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and Rachel Hansen, the project officer for the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), recently informed you that you have been selected to participate in a follow-up interview to discuss the process of reporting crime incidents for your school on SSOCS during the 2017–18 school year. AIR has been contracted by NCES to conduct these interviews with schools and we hope you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
The purpose of this follow-up interview is to understand the process schools use to collect and report data on SSOCS. Your feedback will assist NCES develop a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing SSOCS. For more information on this study, please see the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Your interview session can be scheduled at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. I will call you within the next few days to answer any questions you may have and to schedule your interview. Alternatively, you may email [Insert AIR email] or call [Insert AIR telephone number] for additional information and to schedule an interview (or to let us know if you are not the correct person to respond to this request).
Thank you in advance for your assistance and we truly appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-up
The following scripts should NOT be read verbatim. Interviewers should familiarize themselves with the content in advance. The text highlighted and in brackets represent fill-in-the-blank fields to personalize the conversation or instructions and possible scenarios for the interviewer.
My name is [Insert Name] from the American Institutes for Research. May I speak with [Insert School Administrator Name]?
SPEAKING WITH GATEKEEPER – POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
May I speak with [Insert School Administrator Name]?
Can you please connect me to [Insert School Administrator Name] voicemail so that I could leave a message?
[If asked why you are calling…] I am calling to speak with [Insert School Administrator Name] about an invitation that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sent to [her/him] to participate in an interview about their participation in the School Survey on Crime and Safety during the 2017-18 school year.
May I leave a message for [Insert School Administrator Name] with you?
IF RETURNING A PHONE CALL OR MAKING SECOND CALL TO SAMPLE MEMBER
I am following up with [Insert School Administrator Name] regarding a message that I left on [Insert date].
I am returning [Insert School Administrator Name]’s phone call. May I speak with [her/him]?
[IF NEEDED, see above for information on why you are calling]
LEAVING A VOICEMAIL MESSAGE or LEAVING A MESSAGE WITH GATEKEEPER:
Hello [Insert School Administrator Name], my name is [Insert Your Name]. I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. We would like to follow up with you about an invitation you received inviting you to participate in an interview about your participation in the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) during the 2017–18 school year.
We are conducting follow-up interviews to learn more about the process that schools go through to fill out SSOCS. We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in SSOCS. We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Please call me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] or contact me via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] to schedule your interview. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
SPEAKING WITH SAMPLE MEMBER OR PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING SSOCS ASKED WHY YOU ARE CALLING
I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, to follow up on a recent invitation they sent [Insert You/School Administrator] to partake in an interview about your participation in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS).
We are conducting interviews to learn more about the process schools go through to fill out SSOCS. We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in SSOCS.
We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. During the interview, we will ask you to share some information on how you report crime incidents on SSOCS. The results from your school will help inform decisions to improve questions on school crime and limit overlap between federal surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys.
We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Do you have any questions?
[If asked how sample member was selected…] You were selected because your school provided data for the 2017–18 SSOCS . We would like to follow up on some of the responses your school provided in that survey. .
Would you be willing to participate in the interview?
[If yes] Fantastic! I have a few quick questions just to make sure you are eligible for the interview:
Did you have primary responsibility for completing the questions on counts of crime incidents that occurred at school in the 2017–18 SSOCS?
Yes (Respondent is eligible for the study. SCHEDULE INTERVIEW.)
No (Respondent is not eligible for the study but PROCEED TO #2.)
Do you know who was responsible for completing this section of the 2017–18 SSOCS data collection?
Yes
What was their name? __________________________________
What was their position? ________________________________
No, can you recommend someone who may know who filled out this section?
What is their name? ______________
What is their position? ________________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Kathryn.)
Are they still employed in your school?
Yes, could you provide their contact information? _________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER.)
No (Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Kathryn.)
[If school administrator is not eligible for the study]
Thank you for your time and information. Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews.
[If soft no….] See REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE below
[If hard no] We know that there are many demands on your time. I completely understand. As always, you can reach out to us if you have questions or want to provide feedback to the team.
SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEW
Great, you are eligible to participate in this study. Your input will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States. Would you be available to participate in the interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone, if needed]?
[If not available…] Is there a different time that day or week that would work for you? Please suggest a time/date between [Insert a timeframe and time zone] that will work for you.
Great! I will send an email shortly confirming your participation on [Insert day of the week, month, day and time zone and time of scheduled interview], which will include the log-in information to participate in the web-based interview session. The email will also include a consent form, which we ask that you read, sign, and return to us by [INSERT DATE]. This form must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
Is [Insert School Administrator email address] the correct email address to send this information to?
If you have any additional questions prior to your interview or need to reschedule, please feel free to reach out to me through the contact information provided in the confirmation email. I look forward to talking more with you soon.
REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE
[If soft no or sample member demonstrates concerns] We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive and we want to ensure you your responses are protected. We also want to ensure you this is not an evaluation of your answers to SSOCS. We are hoping to gain information about your processes of reporting and gathering information.
May I answer any questions about the interview or the surveys for you? [REFER TO FAQs TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS.]
Your participation is very important. Only a small number of schools have been selected to participate, and your experience will represent that of similar schools. Your responses will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States.
The interview can be scheduled at your convenience.
To improve federal surveys, we need your help. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that the information provided as part of this interview may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [if requested: 20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151]. Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary reports.
While your decision to participate is voluntary, we do hope that you will participate in the interview. The data you provide will be combined with the information provided by others and will help NCES to improve SSOCS.
We recognize that everyone has different experiences with regard to reporting information in SSOCS and we want to stress that there are no right or wrong answers. This interview is not an evaluation of your school or district.
This is not an evaluation of your answers to SSOCS. In order for us to advise NCES on the best methods to collect this information, we need to hear your thoughtful and honest feedback. I want you to know that your participation is voluntary, and your responses will not be disclosed. They will only be used to improve future data collections. We want you to feel like you can speak freely, and what you say here will not be repeated outside of the research team.
Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seeks your feedback on school crime data
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
I am writing to follow up about an email I sent [Insert date] informing you that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is seeking feedback from schools who participated in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) to gain a better understanding of the process involved in reporting crime incidents. Your feedback will help improve federal surveys—including SSOCS—as well as reduce the burden of future data collections and ensure that the resulting data are more helpful to you, other schools, districts, states, and data users. To accomplish these goals, we need your help. We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
You will be asked to answer questions about how your school collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at school, and how you understand the questions on the SSOCS questionnaire and report crime incidents there. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that your responses will not be disclosed, and this interview is not an evaluation of your school. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). You are part of a select number of schools that have been sampled to participate in an interview. Therefore, your input will be used to represent similar schools across the country.
While your decision to participate is voluntary, your participation is crucial to improve the data collection process for schools and to ensure that data on crime and safety issues in schools in the United States are of high quality. We hope that you will participate in an interview.
An interview session can be scheduled at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. More information on these interviews can be found below. You can contact me at [Insert AIR Email] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] with any questions you may have and to schedule your interview today.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and we appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-Up #2
[This step in the recruitment process will use the same materials as the prior telephone follow-up step on page 44]
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: School Administrators
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder to participate in the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) interviews on school crime
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
We need your help to improve the collection of school crime data. We understand that this is a busy time of year, so we wanted to send you this friendly reminder about participating in a follow-up interview about your experiences with school crime questions in the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
If you are willing to participate in an interview, please contact me at [Insert AIR Email address] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] with a date and time that will work for you between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the SSOCS data collection process, please contact me using the information provided above.
Thank you for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-Up #3
[This step in the recruitment process will use the same materials as the prior telephone follow-up step on page 44]
Screener Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for contacting us and for your interest in participating in an interview to provide feedback on your experiences reporting school crime data.
Prior to scheduling an interview, we would like to confirm that you are eligible to participate. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions, which will help our research team determine your eligibility:
Did you have the primary responsibility for completing the section of the 2017–18 SSOCS questionnaire reporting counts of crime incidents that occurred at your school?
If not, do you know who was responsible for completing the incident count questions in the 2017–18SSOCS questionnaire (or can you recommend who we should contact who might know)?
Please return your answers to these questions to me at [Insert AIR email address] by [Insert day, month, day, year]. I will follow up with you in the next few days via [email/telephone] to let you know if you are eligible to participate. In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can reach me at the above email address or [Insert AIR telephone number].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Eligibility/Scheduling Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: RE: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for returning your responses. .
[If school administrator is not eligible for the study] Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews. We appreciate your time and assistance.
[If original sample member provides new contact] Thank you for providing the contact information for the person who completed the 2017–18 SSOCS. We will follow up with him/her. We appreciate your assistance.
[SEND NEW CONTACT INVITATION EMAIL]
[If school administrator is eligible for the study] You are eligible to participate in an interview. As a reminder the interview will take approximately one hour (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a thank you for your participation.
Please let me know if you will be available to participate in an interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone]? If this day and/or time does not work for you, please provide a day and/or time that will work for you between [Insert Date] to [Insert Date].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text)
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Confirmation of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) interview
Attachment: Consent form; Survey Item Handout
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). I look forward to speaking with you on [Insert day of the week, month, day, 2020] at [Insert Time] [Insert Time Zone].
Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email] by [INSERT DATE]. This form must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
The interview will be conducted through a simple-to-use web-conferencing software, GoToMeeting, that may need to be installed on your computer. You will need to join the meeting by clicking the link below; you will have the option to use your computer audio or dial in using your phone:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/XXXXXXXXX
You can use computer audio or dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (XXX) XXX-XXX
Access Code: XXX-XXX-XXX
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/XXXXXXXXX
As a note, you may find it helpful to have access to information about incident crime reports in your school from the 2017-18 school year during the interview. We have attached a copy of the incident count questions on SSOCS (“[FILE NAME].pdf”) for your reference.
You will receive a $75 gift card as a thank-you for your time and participation. The gift card will be mailed to you within two business days after your completed interview.
Should a scheduling conflict arise with the above interview date and time, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can reschedule your interview at your earliest convenience. You can reach me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] (weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm EST) or via email at [insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Consent Form - School
You are invited to participate voluntarily in this interview, which is being administered by the American Institutes for Research, a contract research firm, on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of this interview is to help NCES learn about experiences schools have with questions on crime incidents that were included in the 2017–18 administration of the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS).0
The interview and discussion will take approximately 60 minutes. During the interview, you will be asked about your processes for collecting and reporting crime data. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, and this is not an evaluation of your school. We just want to hear about your experience with the survey and gain an understanding of the processes you follow to answer the survey questions.
There is no physical risk to participating and, because we use strict protocols to protect your information, only minimal risk exists associated with data protection. You may refuse to answer any question, and you may take a break at any time. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes, and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). Although the interview session will be audio-recorded, the information collected will be used only for research purposes and recordings will be destroyed following the completion of the interviews. The information you give us will be combined with the responses of others in a summary report that does not identify you as an individual, your school, or your district.
These interviews will help us improve the data collection process for schools and districts and ensure that data on crime incidents in U.S. schools are of high quality. Upon completing the interview, you will receive a $75 gift card in appreciation for your time and input.
If you have questions about this interview, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Korantema Kaleem, via phone at 202-403-6137 or email at [email protected], or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
Consent to participate in interview:
I have read the attached consent form and all of my questions have been answered. I agree to participate in this interview.
Name of Participant________________________________
Signature of Participant________________________________
Date ___/___/___
Reminder Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder of Interview
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about school crime data. I am looking forward to speaking with you [tomorrow or day], [month and date], at [Insert time and time zone]. As a reminder, the interview will last approximately one hour, and we will send you a $75 gift card to thank you for your participation.
[IF CONSENT FORM NOT RETURNED]. We have not received your signed consent form. Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email address] by [DATE].
You will need to join the meeting by clicking the link below; you will have the option to use your computer audio or dial in using your phone:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/XXXXXXXXX
You can use computer audio or dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (XXX)
XXX-XXX
Access
Code: XXX-XXX-XXX
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first
meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/XXXXXXXXX
Should you need to reach me regarding your interview session, please call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm (EST) or email me at [Insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Thank You Letter to Schools (Mailed)
[Insert Date]
[School Administrator Name]
[Insert School Name]
[Insert Address]
Dear [Insert School Administrator Name],
Thank you for your participation in the interview on school crime data on [Insert Date]. As a respondent to the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to provide firsthand feedback on your experience. Your feedback will help improve federal surveys—including SSOCS—as well as reduce the burden of future data collections and ensure the resulting data are more helpful to you, other schools, districts, states, and data users. As a token of our appreciation for your participation, we have included a $75 gift card with this letter.
Please let us know if you have any remaining questions about the interviews. I can be reached via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] or telephone at [Insert AIR Telephone Number]. Thank you again for your time and input!
Kind regards,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Enclosed
Gift card
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email
To: School Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Request for Confirmation of Gift Card Delivery
Dear [INSERT NAME],
I hope this email finds you well. Thank you again for taking the time to provide valuable feedback about school crime data. I’m writing to request confirmation that you received the $75 gift card that [I/my colleague] mailed to your [home/school] address on [Insert Date]. Please reply to this email to confirm that you received the gift card.
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)? SSOCS is a recurring survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that focuses on the frequency of crime and violence in public schools and the programs and practices schools have developed to provide a safe school environment. SSOCS collects data from a sample of K–12 public schools.
Who is conducting this interview? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is conducting this study and has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to administer the interviews. AIR is a not-for-profit social science research organization headquartered in Washington, DC. AIR’s mission is to carry out and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people’s lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. You can learn more about AIR at www.air.org.
Will I be paid for participating? As a token of our appreciation for your participation, you will receive a $75 gift card within 10 business days of completing your interview.
How was my school selected? Schools that participated in the 2017–18 SSOCS were identified using a random sampling procedure.
What will I need to do? You will be asked to answer questions on how your school collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at your school, as well as on how you understand the questions on the SSOCS questionnaire and report crime incidents in SSOCS. You will be asked to sign and return a consent form in order to participate. All personal identifying information will be destroyed at the conclusion of all of the interviews.
Will my participation affect my responses to SSOCS? No. While the interview will follow up on your school’s participation in the 2017–18 SSOCS, your feedback will be used only to inform potential improvements in future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to SSOCS. Your responses will be used by NCES to gain a better understanding of the process involved for respondents to report crime incidents on SSOCS and will not change any previous responses you have provided as part of SSOCS.
How long is an interview session? Approximately one hour (60 minutes).
When and where will the interview be conducted? The interview will be held in early 2020 (February-April). All interviews will be conducted through a simple-to-use web conferencing software.
Is participation mandatory? Your participation is completely voluntary. You can choose to not participate. You also have the right to stop participating at any time.
Who can I contact to participate or for more information? If you would like to discuss the interview further, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Korantema Kaleem, at [email protected] or 202-403-6385, or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
CRDC Revised Recruitment Materials
NCES Introduction Email
To: District Administrators
From: NCES
Subject: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seeks your feedback on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for your response to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2017–18 school year. As a follow up to the CRDC data collection, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education would like to conduct an interview with your district to better understand the process involved in reporting crime incidents on CRDC. You are part of a select number of previous CRDC respondents that have been sampled to participate in this important study. Therefore, your input will be used to represent similar districts across the country. We hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
Your feedback will inform potential improvements to future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to CRDC. This is not an evaluation of your district or schools, and reports of our findings will not identify participating districts or staff. The results from your district will be combined with others to help inform decisions to improve questions on school crime and safety across federal surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys. Although participation in the interview is voluntary, the success of this research depends on the willingness of selected districts to participate.
NCES has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a research organization, to facilitate the interviews and analyze results. A member of the AIR team will contact you via email within the next few days to schedule your interview. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another district staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the CRDC data collection process, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 202-245-7082 or the AIR project lead, Korantema Kaleem, at [email protected] or 202-403-6137.
We thank you in advance for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
Rachel Hansen James (Lynn) Woodworth, Ph. D.
NCES project officer Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Education
AIR Initial Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Provide feedback to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
My name is [Insert District and School Leader Name] and I am a researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Dr. James L. Woodworth, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and Rachel Hansen, the project officer for school crime surveys, recently informed you that you have been selected to participate in a follow-up interview to discuss the process of reporting crime incidents for your district on the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) during the 2017–18 school year . AIR has been contracted by NCES to conduct these interviews with districts and we hope that you will help us by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
The purpose of this follow-up interview is to understand the process districts use to collect and report data on the CRDC. Your responses will assist NCES develop a complete picture of the reporting process and burden involved with completing the CRDC. For more information on this study, please see the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Your interview session can be scheduled at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. I will call you within the next few days to answer any questions you may have and to schedule your interview. Alternatively, you may email [Insert AIR email] or call [Insert AIR telephone number] for additional information and to schedule an interview (or to let us know if you are not the correct person to respond to this request).
Thank you in advance for your assistance and we truly appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-up
The following scripts should NOT be read verbatim. Interviewers should familiarize themselves with the content in advance. The text highlighted and in brackets represent fill-in-the-blank fields to personalize the conversation or instructions and possible scenarios for the interviewer.
My name is [Insert Name] from the American Institutes for Research. May I speak with [Insert District Administrator Name]?
SPEAKING WITH GATEKEEPER – POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
May I speak with [Insert District Administrator Name]?
Can you please connect me to [Insert District Administrator Name] voicemail so that I could leave a message?
[If asked why you are calling…] I am calling to speak with [Insert District Administrator Name] about an invitation that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sent to [her/him] to participate in an interview about their participation in the Civil Rights Data Collection during the 2017-18 school year.
May I leave a message for [Insert District Administrator Name] with you?
IF RETURNING A PHONE CALL OR MAKING SECOND CALL TO SAMPLE MEMBER
I am following up with [Insert District Administrator Name] regarding a message that I left on [Insert date].
I am returning [Insert District Administrator Name]’s phone call. May I speak with [her/him]?
[IF NEEDED, see above for information on why you are calling]
LEAVING A VOICEMAIL MESSAGE or LEAVING A MESSAGE WITH GATEKEEPER:
Hello [Insert District Administrator Name], my name is [Insert Your Name]. I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. We would like to follow up with you about an invitation you received inviting you to participate in an interview about your participation in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) during the 2017-18 school year.
We are conducting follow-up interviews to learn more about the process that districts go through to fill out the CRDC. We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in CRDC. We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Please call me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] or contact me via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] to schedule your interview. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
SPEAKING WITH SAMPLE MEMBER, OR PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING CRDC ASKED WHY YOU ARE CALLING
I am calling from the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, to follow up on a recent invitation they sent [Insert You/District Administrator]to partake in an interview about your participation in the 2017-18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).
We are conducting interviews to learn more about the process districts go through to fill out CRDC. We want to learn about your experiences with responding to questions about incidents of school crime that are included in CRDC.
We hope that you will help by participating in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input. During the interview, we will ask you to share some information on how you report crime incidents on CRDC. The results from your district will help inform decisions to improve questions on school crime and limit overlap between federal surveys, which will reduce the amount of time required to complete the surveys.
We can schedule an interview at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date].
Do you have any questions?
[If asked how Sample Member was selected…] You were selected because your district provided data for 2017-18 CRDC. We would like to follow up on some of the responses your district provided in that survey.
Would you be willing to participate in the interview?
[If yes] Fantastic. I have a few quick questions just to make sure you are eligible for the interview:
Did you have primary responsibility for completing the section on counts of crime incidents that occurred at schools in your district in the 2017–18 CRDC?
Yes (Respondent is eligible for the study. SCHEDULE INTERVIEW.)
No (Respondent is not eligible for the study but PROCEED TO #2.)
Do you know who was responsible for completing this section of the 2017–18 CRDC data collection?
Yes
No, can you recommend someone who may know who filled out this section?
What is their name: __________________________________
What is their position: ________________________________
(Thank
them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Kathryn.)
Are they still employed in your district?
Yes, could you provide their contact information? _________________________
(Thank them. END OF SCREENER.)
No (Thank them. END OF SCREENER. Contact Jana/Korantema/Kathryn.)
[If district administrator is not eligible for the study]
Thank you for your time and information. Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews.
[If soft no] See REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE below
[If hard no] We know that there are many demands on your time. I completely understand. As always, you can reach out to us if you have questions or want to provide feedback to the team.
SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEW
Great, you are eligible to participate in this study. Your input will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in districts in the United States. Would you be available to schedule the interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone, if needed]?
[If not available] Is there a different time that day or week that would work for you? Please suggest a time/date between [Insert a timeframe and time zone] that will work for you.
Great! I will send an email shortly confirming your participation on [Insert day of the week, month, day and time zone and time of scheduled interview], which will include the log-in information to participate in the web-based interview session. The email will also include a consent form which we ask that you read, sign, and return to us by [INSERT DATE]. This form must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
Is [Insert District Administrator email address] the correct email address to send this information to?
If you have any additional questions prior to your interview or need to reschedule, please feel free to reach out to me through the contact information provided in the confirmation email. I look forward to talking more with you soon.
REFUSAL CONVERSION SUGGESTED LANGUAGE
[If soft no or sample member demonstrates concerns] We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive and we want to ensure you your responses are protected. We also want to ensure you this is not an evaluation of your answers to the CRDC. We are hoping to gain information about your processes of reporting and gathering information.
May I answer any questions about the interview or the survey for you? [REFER TO FAQs TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERVIEWS.]
Your participation is very important. Only a small number of districts have been selected to participate, and your experience will represent that of other similar districts. Your responses will help improve the data collection and reporting of crime incidents in schools in the United States.
The interview can be scheduled at your convenience.
To improve federal surveys, we need your help. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that the information provided as part of this interview may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [if requested: 20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151]. Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary reports.
While your decision to participate is voluntary, we do hope that you will participate in the interview. The data you provide will be combined with the information provided by others and will help NCES to improve the CRDC.
We recognize that everyone has different experiences with regard to reporting information on the CRDC and we want to stress that there are no right or wrong answers. This interview is not an evaluation of your district or schools.
This is not an evaluation of your answers on the CRDC. In order for us to advise NCES on the best methods to collect this information, we need to hear your thoughtful and honest feedback. I want you to know that your participation is voluntary, and your responses will not be disclosed. They will only be used to improve future data collections. We want you to feel like you can speak freely, and what you say here will not be repeated outside of the research team.
Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: District Administrators
From: District and School Leader
Subject: RE: Provide feedback to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
I am writing to follow up about an email I sent [Insert date] informing you that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is seeking feedback from school districts who participated in the 2017–18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) to gain a better understanding of the process involved in reporting crime incidents. Your feedback will help improve federal surveys—including CRDC—as well as reduce the burden of future data collections and ensure that the resulting data are more helpful to you, other districts, schools, states, and data users. To accomplish these goals, we need your help. We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
You will be asked to answer questions about how your district collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at schools within your district, and how you understand the questions on the CRDC questionnaire and report crime incidents there. We realize that data on school crime are highly sensitive, so we want to remind you that your responses will not be disclosed, and this interview is not an evaluation of your district or your schools. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). You are part of a select number of districts that have been sampled to participate in an interview. Therefore, your input will be used to represent similar districts across the country.
While your decision to participate is voluntary, your participation is crucial to improve the data collection process for districts and to ensure that data on crime and safety issues in schools in the United States are of high quality. We hope that you will participate in an interview.
An interview session can be scheduled at your convenience between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. More information on these interviews can be found below. You can contact me at [Insert AIR email] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] with any questions you may have and to schedule your interview today.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and we appreciate your willingness to provide feedback.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-Up #2
[This step in the recruitment process will use the same materials as the prior telephone follow-up step on page 62]
2nd Nonresponse Follow-up Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder to provide feedback to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on school crime data
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
We need your help to improve the collection of school crime data. We understand that this is a busy time of year, so we wanted to send you this friendly reminder about participating in a follow-up interview about your experiences with school crime questions in the 2017–18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). We hope that you will participate in a one-hour interview (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a “thank you” for your time and input.
If you are willing to participate in an interview, please contact me at [Insert AIR Email address] or call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] with a date and time that will work for you between [Insert Start Date] and [Insert End Date]. If you would like to discuss this request further or if you believe another district staff member would be in a better position to provide information about the CRDC data collection process, please contact me using the information provided above.
Thank you for your assistance and support.
Sincerely,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Telephone Follow-Up #3
[This step in the recruitment process will use the same materials as the prior telephone follow-up step on page 62]
Screener Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for contacting us and for your interest in participating in an interview to provide feedback on your experiences reporting school crime data.
Prior to scheduling an interview, we would like to confirm that you are eligible to participate. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions, which will help our research team determine your eligibility:
Did you have the primary responsibility for completing the section of the 2017–18 CRDC questionnaire reporting counts of crime incidents that occurred in your district?
If not, do you know who was responsible for completing the incident count questions in the 2017–18 CRDC questionnaire (or can you recommend who we should contact who might know)?
Please return your answers to these questions to me at [Insert AIR email address] by [Insert day, month, day, year]. I will follow up with you in the next few days via [email/telephone] to let you know if you are eligible to participate. In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can reach me at the above email address or [Insert AIR telephone number].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Eligibility/Scheduling Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: RE: Thank you for your interest
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for returning your responses.
[If district administrator is not eligible for the study] Unfortunately, you do not currently qualify to participate in the interviews. We appreciate your time and assistance.
[If district administrator provides new contact] Thank you for providing the contact information for the person who completed the 2017–18 CRDC. We will follow up with him/her. We appreciate your assistance.
[SEND NEW CONTACT INVITATION EMAIL]
[If district administrator is eligible for the study] You are eligible to participate in an interview. As a reminder the interview will take approximately one-hour (by video or phone conference) for which you will receive a $75 gift card as a thank you for your participation.
Please let me know if you will be available to participate in an interview on [Insert day] at [Insert time and time zone]? If this day and/or time does not work for you, please provide a day and/or time that will work for you between [Insert Date] to [Insert Date].
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Confirmation Email (Outlook Invite Text)
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Confirmation of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) interview
Attachments: Consent form; Survey Item Handout
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). I look forward to speaking with you on [Insert day of the week, month, day, 2020] at [Insert Time] [Insert Time Zone].
Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email] by [INSERT DATE]. These forms must be completed for us to conduct your interview as scheduled.
The interview will be conducted through a simple-to-use web-conferencing software, GoToMeeting, that may need to be installed on your computer. You will need to join the meeting by clicking the link below; you will have the option to use your computer audio or dial in using your phone:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/XXXXXXXXX
You can use computer audio or dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (XXX) XXX-XXX
Access Code: XXX-XXX-XXX
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/XXXXXXXXX
As a note, you may find it helpful to have access to information about incident crime reports in your district from the 2017-18 school year during the interview. We have attached a copy of the incident count questions in CRDC (“[FILE NAME].pdf”) for your reference.
You will receive a $75 gift card as a thank-you for your time and participation. The gift card will be mailed to you within two business days after your completed interview.
Should a scheduling conflict arise with the above interview date and time, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can reschedule your interview at your earliest convenience. You can reach me at [Insert AIR Telephone Number] (weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm EST) or via email at [insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Consent Form – District
You are invited to participate voluntarily in this interview, which is being administered by the American Institutes for Research, a contract research firm, on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of this interview is to help NCES learn about experiences districts have with questions on crime incidents that were included in the 2017–18 administration of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).0
The interview and discussion will take approximately 60 minutes. During the interview, you will be asked about your processes for collecting and reporting crime data. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, and this is not an evaluation of your district or schools. We just want to hear about your experience with the survey and gain an understanding of the processes you follow to answer the survey questions.
There is no physical risk to participating and, because we use strict protocols to protect your information, only minimal risk exists associated with data protection. You may refuse to answer any question, and you may take a break at any time. The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes, and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). Although the interview session will be audio-recorded, the information collected will be used only for research purposes and recordings will be destroyed following the completion of the interviews. The information you give us will be combined with the responses of others in a summary report that does not identify you as an individual, your district, or schools within your district.
These interviews will help us improve the data collection process for districts and schools and ensure that data on crime incidents in U.S. schools are of high quality. Upon completing the interview, you will receive a $75 gift card in appreciation for your time and input.
If you have questions about this interview, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Korantema Kaleem, via phone at 202-403-6137 or email at [email protected], or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
Consent to participate in interview:
I have read the attached consent form and all of my questions have been answered. I agree to participate in this interview.
Name of Participant________________________________
Signature of Participant________________________________
Date ___/___/___
Reminder Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Reminder of Interview – National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to participate in an interview about school crime data. I am looking forward to speaking with you [tomorrow or day], [month and date], at [Insert time and time zone]. As a reminder, the interview will last approximately one hour and we will send you a $75 gift card to thank you for your participation.
[IF CONSENT FORM NOT RETURNED]. We have not received your signed consent form. Please review, sign, and return the attached consent form to me via email at [Insert AIR email address] by [DATE].
You will need to join the meeting by clicking the link below; you will have the option to use your computer audio or dial in using your phone:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/XXXXXXXXX
You can use computer audio or dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (XXX)
XXX-XXX
Access
Code: XXX-XXX-XXX
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first
meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/XXXXXXXXX
Should you need to reach me regarding your interview session, please call [Insert AIR Telephone Number] weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm (EST) or email me at [Insert AIR email].
Thank you again for your help!
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Thank-You Letter to Districts (Mailed)
[Insert Date]
[Insert District Administrator Name]
[Insert District Name]
Dear [Insert District Administrator Name],
Thank you for your participation in the interview on school crime data on [Insert Date]. As a respondent to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to provide firsthand feedback on your experience. Your feedback will help improve federal surveys—including CRDC—as well as reduce the burden of future data collections and ensure the resulting data are more helpful to you, other schools, districts, states, and data users. As a token of our appreciation for your participation, we have included a $75 gift card with this letter.
Please let us know if you have any remaining questions about the interviews. I can be reached via email at [Insert AIR Email Address] or telephone at [Insert AIR Telephone Number]. Thank you again for your time and input!
Kind regards,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Enclosed
Gift card
Confirmation of Receipt of Gift Card Email
To: District Administrator
From: District and School Leader
Subject: Request for Confirmation of Gift Card Delivery – National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) feedback interviews
Dear [Insert Name],
I hope this email finds you well. Thank you again for taking the time to provide valuable feedback about school crime data. I’m writing to request confirmation that you received the $75 gift card that [I/my colleague] mailed to your [home/school] address on [Insert Date]. Please reply to this email to confirm that you received the gift card.
Thank you,
[Insert District and School Leader Name]
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
[Insert AIR Email]
[Insert AIR Phone number]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)? CRDC is a biennial (i.e., every other school year) survey conducted since 1968 and required by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). CRDC collects data from public local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools on leading civil rights indicators related to access and barriers to educational opportunity at the early childhood through grade 12 levels.
Who is conducting this interview? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is conducting this study and has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to administer the interviews. AIR is a not-for-profit social science research organization headquartered in Washington, DC. AIR’s mission is to carry out and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people’s lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. You can learn more about AIR at www.air.org.
Will I be paid for participating? As a token of our appreciation for your participation, you will receive a $75 gift card within 10 business days of completing your interview.
How was my district selected? Districts that participated in the 2017–18 CRDC were identified using a random sampling procedure.
What will I need to do? You will be asked to answer questions on how your district collects data on crime incidents that have occurred at schools in your district, as well as on how you understand the questions on the CRDC questionnaire and report crime incidents in CRDC. You will be asked to sign and return a consent form in order to participate. All personal identifying information will be destroyed at the conclusion of all of the interviews.
Will my participation affect my responses to CRDC? No. While the interview will follow up on your district’s participation in CRDC during the 2017–18 school year, your feedback will be used only to inform potential improvements in future data collections and will not impact your current or prior responses to CRDC. Your responses will be used by NCES to gain a better understanding of the process involved for respondents to report crime incidents on CRDC and will not change any previous responses you have provided as part of CRDC.
How long is an interview session? Approximately one hour (60 minutes).
When and where will the interview be conducted? The interview will be held in early 2020 (February-April). All interviews will be conducted through a simple-to-use web conferencing software.
Is participation mandatory? Your participation is completely voluntary. You can choose to not participate. You also have the right to stop participating at any time.
Who can I contact to participate or for more information? If you would like to discuss the interview further, please feel free to contact the AIR project lead, Korantema Kaleem, at [email protected] or 202-403-6137, or the NCES project officer, Rachel Hansen, at [email protected] or 202-245-7082.
Recruitment Logistics
1 business week later:
PHONE
follow-up #3
No
response
Recruitment Flow Chart
0 NCES is authorized to conduct the [study (abr)] by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543), and this study has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB# 1850-0803 v.250). The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).
0 NCES is authorized to conduct the [study (abr)] by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543), and this study has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB# 1850-0803 v.250). The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).
0 NCES is authorized to conduct the study on school crime and safety data by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543), and this study has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB# 1850-0803 v.XXX). The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).
0 NCES is authorized to conduct the study on school crime and safety data by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543), and this study has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB# 1850-0803 v.XXX). The information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | American Institutes for Research |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-14 |
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