Implementation Evaluation of the Title III National Professional Development Program

Appendix A. Recruitment Materials

Draft December 2020 

Initial Notification Letter for Project Directors

Dear [NPD Grantee Project Director],

We are writing to request your participation in the U.S. Department of Education’s (the Department’s) Implementation Evaluation of the National Professional Development (NPD) Program, which is examining the implementation of English learner (EL) teacher education strategies supported through the NPD program. We would like to take this opportunity to explain the study purpose and design and to ask for your cooperation and support.

This evaluation is designed to provide a detailed look at how NPD grantees are addressing the program’s goals of improving classroom instruction for ELs and helping educational personnel working with ELs meet high professional standards. This study will conduct a survey of all 2016 and 2017 grantees in spring 2021 to obtain information about the types of activities that grantees have implemented, factors that have supported or hindered implementation of those activities, program outcomes, and any efforts to sustain activities after the grant period ends. The study will also survey participants in NPD-funded activities to learn about their experiences engaging in professional learning opportunities supported by the program.

As you may know, Department regulations require recipients of federal funds to cooperate in evaluations of grant programs under which they receive funding (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591), including this one. At the same time, we recognize that you have many demands on your time, and we have therefore designed the survey to minimize the burden of participation. We estimate that the survey will require about 30 to 60 minutes to complete. In addition, the study team will be requesting rosters of the participants in your grant activities for the participant survey.

The study is being conducted by the Department, in partnership with the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®). AIR will send you an email shortly with a link to the survey. If you have any questions, you may contact Andrea Boyle at [email protected] or 1-800-XXX-XXXX. If you have any questions about the requirement to participate, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. A member of the AIR study team will follow-up with you with a request for a roster of participants in your grant activities for the participant survey.

Survey responses are confidential and will be used only for broadly descriptive purposes. The reports prepared for the study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific individual or NPD grantee. Upon completion of this study, AIR will produce a publicly available report to share its findings on NPD program implementation. Again, we appreciate your cooperation and support in enabling this study to inform policymakers and other stakeholders about how NPD grantees are supporting EL educators. The findings will help inform future NPD grant competitions and identify areas for future research. We thank you for providing the expertise and time needed for the success of the study.

Sincerely,

Tracy Rimdzius
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

Project Director Survey Administration Email

Dear [NPD Grantee Project Director],

Earlier today, you received an email from the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) regarding the Implementation Evaluation of the National Professional Development (NPD) Program, which is studying how NPD grantees are addressing the program’s goals of improving classroom instruction for English learners (ELs) and helping educational personnel working with ELs meet high professional standards.

At your earliest convenience, please access and complete the survey using the following link:

[insert link]

The survey should take approximately 30 to 60 minutes of your time and will ask about the activities you and your partners have supported through the NPD grant program.

As a reminder, Department regulations require recipients of federal funds to cooperate in evaluations of grant programs under which they receive funding (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591), including this one. We ask that you please finalize and submit your survey responses by [insert target end date].

If you have any questions about this survey, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 1‑800‑XXX-XXXX.

We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and support for this important data collection!

Best regards,

Andrea Boyle
American Institutes for Research® (AIR®)

Participant Survey Administration Email

Dear [NPD Grantee Participant],

The American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) is conducting a study on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education that is examining teacher preparation and professional learning opportunities supported by the Title III National Professional Development (NPD) Program, a federal program designed to help educational personnel working with English learners (ELs) meet high professional standards and improve classroom instruction for ELs. This study includes a survey of pre-service and in-service educators who engaged in activities supported by the NPD program since summer 2019. Eligible participants will receive a $20 gift card after completing the survey.

You have been selected to participate in this survey based on your participation in the following NPD-supported project:

[Insert name and brief description of the NPD grant project]

At your earliest convenience, please access and complete the survey using the following link:

[insert link]

The survey should take approximately 40 minutes of your time and will ask about your experiences. Your participation in the survey is voluntary.

We ask that you please complete the survey by [insert target end date].

If you have any questions about this survey, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 1‑800‑XXX-XXXX.

We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and support for this important data collection!

Best regards,

Rebecca Bergey
American Institutes for Research® (AIR®)

Recruitment Flier

Implementation Evaluation of the National Professional Development (NPD) Program

As the number of English learners (ELs) in the United States has increased, meeting the demand for EL teacher education has become a key challenge. The evidence base on effective instructional strategies for ELs is limited, and requirements for teacher credentialing vary across states. The National Professional Development (NPD) Program attempts to address demand for better EL teacher education by supporting institutions of higher education in partnership with states and districts. The goals of the NPD program are to help educational personnel working with ELs meet high professional standards and to improve classroom instruction for ELs. The U.S. Department of Education has funded 484 NPD grants since 2002. There are currently two active cohorts, funded in 2016 and 2017. These grants fund a variety of activities for both preservice and in-service educators. The Implementation Evaluation of the NPD Program will provide a systematic assessment of strategies used by the current grantees to inform future grant competitions and evaluations in the area of teacher education for ELs.

Study team: American Institutes for Research®

EVALUATION questions

• _{What are the goals of NPD-funded projects, and what strategies are NPD grantees implementing to address those goals?} ​

• _{What factors facilitate or hinder grantees’ implementation of NPD program strategies? What challenges have NPD grantees and participants identified to adequately prepare EL teachers in general?} ​

• _{How have NPD grantees changed EL-related teacher preparation and professional development?}

• What are pre-service and in-service educators’ perceptions of the content and usefulness of the NPD-supported activities in which they participated?

data collection activities

Early 2021: Request rosters from all grantees

Early 2021: Online survey of all grantees

Spring 2021: Online survey of participants

Spring 2021: SEA/LEA partner interviews with a subset of grantees

Informed Consent Document

Implementation Evaluation of the National Professional
Development (NPD) Program

Informed Consent

Purpose

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education has contracted with the American Institutes for Research^® (AIR^®) to conduct a study that requires your assistance. The purpose of the Implementation Evaluation of the National Professional Development (NPD) Program is to provide detailed information regarding the pre-service and in-service training approaches used by NPD grantees to improve teacher preparation and readiness for teaching English learners (ELs). The surveys will provide information about the types of activities that grantees have implemented, factors that have supported or hindered implementation of those activities, and any efforts to sustain activities after the grant period ends.

To assist with the study, we are asking NPD project directors and selected participants from NPD grant projects to participate in surveys^* NPD project directors are expected to participate in the study (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591). It is voluntary for NPD participants. The surveys will ask about your involvement in NPD-supported professional learning activities; the structure, content, and outcomes of these activities, as well as expectations for the activities’ sustainability. The surveys are expected to last 60 minutes for NPD project directors and 40 minutes for NPD participants.

Risks and Discomfort

There are no anticipated or known risks in participating in this study.

Benefits

Your participation in the study will contribute to an improved understanding of the approaches being used in pre-service and in-service education to prepare teachers to work with ELs. This will contribute to the knowledge base of the EL field, as well as provide the program office and others with information that can help guide and improve the program and inform the design of future studies.

Confidentiality

We will treat the information that you supply in a confidential manner. Only selected research staff will have access to data, and we will avoid using your name in reports and will not attribute any quotes to specific individuals.

More Information

If you would like more information about this study, you may contact the Data Collection Director, Andrea Boyle, at the American Institutes for Research® at 1-800-XXX-XXXX or at [email protected]. For questions regarding your rights as a subject participating in this research, please contact the IRB administrator at [email protected] or toll free at 1-800-634-0797.

By continuing on to the survey, you are giving consent for us to use your responses in our study. Thank you very much!

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