Appendix B_Recruitment Emails

Appendix B

Recruitment Emails

Email to Technical Assistance Funder at federal agency (e.g., HHS, ED) from OPRE

Dear [name of Contracting Officer’s Representative or Federal Project Officer]:

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Division of Data and Improvement (DDI), is conducting a study to understand the landscape of available technical assistance and support to states, localities, and Tribes related to data sharing, linking, and integration for statistical and research purposes. We have now received formal approval to launch the data collection; as a funder of a technical assistance center, we would like to invite you to participate in an interview.

Your participation in this interview is very important to enable OPRE to learn from your experience and insights, so that we can continue to strengthen technical assistance related to the development and use of integrated data systems. As you may know, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 requires that HHS assess federal capacity and because the state, local, and Tribal data are essential part of the HHS, we are seeking to identify the technical assistance needs related to data use. Recognizing that you have many other demands on your time, the interview should take no longer than 1 hour. Your participation in this interview is voluntary.

The study will culminate in a publicly available report that combines information from interviews with TA funders, TA center directors, TA leads/specialists, TA recipients, and a website/document review. This report will provide a detailed description of the current state and strengths of the field of TA focused on the development and use of administrative data linking and integrated data systems for research purposes, as well as the field’s areas of opportunity and unmet need. Individuals will not be identified by name in any form of analysis or reports, and the data will be reported in a manner that does not reveal your identity. In addition, when we need to use quotes to help illustrate the findings, we will use them anonymously.

If you agree to participate, a member of the study team will contact you within the next week to invite you to participate in an interview.

If you have any questions about this study, you can contact Brett Brown at OPRE at [email protected] or 202-205-8388.

We greatly appreciate your cooperation and support and thank you for providing the expertise and time needed for the success of this important study.

Sincerely,

Brett Brown, PhD Valeria Butler
Senior Social Science Research Analyst, Senior Social Science Research Analyst,

Division of Data and Improvement at ACF/OPRE Division of Data and Improvement at ACF/OPRE

Email to TA Center Director from SRI Study Team

Dear [name of TA Center Director],

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) is conducting a study to understand the landscape of available technical assistance and support to states, localities, and Tribes related to data sharing, linking, and integration for statistical and research purposes. We have now received formal approval to launch the data collection; as a leader of a technical assistance center, we would like to invite you to participate in an interview.

Your participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate in the study, we are asking that you participate in a 1-hour interview. During the interview, we will ask you questions about the types of supports and services your TA center provides related to data sharing, linking, and integration; the extent to which your TA center coordinates and collaborates with other TA centers; and how your TA center is funded. We will also ask for your permission to audio record the interview.

The study team will use the information you share to produce a publicly available report. Individuals will not be identified by name in any form of analysis or reports, and the data will be reported in a manner that does not reveal your identity. In addition, when we need to use individuals’ quotes to help illustrate the findings, we will use them anonymously.

We greatly appreciate your consideration to participate in this important effort to continue to strengthen TA related to the development and use of integrated data systems. If you would like to participate, please let us know by [Date] so we can set up an interview with you during the week(s) of [Date].

Sincerely,

Missy Coffey, PhD Kathi Gillaspy
Senior Principal Education Researcher, Director of Technical Assistance,

SRI Education AnLar

Email to TA Funder from SRI Study Team

Dear [name of TA Funder],

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) is conducting a study to understand the landscape of available technical assistance and support to states, localities, and Tribes related to data sharing, linking, and integration for statistical and research purposes. We have now received formal approval to launch the data collection; as a funder of a technical assistance center, we would like to invite you to participate in an interview.

Your participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate in the study, we are asking that you participate in a 1-hour interview. During the interview, we will ask you questions about the types of supports and services related to data sharing, linking, and integration your agency/foundation funds, and the extent to which your agency/foundation coordinates and collaborates with other agencies/foundations to support this work. We will also ask for your permission to audio record the interview.

The study team will use the information you share to produce a publicly available report. Individuals will not be identified by name in any form of analysis or reports, and data will be reported in a manner that does not reveal your identity. In addition, when we need to use individuals’ quotes to help illustrate the findings, we will use them anonymously.

We greatly appreciate your consideration to participate in this important effort to continue to strengthen TA related to the development and use of integrated data systems. If you would like to participate, please let us know by [Date] so we can set up an interview with you during the week(s) of [Date].

Sincerely,

Missy Coffey, PhD Kathi Gillaspy
Senior Principal Education Researcher, Director of Technical Assistance,

SRI Education AnLar

Email to TA Lead/Specialist from SRI Study Team

Dear [name of TA lead/specialist],

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) is conducting a study to understand the landscape of available technical assistance and support to states, localities, and Tribes related to data sharing, linking, and integration for statistical and research purposes. We have now received formal approval to launch the data collection; as a technical assistance lead/specialist, we would like to invite you to participate in an interview.

[TA center director/TA funder name] recommended we speak with you. Your participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate in the study, we are asking that you participate in a 1-hour interview. During the interview, we will ask you questions about what supports you believe would be useful for helping states, localities, and Tribes enhance their ability to integrate data for statistical and research purposes, and what supports you are currently providing. This information will be used to better support data integration efforts. We will also ask for your permission to audio record the interview.

The study team will use the information you share to produce a publicly available report. Individuals will not be identified by name in any form of analysis or reports, and data will be reported in a manner that does not reveal your identity. In addition, when we need to use individuals’ quotes to help illustrate the findings, we will use them anonymously.

We greatly appreciate your consideration to participate in this important effort to continue to strengthen TA related to the development and use of integrated data systems. If you would like to participate, please let us know by [Date] so we can set up an interview with you during the week(s) of [Date].

Sincerely,

Missy Coffey, PhD Kathi Gillaspy
Senior Principal Education Researcher, Director of Technical Assistance,

SRI Education AnLar

Email to TA Recipient from SRI Study Team

Dear [name of TA recipient],

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) is conducting a study to understand the landscape of available technical assistance and support to states, localities, and Tribes related to data sharing, linking, and integration for statistical and research purposes. We have now received formal approval to launch the data collection; as a technical assistance recipient, we would like to invite you to participate in an interview.

[TA center director/TA funder name] recommended we speak with you. Your participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate in the study, we are asking that you participate in a 1-hour interview. During the interview, we will ask you questions about what supports you believe would be useful for helping states, localities, and Tribes enhance their ability to integrate data for statistical and research purposes, and what supports you are currently using. This information will be used to better support data integration efforts. We will also ask for your permission to audio record the interview.

The study team will use the information you share to produce a publicly available report. Individuals will not be identified by name in any form of analysis or reports, and data will be reported in a manner that does not reveal your identity. In addition, when we need to use individuals’ quotes to help illustrate the findings, we will use them anonymously.

We greatly appreciate your consideration to participate in this important effort to continue to strengthen TA related to the development and use of integrated data systems. If you would like to participate, please let us know by [Date] so we can set up an interview with you during the week(s) of [Date].

Sincerely,

Missy Coffey, PhD Kathi Gillaspy
Senior Principal Education Researcher, Director of Technical Assistance,

SRI Education AnLar

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