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Interview Protocol – Exceptional Family Member Program Family Support Staff
Date ___________
State __________
School (if applicable) ___________
Installation ____________
Role (e.g., school liaison, school principal) ___________
Project team member conducting the interview ___________
[Note: Question sections (e.g., Advance Enrollment, Military Student Identifier) may not be asked in the order displayed below. For example, for states with a Purple Star Schools program, that section will be asked first; for states without an Advance Enrollment program, that question will be last.]
____________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this project. Before we get started can you please confirm that you are [insert role]. Great, thank you! The first thing we are going to do is go over the consent form.
[go over consent form, ask if they have any questions, answer those questions]
We are going to ask you some questions about four specific initiatives that are supported by the Department of Defense. These initiatives are intended to support the educational success of military-connected children. We will also ask about partnerships between the military installation and the local school and about other programs that may be available to support military-connected students’ educational success.
You may not know the answer to some of these questions and that is fine. If you do not know the answer to a question, you can just say that that do not know the answer or that that particular topic does not fall under your job duties/purview.
Advance Enrollment (for the 34 states with the policy)
First, we are going to ask you some questions about Advanced Enrollment.
Are you familiar with Advance Enrollment?
If yes: Can you describe the purpose of Advance Enrollment?
[After the first question is asked, if they do not know what Advance Enrollment is:]
Advance Enrollment is a policy in some states where military-connected students are allowed to enroll in school before they are physically present in the school district. Does that sound familiar at all?
[if the answer is no, do not ask any more questions in this section and move on to next section]
Are students and families aware of Advance Enrollment and its purpose?
Is there any difference in the way Advance Enrollment is implemented for students receiving special education services or with a disability vs. in general education?
If yes: What are these differences?
Please discuss any differences in impacts on students based on whether the student is in general education vs. students receiving special education services or with a disability.
Are there any real or perceived barriers to families using Advance Enrollment?
If yes: What are those barriers?
Do families with a student who receives or is eligible to receive services under an IEP or 504 plan experience any barriers to using Advance Enrollment?
If yes: What are those barriers?
Can you think of anything that could be done to improve Advance Enrollment or its implementation?
The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (for all 50 states/DC)
Next, we are going to ask some questions about the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children. For the following questions we will be referring to it as “the Compact.”
Are you familiar with the Compact?
If yes: Can you describe the purpose of the Compact?
[After the first question is asked, if they do not know what the Compact is:]
Through the interstate compact, all states have enacted legislation intended to make transferring from one school to another school easier for military-connected students and schools. Does that sound familiar at all?
[if the answer is no, ask only the three questions about the IEP/504 plans, if applicable, and then move on to next section without asking any other questions]
In general, are students/families aware of the Compact and its purpose?
Please discuss any difference in the way the Compact is implemented for students who receive special education services or with a disability vs. in general education?
When military-connected students with an existing IEP or 504 plan transfer into schools in this area, how long does it typically take for them to receive comparable services?
Under what circumstances do military-connected students with an existing IEP or 504 plan who transfer into schools in this area receive a new evaluation?
On average, how long does it take for a new IEP/504 evaluation of a military-connected student to occur upon moving to the area?
Is there any difference in the impact of the Compact on students based on whether the student is in general education vs. student who receive special education services or with a disability.
If answer yes: What are those differences?
Are there any real or perceived barriers for families when attempting to use the Compact for children receiving special education services or with a disability?
If yes: What are those barriers?
Can you think of anything that could be done to improve the Compact itself or how it is implemented?
Military Student Identifier
Now, we are going to ask questions about the Military Student Identifier.
Are you familiar with the Military Student Identifier?
If yes: Can you describe the purpose of it?
[After the first question is asked, if they do not know what the Military Student Identifier is:]
This a is federal law requiring schools to ask whether students have a parent in the military. Does that sound familiar at all?
[if the answer is no, do not ask any more questions in this section and move on to next section]
Please discuss any difference in the impact of the Military Student Identifier on student outcomes based on whether the student is in general education vs. students receiving special education services or with a disability.
Are there any real or perceived barriers to identifying as military families or to using Military Student Identifier data for families with children receiving special education services or with a disability?
If yes: What are those barriers?
Can you think of anything that could be done to improve the Military Student Identifier itself or how it is implemented?
Are there ways that the Military Student Identifier and other state-collected data could be used to better help military families make educational decisions for their children who are eligible for special education services or who have a disability.
If yes: What are they?
Purple Star School Program (or other name of similar initiative) (for the 30 states with a program)
The last specific initiative we are going to ask about is the <insert name of the state’s version of the Purple Star School Program>.
Are you familiar with the [Purple Star School Program/name of that states’ military-friendly school designation program]?
If yes: Can you describe the purpose of it?
[After the first question is asked, if they do not know what the Purple Star School Program is:]
This is a program available in some states where schools can apply to be designated a military-friendly school. Does that sound familiar at all?
[if the answer is no, do not ask any more questions in this section and move on to next section]
Are students and families aware of it and its intention?
If yes: Does it impact decision-making around school selection?
If schools in the installation area have Purple Star School Program: Are there any differences in the way specific components of the [Purple Star School / or other name] designation is implemented for students who receive special education services or with a disability vs. in general education?
If yes: Can you please discuss the differences?
If schools in the installation area have Purple Star School Program: Please discuss any difference in the impact of the [Purple Star School / or other name] designation on students based on whether the student is in general education vs. receiving special education services or with a disability.
If schools in the installation area have Purple Star School Program: Are there any real or perceived barriers to students who receive special education services or have a disability using the services and programs used to obtain the [Purple Star School / or other name] designation?
If yes: What are those barriers?
Can you think of anything that could be done to improve the [Purple Star School / or other name] itself or how it is implemented?
Installation-LEA partnership (for all 50 states/DC)
The next set of questions asks about formal or informal partnerships between the military installation and the local schools or school districts.
Is there a formal partnership or relationship between the installation and the school district or schools (e.g., a formal arrangement for interaction between the two)?
If yes: Can you describe the partnership or relationship?
Are there any informal relationships between the installation and the school district or schools (i.e., any informal information/resource sharing [e.g., educational field trips to the installation that are not part of a formal agreement])?
If yes: Can you describe the relationship?
If participant answers yes to question 28 or 29: Please discuss any difference in the way installation-school partnerships are implemented for students who receive special education services or with a disability vs. in general education?
If participant answers yes to question 28 or 29: Please discuss any difference in the impact of formal or informal installation-school partnerships on students based on whether the student is in general education vs. students who receive special education services or with a disability.
If participant answers yes to question 28 or 29: Are there any barriers to children receiving special education services or who have a disability benefiting from any part of a partnership between the installation and the schools or school district?
If yes: What are those barriers?
General/concluding questions
Finally, we have a few concluding questions.
What programs or initiatives are available for military-connected students that we have not discussed so far?
If there are any programs/initiatives: What impact are they having on military-connected students?
What barriers are there for parents trying to access data that they need from states or school districts?
Is there any data or knowledge that parents do not currently have access to that would help military parents make informed decisions about their children’s education during PCS – for both general and special education?
If yes: What is that data or knowledge?
What would you recommend to improve local or state policies related to supporting military-connected children?
Please describe your working relationship with the School Liaison.
To what extent does the School Liaison Program and EFMP collaborate to serve families with children who are eligible for special education services or who have a disability?
How does School Liaison Program policy and/or implementation impact the work you do as EFMP Family Support staff?
Is there anything that we have not discussed that you think would be important for us to know?
That was our last question, thank you very much for answering our questions today. If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to let us know.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Karre, Jennifer K |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2023-09-03 |