Brockton Public Schools
Administrative Procedures

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH REQUESTS

Requests to conduct research in the Brockton Public School System shall be judged by a committee of the system’s certified staff and shall be given a final review and approval by the Executive Director of Research & Accountability.

  1. Approval of a request to conduct research only allows the requestor to proceed with the research as described; it is not an endorsement and does not compel any personnel of the Brockton Public Schools to participate in said research study.
  2. Brockton Public Schools reserves the right to request data sets and detailed analysis plans.
  3. All individuals, whether system employees or non-system personnel, who wish to conduct research in the system shall complete the Research Study Request form (D-6A).
    1. All information must be complete with required support documentation (e.g., copies of survey forms, observation checklists, etc.). Incomplete requests will be automatically rejected.
    2. The requestor shall submit an electronic copy of all required forms.
  4. A signed Research Agreement (D-6B) is required for the request to be considered. The materials to acknowledge receipt of and compliance with the guidelines listed in the agreement shall be included with the documents. This signature can be electronic or scanned.
  5. If the requestor is not a system employee, the requestor shall also obtain the endorsement of a certified person sponsoring the research on the Research Endorsement of Non-System Personnel (D-6C). The requestor and the certified person sponsoring the research shall sign the agreement.
    1. The requestor shall submit forms and all support materials to the following email address: research@bpsma.org
  6. The research committee shall convene three times during the school year for the purpose of reviewing research requests: September, December, and March.
    1. All requests will be processed only during those times.
    2. All requests must be received by the first day of the month to be reviewed.
  7. The Executive Director of Research & Accountability will chair the review committee and will keep records of all decisions.
  8. The Executive Director of Research & Accountability shall inform all who have submitted research requests of the approval/disapproval by the committee or the Superintendent.

Attachments: FORM D-6A: Research Agreement
FORM D-6B: Research Study Request
FORM D-6C: Research Endorsement for Non-System Personnel

Questions regarding this procedure should be addressed to the Executive Director of Research & Accountability, 43 Crescent Street, Brockton, MA 02301 / 508-894-4343 research@bpsma.org.

FORM D-6A

RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Guidelines

  1. Research involving school personnel, especially that which involves principals, teachers and students, may not be conducted during the first 20 school days or the last 20 school days of the school year.
  2. Research involving pupils and personnel of the district must protect the dignity, well-being, and confidentiality of the individual(s), including the rights guaranteed legally and constitutionally.
  3. The research shall not unduly interfere with the classroom instructional process or the regular operations of the school or district.
  4. Personal, social and psychological research of any nature must not be in conflict with the rights of individuals or groups.
  5. Approved research shall be conducted in accordance with Policies and Administrative Procedures of the Brockton Public School System. The researcher shall cooperate with the staff member(s) designated by the district to coordinate the research. It is the researcher’s responsibility to become familiar with the system’s operating policies.
  6. All research applications must detail security provisions regarding all data collected. It is the expectation that research will guarantee anonymity of the subject and the district, as well as adhering to best practices of data security.
  7. An approved research study may be terminated at any time by the Executive Director of Research & Accountability.
  8. All student data and records must be protected and accorded the privacy rights afforded them by law.
  9. Researchers must agree to supply the Research Review Committee with copies of all data sets and codebooks used in analyses along with computer code (if relevant) after an agreed upon period of time.

I acknowledge receipt of the Guidelines for Research in the Brockton Public School System and agree to abide by the guidelines as stated

Signature of Requestor

______________________

Date

______________________

Please indcate affiliation by placing a check mark on the line:

____ System Employee

____ Non-System Personnel

FORM D-6B

RESEARCH STUDY REQUEST

Name

______________________

Date

______________________

Address

______________________

Telephone

______________________

RESEARCH ENDORSEMENT

  1. To be completed by the person who is requesting approval to conduct research in BPS:
    I, ______________________ do hereby agree that I will abide by the Policies, Rules and Regulations and the Administrative Procedures of the Brockton Public School System and will furnish a copy of the report describing the findings of the study to the Executive Director of Research & Accountability, Brockton Public School System.

    Signature of Requestor

    ______________________

    Date

    ______________________

  2. To be completed by the requestor’s professor, the chairperson of an advisory committee, or other professional person sponsoring the research, or the principal investigator of a study:

    I am familiar with the proposed study and judge that the researcher submitting this proposal is professionally qualified to undertake this investigation. Further, it is my opinion that the research design proposed is valid and appropriate.

    Signature of Sponsoring Professional

    ______________________

    Position/Title

    ______________________

    Name of Department and Institution/Organization

    ______________________

  1. Study Title:
  2. Proposal Abstract:
  3. Major hypothesis or questions to be tested:
  4. Describe the school district population and the data to be collected, (numbers of certified and non-certified staff, students, schools, etc. to be included in the sample for data sources needed). Attach copies of forms, questionnaires, tests or other instruments which you plan to use in collecting your data.
  5. Describe plans for conducting the study. Include administration of instruments, other data collection activities and the timetable to be followed. Include data anonymity and security protocols.
  6. Describe the statistical, or other analytical techniques, to be used in the treatment of data.
  7. In what form(s) and to whom will the findings be reported?