PROTECTING STUDENT RECORDS AND FACILITATING EDUCATION RESEARCH: A Workshop Summary by National Research Council of the National Academies

Author:National Research Council of the National Academies
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Education : Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Publisher: NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Published: 2008-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Although there are many research partnerships, each includes several common elements. First, it is based on a negotiated long-term research agenda, developed through frank discussions among university administrators and faculty and school district representatives. DeStefano observed that, although she had initially feared that faculty interests would differ from the districts’ interests, she found quite a bit of overlap. These discussions and negotiations led to a list of four areas in which research is critically needed, and the university provides funding and fellowships to encourage faculty to conduct studies in these four areas. In addition, the university commits to sharing the research findings in a form that the school or school district can easily use and apply.

Second, each partnership deploys similar strategies for informing parents and students about research activities. The partnerships use “robust and effective” procedures for disseminating information and obtaining parental consent, when consent is required, DeStefano said. For example, parents can view survey instruments, protocols, and research summaries, and they can also call a toll-free number if they have a concern or question about research under way in their schools.

Third, each partnership is supported by cross-training of school district personnel, families, and researchers on research ethics and compliance with FERPA. This training develops shared understanding and undergirds the fourth element of the partnerships—formal data-sharing agreements specifying that the school districts will maintain and allow regular access to deidentified longitudinal data sets in specific areas. These formal agreements include common interpretations of FERPA and options for compliance. For example, when informed consent is required for disclosure of education records, the relationships the university routinely develops with families make it relatively easy to obtain signed consent forms. More often, the school district is allowed to disclose deidentified data without informed consent under the FERPA exception for “organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational agencies or institutions for the purpose of … improving instruction” (see Chapter 2).

In addition, a memorandum of understanding with each school or district partner allows the university researcher and the district to obtain approval for the research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign institutional review board, which has been expanded to include representatives of the school districts. No approvals from other institutional review boards are required, saving both the researchers and the school districts time and money.

The final element of each partnership includes measures to strengthen the research capacity of the school district. The university provides resources to strengthen district information offices, including technology, expertise in encryption and security, shared servers, and student interns with background in information technology.

In conclusion, DeStefano said that, although some faculty members had been concerned that the efforts to develop new research partnerships would constrain their research agendas, this has not happened. At first, the negotiated research projects were very focused on students’ performance in reading and mathematics, because this is what the schools wanted. However, after three years of experience, including routine meetings with faculty members, school officials now recognize the value of broader research, including investigations of social, emotional, and behavioral questions.

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