Evaluation of the ESSA Title I, Part D,Neglected or Delinquent Programs

Evaluation of the ESSA Title I, Part D Neglected or Delinquent Programs
Case Study Interview Protocol
Local Part D Facility/Program Instructional Staff Interviews

State:	Interviewer:
Interviewee(s):	Date/Time:
Interviewee(s’) Role(s): (select all that apply)

Introduction – Key points to convey to the respondent:

• We are conducting case studies of ESSA Title I, Part D programs. We are also administering a survey to all State Part D coordinators and a sample of local educational agency (school district) and facility staff to collect data from a wider range of respondents.

• The study’s results will be discussed in a final report that will be available publicly. The main purpose of this study is to share your perspectives and experiences with policy-makers as they continue to refine policy and technical assistance on important issues related to Title I, Part D programs. This is not a compliance study; our purpose is solely to provide policymakers and the general public with insight regarding implementation practices of Title I, Part D programs so programs and student outcomes can continue to be improved.

• The purpose of this interview is to obtain information about your ESSA Title I, Part D, N or D program (hereafter “Part D”) regarding the implementation and progress of the Part D program including how the program is implemented and how are the students’ needs met.

• Officials at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) know that your State is participating in this study and your State will be identified in our public reporting. In addition, staff from ED will see transcripts from our interview, but the transcripts we share will be reviewed and edited to ensure that no personally identifying information is included.

• We know that you are very busy, and we appreciate your time. We anticipate that this interview will take approximately 45 minutes.

• Your participation in this interview is voluntary. You may discontinue your participation in this interview at any time, and through the course of the interview, if we touch on topics that you believe to be sensitive for any reason, please bring that to our attention so we will not include these comments either in public reporting or in discussions with ED.

• Your privacy is important to us and we will protect the confidentiality of the information you provide, to the extent provided by law. The reports prepared for this study will summarize interviews across respondents and will not associate responses with a specific individual. We will not provide information that identifies you to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

• In order for us to have an accurate account of your responses, we would like to record this interview. The recording will then be transcribed and all personally identifying information will be removed from the transcript. Do we have your permission to record this conversation?

• Do you have any questions before we begin?

First we would like to get some background information.

A. Agency Characteristics

1. Please describe your role in the Title I, Part D program. What are your responsibilities?

2. Please briefly summarize the (educational) services and programs that your agency/facility provides as part of the Part D program.

C. Education Assessments, Strategies, and Services

Now, let’s talk about the types of services and strategies that Title I, Part D funds support at your agency/facility.

Screening and Risk Assessments

1. Could you describe the process of how the children and youth come to the Part D program?

2. Does your Part D program use any educational risk assessments? If so, what?

Probe 

1. Please describe how they are administered and how the results are used.

3. N or D students often have high rates of mobility. What strategies are used to maintain program consistency as students may join and leave the Part D program frequently?

Probe 

1. How does your Part D program handle students who have incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing student records?

2. How does your Part D program ensure youth have the most appropriate educational placements?

General Education Services and Structure

4. Please describe the (education) services and programs that your Part D programming provides.

5. Could you describe a typical instructional day for your program’s N or D students?

6. Please describe the reading instruction that is used with students participating in Part D-funded program.

7. Please describe Part D program’s mathematics instructional approaches.

8. How do you maintain the learning conditions (environment) that promote learning in your Part D program for all participating students?

Probe

1. How does your facility/agency support this?

2. Please describe your efforts to develop teacher-student rapport?

3. Do you think that the students feel supported by you and their other teachers? Please explain.

4. Do you think that students feel like they can approach you and their other teachers for support?

9. Please describe how your Part D program addresses the unique educational and culturally related educational needs of racial and/or ethnic minorities in the program.

Probe 

1. Hispanic and/or Latino students

2. American Indian and/or Alaskan Native students

3. Other cultural and/or ethnic groups

4. If your district includes a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school within its boundaries, how are services for Native American youth coordinated with the Part D program?

Behavior Management

10. Could you describe how you manage student behavior?

Probe 

1. How do you address conduct problems for these students?

2. What behavior management strategies do you use in the classroom?

3. Do you use any positive behavioral interventions and supports? If so, please describe these interventions.

Special Education

11. How do you support children and youth with learning and other disabilities?

Probe 

1. What specific services and supports do you provide?

English Language Learner

12. How do you support children who are English language learners?

Probe 

1. What specific services and supports do you provide?

Social Emotional Learning

13. How do you address the social and emotional needs of students (e.g., managing emotions, setting and achieving positive goals, feeling and showing empathy)?

Probe 

1. Do you provide any specific social and emotional learning programs for these students?

Career and Technical Education

14. Please describe any vocational education, career technical education, or job training services provided as part of the Part D program.

Probe 

1. How do students access these services?

Transition Planning

We would like to ask you some questions about the strategies that the Title I, Part D program uses to support youths’ transitions as they enter custodial settings, and as they transition back into educational and vocational settings.

15. How are you involved in the transition services and supports that your Part D program provides?

Probe 

1. What transition services are provided to youth: (a) as they enter placement, (b) while they are in placement, and (c) after they leave placement? For example, adult mentor/advocate, orientation or information/counseling to prepare for transition back to school, training while in program, pre-release visit to school/employment setting, etc.?

D. Instructional Staff Qualifications and Professional Development

1. Do you have opportunities to participate in professional development related to your work with youth who participate in the Part D program?

Probe 

1. If so, how often and what types of professional development? (For example, understanding and addressing the unique educational and related needs of youth who are N or D, providing education in institutional settings, supplementing traditional pre-service and in-service training, and how to align State and school district curricula, transition planning)

2. How has the professional development improved your teaching?

3. Are there areas/topics in which you would benefit from professional development, but that have not been previously available to you?

G. Overall Facilitators, Challenges, and Perceived Benefits

1. In your opinion, what have been some of the key benefits for children and youth involved in the Part D programming?

Probe 

1. What evidence is available to document these benefits?

2. Is there anything else that you would like to add regarding the topics we have talked about?

THANK YOU!

PPSS Task Order 25—Evaluation of Title I, Part D: Local Instructional Staff Protocol 1