Healthy Schools Program Intensive Evaluation ― LEA Key Informant Interview Guide Form Approved
OMB No. 0920-xxxx
Exp. Date XX/XX/20XX
Local Education Agency Key Informant Interview Guide
Thank you for agreeing to speak with me today.
The state education agency in your state is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement the Healthy Schools Program to create healthier school environments. Your local education agency is one of the districts participating in this program. ICF is evaluating the Healthy Schools Program to understand how support from states to local education districts and schools impacts schools and students. The purpose of this interview is to learn about the health improvement activities being implemented by your district as a result of the Healthy Schools Program since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.
Participation in this interview is voluntary and you may choose not to respond to any question. The interview should take about 60-75 minutes. Your name will not be associated with the information that you share for the purpose of this evaluation. You can stop the interview at any time and if you decide to not participate there will be no penalties of any kind. Taking part in the interview will cause no risk. Participants in the interview will each receive a $25 gift card in appreciation for their participation, sent to the district via mail. The results of the interview will be used to improve support and implementation of school health programs.
If you have questions about this evaluation please contact the evaluation team lead, Isabela Lucas, at 404-592-2155 or Isabela.lucas@icf.com. For questions regarding your rights related to this evaluation you can contact ICF’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) representative at Carole.Harris@icf.com.
Do you agree to participate? [If yes] Thank you! With your permission, we would like to record the interview. The recording will be professionally transcribed to aid in summarizing the findings from the evaluation.
Do you agree to be recorded? [If yes] Thank you. Do you have any questions before we start?
[If no] Okay, we will proceed with the interview but it will not be recorded. Do you have any questions before start?
*Note to interviewer: If the interviewee agrees to participate thank her/him and initiate the interview. If the interviewee does NOT agree to participate thank her/him and end the interview saying you will be in touch with the district to identify another person to participate in the interview
What is your role at the [district name]?
How familiar are you with your state’s Healthy Schools Program funded by CDC?
Please describe how your district participates in the Healthy Schools Program.
What role do you play in implementing the Healthy Schools Program in your district?
Please describe the organizational structure of the local education agency (LEA), particularly with regard to implementation of school health initiatives.
What staff positions does the LEA have in place to support and implement school health programs? School health coordinator? Nutrition specialist? PE/PA specialist? School nurse coordinator? Out-of-School-Time (OTS) coordinator? Others?
Does your LEA have the staff capacity needed to fully implement school health programs and priorities?
Does your LEA have any position vacancies that are impacting implementation of school health programs? If so, please describe.
How are the district’s school health priorities established?
Who is responsible and what is the process for setting school health priorities?
Who are the key stakeholders or partners of your school health initiatives outside the local education agency? [Probes: health agencies, other government agencies; probe by topic].
CDC’s model for school health is known as the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model, or WSCC. How does your LEA apply the WSCC model to your work?
How has the model shaped your district’s health priorities? Programmatic activities?
How does staff at your district promote the WSCC model with schools, if at all?
Please describe the work your LEA is doing to establish (or strengthen) a districtwide school health advisory council/coalition.
What specific activities were used to develop (or strengthen) the district school health council?
What changes have occurred, if any, in the district school health council since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, that is, since the beginning of the Healthy Schools Program? [Probes: new partners recruited/added, new groups represented, established/changes in structure, changes in priorities and strategies, improved capacity].
How is the council structured? What content-specific committees or subgroups are in place?
When and how often does the group meet? How does the council make decisions and perform work tasks?
What is the council’s role in setting/revising the district’s health priorities?
What specific activities are being implemented by the council to support healthy schools?
What has the council achieved since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year?
What barriers or challenges has the district encountered when establishing (or strengthening) the districtwide health council, if any?
What facilitators were encountered when establishing (or strengthening) the districtwide health council?
Please tell me about your district’s local wellness policy or district health policy.
How is the district using the WellSAT 3.0 to evaluate your local wellness policy?
What are the barriers or challenges to using the WellSAT?
How is your LEA using the results of the WellSAT to improve your district policy, if at all?
[If not using the WellSAT] What efforts/steps are underway to improve your district policy?
How does your district monitor and promote adherence to the district wellness policy at the school level?
How is your district supporting the development of school health teams at the school level?
What are the barriers or challenges to promoting and supporting school health teams, if any?
What facilitates efforts (makes it easier) to promote and support school health teams?
What changes have you seen in the number and quality of school health teams in your district since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year? Please provide one or more examples.
How is your district supporting the use of the School Health Index at the school level?
What are the barriers or challenges to promoting and supporting the use of the School Health Index in your schools, if any?
What facilitates efforts (makes it easier) to promote and support use of the School Health Index?
What changes have you seen in the use of the School Health Index among schools since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year? Please provide one or more examples.
***Now we will shift gears and talk about school health related training and professional development provided by LEA staff and partners to schools as part of the CDC Healthy Schools Program since the 2018-2019 school year.
How does your district approach professional development and training to schools?
How do you identify school health needs and opportunities for professional development and training in your schools?
Who from your LEA typically provides school health-related PD and training to schools?
What partners are engaged in providing PD and training to schools, if any?
What topics do partners address in the trainings compared to LEA staff?
What training methods or modes are used most frequently to deliver trainings to schools? (e.g., Webinars, in-person trainings)
Which training modes are preferred by school staff?
Which training modes seem to be most effective for developing new skills?
What barriers or challenges are encountered when planning and delivering PD or training to schools, if any?
What facilitates your district’s ability to provide PD or training to schools?
What changes or benefits are you seeing at the school level as a result of the school-health related PD and training received from the district?
Please provide at least one example on how schools environment have changed or improved as a result of training you or your district provided to them.
***Now we will turn to the topic of school health-related technical assistance, or TA. In this interview, TA is defined as direct support for school health activities provided by the district or its partners to school staff as part of the CDC Healthy Schools Program since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.
What process or system is in place for providing school health-related TA to schools?
How does your LEA identify TA needs among schools? Can schools request TA? If so, how?
Who typically provides TA to the schools? Do any of your partners provide TA to schools in your district? If so, describe.
What modes of TA are provided to schools? (e.g., phone, email, site visits)
Which TA mode(s) are preferred by schools?
Which TA mode(s) seem to be most effective for developing new skills?
When and how often is TA provided?
What barriers or challenges are encountered when planning or providing TA to schools, if any?
What facilitates your district’s ability to provide TA to schools?
How do you assess/track the impact of TA provided to schools?
What changes or benefits are you seeing at school level as a result of the TA they receive from the district? Please provide at least one example of how a school environment has changed or improved as a result of TA you or your district provided to them.
Besides training and TA, what other ways does the district promote specific tools and resources that support school health policies and practices? What promotion strategies do you find to be most effective?
What specific tools does the district commonly promote to improve the nutrition environment at your district schools? For example, the Comprehensive Framework for Addressing the School Nutrition Environment and Services? What other evidence-based resources to improve the nutrition environment are being promoted?
What specific tools does the district commonly promote to improve physical activity and physical education at your district schools? For example, do you promote use of the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) framework? What other evidence-based resources to improve physical activity and physical education are being promoted?
What specific tools does the district commonly promote to improve healthy behaviors during out of school time at your district schools? For example, do you promote use of the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) in Out-of-School Time Standards? What other evidence-based resources to improve healthy behaviors during out of school time are being promoted?
What specific tools does the district commonly promote to improve management of students with chronic conditions at your district schools?
What challenges has the district encountered when promoting tools/resources to schools, if any?
What has made it easier for the district to promote tools/resources to schools, if anything?
How does the district identify best practices being implemented by schools and how do you share those practices with other schools?
*** Before we wrap up, I have some questions about the support your district has received from your State Education Agency as part of the CDC Healthy Schools Program since the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.
Please tell me about the school health related trainings provided to district staff from your State Education Agency to implement activities related to physical activity, nutrition, out of school time, and health services.
Who provides training to your district?
How do you learn about school health training opportunities offered by the state?
What were the most useful training topic(s) for staff at the district level? Why?
How has training helped district staff implement infrastructure, professional development, and technical assistance activities to support healthy schools?
Please describe some of the direct results of the training(s) received by district staff. (e.g., able to train and support more district and school staff, improved application of CDC tools, improved online resource bank, etc.)
What training needs do you have, if any, that have not been addressed so far? (e.g., training on a specific topic is not available or training did not meet your needs)?
Please tell me about the technical assistance (or TA) that district staff receives from your State Education Agency to implement activities related to physical activity, nutrition, out of school time, and health services.
Who provides TA to district staff? Is TA typically provided by the same person or different people?
How do district staff request TA when needed? Does someone reach out to you periodically to offer support?
What modes of TA are provided? Which mode(s) do you prefer? Which topics and modes have been most helpful to you?
Please provide an example of TA you received. What was your need/request, what support was provided, and how did you apply the support you received to your work?
What barriers have you or other staff experienced when requesting and/or receiving TA, if any?
What has made it easier to request and/or receive TA, if anything?
What TA needs do you have, if any, that have not been addressed so far?
Those are all of the questions I have for you today. Do you have any questions for me?
Thank you very much for taking the time to participate in this interview!
Your responses will contribute greatly to the evaluation of the initiative. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Isabela Lucas, Team Lead for this evaluation, at Isabela.lucas@icf.com or 404-592-2155.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Carswell, April |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-15 |