GCPS Educational Research Policy and Procedure

BOARD POLICY ICC - EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

The Gwinnett County Board of Education recognizes that systematic study of the educational process and related variables can contribute significantly to the development and implementation of high-quality instructional programs. The Board, therefore, encourages the conduct of well-designed educational research projects within the district.

While recognizing the value of educational research, the Board also has a responsibility to protect students, parents, and staff from harassment; invasion of privacy; physical, psychological, social, and educational injury; and substantial distraction from teaching and learning. Consequently, the Board requires that all research proposals be carefully screened by the Executive Director of Research, Evaluation, and Analytics and the Gwinnett Institutional Review Board to ensure that the proposed research has potential value for the district and is consistent with district philosophies, legal obligations, and standards of good scholarship.

The Executive Director of Research and Evaluation must provide written approval before a research project may be conducted in the district. The Director and the appropriate division will be responsible for monitoring any approved research.

Procedures

BOARD PROCEDURE ICC - EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

This procedure is designed to provide researchers with a clear understanding of the types of research encouraged within Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) and the procedures for submitting a research proposal for review.

The GCPS Institutional Review Board (GCPS IRB) acts on behalf of the Board to review proposed research. The GCPS IRB is comprised of members of the Department of Research, Evaluation, and Analytics, and draws on the expertise of staff from across the district. The GCPS IRB meets to review new research proposals to determine approval or non-approval, based on the criteria outlined in these guidelines.

There is no right to access GCPS’s students, staff, or data for research purposes. Access may be granted when determined to be in the best interests of the Gwinnett County Board of Education. If access is granted, the researcher may only access schools, students, staff, and data relevant to the research as approved by the GCPS IRB.

Types of Research

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) defines educational research as the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes. The following types of research activities require approval from the GCPS IRB prior to beginning any research activities.

Primary Research The GCPS IRB reviews primary research study proposals. Primary research refers to studies in which researchers are collecting research data from or about research participants. Data collection activities may take a variety of forms such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observations. In primary research studies, the Board requires active informed consent for all research participants, and, in the case of minor aged students, active parental consent. Student assent is required when students are actively involved in research-based activities.

Secondary Research Secondary research is defined as the summary, collation, synthesis and/or analysis of data that have already been collected by another party.

Researchers are encouraged to peruse available data sets before submitting a proposal. These data sets may be downloaded and used for secondary research purposes. Use of these data sets do not require IRB approval. For data sets that are not publicly available online, researchers must submit a formal research proposal. If you are planning a research study or evaluation that will use secondary or administrative data, you must complete a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) after your research proposal has been approved by the GCPS IRB.

Primary Research Categories

Internal Research involves GCPS employees who plan to conduct research on how to improve district services and programs within their area of supervision or contract as part of a work assignment or as part of their general job duties. Internal researchers do not need to submit a research application to the GCPS IRB. Internal researchers must, however, obtain supervisor approval prior to commencement of research activities. Internal research requests explicitly exclude research towards a master’s thesis, a doctoral dissertation, or other publication.

External Research includes research conducted within the district, the results of which support the work of external partners, including:

research conducted by GCPS employees for personal purposes outside of their work duties and/or work hours (i.e., research for the completion of a master’s thesis, doctoral dissertation, other publication, or for any other personal purposes);
independent research conducted by individuals, organizations, or agencies not affiliated with GCPS; or
third parties conducting research or evaluation activities on behalf of a GCPS partner or contracted vendor.

GCPS does not currently accept IRB proposals for master’s or dissertation from non-GCPS employees. All non-GCPS researchers conducting research other than for master’s or dissertation must submit a full research proposal to the GCPS IRB as outlined in this document. GCPS IRB approval is required before any research activities may commence within GCPS even if the researcher has previously obtained IRB approval from another institution.

Process for Conducting External Research

Standard Review
The GCPS IRB reviews research proposals on a quarterly basis in December, March, June, and September. Participants will be notified of approval or non-approval within seven weeks of their submission. GCPS IRB approval is required before conducting research in GCPS. However, principals, teachers or other GCPS personnel may decline to participate in a study, even when the study has been approved by the GCPS IRB.
Expedited Review
GCPS employees conducting research outside of their work duties and/or work hours may request an expedited research application review by the GCPS IRB. This includes staff doing research at their local school. Expedited reviews will be conducted monthly. Research applications received by the first Monday of each month will receive a decision letter by the fourth Friday of the month. GCPS IRB approval is required prior to conducting research in the district. However, principals, teachers, or other GCPS personnel may decline to participate in a study even when the study has been approved by the GCPS IRB.

All educational research in GCPS is coordinated by the GCPS IRB under the leadership of the Executive Director of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Analytics or their designee.

Proposal Submission

Requests for conducting research within GCPS must contain all required documents upon submission for review. All requests must be submitted using this GCPS IRB Application form by the published due date prior to the GCPS IRB meeting. For requests leading to a degree, the major professor must submit on behalf of the researcher.

Proposals are due by midnight of the submission deadline date. Proposals received after the deadline will be included for review in the next cycle. Please note: Only complete proposals will be reviewed. Researchers will receive a letter via e-mail regarding the status of their proposal. Decisions are emailed by the Friday of the decision week (typically seven weeks from the submission due date). Research proposals are reviewed quarterly. Visit our website, gcpsk12.org/research, for the most current dates.

Proposals are evaluated as outlined in the GCPS Research Standards.

Post-Review Process

All individuals whose proposals were reviewed by the GCPS IRB will receive a signed decision letter within seven weeks from the submission deadline.

I. Denied Proposals
II. Approved Proposals

I. Denied Proposals

Proposals may be denied because they do not align with the district’s strategic plan or fail to meet any of the research standards listed above. Researchers may choose to revise and resubmit their proposal in an upcoming IRB cycle. Proposals may be resubmitted a maximum of one time. Resubmissions should appropriately and adequately respond to concerns listed on the denial letter.

II. Approved Proposals

Please note: The GCPS IRB is only responsible for approving research studies based on its adherence to the research standards and fit with district goals and strategy. However, it is the responsibility of the researcher(s) to recruit participants for the study once IRB approval is given. Schools and teachers may elect not to participate in your research study, even though the GCPS IRB has approved the research proposal.

For accepted proposals, please note the following next steps:

The Office of Research, Evaluation, and Analytics will not permit researchers to begin data collection from GCPS staff, students, or families until they have submitted all consent and/or assent forms, if applicable. We request PDFs (preferably with pages tagged with GCPS student id or student name) of parent/guardian consent and student assent.

Those wishing to do either primary or secondary research in GCPS must agree to the applicable terms and conditions of the GCPS Data Privacy and Security Terms as required based on the collection and/or request of protected data.

Approval of a research study is valid for one calendar year from the approval date unless specifically approved as a multi-year study. Researchers approved for multi-year studies should submit a status update annually.

Extension or Modification Request
The GCPS IRB’s approval of a research project will only be valid for a period of one year, unless explicitly approved for a multi-year study. If research activities extend beyond one year, the researcher must request approval for an extension by completing the GCPS IRB Modification and Extension form.

If the study changes from what was approved by the GCPS IRB, the researcher must submit a modification request by completing the GCPS IRB Modification and Extension form. Please note that modifications are not guaranteed approval if they deviate significantly from the previously approved proposal. In that case you may be asked to submit a new research proposal.

Researchers may submit a maximum of 2 modification and extension requests before the submission of a new research proposal is required.
Status Reports and Final Report
For multi-year studies, researchers must submit a status report annually by emailing research.team@gcpsk12.org. Please include your study identification number in the email title and in the document name.

Upon completion of the study, the researcher must send an email to irb@gcpsk12.org to notify the GCPS IRB that the study has been completed. A copy of the final report or an executive summary outlining key findings from the study must be included in this email. Please include your study identification number in the email title and in the document name. GCPS reserves the right to use the information in the research project or summary for educational programming or services, planning, solicitation of grants, staff development, and any other purposes to improve instruction or services to students of GCPS.