• CMSD Department of Research and Evaluation

  • RESEARCH REQUEST GUIDELINES AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

     
    Before submitting a request, review the goals of the Cleveland Plan and the District’s mission and be sure that you can answer “YES” to each of the following questions.
     
    1. Does your request fall into one of the permitted research categories? (See below.)
    2. If your request is an academic study, a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, or a national survey, does it align with the goals outlined in the Cleveland Plan or another strategic district initiative?
    3. Will findings from your proposed research provide actionable information that can help improve the education experiences and outcomes of children in Cleveland?

    Purpose

    The District reviews and tracks all research requests to ensure that:

    1. the research is aligned with District goals;
    2. research is not duplicative or unnecessarily burdensome to students or school personnel;
    3. all required procedures are folloewd when conducting research with human subjects in school settings; and
    4. research projects do not overlap in ways that make it difficult to interpret the findings.

     

    Definition of "research

    The District defines research very broadly. You must submit a research request if you propose to:

    1. conduct analyses of administrative data that is not already publicly available;
    2. collect any information from students, parents, teachers, or administrators;
    3. conduct or record observations in a classroom, school, or after-school setting; and/or
    4. recruit students, parents, or school personnel to participate in research-related activities. This includes (but is not limited to) all observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys.

     

    Research Categories

    Program Evaluation - Any project measuring the outcomes of a particular program or intervention.

    National Survey or Study - broad-scale, nationally-sampled studies that typically contribute to federally supported or mandated work.

    Academic Study (Not in pursuit of a degree) - any study, whether grant-funded or not, proposed for the sole purpose of answering a specific question and/or expanding upon the current literature in any given field. Proposing researchers must be affiliated with an institute of higher education or organization dedicated to conducting research and evaluation studies. Academic study research requests must include institutional review board materials from the supporting organization.

    Academic Study (in pursue of degree) - any studies that meet the requirements of the Academic Study (Not in pursuit of a degree) category and are subject to additional requirements. 

    Submitting a research request

    All individuals and organizations interested in conducting research within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) must submit a research request. Requests should be submitted at least 3 months before their intended start date. Submit research requests through the form linked here.

    Questions? Please email nicholas.damico@clevelandmetroschools.org or call 216.838.0112 for more information. This information has been last updated in November 2022.