PFE+Research+Letter+to+Staff

Dear Park Forest Elementary faculty and staff, Congratulations on your recent honor of receiving a //Schools of Success// grant by the //Education Commission of Schools and the National Center for Learning & Citizenship//! As you know, from this initiative, Park Forest Elementary faculty and staff will continue to engage in various civic activities with students, especially in the new //Small School Gatherings//. It is an important part of this honor to engage in research that documents the grant’s impact on our school. As educators dedicated to student voice and democracy in schools (//not// affiliated with the grant or its institutions), we see this as an exciting opportunity to conduct an inquiry on how this initiative impacts teachers and students. The results of this large inquiry will be shared with all PFE faculty and staff as it may be useful in your own professional inquiries. Soon we will be distributing informed consent forms to gather your desired level of participation. You’ll be able to choose one of the following: a. //No participation, thanks.// b. //You may audio record and occasionally photograph (only of children whose parents have given permission) activities my small-school meetings.// c. //You may do the audio recordings, occasional photos, and I agree to be interviewed// //twice about the project//. A “school civic climate survey” will be distributed to all leaders of small school groups that we appreciate you completing. We are asking to use those results, which will be completely anonymous. We will also be seeking permission from your students’ parents and/or guardians to record their child’s involvement in the project. We will provide parent/guardian PSU sanctioned consent forms in which the child’s parent/guardian can indicate if they would like their child to participate or not. Let us know if we can be of help in distributing these. We will provide you with a folder so that you can just direct your students to deposit it there. Thank you! Your participation is voluntary and confidential. As you know Park Forest Elementary and the Penn State’s College of Education have forged many valuable professional relationships. We hope to maintain and increase the synergy of positive professionalism and ideas. However, the maintenance of this collegial relationship does //not// hinge on your participation. Also, you may decide to participate and later withdraw if your thoughts change. Your school, you, your students will be given pseudonyms to protect identity in reports resulting from this research. We are committed to always presenting you, your students and your school in a positive light. Thank you, Stephanie Serriere (co-investigator) Dana Mitra (co-investigator) College of Education Penn State University