Edgewood Indep School District

1. These guidelines and procedures shall apply to all research requests, including requests to conduct research only within the home campus or organizational unit by an employee of the District.  Each principal and department head shall ensure that all employees are aware of the requirements and that any employee who wishes to gather data for research shall do so only after receiving approval according to these procedures.

2. Research is generally considered to be a critical investigation or experimentation based upon a hypothesis and includes data collection from or about Edgewood students or staff.  Research may include strategies such as the use of a survey or questionnaire or the examination of student data.  Therefore, the District must be aware of and abide by the legal restrictions regarding confidentiality in general and surveys specifically.

3. The District Research Review Committee shall be comprised of administrators and district staff from various levels as needed determined by the research request. The Deputy Superintendent or designee shall act as the Chair of the Committee.

1. All individuals, whether District employees or non-District personnel, who would like to conduct research in the District which will necessitate gathering or collecting data must complete and submit the following:
a. Research Study Request [Form RR-A] – All sections in the form must be completed. Incomplete requests will automatically be rejected. The requester is required to submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of the support documentation including but not limited to the following: survey forms, and observation checklists.
• Parent Notification/Consent: If the research involves data that will be collected on or from individual students, a copy of the parent/guardian permission letter is required and must be included with the Research Study Request. The individual conducting the research is responsible for generating the parent/guardian permission letter in both English and Spanish versions.
b. Research Agreement [Form RR-B] - A signed Research Agreement is required in order for the request to be considered. The requester shall sign one (1) copy of the Research Agreement and submit with all materials to acknowledge receipt of and compliance with the guidelines listed in the agreement.

2. If the requester is not a District employee, the requester shall also obtain the endorsement and signature of a professional person sponsoring the research (e.g., college professor, physician) on the Research Endorsement of Non-District Personnel [Form RR-C]. The requester is also required to sign the endorsement.


3. The requester shall submit completed and signed forms including all support materials to:
Deputy Superintendent’s Office
Attention: Phillip Chavez
Edgewood Independent School District
5358 West Commerce Street
San Antonio, Texas 78237


4. When requesting participation by campuses or departments, each person who receives approval to conduct the research shall present a copy of the Research Agreement (showing approval) and the Research Study Request form to the principal/department head. Approval of a request to conduct research only allows the requester to proceed with the research as described; it is not an endorsement and does not compel any personnel of the District to participate in research studies.

1. The District Research Review Committee convenes four (4) formal meetings during the school year, August, December, April, and June for the purpose of reviewing research requests. Requests must be received by the first day of the month to be reviewed. Please allow up to four (4) weeks if the request is submitted prior to holiday breaks or at the beginning/closing of the school year. The Academic Team or designee may convene special called meetings if necessary.

2. Additional information or clarification may be requested prior to district approval.

3. The Academic Team or designee will ensure all student surveys are approved.

4. The requestor will be notified of the district’s decision to approve or not-approve the request and the completed and signed Research Agreement form will be returned to the requestor.

5. The Academic Team or designee shall maintain a file of approved research requests for five years after the research request has been completed.

Attachments: 

• Form RR-A: Research Study Request
•  Form RR-B: Research Agreement
•  Form RR-C: Research Endorsement for Non-District Personnel

References: Board Policy EF (LEGAL & LOCAL), FL (LEGAL & LOCAL), and GBA (LEGAL)

For additional information regarding conducting a research, please mail inquiries to Deputy Superintendent’s Office at 5358 W. Commerce Street, San Antonio, Texas 78237 or call (210) 898-2011.