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### 21 **st** 

### CCLC State Coordinator Interview for States Interviewer

– review the state’s RFP (if available), website and any other available sources to prefill information wheneverpossible
. Customize theprotocol to reflect the state’s stage in their RFPprocess

—whether ,for example

, they have released their RFP, reviewed applications , or awardedgrants. Only ask questionsfor which we lack information or need to verify our understanding
. Interviewer: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me about your state’s use of the ESEA flexibility waiver to support Expanded Learning Time (ELT) programs with 21 st Century Community Learning Center (21 st CCLC) funds. In preparation for this discussion, we have reviewed your state’s ESEA flexibility waiver application, the 21 st Century Community Learning Centers (21 st CCLC) website, and (ifavailable) your most recent Request for Proposals (RFP) for 21 st CCLC, as well as XXX that you indicated we should review in preparation for this call
. Our intent was to gather as much information as possible from these documents so that we can keep the length of this interview to a minimum. This interview should take about an hour, and will help us to understand how ELT is being implemented with 21 st CCLC funds in waiver states around the country. We also hope that the interview will help us better understand the process states use to support the districts that will be implementing ELT
. The information collected through this interview as well as the interviews with other states will be synthesized in a report and shared with 21 st CCLC state coordinators around the country and with the federal 21 st CCLC program. Your participation is voluntary and you can end your participation at any time. With your approval, I will be recording our interview for transcription and analysis. I’ll be asking questions about why your state decided to use 21 st CCLC funds to support ELT, the structure of your 21 st CCLC competition and particularly, how the state may support ELT, the requirements or preference (if any) for proposed ELT programs, and how you will monitor ELT activities. Is it OK for us to record this conversation? Do you have any questions before we begin? Okay, let’s get started. **Background** First we’d like to know a bit of background on ELT in your state. 1. What prompted your state to pursue the ESEA flexibility waiver for Expanded Learning Time? Probe: Why did the state want to participate? I s the ELTprogram related to a larger state vision orgoalsfor low

- performing schools? 2. We would like to find out if your state has or is working towards an explicit goal to create and/or expand ELT or if you simply want to provide flexibility to districts to develop an ELT program if they are interested. Did your state have an ELT initiative in place or have plans for such an initiative prior to the waiver request? If so, probe: P lease tell us aboutyour existing ELT2

initiative. How have you defined ELT? How will it be coordinated or integrated with the 21st CCLC flexibility waiver? **21 st**  **CCLC Com petition Plans for FY 2013**  Next, we’d like to find out some additional detail about your 21 st CCLC competition this year – specifically its structure, funding, and supports you provided (or will provide) to applicants prior to the deadline
. 3. (For states that have not released their RFPs)
. First, when will you release your Request for Proposals (RFP) to the public? 4. Can you explain how your competition was (or will be) structured with respect to ELT? For example, did you (or will you) operate a separate grant competition for ELT? Probe: If separate competitions

– how many funds were allocatedfor each competition? If one competition, any guidelines on how much ofthe total could support ELTprograms? Are there anyfunding capsfor ELT? Are there any incentives in the competition for proposals that involve ELT? Did you decide not to fund ELT initiatives at this time, and if so, why? 5. What was the rationale for structuring the competition in this manner? What were some of the alternatives considered? 6. Did you (will you) provide guidance on how 21 st CCLC funds may or may not be used to support ELT? What was the rationale for this guidance? Probe: Could funds s upport classroom teachers’ salaries? ...textbooks? Does a portion of the funds have to be allocated to support CBO staff involvement? 7. During your application process, did you receive any feedback, positive or negative, from traditional 21 st CCLC recipients about setting aside or using funds for ELT? 8. How would you describe, from the state’s perspective, the emphasis given to the expanded learning time versus traditional 21 st CCLC programs that support out

-of

-school learning? 9. Did your state (or will your state) provide technical assistance or support to bidders prior to the application deadline? What was (or will be) the nature of this assistance? Was the technical assistance provided specifically about ELT? Probes: Didyou (willyou) offer a bidders conference to describe ELT options or to offerguidance on ELT in areas such as negotiating union issues, revising the school schedule, working with CBOs, or how applicants may search for other sources of funding to support ELT? 10. Do you plan to offer grantees any technical assistance or support after the competition? If yes, what supports will be available for implementation of ELT? Probes: revising the school schedule, working with CBOs, or how applicants may search for other sources of funding to support ELT , etc?3

**Features of E xpanded Learning Tim**  **e** Now we’d like to learn a bit more about the features of ELT as supported with 21 st CCLC funds in your state, including how you describe some of the key components, how you addressed community partnerships, and what you anticipate are some of the key challenges. 11. Definition of ELT

a. (For states that have released their RFP) Based on your RFP, it appears that you defined/described ELT as XXXX X for the purpose of the competition. Do you have anything to add to that definition/description? What parameters or features (if any) did you suggest or require of districts interested in implementing ELT? b. (For states that have not released their RFP) How might you define or describe ELT for purposes of the competition in your RFP? What parameters or features (if any) will you suggest or require of districts interested in implementing ELT?

c. (For everyone – potentialprobes for ELTfeatures , as appropri

ate ). Did you (will you) provide guidance on or include requirements for: i. How instructional time should be expanded
. Probe: For example, expand the school day, week or year by a certain number of hours? ii. How the additional time should be used
. Probe: For example, to include enrichment activities, improve literacy, or career and college readiness, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)

, or to provide data

-driven instruction or individualized instruction. Do you expect the introduction ofELT will lead to broader changes across the school day, and if so, how? iii. Teachers’ activities
. Probe: Is timeforprofessional development or collaboration with other teachers or CBO staffrequired ? iv. Participation. Probe: Will the expanded time be mand atory for all students? What about teachers? CBOs?

) 12. Thinking of the components we just spoke about, are there certain components of ELT that your state administration preferred (may prefer) in a district’s or school’s ELT plans, even if they were not explicitly required or articulated in the RFP? Probe: Whatfeatures ofELT were viewed (may be viewed) most favorably if they appear in a district’s subgrant proposal? 13. One feature of traditional 21 st CCLC program are partnerships with community

-based organizations (CBOs) to staff the program or offer additional enrichment, cultural, or other opportunities for students. Did you (will you) provide any guidance for applicants on the role of CBOs within a 21 st CCLC program that includes ELT? Please explain. 14. What are the benefits associated with implementing ELT when the 21 st CCLC grantee is an entity outside the LEA such as a community

-based organization (CBO) or faith

-based organization (FBO)? What are the challenges?4

15. What do you think might be the biggest challenges facing a grantee as they plan and implement ELT? These can include any aspect of planning for or implementing ELT.
**Inform at** **ion on Application and Award Dates** According to information we obtained previously, we believe that applications were (are) due XXX, and awards will be made (were made) by YYY. Is that correct? Will all awards be announced at the same time and cover the same period? Probe: Ifnot, ask about the timeline and award periods.
**Inform at** **ion on**  **Applicants** (for states whose deadline for applicat ions has passed) If possible, we would be interested in learning a little about the status of the applications
. 16. What is the current status of the competition? Probe: Areyou reviewing applications, or haveyou made awards? 17. (Ifappropriate) How many applicants applied for 21 st CCLC funds? How many applicants applied to use funds to support ELT? Probe (if applicable):
a. Did those that applied for funds to support ELT need technical assistance prior to the deadline for proposals? What types of TA did they tend to need/request? b. How many districts/schools tended to be included in a typical application for funds to support ELT? 18. Did you receive feedback during the process that suggests why applicants did or did not apply for funds to support ELT? **Com pet** **ition Results**  (for states that have completed their competitions and made awards) We’d like to know what happened as a result of your competition. 19. Do you feel that including ELT as an option for 21st CCLC funds this year worked well? Why or why not? Probe for separate competition or one competition, funding issues, issues with structuring or implementing ELT. Ifdid **not** award any subgrants to support ELT, ask following questions in general. If**did** award subgrants to support ELT, askfollowing ques tionsfirst onlyfor sub

grants that will not support ELT and again for subgrants that will support ELT.5

20. How many subgrants were awarded? 21. On average, how many schools were covered by a subgrant? 22. On average, what was the dollar value of these subgrants? **Fo r States That Awarded a Subgrant to Support ELT**  23. Can you describe the features of the ELT programs supported? Probe on the following as appropriate:
a. How instructional time will be expanded. Probe: For example, expand the school day, week or year by a certain number of hours? b. How the additional time will be used. Probe: For example, to include enrichment activities, improve literacy, or career and college readiness, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) , or to provide data

-driven instruction or individualized instruction. c. Teachers’ activities. Probe: Is their time for professional development or collaboration with other teachers or CBO staff? d. Participation. Probe: Is the ex panded time mandatory for all students? What about teachers? CBOs? 24. Have award winners requested technical assistance, and if so, in what areas? **Accountability and Monitoring Activities** Last, we’d like to determine your next steps in terms of monitoring and accountability. 25. What is your process for ensuring that state
-level ELT policies under 21 st CCLC are implemented effectively at the LEA? Is there a mechanism in place for collecting and incorporating feedback from LEAs, schools, and ELT providers to improve ELT programming? 26. Tell us what steps you will take if your monitoring activities indicate that the ELT program is not being implemented as planned. What specific circumstances would trigger the state taking these measures? 27. Thinking ahead to three years from now, how will your state define success in implementing the ELT flexibility waiver? Is there anything else that is important about this program or your experience that we haven’t discussed?
*************************************************************************************** Thank you for your time to discuss the use of 21 st CCLC funds to support expanded learning time activities in your state. After these interviews are completed with all states, we will be providing the U.S. Department of Education with a report documenting our findings, with the intent that it be released to all states involved in the initiative.