American Institutes for Research Task Order 18: Study on Sustaining the Positive Effects of Preschool—A-1

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Appendix A. Recruitment Materials

1. Information Sheet

2. District Letter

3. Principal Invitation Letter
American Institutes for Research Task Order 18: Study on Sustaining the Positive Effects of Preschool—A-2

Information on the Study:

Practices to Sustain the Effects of Preschool

What is the Study of Practices 

to Sustain the Effects of 

Preschool?

American Institutes for Research (AIR), under 

contract with the Policy and Program Studies 

Service (PPSS), U.S. Department of Education, 

is conducting the Study of Practices to 

Sustain the Effects of Preschool. We will 

conduct case studies of five intentionally

selected sites. The study is intended to 

document characteristics of programs, practices, 

and policies that could support student growth 

and development as children enter early 

elementary school from earlier educational 

settings. The approaches of interest are 

(1) prekindergarten to Grade 3 alignment and

(2) differentiated instruction. We are interested 

in learning more about the theoretical or 

practical background of these programs, how 

they are implemented, how they are sustained 

and resourced, and their outcomes

The research will involve phone interviews with 

key district staff, and site visits during which we 

will interview key staff at schools, including a 

sample of teachers or other program staff and, if 

applicable, the program’s funder or evaluator. 

We also will observe key program activities, 

such as classroom instruction or teacher 

trainings. A small stipend will be given to each 

school in appreciation of your participation.

How will the study involve me?

The research team may ask you to participate in 

an interview (approximately 60-90 minutes) 

and/or observe your classroom or trainings. 

Participation is voluntary and any information 

you provide will be kept anonymous. The 

project does not involve evaluation of anyone 

and, though sites will be identified in the final 

report, individual participants will not be named 

in any reporting. More information about 

specific research activities can be found in 

additional forms that we will provide.

Who is conducting the study?

The U.S. Department of Education has 

contracted with AIR to conduct this study. 

When will the study be 

conducted?

Case study site visits are planned for October 

2015.

For more information

The study team welcomes your questions. 

Please feel free to contact Katie Drummond 

(AIR) at 541-521-8517 or kdrummond@air.org,

or Karen Manship (AIR) at 650-843-8198 or 

kmanship@air.org.
American Institutes for Research Task Order 18: Study on Sustaining the Positive Effects of Preschool—A-3

[Department of Education letterhead]

Dear [District Superintendent]:

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a study to learn about best practices in early elementary 

grades to sustain the positive effects of preschool. [Insert name of district or program] is one of five sites 

we hope will participate. Five districts around the country are participating. Your district has been 

selected for the study because we are interested in learning more about your __________________ (list 

practices or program)_________________. We are interested in learning more about the theoretical or 

practical background of your program, how it is implemented, how it is sustained and resourced, and your 

program’s outcomes.

Each case study will consist of (1) document reviews; (2) phone or in-person interviews with up to two

key district-level staff members; (3) phone or in-person interviews with funders and program evaluators, 

if applicable; and (4) in-person interviews with a sample of teachers or program staff in two schools 

within your district. The interviews will take approximately 60–90 minutes of the respondents’ time, and 

individual responses in the interviews will be kept anonymous to the extent possible, except as may be 

required by law. Sites will be identified in the report, but individuals’ names will not be included. The 

result of this effort will be a report that identifies cross-site lessons, revealing how practices work on the 

ground as well as implementation challenges and solutions.

American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting the study. A representative from AIR will contact 

you soon to discuss the study and your district’s program. If you prefer us to contact someone else in your 

district to discuss this study, you may contact AIR’s Study Director, Dr. Kathryn Drummond, at 541-521-

8517 or kdrummond@air.org. If you have questions about the study, please contact Dr. Drummond or 

Erica Lee at the U.S. Department of Education at 202-260-1463 or erica.lee@ed.gov.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us gather and disseminate information about how districts and 

schools are implementing policies and practices to support the growth and development of students in 

early elementary grades, sustaining the advantages of preschool. We look forward to learning more about 

the interesting work that you are doing.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, Director Libby Doggett, Deputy Assistant Secretary 

Policy and Program Studies Service for Policy and Early Learning

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Office of Elementary and Secondary 

Education
American Institutes for Research Task Order 18: Study on Sustaining the Positive Effects of Preschool—A-4

Principal Invitation/Notification Letter

[Date]

[Name]

[Position]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip]

Dear [Principal]: 

We are writing to invite you to participate in an important study sponsored by the Policy and Program 

Studies Service (PPSS) of the U.S. Department of Education focused on best practices in early elementary 

grades to sustain the positive effects of preschool. Your district is one of five that has been selected for 

the study because we are interested in learning more about your __________________ (list practices or 

program)_________________. We are interested in learning more about the theoretical or practical 

background of this program, how it is implemented, how it is sustained and resourced, and your 

program’s outcomes.

As a part of the case study, we would like to visit your school, in addition to the district office and one 

other school in the district, at a convenient date this fall. We have selected your school because the district 

recommended it as a place where we could learn more about how ___________ (list practices or 

program) ___________ are being implemented. Site visits will include interviews with key staff and 

observations of your classrooms and programs. The interviews will take approximately 60–90 minutes of 

the respondents’ time, and individual responses in the interviews will be kept anonymous to the extent 

possible, except as may be required by law. Sites will be identified in the report, but individuals’ names 

will not be included. The result of this effort will be a report that identifies cross-site lessons, revealing 

how practices work on the ground as well as implementation challenges and solutions. A stipend of $100 

will be given to your school in appreciation of your participation.

American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting the study. Someone from AIR will contact you in 

the next two weeks to talk with you more about this study and answer any questions you might have. 

Should you have any questions in the meantime or if you would like to discuss this study, please feel free 

to contact me at 541-521-8517 or kdrummond@air.org or Erica Lee at the U.S. Department of Education 

at 202-260-1463 or erica.lee@ed.gov.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us gather and disseminate information about how districts and 

schools are implementing policies and practices to support the growth and development of students in 

early elementary grades, sustaining the advantages of preschool. We look forward to learning more about 

the interesting work that you are doing.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Drummond, Study Director

American Institutes for Research