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School Research Placement
Procedures and Requirements | Deadlines | School Research FAQ | Criminal Background Check
Links to Additional Resources | Forms
Procedures and Requirements
Individuals who are interested in conducting research with preschool, elementary, middle, or high school students, their parents and families, teachers, or other school personnel, should first obtain human subjects approval by completing and submitting the IRB-1 along with the completed copy of the School Research Form. In addition, school district staff regularly provide us with a list of topics where they would find research most helpful. Reviewing this list may be useful for student researchers who would like to identify a focus area.
When completing the School Research Form, please remember that handwritten forms are not acceptable. Please submit forms electronically as an attachment to e-mail. A copy of this form is sent to the school district where the researcher proposes to implement the study so it should clearly represent the goals of the project to teachers and school administrators. When submitting the Research in Schools Form, all related and supporting documents, including the approved IRB-1, sample consent letters and copies of any surveys, questionnaires, or interview protocols that will be used in the research, must be submitted at that time as well. Staff at the OSURR office will make every effort to assist the researcher with finding the best school placement that meets the requirements of their particular project.
It is important to keep in mind that school district faculty and administrators are very busy professionals and that university researchers are guests in the school building. Researchers should be prepared to provide a summary of their research to school faculty along with another supportive activity such as a packet of relevant resources, or faculty workshop. Contributions such as this encourage goodwill between the University and school district staff along with ongoing professional development or educational support at the school level.
Anyone desiring to conduct research in K-12 schools must have a Criminal Background Check run before submitting a research proposal. Criminal Background Checks can be facilitated through the Office of School University Research Relations (OSURR). Please contact Anne Robertson or visit OSURR at 38B Education, 217-333-3023.
Other resources and Information for Pre-K-12 Administration, Faculty and Parents
Deadlines
Because of the large number of research project requests local public school districts receive each semester, there are established firm deadlines by which all School Research Forms must be received for Champaign, Urbana, and Decatur public school districts. They will not accept any research projects submitted directly to their administrative offices or schools; all forms must go through the Office of School-University Research Relations. The deadlines for the 2009-2010 academic year are:
Deadlines for Champaign – Urbana, Springfield and Decatur:
- Fall semester - Sept 8, 2009
- Spring semester - Jan. 29, 2010
- Placement in all other school districts occurs throughout the year. Submit your application now.
Need to download an IRB form ?
Criminal Background Check
All individuals who wish to conduct research in preschools, elementary, middle, or high schools are now required to pass a criminal background check which is facilitated by the Office of School-University Research Relations.
Faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate research assistants, must come to the Bureau of Educational Research in Room 38 Education and submit a one-page Background Check Form in order to have this check run. Please bring two forms of picture IDs with you. There is a $20.00 fee for each background check. The fee for background checks run in the Bureau may be paid by cash, check, or an approved University research account. Approval from the Principal Investigator must be obtained before the check can be run. Additionally, the individual having the check done needs to provide the Bureau with the FOAPAL of the account to be charged.
The information on the form you complete is sent electronically to the Illinois State Police. The background check does a name search for any convictions an individual has received in the state of Illinois. Individuals who have been convicted of criminal offenses that would prevent them from receiving teacher certification in Illinois will be barred from doing research in the schools. Examples of such offenses are first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, class X felonies, or certain narcotics or sexual offenses. Some school districts require a copy of the criminal background check result. Except for the school districts that require this information, all background check results will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any other firms, organizations, or agencies. Please contact the OSSUR office for a copy of the results.
If the researcher has had a background check done previously in the State of Illinois, and can provide the appropriate verification of the check, then it may be acceptable for research in schools. Please bring the documentation to the OSURR office for approval and entry into the OSSUR system.
For faculty and graduate students who may be involved in multiple projects over the course of several years, the background check is typically required only once unless otherwise notified. If you are unsure if you have complied with this policy please check with the OSURR office where confidential records are maintained or contact Anne Robertson with any questions.
Links to Additional Resources
Forms Needed for School Research
Other Resources and Information for Pre-K-12 Administration, Faculty and Parents