Requests to Research
WOCCISD supports high-quality research that addresses well-informed research questions of educational importance. At the same time, the district has a moral and legal obligation that requires oversight of research activities that make use of district resources such as data, facilities, employee time, and access to students.
In order to conduct research in WOCCISD, a proposal must be submitted to the Research Coordinator by the application deadline of October- February of each school year. All applications will be reviewed by an appointed committee and decisions will be returned to applicants within 8 weeks after the submission.
Anyone who wants to conduct research that includes collecting or using individual-level data from or about WOCCISD students, staff, or parents (e.g., observations, surveys, tests, interviews, focus groups, filming, or other data-gathering methodologies). Consent and /or assent for student participation must be obtained from parent/guardians before data can be collected or before any individually identifiable student information can be released. Individual students, staff, or schools may not be identified in any research or evaluation product.
All research must be conducted in compliance with state and federal laws, including Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
Research projects: internal and external research applicants must complete the online application, which includes: a detailed description of the research design; details regarding any data request for school records; survey instruments, interview protocols, or other data collection instruments; consent and/or assent forms; media release forms, and a $50 application process fee (the application fee is waived for current WOCCISD staff seeking advanced degrees).
Processing fee: Currently employed staff fee $0
External fee $50 non-refundable.
Fees must paid on-line ONLY through the Mustang Store on the District Website. The Request to Research fee is listed under the "District Fees" option.
Submission window: October –February
No data collection is allowed during district and/or state assessment days. Be sure to consult the WOCCISD testing calendar.
We strongly encourage researchers first to explore the school-level data already publicly available. Researchers wishing to use publicly available data do not need to submit a research application to the district.
WOCCISD Research Guidelines must be reviewed, acknowledged, and submitted with the Request to Research Application.