You are invited to participate in the following research study: "A Descriptive Analysis of the Social/Emotional Supports and Services in Minnesota Schools."

This survey is a follow-up to a similar study conducted in 2006, in which your school may have participated. This research will provide additional data about the social/emotional supports and services currently being provided in Minnesota schools. If your school participated in the 2006 survey, it was automatically selected for this survey. If not, your school was randomly selected from the remaining pool of Minnesota primary and secondary schools. Please read this page before agreeing to be in the study.

Primary Investigators:

This study is being conducted by the Center for Excellence in Children's Mental Health at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education.

Purpose:

This survey will provide valuable information about the range of services in Minnesota schools that address the social/emotional development and learning of all students.

Minnesota schools serve the needs of students by promoting competence in social/emotional areas along a continuum of school-wide interventions (e.g. positive school climate, conflict resolution) to providing individualized supports for students with identified psychological disorders.

Benefits:

This survey will provide vital descriptive data for:

• Strategic planning for districts and schools.

• Furthering knowledge of the provision of social/emotional supports to students on a state, district, and school level.

• Strengthening future grant applications.

• Informing policy makers.

• Guiding staff development training.

Procedure:

As a participant in this study, you are asked to complete the Survey of Social/Emotional Supports and Services. The survey is online and will take approximately 45 - 60 minutes to complete.

You are asked to assemble a team of professionals from your school to answer these questions. They are not meant to be answered by one person alone, as the questions address a variety of issues that will not be known by any one individual. It may be most helpful to use a team already in place, such as the problem-solving or child study team, consisting of an administrator, a school psychologist, a counselor, a special education teacher, a general education teacher, and a behavior specialist, or other staff in the building who provide social/emotional supports and services.

Confidentiality:

The records of this study will be kept private. In any sort of report we might publish, we will not include any information that will make it possible to identify a subject. Research records will be stored securely and only shared with the Minnesota Department of Education as partners in this project.

Voluntary Nature of the Study:

Participation in this study is voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with the University of Minnesota or Minnesota Department of Education. If you decide to participate, you are free to not answer any question or withdraw at any time without affecting those relationships.

Contacts and Questions:

The primary researchers conducting this study are: Joel Hetler, Ph.D. and Rosalie Palan. If you have questions, you are encouraged to contact them at (612) 626-3575 or pala0050@umn.edu.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this study and would like to talk to someone other than the researchers, you are encouraged to contact the Research Subjects’ Advocate Line, D528 Mayo, 420 Delaware St. Southeast, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455; (612) 625-1650.