Atlanta Public Schools (APS) encourages meaningful empirical research and offers the services of the Office of Research and Evaluation for School Improvement to facilitate the efforts of researchers in conducting approved studies. Guidelines have been formulated to regulate research activities, to protect the rights of students and staff, and to avoid interference with the ongoing instructional programs in the schools.

The following conditions apply to research requests:

• Research applications must contain all required documents upon submission for review. Researchers must submit a completed APS Research Request Application. The committee will not review incomplete applications. 
• Research proposals will be reviewed by the Research Screening Committee throughout the year except from April 1st through May 31st (Black Out period) of each year. The Research Screening Committee will review each proposal and respond by letter to the researcher within eight (8) weeks of the submission date.
• The committee may approve or deny research proposals. Within the eight week review period, the committee may follow-up with the applicant for clarity and/or may request modifications to the proposal. 

Beginning in December, 2017, APS school-based employees who plan to conduct research at their assigned school location only no longer need to submit a full Research Request Application. They should complete the  Local School Research form. Employees will be required to gain approval from their school principal prior to starting research and forms should be emailed to research_screening@atlanta.k12.ga.us.

COVID-19 Modifications:

In response to the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses to our school communities, the APS Research Screening Committee has modified its criteria and considerations when reviewing research proposals for the 2020-2021 school year.

• Priority will be given to studies that have direct benefit to the district and are aligned with the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan.
• Data collection plans should minimize burden to schools, staff, and students.
• All primary data collection must be conducted using online/virtual activities and requires active consent.  There will be no in-person research activites during the 2020-2021 school year.
• Consent forms must indicate any intent to record the audio or video content of data collection and include information about who will have access to the recordings, where the recordings will be stored, and when the recordings will be destroyed.

More detailed information regarding the processes and procedures regarding conducting research can be reviewed via the following link Guidelines for Conducting Research Activities the Atlanta Public Schools.

Michael LaMont