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A Research Study Team comprised of 10-15 business and community leaders will
analyze the top three local and the top three state-level goals "bubbled up"
from each of the Community Dialogue groups to determine potential policy changes
needed to address local concerns, while assessing national models that can be
utilized to help facilitate quality teaching.
As part of the state-level research, this trained team of community and
business leaders will be assigned to interview teachers, administrators,
students and parents throughout West Virginia. In addition, each member of the
team will interview a member of the West Virginia Legislature. Teachers will be
observed in the classroom, while parents and students will be interviewed and
observed in their homes or at their local school.
The observations will be scheduled so that members of the study committee can
see issues first hand. Up to 150 people – representing all of education’s
stakeholders – will be observed and interviewed as part of this in depth
research. By placing business and community leaders directly in schools and
homes, the Alliance will create a level of understanding of education issues
among members of West Virginia’s community.
This process may also highlight areas where mid-course corrections or
additional data are needed. For example, the Research Study Team may determine
that it needs additional in depth and disaggregated data from the West Virginia
Department of Education to determine if in fact teacher shortages in some
subject areas in some counties are due to problems on the supply or demand side
of the equation – or both.
After completing interviews, observations and additional research as needed,
the Research Study Team will work with a facilitator to write a comprehensive
report of its observations and interviews. The team will first present its
formal report at a Statewide Public Education Summit, which will be sponsored
during the third year of this project.
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