Research & Evaluation
Shawn Snyder
About Our Department
The Office of Research & Evaluation strives to assist staff with interpreting and responding to data in meaningful ways. Our department works closely with various divisions of the district office as they plan, implement, monitor and assess the impact of their services to schools and students, particularly in the area of student achievement.
Our primary areas of responsibility include:
- Supervising school test coordinators and overseeing state testing.
- Developing and sharing state testing resources for parents and the community.
- Supporting staff with data requests and data applications.
- Outlining data collection strategies to support effective cycles of inquiry.
- Assisting schools with accountability questions and data reviews.
- Interpreting survey data to inform practice.
- Reporting student outcome data.
- Coordinating research and survey requests.
The Research and Evaluation Office coordinates data reports and research requests, including surveys. Please use the Quick Links for additional information.
Research/Evaluation Criteria
The Red Clay Consolidated School District has long been interested in promoting research within the district. Both internal and external research activities are conducted continuously throughout the district to help students, teachers, support staff, and administrators make informed decisions.
The Office of Assessment and Instruction not only conducts its own research activities but acts as a clearinghouse for external research initiatives. The Office of Assessment and Instruction Learning provides an initial screening of research requests, looking for awareness and attention to several areas. These include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Alignment with Red Clay Consolidated School District Strategic Plan
- Appropriateness of public school settings
- Concern for the confidentiality of individuals, students, families, schools, and work units
- Amount of intrusiveness of the research activities
- Time and effort required of staff and district resources
Individuals wishing to conduct research within the district are invited to complete a Research Request and Data Confidentiality Form which can be obtained from shawn.snyder@redclay.k12.de.us. The pdf can be emailed and the final signature page scanned and emailed or a hard copy can be mailed to the address indicated on the form. After receiving all required information, a committee will review your request and send an email within approximately two weeks indicating whether the research was approved or additional information is needed.
The request approval does not guarantee that a school or any individuals will agree to participate – it simply means that all human subject protection aspects of the research process are in place. It is the responsibility of the researcher to demonstrate why participation has more value than a burden to schools. Although the Evaluation to Assessment and Instruction will approve or not approve the research, teachers, principals, and school teams have final authority to agree or not to participate in any external research. ALL research needs to have permission from the Office of Assessment and Instruction BEFORE our schools are approached by the researchers.