SPS receives a large volume of research requests and while there is no official cap on approvals, the district’s capacity to accommodate all proposals is limited. Because research facilitation and administration requires a great deal of effort and resources, SPS will use its discretion in determining which research activities will be approved.

Processing time varies depending on the complexity of the proposal, initial outcome of the review process, and the speed with which researchers respond to requests for revision or further information. SPS makes every attempt to notify researchers as soon as possible after the committee review date; this typically occurs 10 days after the committee meeting date.

The SPSRRT process protects SPS students and staff against research that puts them at personal and/or professional risk and helps SPS determine whether the benefits of a proposed research project justify the risks and the time spent by participants and staff. For detailed information see Board Policy BBDL and JDHA.

If you are an instructor who would like to collaborate with SPS on a course project, or if you are a student working on an undergraduate or graduate course project, please contact Brian Olivera (bkolivera@spsmail.org) as those requests are reviewed outside of the SPSRRT standing meetings.

To ensure SPS oversight and centralization of project management, researchers should not contact individual principals, teachers, staff, etc. about research planning or coordination. Researchers should not contact building staff prior to submitting a research request to the SPSRRT. If you have preferences about where or with whom you want to work, please state this in your proposal.

All research projects must undergo SPSRRT review, even those conducted by SPS staff, to ensure district resources are being used strategically and that the district is aware and able to support the work of all staff.

SPS requires review of all projects that target SPS staff, students, and families for recruitment, even if the study is not related to education or does not take place during school hours. Because researchers are identifying these people as members of SPS, SPSRRT needs to review the proposals. If a researcher were looking to the general public – which includes SPS staff, students, and parents – it would not be an issue, but targeted recruitment requires review. 

SPS requires review of all projects that want to recruit SPS staff and students using their SPS emails. Because SPS is a public entity and public dollars fund the email system, that email is considered property of the district. Therefore, targeted recruitment using SPS email addresses requires review.

SPS requires review of all projects that want to recruit SPS staff participation, even if that participation is outside of contract hours. As SPS employees, these people are representatives of the district, and projects that recruit them because they are employed with SPS must be reviewed.

Researchers may receive one of five responses from SPSRRT: 

• Incomplete/Not Reviewed – Before proposals are sent to the committee, they are reviewed to ensure all elements of the proposal have been submitted. If they are not complete (e.g., missing IRB approval, missing consent forms), SPSRRT staff will notify the researcher that the proposal will not be reviewed by the committee. Researchers can resubmit to the next committee meeting.
• Conditional Approval – The committee determines the project is complete and can be approved without modifications. 
• Modifications Required – The committee determines the project is of interest to the district and can move forward, but first requires modifications be made to the proposal materials. The researcher receives a letter outlining necessary changes, which can be submitted via email to SPSRRT staff. Once all modifications are approved, the proposal moves to conditional approval.
• Tabled – The committee determines that the project is of interest to the district, but cannot move forward without significant revisions that must be reviewed by the committee at a future meeting. The researcher receives a letter outlining the outstanding issues that must be resolved for the project to move forward. The researcher can then resubmit to a future SPSRRT review date for reconsideration.
• Rejected – The committee determines that the project cannot be approved by the district. The researcher receives a letter outlining the reasons why the project cannot be approved at this time. The researcher can resubmit to a future SPSRRT review date, if desired, but the project would need to look substantially different from the one that was rejected.