Conducting Research Within SPS
OITA is responsible for review and approval of all requests by individuals or organizations to conduct research in the Springfield Public Schools. This includes research proposed to take place during or after school in any of our facilities and involving either students or staff.
For multi-school research proposals, while the District may provide approval for the project in general, individual school Principals must also agree to allow research to take place in their building. If research is being conducted in a single school and the Principal has approved, it is still necessary to obtain approval from the District through our standard process.
The documents to the right are necessary forms that must be completed and attached to your request for a proposal to be considered. Once a proposal has been submitted, and all documentation is complete, it will take 4-8 weeks for the District to provide a response. Please plan the timing of your submission accordingly.
It is important to understand that the District is very selective in approving research proposals and the majority of requests are denied. We are of necessity focused on our mission of teaching and learning. Projects are more likely to be approved if we believe the research will yield information that will support and improve our work. In addition, we endeavor to minimize the impact of research on time on teaching and learning for staff and students.