Research Study to Assess the Impact of High School Programs on Urban Graduates

Dear MSD of Wayne Township Graduate:

You are invited to participate in a research study about the impact of high school programs on urban graduates.  This study is being conducted by Rebecca Daugherty-Saunders as a part of her doctoral dissertation at Indiana State University.  Dr. Terry McDaniel is serving as the faculty sponsor from the department of Educational Leadership. Approval to complete this study was obtained from Dr. Jeff Butts, Superintendent of the MSD of Wayne Township/

The 2010-2015 graduates from Ben Davis High School and Ben Davis University High School are invited to participate. Graduates who elect to participate in the study will complete a brief 10-minute survey regarding the context of their experiences during their program of study in high school and their life after graduation. The survey is comprised of 24 questions based on your high school program of study and the corresponding confidence level concerning your contribution to society, durable skill levels, and personal introspections such as your values, attitudes, and beliefs related to success. The survey will conclude with a brief section to collect some basic demographic information. The survey will be administered using a secure Internet-based electronic program called Qualtrics.

All of the participants of this study will remain anonymous. No personally identifiable information will be collected such as name, residence address, e-mail address, phone number, current employer, or IP address. They survey program Qualtrics has been set up to administer the survey through an anonymous link which has an anonymize response setting that will remove any identifiable information like IP address or location permanently before your response is recorded. Complete anonymity cannot be guaranteed however, as this is an Internet-based survey. Results will be reported in groups without the identification of individual participants. Your responses will be kept in a secure, password protected file that is only accessible to the researcher and her faculty sponsor. These will be kept indefinitely to allow for future use in studies and research related to the topic. Participation is voluntary and the risk of harm is minimal. You can opt out of the study at any time by exiting out of the survey. The informed consent document is available at the very start of the survey and should you not choose to agree to the informed consent, no response will be recorded.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Rebecca Daugherty-Saunders by phone at (317) 502-7938 or by e-mail at rdaugherty6@indstate.edu. You can also contact the Dissertation Chairperson, Dr. Terry McDaniel, by phone at (812) 821-7252 or by e-mail at terry.mcdaniel@indstate.edu . If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact the Indiana State University Institutional Review Board (IRB) by mail at 114 Erickson Hall, Terre Haute, IN 47809, by phone at (812) 237-3088, or by e-mail at irb@indstate.edu.

Please click the link to start the survey which will begin with your informed consent. https://indstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4OBAohEjVFerqxU

Thank you for your efforts and assistance.

Respectfully,

Rebecca Daugherty-Saunders, Ed.S.