CDE's Research/Evaluation Concept Paper Guidelines

Research/Evaluation Concept Paper Guidelines

Researchers requesting California Department of Education (CDE) data for research/evaluation purposes must attach a Research/Evaluation Concept Paper to the Data Request Intake Form . The paper should be brief and must provide a clear and concise summary of the research/evaluation project.

The concept paper must include each of the following nine elements:

• The project title.
• A clear description of the topic. Include a brief summary of background information on the topic.
• A clear statement of purpose summarizing the project’s goal(s).
• Specific research/evaluation questions the project will answer.
• A statement of why these research/evaluation questions are important to answer. Address at least one of the following:
  • Does the research/evaluation align with the CDE Research Priorities page?
  • Does the research/evaluation inform the policies and/or practices of the CDE?
  • Does the research/evaluation improve education and/or instruction?
• A description of how the questions will be answered, including:
  • A description of the data being requested (data collections, grades, years, description of study sample characteristics, and plans to link the requested data to other data collections);
  • The plan of data analysis; and
  • A determination of how the data and analysis method will address each research/evaluation question.
• A description of when and where the research will be published and disseminated.
• The name, title, role on project, and a brief summary of qualifications and affiliations for the principal investigator, key research staff, and co-authors.
• A description of the project funding source including funding agency name, type of funding (government, private foundation, other), and time period for funding support.

Research/Evaluation Concept Papers failing to adequately address each of the above elements will not be reviewed by the CDE.

Also note that the principal investigator is required to submit a copy of his or her professional resume or curriculum vitae (CV) in order to initiate the request for data from the CDE.