FRAME YOUR ISSUE AND COLLECT YOUR DATA - How can Detroit schools ensure students are able to transition to new routines, expectations, and responsibilities virtually?

The guiding questions represent what you need or want to know about the issue before designing your data collection methods. similar to a research question, the development question serves as a guide for the actual questions in an interview or focus-group protocol. Guiding Queston/ Problem of Practice Chosen:  How can educators in Detroit schools ensure students are able to transition to new routines, expectations, and responsibilities virtually? 

 This pandemic brought to the forefront questions that teachers must answer to assist students in achieving academic expectations on the level as if the school year had not been cancelled 

Overview

For this assignment, you will:

· Explain the context for your issue and identify the available data as well as the data to be collected.

· Prepare and submit a data collection plan.

Note: You will not be conducting a full study that results in the solution of a problem. The purpose of your project will be to investigate a problem of practice.

Instructions

Complete the following in a single document with two headings: "Framing an Issue" and "Data Collection Plan."

Complete the following under the heading "Framing an Issue":

· Describe a significant issue that is a current or future improvement need or opportunity. 

· The significant local issue or problem should be at your organization or school.

· Frame the issue or problem carefully, explaining the performance gap and potential causes as you currently understand them.

· Provide evidence that such a problem exists and is worthy of action research.

· Explain how this organizational evidence and data supports your framing of the problem. Be specific.

· Describe additional institutional or publicly available information (i.e., state-level data on student outcomes from standardized tests, corporate data on employee retention, or other quantitative data available to you) you will examine to deepen your understanding of the problem.

· Discuss the influence of the larger systems related to your issue or problem.

· Do NOT offer solutions. That is not the purpose of the project for this class.

· Explain how a specific guiding question will help direct data collection efforts to better understand the problem or issue.

· Explain how the guiding question is related to the issue or problem that will guide your data collection and planning process.

· Explain why you need this information and how it will potentially lead to a better project design.

· Explain how it will help you formulate interview or focus-group questions.

· Discuss how you will collect qualitative interview data from stakeholders.

· Include two or three stakeholders.

· Collect this data collection using one-on-one interviews or one focus group with all of your participants together.

· Identify those with whom you will need to collaborate.

· Describe your initial plan for gathering this information, including those who will need to answer questions and provide you with information.

· What other data collection methods could you pursue at a later date (not for this class) in addition to individual or focus-group interviews that might help answer the guiding question?

Complete the following under the heading “Data Collection Plan”:

· Provide a clear introduction of the problem, the existing data, and identification of informational gaps.

· Include citations or examples to clarify the issue.

· Explain how specific guiding questions align with the identified problem or issue.

· Identify multiple guiding questions.

· State the questions clearly.

· Describe an appropriate sample and method for gathering data and indicate any limitations.

· For the sample, identify the two or three participants.

· For the method, you might choose interviews or a focus group.

· Indicate any limitations that would result in you needing to get additional data at a later date.

· Indicate if there are any information needs that your participants may not be able to provide.

· Explain interview plans.

· Very Important Note: you MAY NOT interview students, direct reports, or minors. Try interviewing graduates who are over 18 years old instead of students. Try interviewing peers or managers not in your line of reporting instead of direct reports.

· You will be transcribing each interview word-for-word AND allowing your participants to review the transcripts for accuracy. Thus, do not plan to interview more than three people or you may run out of time.

· Plan now for interviews to take place during Weeks 5 and 6 of our course. (You may start as soon as your interview questions from this assignment are graded and approved by your professor.) Anticipate that you will spend several hours interviewing, transcribing, and having participants review your transcripts for accuracy. Block off some time in your calendar for this process.

· Provide a list of interview questions (these are different from guiding questions) that will elicit information from your participants to help fill the information gap regarding the issue or problem at your organization or school.

· When writing interview questions, ensure that they are open-ended. Avoid closed-ended questions that result in yes or no answers. Consider starting your sentences with Why, How, In what way, In your experience, Tell me your thoughts on…

· Provide a clear rationale for the interviews (why these 2-3 people? Why interviews? Or why a focus group?).

· Explain how the interviews will improve understanding of the issue or problem.

For both parts of the assignment:

· Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.

· Include ample evidence and analysis that clearly supports the main topic in each paragraph.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the requirements outlined above, your assignment should meet the following:

· Written communication: Written communication should be scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of professional contexts.

· APA format: Follow current APA Style and Format, including a cover page, headings, and a hanging indent for all citation entries.

Frame Your Issue and Collect Your Data Scoring Guide

Due Date: End of Week 3 Percentage of Course Grade: 15%.

CRITERIA	NON-PERFORMANCE	BASIC	PROFICIENT	DISTINGUISHED
Describe a significant issue that is a current or future improvement need or opportunity. 11%	Does not identify a significant issue that is a current or future improvement need or opportunity.	Identifies, but does not describe, a significant issue that is a current or future improvement need or opportunity.	Describes a significant issue that is a current or future improvement need or opportunity.	Analyzes a significant issue that is a current or future improvement need or opportunity, and provide evidence that such a problem exists and is worthy of action research.
Explain how specific guiding questions will help direct data collection efforts to better understand the problem or issue. 11%	Does not identify guiding questions that will help direct data collection efforts to better understand the problem or issue.	Identifies specific guiding questions will help direct data collection efforts to better understand the problem or issue.	Explains how specific guiding questions will help direct data collection efforts to better understand the problem or issue.	Explains how specific guiding questions will help direct data collection efforts to better understand the problem or issue, and includes citations or examples to clarify the claims.
Discuss how qualitative interview data will be collected from stakeholders. 11%	Does not identify qualitative interview data to be collected from stakeholders.	Identifies qualitative interview data to be collected from stakeholders.	Discusses how qualitative interview data will be collected from stakeholders.	Discusses how qualitative interview data will be collected from stakeholders, and includes citations or examples to clarify the claims.
Provide a clear introduction of the problem, the existing data, and identification of informational gaps. 11%	Does not provide a clear introduction of the problem, the existing data, and identification informational gaps.	Provides an incomplete introduction of the problem, existing data, and information gaps.	Provides a clear introduction of the problem, the existing data, and identification of informational gaps.	Provides a clear introduction of the problem, the existing data, and identification informational gaps, including citations or examples to clarify the issue.
Explain how specific guiding questions align with the identified problem or issue. 12%	Does not explain or identifies how specific guiding questions align with the identified problem or issue.	Identifies unclear guiding questions, or questions only partially align with the identified problem or issue.	Explains how specific guiding questions align with the identified problem or issue.	Explains how specific guiding questions align with the identified problem or issue, including citations or examples to clarify the claims.
Describe an appropriate sample and method for gathering data and indicate any limitations. 12%	Does not identify an appropriate sample and method for gathering data.	Partially or unclearly identifies the sample and method for gathering data, or limitations have not been identified.	Describes an appropriate sample and method for gathering data and indicate any limitations.	Describes an appropriate sample and method for gathering data and indicates any limitations, including citations or examples to support the claims.
Explain interview plans. 12%	Does not identify interview plans.	Identifies interview plans.	Explains interview plans.	Explains detailed interview plans and how the interview will improve the understanding of the issue or problem.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions. 10%	Does not organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.	Organizes content with some logical flow and smooth transitions.	Organizes content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.	Organizes content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions, and includes ample evidence and analysis that clearly support the main topic in each paragraph.
Communication is clear and precise, adhering to APA formatting rules and APA writing style with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics. 10%	Communication is not clear and precise and does not adhere to APA formatting and APA writing style. Does not use correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.	Inconsistent communication in terms of clarity and precision. Inconsistent use of APA formatting and APA writing style. Contains substantial errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.	Communication is clear and precise, adhering to APA formatting rules and APA writing style with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.	Communication in terms of clarity and precision is exemplary, exhibiting strict and nearly flawless adherence to APA formatting rules and APA writing style with correct grammar, usage and mechanics.