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Research Request Procedure for Educators and Researchers

The Clerc Center values educational research that supports equitable participation and aligns with our research priorities. This includes providing translated family letters, consent forms, and related materials in each family’s home language when needed.

Research findings can offer new ideas to improve teaching, expand learning opportunities for deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deafdisabled students, and better support diverse families and the professionals who work with them.

All researchers must:

  1. Submit a Research Request Application for the Clerc Center’s review
  2. Review the Clerc Center’s policy for research activities
  3. Submit all required materials for consideration

Not following the steps and/or failing to provide materials may extend the review and proposal submission process.

The research request review process takes a minimum of 15 business days and likely may be longer depending on the request timing, number of requests being reviewed, and the schools’ priorities at that time. Once the review has been completed, the researcher(s) will be contacted with a decision via email.  

The Clerc Center may decline research requests for reasons including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Insufficient number of students or other human participants to meet the study requirements
  • Competing research requests for the same desired study group (e.g., it would not be possible to conduct several studies focusing on first grade students in one school year)
  • Academic demands and/or requirements (e.g., research cannot be conducted during state testing season)
  • Lack of resources to support the proposed research activity

All interested educators and researchers must adhere to the Clerc Center Policies for Educational Research:

  • All requests must be submitted to the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research team and then reviewed internally by Clerc Center leaders. 
  • A copy of the IRB approval from Gallaudet University must be submitted before conducting the study.
  • Prior to approval from the Clerc Center research review committee, researchers are not permitted to contact individuals at the Clerc Center or to reach out to any functional Clerc Center email accounts. All initial correspondence must be directed to Clerc.Center.Research@gallaudet.edu.
  • When the research review team and/or Gallaudet University IRB determines parental consent is needed for a child’s participation in a study, only those children whose parents/caregivers return the informed consent forms may participate in the given study.
  • Researchers may not contact Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the Deaf students directly.
  • Researchers not employed by the Clerc Center must pay for and undergo a suitability background check through Gallaudet University’s provider (if applicable).
  • The Clerc Center will distribute research study materials and inform the researcher(s) of which students have obtained parental consent (if applicable).
  • Approval for conducting research is contingent on a formal agreement between the Clerc Center and the researcher(s). The agreement must be communicated to participants as part of consent forms for Clerc Center participants.
  • As part of the formal agreement, all  findings of the research study conducted at the Clerc Center must be shared with the Clerc Center.

Procedure for Gallaudet Researchers, Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students

Research activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Letter of support for the potential involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants

  • Distribution of recruitment materials

  • Support with recruitment efforts

  • Involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants in the study

If you are seeking a letter of support for the potential involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants, a letter/agreement request must be submitted. The link to the Research Request Application Form can be found at the end of this web page.

If you are seeking the Clerc Center’s participation in research activities for an IRB-approved research study, a Research Request Application Form will need to be submitted. Research activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Distribution of recruitment materials

  • Support with recruitment efforts

  • Involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants in the study

Before you fill out the Research Request Application Form, all items in the following list must be completed and provided:

  1. Review and adhere to the Clerc Center Policies for Educational Research (link).

  2. Establish a clear identification and connection to the Clerc Center’s research priority areas (link to Research Agenda).

  3. Obtain approval from the Gallaudet University IRB (link).

  4. Obtain a Gallaudet University sponsor (required for Gallaudet graduate students) and provide documentation of this.

  5. Fill out the following materials prior to completing the Research Request Application Form:

    1. Principal investigator(s) and their CV(s)

    2. Primary contact information (e.g., email, phone number) for the principal investigator(s) and person(s) of contact

    3. List of research team members responsible for data collection and/or in direct contact with study participants

    4. Copy of the study’s background (i.e., literature review and rationale for study)

    5. Copy of the study’s methodology (i.e., data collection, analysis, how the findings will be reported)

    6. List of languages used to communicate with participants and families

    7. Copies of recruitment materials (e.g., fliers, letters)

    8. Copy of all consent forms, including video release forms

    9. Copies of instruments used (e.g., surveys, questionnaires, interview questions)

    10. Copy of the Gallaudet IRB approval letter

    11. Plan for how the study results will be shared with the Clerc Center (must be usable and readable for teachers, school professionals, and families)

A representative from the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research team will initiate the review process upon receiving the receipt of the completed application. The applicant (principal investigator[s]/contact person[s]) will be notified of the decision via email.

If approved, the researcher(s) will be notified of the decision and the steps that follow.

Procedure for Non-Gallaudet Researchers, Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students 

Research activities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • Letter of support for the potential involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants

  • Distribution of recruitment materials

  • Support with recruitment efforts

  • Involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants in the study

If you are seeking a letter of support for the potential involvement of Clerc Center teachers, staff, or students as participants, a letter/agreement request must be submitted. The link to the Research Request Application Form can be found at the end of this web page.

The research request process for researchers not affiliated with Gallaudet University has two parts:

Part 1:  Research Request Application Form (to be reviewed by the internal review team) – If approved, proceed to Part 2.

Part 2:  IRB Application Form – A notification with a link to the second form will be sent to the researcher(s) to be completed for submission by a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research team representative as a staff sponsor to the Gallaudet University IRB on the researcher’s behalf.

Before you fill out the initial Research Request Application Form, you will need to have the following completed and ready to provide: 

  1. Review and adhere to the Clerc Center Policies for Educational Research (link to Front page). 

  2. Establish a clear identification and connection to the Clerc Center’s research priority areas (link to Research Agenda). 

  3. Fill out the following materials prior to completing the Research Request Application Form:

    1. Copy of an affiliated university’s IRB approval letter

    2. Principal investigator(s) and their CV(s)

    3. All contact information for the principal investigator(s) and person(s) of contact 

    4. List of research team members responsible for data collection and/or in direct contact with study participants

    5. Copy of the study’s background (i.e., literature review and rationale for study)

    6. Copy of the study’s methodology (i.e., data collection, analysis, how the findings will be reported)

    7. List of languages used to communicate with participants and families

    8. Copies of the recruitment materials (e.g., fliers, letters) presented in one or more languages

    9. Copies of all consent forms, including video release forms, in all languages to be used

    10. Copies of instruments used (e.g., surveys, questionnaires, interview questions)

    11. Plan for how the study results will be shared with the Clerc Center (must be usable and readable for teachers, school professionals, and families.

Research Request Application Form

Please email clerc.center.research@gallaudet.edu if you need clarification or have questions about the research request review process.

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A woman with dark, curly hair is reading a book to three deaf or hard of hearing boys. The two boys on the left are in Pre-kindergarten and the third boy is a toddler. The middle boy in a short-sleeve button up shirt is using American Sign Language with the woman reading.

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