Research Request Procedure for Educators and Researchers

The Clerc Center values educational research that incorporates equitable participation while practicing and supporting research that aligns with the Clerc Center’s research priority areas. Equitable research practice also invites families whose home languages are other than American Sign Language (ASL) and English by providing translated parent/caregiver letters, consent forms, and any other forms in the families’ home language (e.g., Spanish, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese-Mandarin). Findings from educational research can provide new ideas for improving current teaching practices and learning opportunities for all deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deafdisabled students of various communities. Findings can also offer new suggestions and opportunities for supporting diverse families and the professionals who work alongside 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 

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

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