Conducting Research in Portland Public Schools

Thank you for your interest in conducting research in Portland Public Schools (PPS). This page provides information for external researchers, partners, and PPS employees about conducting research, administering surveys, conducting interviews or focus groups, or other data collection activities in PPS.

Process and Requirements for Research or Data Collection

At PPS, we welcome proposals from researchers who wish to conduct studies in the district, particularly when the studies are of high importance to PPS or the field of education. Due to the large number of requests for cooperation in optional research studies, in 2002 the PPS Board of Directors approved Administrative Directive 3.30.033-AD, which established the Research Review Committee and a formal proposal process for any research studies or data collection activities conducted in the district.

In order to support researchers with developing proposals to conduct research, the Research Review Committee developed a Research Proposal Submission Guide that details the process of submitting a proposal to conduct research in the district. Please download the latest version of the Guide from this site prior to developing a Research Proposal. If you have any questions about this process, please contact research@pps.net.

Please note that for the 2021-22 school year, the following revisions were made to the Research Review process:

• We have published new due dates for submitting proposals and for decisions from the Research Review Committee,
• We have extended the spring due date: proposals must be received no later than May 1 to be considered for the current school year,
• We have added a district sponsorship requirement, 
• We have developed a process for submitting modifications, and
• We have updated our intake form.

*Please be advised that due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic the Committee is prioritizing studies that measure our recovery efforts, require no primary data collection, and do not impact instructional time.

Timeline for Submitting Proposals

The Research Review Committee convenes three times a year to review and make determinations on proposals. Proposals submitted after the deadline will be reviewed in the next Committee meeting. 

* Proposals received after May 1 will be reviewed the following October 

PPS Employees

PPS employees conducting research to complete coursework or degree requirements are subject to the research proposal requirements as stated above. 

Internal Survey Administration at PPS

If you are a PPS employee, contact the review committee at research@pps.net if you need to conduct a survey that includes one or more of these criteria:

• Includes survey questions of a potentially sensitive nature;
• Involves respondents outside your assigned school or department;
• Requires participation;
• Will be reported publicly (e.g., published on a school website, higher education classroom presentation, academic conferences, etc.); or
• Will be used to complete coursework or degree requirements.

Refer to this Survey Process Guide for more information for PPS employees about administering surveys at PPS.

Focus Groups, Interviews, Phone Banking, or other Qualitative Research Activities

PPS employees can contact research@pps.net for support with qualitative research activities like focus groups, interviews, phone banking.

Data Requests

PPS employees requesting data can submit a request to support@pps.net.

Contact information

Research Review Committee

research@pps.net