Form 0920-24BJ Interview Guide Recipient

CDC-RFA-DP-23-0002 Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-xxxx

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-XXXX). 

2302 Healthy Schools Evaluation

Recipient Interview Guide

Introduction (5 min)

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. My name is ______ and I will facilitate today’s discussion. My colleague ______ is also joining us to listen and take notes.

Your organization received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote equity and improve health, academic achievement, and well-being of students through a cooperative agreement known as the 2302 Healthy Schools Program, or “2302”. CDC engaged ICF to evaluate the 2302 Healthy Schools Program to better understand how funding, professional development, technical assistance, and resources from CDC have contributed to implementation of project strategies and activities by states, districts, and schools.

The purpose of this interview is to learn more about how your organization provides professional development and technical assistance to help states, districts, and schools implement school health strategies and activities to achieve healthier school environments. Evaluation results will be used to demonstrate the impacts of the 2302 program and improve CDC’s support to recipient organizations, school districts, and schools.

This interview will take about 60 minutes. Participation in this interview is voluntary. You may choose to stop the interview at any time, and you may choose not to respond to any question without penalty of any kind. The information we collect from you and other interviews will be summarized and reported to CDC anonymously. Your name and organization will not be associated with your responses in any reports or publications and will be reported in aggregate. Participation in the interview will cause no risk to you or your organization.

If you have questions about this evaluation, please contact the evaluation team at 2302evaluation@icf.com. For questions regarding your rights related to this evaluation, you can contact ICF’s Institutional Review Board at irb@icf.com.

Do you consent to participate in the interview?

Do you agree to be recorded?

Before we begin the discussion, do you have any questions for me?

Okay, let’s get started. Feel free to reference the interview guide provided in the meeting appointment for today.

I will start the recording now. [Start recording and transcript]

[Note to interviewer: adapt questions as needed if more than one person is participating in the interview; follow cues to adapt instructions and questions for year 2 and year 4 of the program.]

Background (5 min)

1. What is your role within your organization?

2. What is your role implementing 2302 strategies and activities in your state?

Now, let’s turn to questions about your organization’s 2302 activities. We will talk about your statewide health coalition and partnerships, support for school health councils and teams, professional development and technical assistance activities, support to your priority local education agency, and the support you received from CDC. We’ll also ask you for any lessons or recommendations you have regarding these activities.

[Year 2] As you respond to these questions, please consider your observations, experiences, and work performed since the beginning of the 2023 program, or during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.

[Year 4] As you respond to these questions, please consider your observations, experiences, and work performed since the last interview in 2025, or during the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years.

Statewide School Health Leadership Coalition and Partnerships (8 min)

3. How have your partnerships changed and/or grown within and beyond the statewide school health coalition over the past two school years?

   1. Probes: new partners; expanded diversity and scope; renewed/stronger relationship; new collaborations.

4. How did the statewide coalition contribute to changes in statewide school health infrastructure over the past two years?

   1. Probes: changes in school health policies, guidelines, and/or standards; leadership support; adoption of practices; reach and scope of PD and TA; etc.

5. What were the barriers and/or challenges to the operation and maintenance of the statewide school health coalition and partnerships over the past two school years?

6. What opportunities or factors facilitated the operation and maintenance of the coalition and partnerships over the past two school years?

School Health Councils and Teams (8 min)

7. How has your organization supported new and existing school health councils and teams at the district and school level over the past two years?

   1. Probe: What strategies were used to help establish and/or support teams?

8. What changes and/or achievements did you observe among school health councils and teams in your state over the past two years?

   1. Probes: number and management of teams, membership, engagement, accomplishments.

9. What were the barriers and/or challenges to establishing and maintaining school health councils and teams?

10. What opportunities or factors facilitated the establishment and maintenance of school health councils and teams?

Statewide Professional Development and Technical Assistance (8 min)

11. How has your organization been identifying the needs for PD and TA among districts and schools?

    1. [If time allows]: What were the most common PD and TA needs that you observed among LEAs and schools in your state over the past two years?

12. What are some positive outcomes observed from the PD and TA delivered to districts and schools over the past two years?

13. What barriers or challenges did your organization encounter when planning and delivering 2302-related PD and TA to districts and schools over the past two years, if any?

14. What facilitated your delivery of 2302-related PD and TA to districts and schools over the past two years?

    1. Probes: i.e., what made it easier for your state to deliver PD or training to districts and schools?

Support to Priority Local Education Agency (PLEA/district) (8 min)

15. What were some of the major changes and successes that were achieved by the PLEA and corresponding schools in the past two years?

1. Probes: e.g., nutrition environmental policies put in place, CSPAP implemented, new health services established, district level policies established, etc.

16. What challenges or barriers did you encounter when supporting your PLEA and corresponding schools over the past two years?

17. What opportunities or factors facilitated your work with your PLEA and corresponding schools over the past two years?

Health Equity (6 min)

18. What have been some of the biggest wins and successes from your organization’s work to support health equity within districts and schools over the past two years?

19. What challenges or barriers have you experienced in supporting health equity related work?

20. What opportunities or factors facilitated your support for health equity work?

Support from CDC (5 min)

21. What CDC support has been the most helpful to your organization in implementing 2302 strategies to promote physical activity, nutrition, and management of chronic health conditions in schools?

1. [If time allows] What CDC support has been least helpful?

22. What other support do you need from CDC to fully implement the 2302 cooperative agreement?

Lessons Learned and Recommendations (7 min)

23. [Year 4] What plans are you putting in place to sustain the school health activities and infrastructure achieved through the 2302 cooperative agreement?

24. What other activities, successes, or lessons would you like to share that we haven’t already discussed?

25. What recommendations would you offer to other states based on your experience supporting districts and schools during the 2302 cooperative agreement?

Those are all of my questions. Thank you so much for your time today.

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