Your Consent

You are invited to take part in this research project. First, we will provide detailed information about the research project. We want to explain to you as transparently as possible all of the procedures involved in this project so you can make a fully informed decision about whether you want to participate. Please read this information carefully. Feel free to ask questions about any information by contacting Allison at allison[at]gelsresearch.org. Once you understand what the project is about and if you agree to take part in it, you can continue with the study.

Purpose and Background

This study aims to understand the contribution of professional development to the growth and career advancement of Jewish educators and Jewish educational leaders. This is a longitudinal study, meaning we will be inviting participants to complete surveys multiple times over the next five years. This is the first time that a longitudinal study of Jewish educators and Jewish educational leaders has ever been conducted.

You are invited to participate in this research project, because you participated in a professional development opportunity during the last 12 months that was supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation. You only need to respond once if you receive this invitation from more than one organization. A total of 1,000 educators or leaders who work in Jewish-serving organizations will participate in this project.

The results of this research will reveal the short-term and longer-term outcomes of participating in professional development. We will also document the ways in which participants’ professional careers unfold and the contribution of professional development to these patterns.

Funding

This project is funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation. Rosov Consulting will be collecting and analyzing the data and reporting on the findings from this study.

Procedures

If you agree to participate in this study, you will be contacted via email (then by phone, if we cannot reach you) for the next five years. That email will contain a link to a gift card and the survey form to complete. While we encourage you to complete the survey in one sitting, you will be able to save your progress and come back to it.

The surveys will include questions about the following:

• Your personal identity (for example: age and gender identity)

• Your professional profile (for example: stage of your career and current role)

• Your workplace (for example: the type and size of the organization you work for)

• Your dispositions (for example: attitude toward professional development and career commitment)

• Professional development experience (for example: who offered the professional development and what was the time commitment)

• Other influences in your life (for example: supervisors and current events)

• Outcomes of participation in professional development (for example: changes in knowledge, attitudes, or behavior)

Possible Benefits

Possible benefits of the study include the opportunity to reflect on and develop insight into your personal and professional growth. This may have significant future implications for what and how professional development is offered. We cannot guarantee or promise that you will receive any benefits from this project.

The anticipated benefits to the field are:

• Uncovering what educators and leaders gain from professional development, and how those gains vary across different contexts.

• Revealing what leads some educators and leaders to regularly participate in professional development while others do not.

• Indicating where there are gaps in the professional development marketplace, and where educators and leaders’ learning needs are not being met.

• Capturing the career advancement trajectories of educators, and how and why some move on to leadership positions and others do not.

Possible Risks

It is not expected that you will be exposed to any physical risk or psychological distress by participating in this project, beyond the feelings that may be aroused when reflecting on your personal and professional experience.

In the unlikely event that your participation results in distress, the contact information of the researchers involved have also been provided. Feel free to contact them at any time. Should anxiety or distress occur at any stage, participants are advised to withdraw from participating in the project. Participants will not incur any risk from withdrawing from the study.

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Disclosure of Information

All information gathered from participants will be kept securely. Electronic data will be password protected and stored on a secure server. None of the electronic files will include any identifying information. Only the research staff directly linked with the project will have access to the data. In any publication, information will be provided in such a way that you cannot be identified. Only group data will be disseminated. As a result, no one person’s data will be presented to the Jim Joseph Foundation or any other organization. Nor will any identifiable information be revealed or disclosed in the reporting of results.

Participation is Voluntary

Participation in any research project is voluntary. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO TAKE PART, YOU ARE NOT OBLIGED TO. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any stage. If you do wish to withdraw from the study, contact the researcher via email or phone advising that you wish to withdraw from the study. Upon this request, any data will be deleted from our records.

Ethical Guidelines

This research has been approved by the Viable Insights IRB as required by the Code of Federal regulations Title 45 Part 46.

Complaints

If you have any complaints about any aspect of the project, the way it is being conducted or any questions about your rights as a research participant, then you may contact privacy[at]rosovconsulting.com.

Further Information, Queries, or Any Problems

If you require further information or have any problems, please contact Allison Magagnosc at allison[at]gelsresearch.org