National Middle School Environmental Literacy Assessment (NELA) Recruitment FAQ's

1.    What is NELA?  NELA is a multi-year research project. Year one will explore the level of environmental literacy among 6th and 8th grade students in public and private schools across the U.S.  This survey will gather information on these students' environmental knowledge, skills, affective characteristics (feelings), and participation, as well as their grade level, age, gender, and ethnic background. It will also gather information on the curriculum and teachers in participating schools. If funded, Phase II will gather student environmental literacy data from classes which incorporate environmental education as a part of instruction and to compare these data to the baseline data from Phase I.  The classrooms in Phase II might incorporate widely-used EE programs or programs identified from the literature as those of prominence. Schools that appear to be effective in the development of environmental literacy will be selected for Phase III in-depth visits to conduct investigations of the variables associated with their success.

2.    What organizations are participating in NELA? NELA is a multi-year research project funded through an inter-agency agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and supported by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). It is being led by a team of faculty from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Florida Institute of Technology, the Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Evaluation, the University of Arkansas, and Northern Illinois University. Contact information is below.

3.    I am interested in becoming a Data Collector. When do I start? You can start today by completing the Data Collector (DC) recruitment form >>, and emailing it to Dr. Ron Meyers, Assessment Coordinator, at rmeyers1 at gmail.com today. In early February 2007, the counties selected to participate in the Assessment by GfK-Roper will be posted on this website. Interested Data Collectors should inform Dr. Meyers of the counties they want to collect data in as soon as possible. Data Collectors will be selected in early February, and will be asked to sign personal service agreements by the end of February. Selected Data Collectors should then learn the Assessment protocols, and schedule school assessment dates. All literacy assessment surveys should be conducted in the middle of April 2007.

4.    How much is the stipend for Data Collectors? A $400 stipend will be provided to the Data Collector for each school from which they successfully collect all requested data. The $400 is to cover all expenses, including travel and meals. No additional funds are provided for travel.

5.    What data is being collected? The NELA includes four "surveys" that we call packets:
•    one on School Information that identifies the demographics of participating schools,
•    one on Program Information that identifies a range of information about the school's curriculum, including environmental aspects,
•    one on Teacher Information for the teachers of classes participating in the survey to complete, and
•    the Middle School Environmental Literacy Assessment Survey (MSELS) for students to complete.

6.    How many schools can I coordinate data collection for? Data Collectors can collect data at as many schools as is reasonable, keeping in mind that the schools will be selected at random by GfK Roper, so they will probably be many hundreds of miles apart. The Assessment Coordinator will work with applicants to determine what schools with which they will work.

7.    When will Data Collectors be paid? Payment for Data Collector's will be authorized when the Assessment Coordinator receives and confirms that the schools have successfully completed all four surveys. The checks will be sent as soon as possible uopn receipt of materials.

8.    What does it involve for Data Collectors? Data collectors complete a web-based orientation identifying all protocols and procedures when they complete their Personal Service Agreements, (this should take 1-2 hours), and have two meetings with School Principals. The first to review procedures and establish a date for administration of the four surveys. The second is to confirm together that all surveys and appropriate materials have been completed and returned. The second meeting should be scheduled to take place immediately after administration of the MSELS to students.

9.    How many schools, classes, teachers and students will participate in the Assessment? Fifty schools will be selected at random from across the lower 48 states in the United States. About 200 classes and teachers will participate, and about 5,000 students.

10.    What kinds of schools are being selected? GfK-Roper will select schools from a list that includes private, public, and charter schools.

11.    How many classes per school will be participating? From 2-4 classes per school will participate. GfK-Roper will identify how many classes at each school will participate.

12.    How will participating classes in each school be selected? The School principal will randomly select the participating classes. It is critical that the classes be selected at random, so we can have a random sample of what is occurring in classes across the U.S. If principals select classes with an environmental theme, the sample will no longer be random, and will overrepresent the amount of environmental education being taught in schools, and the average environmental literacy of U.S. middle school students.

13.    Does there have to be an equal number of sixth and eight grade classes in my school? No, there does not. GfK Roper will identify the number of classes in each grade so the right number are selected for the entire country.

14.    What students will be participating? Only sixth and eight grade classes will participate.

15.    What will happen if a student does not want to participate? The school will arrange an alternative activity for all students who do not wish to participate during the time of the survey.

16.    Can I sign up my school or class to participate in NELA? Unfortunately, year one of the NELA cannot accommodate this. If year two is funded, we will try to accommodate specific requests for inclusion.

17.    What is the project timeline? We are recruiting people interested in being Data Collectors now, will identify the counties where participating schools will identified in February 2007, will identify the specific participating schools in mid to late February 2007, and administer all four surveys by mid April 2007.

18.    What do participating schools receive? Participating schools receive $500 for successfully completing and returning all four surveys.

19.    When do schools receive their compensation? Payment to Schools will be authorized when the Assessment Coordinator receives and confirms that the schools have successfully completed and returned all four surveys. The checks will be sent as soon as possible after receipt of materials and confirmation that they are complete.

20.    How are counties, schools and classes selected? The sample for this survey was developed by GfK-Roper. Using census data, they selected 50 counties from across the country, and then randomly selected one public or private school in each county that had both 6th and 8th grade classes.  Then, they asked the Principal if that school would participate in this survey. If the Principal agrees, then GfK-Roper determines how many 6th and 8th grade classes from that school should participate so the overall sample is representative. If the Principal agrees the school can participate, then the school does participate, and the principal randomly selects that number of 6th and 8th grade classes to participate.

Contact information:

• Dr. Bill McBeth, Principal Investigator, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, mcbeth at uwplatt.edu

• Dr. Ron Meyers, Assessment Coordinator, University of Arkansas, rmeyers1 at gmail.com, 412-527-9317

• Brian Day, Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education, brian at naaee.org

Research Team Members:

• Harold Hungerford, CISDE, cisde at midwest.net

• Tom Marcinkowski, Florida Institute of Technology, marcinko at fit.edu

• Bora Simmons, Northern Illinois University

• Trudi Volk, CISDE, cisde at midwest.net