Education Bill Includes Compromise on School-based Research Controversy

by Patricia Kobor, Public Policy Office

 In the version  of the education bill  passed by the House of Representatives last summer, an amendment authored by Reps. Lindsey Graham  (R-SC) and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) would have required that any research in schools in which students were questioned about risk behaviors such as substance abuse, exposure to violence or sex be conducted only with prior, written parental consent. The assumption behind this amendment was that only a written authorization from parents would show that their permission had given for their children to participate in the survey.  Psychological research has shown that written consent requirements have a negative effect on survey samples, diminishing the overall rate of return and disproportionately diminishing the pool of minority and at-risk students who have permission to participate. Further, follow-up studies have shown that the parents of these children seldom object to participation in surveys, but just failed to return the consent forms.  

APA staff co-chaired a broad coalition of public health groups, research societies and education organizations who opposed the Graham-Tiahrt amendment. This coalition persuaded Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and others in the Senate leadership to oppose the amendment, and it was not included in the Senate version of the bill. In the conference committee, however, the House and Senate worked to find a compromise, encouraged by the White House. The compromise that resulted represents only a partial victory for survey research.

 The Graham-Tiahrt amendment was not included in the conference report, which was approved in January, 2002, so the federal government does not mandate that school-based research on risk behaviors be done only with written parental consent. However, the final bill does require each local educational agency (school district)

to develop a policy that will protect students’ privacy in the event a survey on risk behaviors or attitudes is administered. Privacy policies are also to cover how schools will handle parental requests to view curricular materials and view surveys in advance of their administration. Researchers are concerned that, because they are required now to produce policies, school districts will adopt stringent policies without understanding the consequences to research (and ultimately, to the information on which policies on children and youth can be based). It is unlikely that school districts will adopt policies that are friendly to survey research without the involvement of researchers who can explain alternative procedures, such as passive assent, and the ethical review, via Institutional Review Boards, that federally funded research must already undergo as a condition of funding.   

 The APA Public Policy Office is working with federal officials and coalition organizations to develop materials that scientists can use in influencing the development of local policies on privacy that may affect research. Science Policy staff are planning to include psychologist who conduct research in schools in an advocacy training workshop on this issue.