Part of our work in The Office of School Partnerships is to serve as a liaison between College of Education faculty and staff seeking to do research and grant work in the Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS) and Tuscaloosa County School System (TCSS). In order to streamline and manage the influx of requests for research and grant programs within the Tuscaloosa City Schools and Tuscaloosa County School System, the Office of School Partnerships works in partnership with TCS and TCSS to manage requests. Faculty and students in the College of Education should make requests through the Office of School Partnerships who then communicate these requests to the superintendents of Tuscaloosa City Schools and Tuscaloosa County School System. For research, proposals must be pre-approved by The University of Alabama IRB office. For grants, please fill out the grant request form and submit it to the Office of School Partnerships by emailing the form to jburnham@ua.edu, Joy Burnham, Senior Associate Dean in the College of Education.

Research and Grant Proposal Deadlines for TCS and TCSS

*This calendar is to provide a protocol for the following submissions involving Tuscaloosa City Schools and Tuscaloosa County School System. 

• Faculty research in schools 
• Dissertation studies 
• Any student project requiring IRB approval ​

*If requests involving grant submissions fall outside of this timeline, please include the information on the request when it is directed to the Office of School Partnerships. 
*When submitting your request to the COE, please note “Research Submission” in the subject line of your email. Please send your IRB pre-approval and proposal submission to the Office of School and Community Partnerships at  coeschoolpartnership@ua.edu. 

*The Office of School Partnerships requires the submission of all documents by the Monday prior to the deadlines set by Tuscaloosa City Schools and the Tuscaloosa County School System.

*For detailed instructions on the research and grant request process, please refer to the steps outlined below.

Research and Grant Request Steps & Requirements

​Steps in the Approval Process for Research in ​Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS)

For detailed instructions on the approval process for research in Tuscaloosa City Schools and/or Tuscaloosa County School System, please follow the steps outlined below.

However, before initiating contact with any schools, you are required to secure an IRB pre-authorization letter and submit it to the College of Education’s Office of School Partnerships. Please refer to the IRB Office for guidance on the IRB process. See LINK.
 
The Office of School Partnerships requires that you submit your complete documents on the Monday before the deadlines set by Tuscaloosa City Schools and Tuscaloosa County School System. Refer to the submission deadlines for TCS and TCSS in the section above.

1. ​Submit an IRB Protocol: You need to submit an Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol for your research. This is the first step in the process, and it involves creating and submitting a detailed plan of your study for review through the e-protocol system.
2. Issuance of Pre-Authorization Letter: Once your protocol is deemed ready for approval (meaning it has passed the review process satisfactorily but is pending one final requirement), the IRB office can issue a “Pre-authorization” letter. This letter indicates that the only item remaining for full IRB approval is the approval from the Tuscaloosa City Schools and/or Tuscaloosa County School System.
3. Submit Documents to the COE Office of School Partnerships: When the pre-authorization letter from the IRB is granted, please send your pre-authorization letter to the COE Office of School Partnerships at coeschoolpartnership@ua.edu. You will then receive a TCS form detailing items that need to be completed and returned to coeschoolpartnership@ua.edu. After the TCS form is completed, you will submit the TCS form, the pre-authorization letter, and a copy of the IRB submission saved in a single PDF file with your name as part of the file name.
4. Obtaining Approval for Research in TCS and/or TCSS: If your research involves working within the Tuscaloosa City Schools and/or Tuscaloosa County School System, their approval, as specified by the pre-authorization letter, must be obtained. This step is outside the IRB process but is necessary for the full approval of your IRB protocol. The COE Office of School Partnerships will channel these requests to the superintendents of Tuscaloosa City Schools and/or Tuscaloosa County School System for consideration.
5. Final IRB Approval: After you have received the necessary approval(s) from Tuscaloosa City Schools and/or Tuscaloosa County School System and submitted this to the IRB office, your research protocol can receive full IRB approval. This final approval indicates that you have met all requirements and can proceed with your research according to the approved protocol.

Steps in the Approval Process for Research in ​Tuscaloosa County Schools

TBA