Research FAQ
The Research Review Board (RRB)
The CPS RRB meets quarterly to review external research proposals. RRB approval is required before researchers enter CPS schools and begin study activities. Although RRB approval is necessary to begin, school principals and administrators do have the final decision regarding any study activity; RRB approval does not override the wishes of school leadership and/or staff. The RRB is chaired by representatives from the CPS Research Team and is made up members from various Chicago Public Schools offices. Please do not submit proposals to the RRB if your study and/or request ONLY involves the use of secondary administrative data. Please see the RRB Guidelines for more information on the process and policy outlined below.
External Data Requests for Secondary Administrative Data
A full description of this process can be found within the RRB Guidelines. Our office responds to requests in approximately 30 days. If approved, request fulfillment takes approximately an additional 30 days. In order to submit your request, you must use the Data Request Form within IRBManager. Requests for student-level data without active parental consent will be denied. Requests for de-identified student and/or staff level data will be considered, but please note that these requests are typically denied. To protect our students, CPS chooses to employ a strict definition of what is considered identifiable, as outlined in the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). The External Data Request process is reserved for use by CPS partners working in collaboration with the district. That can include program providers seeking data for funding continuation or evaluating program implementation, or RRB approved researchers. This form IS NOT to be used by students, undergraduate, graduate or otherwise. If you submit this as a student, solely for the purposes of your education (excluding RRB approved graduate student researchers) the request will be denied.