NYC Data

The New York City public school system, the largest and most complex in the nation, has much to offer educational researchers. We allow outside researchers to conduct studies within our system while insuring that any research does not compromise the privacy of our students and parents, or disrupt the work of students, teachers, and administrators.

Proposals to conduct research in our schools are reviewed by the New York City Department of Education Institutional Review Board (IRB). Here are guidelines for submitting proposals.

The IRB meets every month, including in July and August. Preliminary screening of proposals is conducted prior to the IRB meeting. The length of time required to review and approve a proposal depends primarily on the completeness of the proposal and the researcher’s prompt response to requests from (IRB) members/staff for clarification and/or additional information. Complete proposals received by the submission deadline will be reviewed during the corresponding IRB meeting (posted below).

New York City Department of Education
Institutional Review Board Calendar

Submission Deadline	Meeting Date
May 16, 2012	June 20, 2012
June 20, 2012	July 18, 2012
July 18, 2012	August 15, 2012
August 15, 2012	September 19, 2012
September 19, 2012	October 17, 2012
October 17, 2012	November 14, 2012
November 14, 2012	December 19, 2012

As of October 13, 2011, all research proposals must be submitted through the NYC Department of Education’s electronic submission platform, IRBManager.  To log on to the system go to

https://login.irbmanager.com and follow the instructions for creating a password (click here). 

Data Requests

If your research does not involve human subjects, and instead exclusively relies on the use of DOE data you will need to submit a brief scope of work (4 pages maximum) and a list of your data needs to RPSGresearch@schools.nyc.gov.

The scope of work should include:

• A statement of the research objectives and the purpose of the study
• The research hypotheses and methodology
• A timeline that describes key research activities and an estimated completion time
• A statement of the risks and benefits of the research
• A description of how the data will be used and the intended audience(s) for the findings
• A list of specific data needs, separated by school year and grade level
• Justification of how each requested data element is connected to the research objectives

External data requests are reviewed biweekly for approval and prioritization. In order for a request to be reviewed, it must have been received by the deadline. Approval of requests will be based on the completeness of the data request, expected educational value or benefit provided to the NYC education community as a result of the study, the availability and regulations governing access to data, and the amount of staff time and other DOE resources required to execute the request. Processing time will vary depending on the complexity of the request and competing priorities. Researchers who have received data from the DOE are expected to provide final reports of all research projects back to the DOE.

Data Requests Submission Deadlines