Spartanburg District Five is committed to the advancement of educators through study and research. Many successful research projects, theses, and dissertations have been published with District 5 participation or by District Five staff seeking an advanced degree.

Spartanburg District Five manages research projects across the district to help balance the demands placed on staff to complete surveys, participate in focus groups, and assist with other research methodologies. The district has a research committee that reviews proposals for research and accepts or rejects proposals depending on the demands of the process and on personnel.

In general, Spartanburg District Five does not allow researchers to contact students directly. Any requested data will be stripped and provided with the minimum identifiers needed for analysis (school, grade level, random student ID).

To conduct research in Spartanburg District Five:

1. Contact the Director of Assessment, Accountability and Research, Dr. Scott Smith, via email with your initial request to be considered.

2. We will ask you to submit (at a minimum, based on your location in your research path) a proposal or abstract and IRB approval from your institution.

3. We may follow up with a request for additional information, for instance, your Chapter Three.

4. The research committee will review your proposal and respond with a letter of approval or denial (this may take some time).

5. Please do not conduct any research in Spartanburg District Five prior to committee approval.

Once your research has been approved, it is generally expected that the researcher will work with the school to distribute any survey materials or set up schedules for in school activities with the principal. The district will always provide any needed data regarding test scores, etc.