The Department of Assessment and Evaluation uses the following elaboration of criteria for approving/declining requests to conduct research in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools.

1. Potential usefulness to MNPS in reaching its Strategic Goals/Targets more quickly or effectively (the greater the potential usefulness, the greater the likelyhood of approval). (The Strategic Plan may be found at www.mnps.org, bottom-middle of the home-page.)
2. Potential for significantly duplicating the subject or data of other study requests (the greater the potential for duplication, the less likelyhood of approval).
3. Potential for intruding upon or distracting from student, teacher, administrator or support staff attention to instructional issues or a primary focus raising student achievement requests (the greater the potential for intrusion, the less likelyhood of approval).
4. Potential cost (time, money, goodwill, other resources) to MNPS and/or the Department of Assessment and Evaluation requests (the greater the potential for cost, the less likelyhood of approval).
5. Proposals should be extensively critiqued and meet the quality standards of the researcher's institution before submission to MNPS. If human subjects are included in the proposed study, submissions should include verification of  approval by the institution's human subject committee.  Student proposals must contain the signature of the student's primary advisor, signifying that the institution's quality standards have been met.