Obtaining Active Parental Consent for Evaluation Research: A Case Study

This study assesses the effectiveness of a strategy for obtaining active written parental consent for the outcome evaluation of an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) abuse prevention program. A local school-based strategy that was implemented in 16 middle schools in ten rural and suburban school districts is presented. Using a multiple case study approach and an adequacy of performance analysis, it was found that seven of the ten districts achieved a minimum consent rate goal set at 70% (ranged from 53% to 85%, average rate of 72%). Only two districts achieved a desired consent rate of 80%. Interviews with a key contact person in each school district provided profile information that distinguished districts that were successful in implementing an active parental consent strategy from those that were not successful. A cost effectiveness analysis showed that this local school-based strategy for obtaining parental consent for program evaluation was more cost effective than in previous studies. However, more than 20% of the data collection costs involved obtaining active written consent. Methodological and practical implications are discussed.