cab: Frequently asked questions
What has been the impact of the study so far?
Over the years, the information you have provided has formed the basis for recommendations to school districts, health provider organizations, and other policymaking bodies at the local, state, and national level. For example, the results from this study have convinced policy makers and youth program officials of the need for high quality, easily accessible after school programs for youth. Your responses as teenagers also showed that you were healthy, optimistic, and committed to your families and communities, contradicting the negative stereotypes of teenagers in the media. You have also helped the education community learn much more about the ways that motivation and other academic beliefs grow and change throughout the school years.
With a little of your help, we will now be able to start an exciting new line of research that connects your experiences during school and your experiences as adults. For example, we will be able to form recommendations to help future students see a clear path from their goals as teenagers towards an eventual career, and to determine which school practices are helpful or harmful in this process. We hope to hear from you soon!
With a little of your help, we will now be able to start an exciting new line of research that connects your experiences during school and your experiences as adults. For example, we will be able to form recommendations to help future students see a clear path from their goals as teenagers towards an eventual career, and to determine which school practices are helpful or harmful in this process. We hope to hear from you soon!
Where can I read about the results?
Ever since the CAB study started (including the years when you didn't hear from us!), researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of the California, Irvine and around the country have been continuously analyzing your responses to better understand the experiences of students in our school system. To date, the CAB study has led to more than three dozen scientific publications as well as a similar number of presentations at scholarly conferences. Each of these reports has focused on a different topic. Please visit (link) to read summaries of selected CAB articles or (link) to see a full list of publications.
Are you sure you want me to continue in the study?
Absolutely, yes! The CAB study is already rare because not many projects are able to follow students all the way from elementary through high school. The opportunity to learn more about your experiences as adults, with the ability to compare your current and previous responses, makes this project even more unique. Every single response is extremely valuable, and helps us discover and advocate for ways to improve our country's schools and communities.
How did you find me?
You and your parents filled out your contact information on the original CAB surveys, as well as the contact information of somebody who might know where you were if you moved. Recently, through the use of a secure online data base that contains information such as the post office's change of address forms, we were able to use this information to find new addresses for most CAB participants. Your old and new contact information is stored following strict confidentiality standards at our University of Michigan office, and only a few researchers ever have access to it.
Who will have access to my information?
At our lab, we follow strict confidentiality guidelines that have been approved by the University of Michigan's Institutional Review Board. All personally identifying information is stored only on a secure computer system at our University of Michigan lab, and only a limited number of staff ever have access to this system. This information has been completely separated from the rest of your survey responses, so that when researchers analyze the data each person is represented only by an anonymous ID number. For more information about confidentiality policies at our lab or at University of Michigan, email reesesurvey@umich.edu.
Can I find out how I did on the tests I took?
Can I see the answers I gave to some of those questions? If you are curious about any of your own previous responses, please email reesesurvey@umich.edu. Please specify your name when you first entered the study, birthdate, and the information you would like.
Who funds the study?
The current wave of data collection and analysis is funded by the National Science Foundation (the Education and Human Resources branch http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=EHR ). Previous funders include William T. Grant Foundation and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.
Who runs the study?
Jacquelynne Eccles has directed the CAB study since it started in 1986. Click here to find out more about Dr. Eccles and her team of researchers at the University of Michigan.
How long is the study going to last?
The National Science Foundation grant that currently funds the study will last until 2014, but we plan to obtain funding to continue after that time as well. Your participation has helped to create a rare resource, since few studies are able to collect data over so many years. Therefore, your support going forward will enhance the value of the project even further, as well as its impact on the research and policy communities.