The first and most important step in developing a sampling strategy is to have a clear
understanding of the types of people you are planning to contact for your research. Whose
opinions and preferences will help your community make the decisions it needs to make for your
OST planning? For example, given the types of decisions that your community needs to make, is
it important for you to learn about how area parents feel about OST? Area school children?
Perhaps the planning your community needs to undertake can best be guided by speaking with
teachers and educators in the local schools, or with individuals who are operating existing OST
programs in the neighborhood.