Dear Colleague Letter

Page 0 – Superintendent Wayne Sanstead

United States Department of Education

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Academic Improvement and Teacher quality Programs

www.ed.gov

400 Maryland Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20202-6200

Our mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation.

December 1, 2008

Superintendent

«NAME00»

«MSTREE00»

«MCITY00», «MSTATE00» «MZIP00»-«MZIP400»

Dear Superintendent:

Your district has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s study on the use of funds under the ESEA Title II, Part A “Improving Teacher Quality State Grants – Subgrants to LEAs” program for 2008-09. The data collected in this study will provide the Department with information needed for the annual budget deliberations in Congress and will also be used to report on the Department’s Title II, Part A Program performance indicators, as required by the Government Performance and Results Act.

Your participation is essential in ensuring that we are able to produce valid and reliable findings. Please complete and return your data collection instrument by February 15, 2009, using the enclosed postage-paid envelope.

If your district did not receive funding under the Title II, Part A program for 2008-09, please indicate this by checking the appropriate box on the first page of the data collection instrument.

If you have any questions as you complete the survey, please call Elizabeth Dabney at Westat's toll free number -- (800) 937-8281, extension 2304. You can also e-mail her at elizabethdabney@westat.com. She will provide you with any assistance you may need.

We appreciate your taking the time to complete and submit this data collection instrument, and we thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

James Butler

Group Leader, Teacher Quality Programs