1865-NEW Partnership in Character Educ Supporting Statement Part A 6-11-08

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

A. Justification

1. Circumstances necessitating the collection of Information.

The authorizing statue for the Partnerships in Character Education Program (PCEP) is Title V, Part D, Subpart 3, Section 5431 of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The surveys are needed to gather information about the project activities being supported under the PCEP. The information will assist the program office in the development, planning, implementation, management, monitoring, and evaluation of projects funded under the PCEP. As part of the administrative process of monitoring and providing technical assistance to grantees, the program has to identify the needs of the grantees in implementing, administering, and evaluating the project activities that will assist them in successfully carrying out the project activities. Also, the program office is required to collect GPRA data on the projects funded under the program and to assess PCEP program impact on the school, home, and community.

In addition, the program office (with assistance from the contractor, Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center, CETAC) is required to assess the program implementation strategies, analyze data, and review products developed by the PCEP grantees with federal funds. The data collection will provide an accounting of federal funds spent on the development of products and materials used in the projects. CETAC was awarded a five year contract to support the United States Department of Education, PCEP grantees, interested State Educational Agencies and Local Educational Agencies, and other institutional or community organizations involved in character education. CETAC is a technical assistance center for the PCEP, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, United States Department of Education that provides effective grant implementation practices in character education, and effective character education processes, resources, and instructional strategies that support academic goals and other reform efforts.

The four surveys will collect data for different purposes. The PCEP Needs Assessment survey will be used to identify areas in which the grantees are experiencing problems in implementing, administering, or meeting grant requirements. The PCEP Stakeholders Survey will be used to collect data that will show the impact of the character education intervention on the school, home, and community environments. The PCEP Inventory of Products and Materials will identify learning and instructional materials on character education that were developed with federal funds. The Evaluation form will provide feedback from participants in special and annual meetings with grantees sponsored by the PCEP.

2. How, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

The information collected through the surveys will be used by the program office (OSDFS/CE) and the technical assistance contractor to determine if the grantees are making continual progress in their projects; to assess the impact of the program on the school, home and community; and to better assist program staff in meeting the organizational performance measures.

3. Use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or forms of information technology.

The Needs Assessment Survey, Stakeholder Survey, and Inventory of Products Survey include a statement of purpose/instructions. The contractor will provide a deadline for submitting responses to each of the surveys. Three surveys will be forwarded to the PCEP grantees (local educational agencies and State educational agencies) for collection through electronic process and permit an electronic submission of responses. The fourth survey is a generic evaluation feedback form and will be administered at scheduled meetings. This process would reduce the burden of the data collection. In addition, it would allow a faster and larger response rate. The technical assistance contractor would forward the surveys at different intervals to all of the PCEP project directors. The respondents would have the option of responding at the time of receipt of the survey and to submit their responses with a push of a button.

4. Efforts to identify duplication.

This information is not currently available for the Partnerships in Character Education Program (PCEP) grantees. This is a new collection process and the first time that data will be collected for character education program activities funded by the Department of Education.

5. Sensitivity to burden on small entities.

All of the surveys will involve PCEP grantees. There will be a minimal burden on the grantees or small entities.

6. Consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently.

The data can be collected less frequently (annually) in order to provide a timely analyses and assessment of the projects for overall planning and management. The surveys are not mandatory. If responses are not received there will not be any penalties or consequences to the grantees. However, if the information is not collected, the consequences to the program will result in a lack of data to improve the overall planning, management, and evaluation of the PCEP.

7. Special circumstances.

The CETAC contractor will request respondents to submit a written response to the collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it. The respondent does not have access to the technology or if existing or emergency technology issues presented at the time the response is forwarded the contractor will follow up with the PCEP grantee.

8. Federal Register Announcement.

The 60 day notice was published in the Federal Register, Volume 73, page 14780, March 19, 2008. There were no public comments received on this notice.

The PCEP in coordination with the contractor conducts ongoing consultations with the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center Resource Group, educational organizations, and the larger character education community, as well as focus group meeting to identify and advise on emerging issues in character education.

9. Payment or gift to respondents.

There is no intent to provide any payment or gift to respondents.

10. Confidentiality of the data.

There is no personal information being requested on the surveys. The information requested is about the program activities being supported by the PCEP. The Department of Education requires a background check on all staff working with the contractor. The contractor will provide assurances, statement of confidentiality, that staff will maintain a level of confidentiality in collecting, analyzing, and preparing an analysis.

11. Additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature.

Questions of a sensitive nature are not included in the PCEP surveys.

12. Estimate of the hour burden of the collection of information.

Yes, this request for approval covers 4 forms:

Collection: Partnerships in Character Education

Data Collection #1865-NEW (3536)

Form #Respondents #times/Response #Responses Time Estimate Total Hours

(in hours) Burden

Form Hours	# Respondents	#times/Response	#Responses	Time Estimate (in hours)	Total Hours of Burden
Form 1 PCEP Grantee Needs Assessment Survey	75	1	75	.5	38
Form 2 PCEP Grantee Stakeholder Survey	150	1	150	.5	75
Form 3 PCEP Grantee Product Inventory Survey	75	1	75	.5	38
Form 4 PCEP Generic Meeting Evaluation Form	150	1	150	.08333	13
Total	450	1	450		164

An estimate of annualized costs to respondents of the hour burdens for the collection of information would be approximately $25.00 per survey (3), and for the meeting evaluation feedback form $5.00, a total of $80.00 (4 surveys).

13. Estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers.

There are no start-up costs to respondents.

14. Estimate annualized cost to the Federal government.

The data will be collected and analyzed by the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance (CETAC) . An estimate to collect and analyze the data for 4 surveys would a total of 12 hours. The cost estimate would be about $1,500.

15. Reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I.

There is a program change of 164 burden hours since this is a new collection.

16. Tabulation, Publication date and Time Schedule.

Data will not be published. Data will be used for program planning and management.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

NA

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 20, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions,” of OMB Form 83-I.

NA. We are not requesting any exceptions to the certification statement.

5