The Pell Grant Experiments evaluation
is a two-part, seven-year demonstration study sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education that focuses on the effects of expanded
access to Pell grants on students' educational outcomes, employment
and earnings. The primary outcome of interest is (1) educational
enrollment and completion, and (2) measures of student debt and
financial aid while secondary outcomes include (3) the employment
status and earnings of students who participate in the study. This
study consists of two experiments, each of which will examine the
impact of a single change to the Pell grant eligibility criteria.
The first experiment will relax the prohibition on receipt of Pell
grants by students with a bachelors' degree. Individuals eligible
for the first experiment must have a bachelor's degree, be
unemployed or underemployed, and pursue a vocational training
program up to one year in duration. The second experiment will
reduce the minimum duration and intensity levels of programs that
Pell grant recipients must participate in from 15 weeks with 600
minimum clock hours to 8 weeks with 150 minimum clock hours. Each
experiment will operate through a set of PGE schools that provide
education and training services that qualify as PGE programs.
Participants in both experiments will be randomly assigned to
either (1) a treatment group, which will have expanded access to
Pell grants; or (2) a control group, which will not have access.
Within both experiments, the treatment group will be very similar
to the control at the time of random assignment except for access
to Pell grants. Subsequent differences in the employment and
earnings outcomes between treatment and control group members can
then be attributed to Pell grant access. The first experiment will
involve roughly 28 PGE schools with an average of 25 students
participating per school. The second experiment will involve
roughly 40 PGE schools with an average of 100 participating
students per school. The expected sample of both experiments
combined is approximately 4,700 students. Data for this evaluation
will come from participants' FAFSA applications, PGE school
administrative records, and SSA earnings statements. The study
participant enrollment period is expected to last from November
2012 to June 2016. A data extracts from FAFSA applications will
occur in summer 2015, 2017, and 2018. Administrative data extracts
from PGE schools will also occur summer 2015, 2017, and
2018.
There is an overall burden
reduction because the student survey has been eliminated due to
lower than expected response rates. Other than the survey documents
being removed, the data collection documents remain the same as the
currently approved collection.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.