1880-0542 OVAE PRSCEO Gen Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 1880-0542)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: PRSCEO Focus Groups

PURPOSE:

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, is seeking OMB approval to conduct focus groups as part of its evaluation of the Promoting Reentry Success through Continuity of Educational Opportunities (PRSCEO) demonstration projects. The evaluation will focus primarily on collecting and analyzing qualitative data that provides insight into the experiences and perceptions of project stakeholders as they implement the Reentry Education Model. The data collected will be used by the independent evaluator to tell the story of what happened as the demonstration sites implemented the model and to draw preliminary conclusions across the three sites that can be used by the Department and other stakeholders to improve use of the model.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The planned focus groups will provide the primary means for collecting this feedback and will include the following stakeholder groups: PRSCEO participants, adult education instructors, corrections officers and counselors working in participating correctional facilities, community reentry counselors, community corrections staff, and members of local project advisory groups.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[X] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Agency Contact:

Braden Goetz

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-7240

(202) 245-7405

[email protected]

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X ] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ X] No/N/A

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Focus Groups—PRSCEO Participants	64	1	64
Focus Groups—Faculty	156	1	156
Totals	220		220

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $2,016

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [] Yes [X ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Focus group research relies on qualitative methods and is not intended to yield results that are

statistically generalizable. As a result, the sample of a maximum of 220 focus group participants

will be non-probability based. Participants will consist of adult volunteers who are stakeholders

in one of the three PRSCEO demonstration sites. Relevant stakeholder groups will include

PRSCEO participants, adult education instructors, corrections officers and

counselors working in participating correctional facilities, community reentry counselors,

community corrections staff, and members of local project advisory groups. Participants will be

recruited personally by local project staff.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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