HS GUIDE CLEARANCE - Request for Approval

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0970-0401)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Focus Groups for soliciting feedback on: Partnerships for Sustained Learning: A Guide to Creating Head Start-School Partnerships

PURPOSE: Collect qualitative feedback and recommendations from users of a new Head Start document designed to facilitate communication between local Head Start programs and elementary schools. Information collected will determine the usability and relevance of the document and inform revisions that will be made to assure it adequately meets the needs of Head Start program staff and others.

Partnerships for Sustained Learning: A Guide to Creating Head Start-School Partnerships (the Guide) was developed in order to help Head Start programs meet federal requirements included in the Head Start Act of 2007. The act states: “each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate … with schools in which children participating in a Head Start program … will enroll following such program to promote continuity of services and effective transitions.”

In order to assess the usability of the Guide and assure that it contains the appropriate content and guidance Head Start program staff will need to adequately meet these expectations a review/pilot process has been designed to collect information and input from practitioners and content experts. The purpose of the pilot process is to:

1. Collect feedback on the content and format of the Guide. This will help assure that the Guide is relevant to existing conditions and capacities at the local level, is easy to use and understand and contains all the resources and guidance practitioners need.

2. Identify key issues related to building continuity across Head Start programs and elementary schools. This will help assure that the Guide reflects the realities and complexities of working across systems and will inform the work of OHS to set expectations and provide support for local efforts to promote coordination.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Facilitated focus groups will be conducted with teams of Head Start/school practitioners and with groups of content experts. Focus group members will provide feedback and insight based on their experience and knowledge of the issues.

Practitioners:

Head Start Directors

Head Start Program Coordinators

Head Start Teachers

Elementary school Principals

Elementary school Teachers

Content Experts:

Title I Directors

Experts in PreK-Grade 3 coordination

Researchers

Others as identified

Practitioners will contribute insight and provide feedback on the usability of the Guide and how well it reflects the realities and issues faced in the context of local programs and communities. Content experts will contribute insight and feedback on the adequacy and accuracy of the contents and how well they reflect current research and best practice. In either case, the underlying goal is to determine how well the information and guidance meet the needs of Head Start staff to work most effectively with their elementary school counterparts.

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.

Name:___Mary Lynn Howard_____________________________________________

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

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

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
Private sector (10 groups of 8)	80	240 min	322
State government (Title I directors)	10	240	240
Totals	90	480	562

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is ____$0________

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?

Practitioners:

Head Start staff: Head Start State Collaboration Office directors issued an invitation to Head Start grantees in their states to volunteer to participate. Once a list of programs was generated across states, initial calls with the Head Start Collaboration directors were conducted to collect background information on each grantee. Calls with grantees will be conducted to further explain the purpose of the pilot process and determine the grantee’s capacity to assemble a team of Head Start and school staff and commit the time and personnel to participate in the review process and focus group discussion. Selection will be based on interest and capacity to participate.

Elementary school staff: Leadership from the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) will identify elementary school principals with experience and/or interest in working with local Head Start programs. Again, final selection will be based on ability to assemble a team and commit the time and personnel to participate in the review process and focus group discussion.

Content experts:

Existing advisory boards or task forces made up of experts in early education and Head Start-school cooperation issues will be identified and asked to participate in the pilot process. In their established capacity, they will be asked to operate as a team of content experts to participate in the review process and focus group discussion. Selection will be based on availability and interest in participation.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[ X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ X ] Telephone

[ X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain: Because teams of respondents are located across various states, on site reviews and focus groups may be replaced in some instances with web-based presentations or conference calls.

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

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

Focus Group Template

Location:

Date:

List of Participants:

Questions:

• What parts of this Guide would be helpful to you in planning partnerships?

• What other information would be helpful?

• What supports and resources would help you to plan and implement partnerships with schools?

• How well do this Guide and its suggested activities reflect you own experience? What else is needed?

• How well foes this Guide and its suggested activities reflect what you know from experience and research? What else should be included?

• What other resources will you need to use this Guide?

• Was there anything about the Guide that was difficult to understand? Are some of the words used unfamiliar or inappropriate to your educational setting (Head Start or elementary school)?

• Is this Guide appropriate for your use? Why or why not?

• Is this planning process appropriate for your use? Why? Why not?

• Are there elements of this Guide that appropriate for use at various levels of administration (school/center level, district/grantee level)? Please describe.

• Does the Guide adequately address issues related to:

  • Special populations

  • Engaging Families

• What issues are most important/challenging to you with regard to creating continuity:

  • Teaching and learning practices (Please describe)

  • Providing support services for children (Please describe)

  • Making transitions from Head Start to school (Please describe)

• What would it take for you to go from where you are now to where you would like to be with regard to creating more continuity across Head Start and elementary school?

• What are the biggest challenges to creating continuity across Head Start programs and elementary schools? What would help to alleviate these challenges?

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of Respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time (in minutes) required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of Respondents and the Participation Time then divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

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. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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