NTPS Teacher Reminder OMB83 C Memo

U NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Center for Education Statistics

June 6, 2016

MEMORANDUM

To: Robert Siviniski, OMB

From: Chelsea Owens, NCES

Through: Kashka Kubzdela, NCES

Re: 2015-16 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) Teacher Reminder Email Change Request (OMB# 1850-0598 v.15)

The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is a redesign of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and is ED’s primary source of information on the teacher and principal labor market and on what is happening in K-12 public schools from teachers’ and principals’ perspectives. NTPS is an in-depth, nationally representative survey of first through twelfth grade public school teachers, principals, and schools. Kindergarten teachers in schools with at least a first grade are also eligible for NTPS. Starting in 2015-2016, the NTPS will be conducted every two years utilizing core content and a series of rotating modules to allow timely collection of important education trends and conducting trend analyses. The NTPS is the Department’s regular source of data on salaries, out-of-pocket expenses, qualifications, and race/ethnic and age distribution of teachers; along with salaries and race/ethnic and age distribution of principals; and school start times and student teacher ratios. The 2015-16 NTPS full-scale data collection was approved in June 2015 (1850-0598 v.11), with change requests approved in September 2015 and January and April 2016 (1850-0598 v.12, 13, and 14 respectively). The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) 2015-16 is coming to the end of its 2016 data collection.

The current response rates for late wave teachers in the NTPS are leveling off and appear to be lower than earlier waves of teachers. We believe this may be a product of the timing of school testing and late school year activities, where late wave teachers have been receiving invitations to complete the survey during periods of heavy school workload. This request is to send a third reminder email (fourth email in total) to the late waves of teachers to give them a final reminder/opportunity to complete the survey before close-out. We will use the exact language from the previously approved second reminder email in this new third reminder email (see Attachment B). We believe this third reminder email will assist in generating response from teachers who may have overlooked the second reminder due to busy testing/end of school year schedules.

This change does not affect the estimated response burden or the total cost to the federal government.

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