Form 094 22002 094 22002 094 22002 Dept of ED OGA Grantee Questionnaire_CORE+Stre

U.S. Department of Education

2020 Grantee Satisfaction Survey

Introduction

The Department of Education (ED) is committed to serving and satisfying its customers. To this end, we have commissioned the CFI Group, an independent third-party research group, to conduct a survey that asks about your experience as a grant recipient of the [GRANT PROGRAM] and the ways we can improve our service to you.   

CFI Group and ED will treat all information in a secure fashion. Your answers are voluntary, but your opinions are very important. Your responses will remain anonymous and will only be reported in aggregate to ED personnel. This survey is authorized by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Control No. 1090-0007, which expires on September 30, 2021, and will take about 10 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Tamara Alston at [email protected].

Please note that ALL questions on this survey (unless noted otherwise) refer to your experiences over the PAST 12 MONTHS.

When answering the survey, please only think about your interactions with [GRANT PROGRAM].

ED Staff

[INTRO FOR OELA/OCTAE/OSERS/OESE]

Please think about the interactions you have had with the federal staff that you work with the most closely from the [PROGRAM OFFICE] Consider times when you sought guidance, clarification, or additional assistance.

[DO NOT ASK OSERS] PLEASE NOTE: This does not include technical assistance provided by regional labs, national associations, ED-funded technical assistance providers, etc. 

[INTRO FOR OPE]

Please think about the interactions you have had with senior [PROGRAM OFFICE] officers (e.g. the Director of the Office that administers this grant program/project). Questions regarding your individual program officer will be asked later in the questionnaire.]

PLEASE NOTE: This does not include technical assistance to states to build state capacity to implement education reforms, such as regional labs, national associations, contractors – including those that service G5, grants.gov, etc.

On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” is “Poor” and “10” is “Excellent,” please rate the quality of the assistance provided by ED staff.

If a question does not apply, please select “N/A”.

Q2. Knowledge of grant program/project Federal requirements and policy

Q3. Responsiveness to your questions 

Q4. Professionalism

Q5. Sufficiency of guidance in responses

Q6. Communication about changes that may affect your program

Q7. [DO NOT ASK OSERS or OESE] Consistency of responses with ED staff from different offices

Q8. [DO NOT ASK FCC/FPROP PROGRAMS] Collaboration with other ED programs or offices in providing relevant services (e.g., clarify issues regarding program policy and regulations, obtain guidance on grants policy and administration, obtain guidance on financial drawdowns, share information regarding best practices) 

Online Resources

Please think about your experience using the [GRANT PROGRAM]’s online resources on the ED.gov website. Note that these ratings should pertain specifically to the ED.gov website. Additional questions regarding other external websites your program/project uses may be asked later in the survey.

On a 10-point scale, where “1” is “Poor” and “10” is “Excellent,” please rate the:

[INTRO FOR OESE] Please think about your experience using the [GRANT PROGRAM]’s online resources on the OESE.ED.gov website. When evaluating the OESE.ED.gov website, please only think of the site since the redesign a few months ago.

Note that these ratings should pertain specifically to the OESE.ED.gov website. Additional questions regarding other external websites your program/project uses may be asked later in the survey.

On a 10-point scale, where “1” is “Poor” and “10” is “Excellent,” please rate the:

Q9.  Ability to find specific information  

Q10. Quality of content (e.g., materials are up-to-date, helpful, etc.)

Q11. Ability to accomplish what you want on the site

Q12. Accuracy of search results

Q13. Ability to navigate within the site

Q14. Look and feel/Visual appearance

Q15. Please describe how the Department could improve its website.

Documents [ONLY FOR OELA/OCTAE/OSERS/OESE]

Think about the documents you receive from the [PROGRAM OFFICE]. Documents include non-regulatory guidance, frequently asked questions (FAQs), letters, publications and blast emails. 

On a 10-point scale, where “1” is “Poor” and “10” is “Excellent”, please rate the documents’:

Q16.  Clarity

Q17.  Organization of information

Q18.  Sufficiency of detail to meet your program/project needs

Q19.  Relevance to your areas of need

Q20.  Comprehensiveness in addressing the scope of issues that you face 

Information in Application Package [ONLY FOR OPE]

When you were preparing your application, how easy was it for you to locate and understand the information in the application package? Please rate the following on a scale from “1” to “10”, where “1” is “very difficult” and “10” is “very easy”.

Q21. Program Purpose

Q22. Program Priorities

Q23. Selection Criteria

Q24. Review Process

Q25. Budget Information and Forms

Q26. Deadline for Submission

Q27. Dollar Limit on Awards

Q28. Page Limitation Instructions

Q29. Formatting Instructions

Q30. Program Contact

Grant Performance Reporting Requirements

Q31. Please think about the performance reporting requirements for your grant and rate the following where “1” is “Poor” and “10” is “Excellent”: [INCLUDE A “Not Applicable” OPTION]

[NOTE FOR OESE] Specifically, think about the performance report that the Department requires you to submit (e.g., the Consolidated State Performance Report, the Annual Performance Report).

[NOTE FOR OPE] Specifically, think about the performance report that the Department requires you to submit annually – the Annual Performance Report (APR) 

1. Clarity of reporting requirements

2. Ease of obtaining data you are required to report

3. Ease of submitting report(s) electronically

4. Availability of assistance in completing your report(s) (guidance, training, tools)

5. Usefulness of the data to help you improve your grant program/project

6. Your understanding of how ED uses your data

Q32. How could we improve the grant reporting process?

Technical Assistance

Now think for a moment about the technical assistance services that are provided by [GRANT PROGRAM] staff and/or [PRINCIPAL OFFICE] in general when answering the next few questions.

Q33. [DO NOT ASK FCC/FPROP PROGRAMS] Please rate the technical assistance services provided by [GRANT PROGRAM] staff in helping you successfully learn to implement your grant programs/projects? Please use a 10-point scale where “1” is “Not at all helpful” and “10” is “Very helpful.” [DISPLAY EXAMPLES OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ED STAFF MIGHT PROVIDE]

Now please rate the following attributes related to the technical assistance provided by [GRANT PROGRAM] staff where “1” is “Poor” and “10” is “Excellent” [DO NOT ASK OPE Qs 34-37]

Q34. Enhancing staff skills needed for successful program management

Q35. Using evidence-based practices in implementing program activities

Q36. Assistance with developing resource materials for use in the program

Q37. Creating opportunities for sharing best practices via peer-to-peer learning groups

Q38: In what ways could the technical assistance that Department staff provide be improved to better support your organization’s needs?

Q39a. Did you receive technical assistance from an ED-FUNDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER in the last 12 months?

Examples of ED-funded technical assistance providers:

• Regional Laboratories

• Comprehensive Centers

• Equity Assistance Centers

• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center

• Neglected or Delinquent Education Technical Assistance Center

• Youth for Youth: Online Professional Learning and Technical Assistance for 21st Century Community Learning Centers

1. Yes (Please Identify the primary ED-FUNDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER that provided technical services to you)

2. No [skip to Q40]

Q39b. Please rate the extent to which [ENTRY FROM Q39a] has helped you successfully learn to implement your grant programs/projects? Please use a 10-point scale where “1” is “Not at all helpful” and “10” is “Very helpful.”

ACSI Benchmark Questions

We have just a few more questions, where you can now consider ALL of [GRANT PROGRAM]’s products and services.

Q40. Using a 10-point scale on which “1” means “Very dissatisfied” and “10” means “Very satisfied,” how satisfied are you with [GRANT PROGRAM]’s products and services?

Q41. Now please rate the extent to which the products and services offered by [GRANT PROGRAM] have fallen short of or exceeded your expectations. Please use a 10-point scale on which “1” now means “Falls short of your expectations” and “10” means “Exceeds Your expectations.”

Q42. Now forget for a moment about the products and services offered by the [GRANT PROGRAM] and imagine the ideal products and services. How well do you think the [GRANT PROGRAM] compares with that ideal? Please use a 10-point scale on which “1” means “Not very close to the ideal” and “10” means “Very close to the ideal.” Now please indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree with the following statement.

Q43. How much do you trust [GRANT PROGRAM] to work with you to meet your organization’s needs? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not very trusting and 10 means very trusting.

Q44. Overall, when I think of all of the [GRANT PROGRAM]’s products and services, I am satisfied with their quality.

a. Strongly agree

b. Agree

c. Disagree

d. Strongly disagree

e. Does not apply

Q45. Which of the following best describes your job role?

1. Project/State Director

2. School Officer

3. Grant Coordinator

4. Superintendent

5. Business Manager

6. Other, please specify

Q46. How long have you been in this role?

1. Less than one year

2. Between 1-3 years

3. Between 4-10 years

4. More than 10 years

NOTE: EACH RESPONDENT WILL ONLY RECEIVE ONE SET OF CUSTOM QUESTIONS CONCERNING THEIR PROGRAM

Again, only think about your interactions with of [GRANT PROGRAM] when answering the following questions.

After custom question section DISPLAY: Thank you again for your time. To complete the survey and submit the results, please hit the “Finish” button below. Have a good day!

ONLY IF Q1=15 Strengthening Institutions Program ASK 1-7 BELOW

Technical Assistance

Q15.1. Think about your experience receiving technical assistance from the Strengthening Institutions Program and rate the following:

1. Responsiveness to your questions

2. Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, policies and procedures

3. Ability to resolve issues

4. Use of clear and concise written and verbal communication

5. Timely resolution of general programmatic and/or financial issues

Q15.2. How can the Strengthening Institutions Program improve the usefulness of the technical assistance you receive?

Distribution of Funds

Q15.3. Please rate the following aspects of the process by which you receive grant funding for the Strengthening Institutions Program from the Office of Postsecondary Education:

1. Timeliness of the grant award notification

2. Degree to which funds are available with adequate time to plan for implementation by the start of the school year

3. Transparency of how funds are distributed among grantees

4. Other (specify):

Communication with Program Specialist

Q15.4. Please rate the quality of the communication with your the Strengthening Institutions Program specialist.

1. Sufficiency of information provided to keep you informed

2. Frequency of communication

3. Clarity of communication

Q15.5. What can the Strengthening Institutions Program do to improve communication with you?

Q15.6. What is your preferred way to communicate regularly with your program specialist?

1. Individual Email

2. “Blast/distribution list” email

3. Telephone

4. Webinar

5. Other (specify_______)

Q15.7. How would you advise on improving the overall process and protocols associated with this grant competition?