National Teacher and Principal Survey of 2020-2021 (NTPS 2020-21) Preliminary Field Activities

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education is requesting approval to conduct the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) 2020-21 in some of your district’s schools during the 2020-21 school year.

NTPS is administered on a recurring basis by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of NCES. Its data are crucial in helping legislators and education leaders make informed decisions to improve education. The responses from your district’s sampled schools represent the concerns of similar schools that were not sampled, both within and outside of your district.

[For districts where sample has been drawn, insert: “From your district, XX schools were sampled for NTPS.”] No student or classroom time is involved in this survey.

Thank you for your consideration of the research application for NTPS 2020-21. The enclosed application and materials describe the purposes, survey topics, sample sizes, and respondent burden for NTPS. Draft versions of the NTPS 2020-21 questionnaires are also included for your review. In addition, a District Approval Form is enclosed for you to indicate whether your district has approved participation in NTPS. Please return the form as soon as possible to the contact listed on the form.

If you have any questions about NTPS or the research application, please contact the study’s district research application team, by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 1-800-221-1204. You can find additional information about NTPS and results from prior NTPS administrations at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth, PhD

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics

PCP, 550 12th St., SW, 4th floor, Room 4032

Washington, DC 20202

Enclosures

NTPS Brochure Text

(We have NTPS brochures that were printed during the 2017-18 NTPS administration for use at conferences that we may provide to special handling districts as part of our research application; we do not plan to print new brochures during the preliminary activities stage of NTPS 2020-21)

What are the different questionnaires that make up the NTPS?

A School Questionnaire that collects information on school characteristics. Questions are asked about:
- School level
- School location
- Student characteristics
A Principal Questionnaire that collects information on the sampled school’s principal. Principals are asked questions about:
- School policies
- School resources
- Principal background
A Teacher Questionnaire that collects information on the sampled school’s teachers. The questionnaire asks about:
- Training opportunities
- Classroom practices
- Autonomy

Why the NTPS is important

The NTPS collects data on core topics including teacher and principal preparation, classes taught, school characteristics, and demographics of the teacher and principal labor force every two years. In addition, each administration of NTPS explores additional, critical education topics on a rotating basis, such as: professional development, working conditions, and teacher evaluation. This approach allows policymakers and researchers to assess trends on both stable and evolving topics.

NTPS data are used by a wide variety of people interested in K–12 education, including national, state, and local policymakers, researchers, education associations, teachers, journalists, and the general public.

Which Schools Participate in NTPS?

The NTPS is a large sample survey of America's public elementary and secondary schools, conducted biennially. Both traditional public schools and public charter schools are included in the study. Beginning with the 2017-18 survey, NTPS will also collect information on teachers and principals in private schools.

NTPS data and publications are available online, free of charge. To learn more about the National Teacher and Principal Survey and to see the data and reports, visit http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Looking for a source of data on teacher and principal career paths, engagement, and goals? The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is the nation’s primary source of information about the work experiences and practices of American K-12 teachers and principals. Teachers and principals are asked about the schools they work in and the students they educate. NCES appends data from other collections to provide a more complete picture of the schools and school systems in which the teachers and principals work. The NTPS and its predecessor, the Schools and Staffing Survey, have been conducted for nearly 30 years, allowing researchers and policy makers to see changes in the characteristics and perspectives of the teacher and principal workforce over time.

2020-21 NTPS Frequently Asked Questions

What is NTPS?

The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is the most comprehensive source of data on schools, teachers, and principals in the United States. NTPS provides critical information about the characteristics and qualifications of teachers and principals, teacher hiring practices, class size, and other conditions in a wide variety of schools across the nation. It is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Census Bureau administers the NTPS surveys on behalf of NCES. NCES is authorized to conduct NTPS by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). This survey does not involve students, parents, or any use of classroom time.

Why participate in NTPS 2020-21?

Do public school organizations endorse these surveys?

NTPS is endorsed by numerous public school organizations, including: American Association of School Administrators, Association of American Educators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, American Federation of Teachers, Association for Middle Level Education, Council of the Great City Schools, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of School Librarians, and the National Parent Teacher Association.

How will NTPS 2020-21 data be used?

Congress, the Department of Education, other Federal agencies, State Departments of Education, education associations, and the education research community will use data from NTPS 2020-21 to present research on a range of issues related to K-12 education. In the past, some of the most frequently published topics have included class size, number and characteristics of new teachers, teaching certification, teacher professional development, teacher attrition/retention, principal attrition and mobility, and teacher qualifications. Based on previous administrations of NTPS, we anticipate that the data will be used to produce national statistics on:

Teacher capacity as defined by teacher qualifications, career paths, professional development activities, and school and district support for teachers’ careers; and
School capacity as defined by school organization and decision making, management of curriculum and instruction, school programs, and school safety.

How many schools, principals, and teachers are selected for NTPS 2020-21?

The 2020-21 NTPS samples will include approximately 10,600 public schools and school principals, and approximately 47,000 public school teachers.

How are schools and principals selected for NTPS 2020-21?

Public schools selected for NTPS are sampled from the Common Core of Data (CCD), the universe of public schools supplied annually by state educational agencies to NCES. To make sure that the sample contains sufficient numbers for various types of estimates, NTPS uses a sample design that provides for:

National estimates of public schools and public school characteristics;
National estimates of combined grade public schools (schools with a grade span that overlaps the elementary, middle, and/or high school levels);
National estimates of public charter schools; and
State-level estimates.

For all schools, the principal will be included in the survey as a result of the school being selected.

How are teachers selected for NTPS 2020-21?

The teacher sample will be selected from a list of teachers provided by the school. For each school in the sample, all teachers who teach students in grades K-12 during the fall of 2020, except for short-term substitutes, student teachers, and teacher aides, are eligible for sampling. To avoid placing an undue burden on schools, NCES intends to survey an average of 7 teachers per school.

How will the survey be administered?

NTPS is a self-administered survey that is offered to respondents through a mail questionnaire and an online survey. We will ask the school to assign a survey coordinator to serve as a central point of contact for NTPS.

The survey does not require the use of any school personnel to administer it, other than the direct time it takes for the respondent to complete the questionnaire. This survey does not involve students. Sampled principals, teachers, and the most appropriate school staff are requested to record their answers either (a) on the printed questionnaire and return the questionnaire by mail to the U.S. Census Bureau or (b) using the online survey option to send in their responses via a secure server link. There is no use of classroom time required for the completion of these questionnaires.

How long does it take to fill out the survey?

The NTPS questionnaires strive to collect in-depth data without putting an undue burden on respondents. Each survey item has been selected based upon its contribution to the data needed by researchers and policymakers. The estimated average response time for each questionnaire in the 2020-21 NTPS is presented in the following table.

Questionnaire	Estimated average response time per respondent
Teacher Listing Form	30 minutes
School Questionnaire	13 minutes
Principal Questionnaire	25 minutes
Teacher Questionnaire	40 minutes

When will the survey be administered?

The planned data collection schedule is below.

NTPS 2020-21 Planned Timetable	Approximate Schedule
Initial mail-out of questionnaires to schools	September 2020
Initial mail-out of questionnaires to teachers	November 2020
Final acceptance of all questionnaires	July 2021
Data processing and analysis	July 2020-June 2022
Data file and initial report release	July 2022

What happens if a school, principal, or teacher refuses to participate?

All participation is voluntary. There are no penalties for not participating in the study. When completing the questionnaires, respondents can skip any question they do not want to answer. If individuals or schools are hesitant to be a part of the study, please reach out to NTPS 2020-21 staff so we can address any concerns you may have.

Will the names of participants and their responses be kept confidential?

All of the information provided by schools and staff may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). By law (20 U.S.C. §9573), a violation of the confidentiality restrictions is a felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years and/or a fine of up to $250,000. All government or contracted staff working on the NTPS study and having access to the data, including NTPS field staff, are required to sign an NCES Affidavit of Nondisclosure and have received public-trust security clearance.

Who do I contact for further information about NTPS 2020-21?

For additional information, call the NTPS 2020-21 information number, [phone], or send an email to [email]. You may also learn more about the NTPS survey program and read results from prior administrations by visiting the NTPS website at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Participant Informed Consent Form

Example Consent Form – will be used only in districts that require a consent form and will be adjusted based on individual district requirements; the following sentence will not be changed:

“I fully understand that all of the information I provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).”

PARTICIPANT INFORMED CONSENT FORM

NATIONAL TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL SURVEY (NTPS) 2020-21

You are being asked to participate in a survey called the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), for the 2020-21 school year. [District] district has approved your school’s participation in this important study. This form provides you with information about the study, and the [title], [name], who can be reached at [phone] or [email] is also available to answer your questions. Please read the information below and ask any questions you might have before deciding whether to take part.

The NTPS is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to collect important data on public elementary and secondary schools and staff in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau administers the NTPS on behalf of NCES. NCES is authorized to conduct NTPS by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). The NTPS provides data on the characteristics and qualifications of teachers and principals, teacher hiring practices, professional development, class size, and other conditions in schools across the nation. Participants are asked to complete a paper questionnaire and return it in the pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope provided (some respondents are also given an online option). Details about the data collection instrument, respondent type, and time required to complete the questionnaire are below.

Data Collection Instrument	Respondent Type	Estimated Time Required to Complete Questionnaire
Teacher Listing Form	School Coordinator	30 minutes
School Questionnaire	School Coordinator	13 minutes
Principal Questionnaire	Principal	25 minutes
Teacher Questionnaire	Teacher (Average of 7 per school)	40 minutes

Each NTPS Principal or Teacher Questionnaire contains questions that provide basic descriptive information on the respondent. Some of these items are: gender, age, race/ethnicity, principals’ licensure, highest degree earned, salary, years of teaching experience, education degrees earned and fields, certification, main teaching assignment, teacher salary schedules, and hours worked per week. A security plan for protecting individual respondent data has been developed for NTPS 2020-21. Under this plan, the 2020-21 NTPS will conform to the applicable federal laws and regulations – specifically, the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a); Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 5b); the Computer Security Act of 1987; the Federal Statistical Confidentiality Order of 1997 (an OMB directive); the U.S.A. Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56); the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. §9573); the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §151); the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, Title III, Part B, Confidential Information Protection; Confidential Information Protection, NCES Restricted-Use Data Procedures Manual; and the NCES Statistical Standards. By law (20 U.S.C. §9573), a violation of the confidentiality restrictions is a felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years and/or a fine of up to $250,000. All government or contracted staff working on the NTPS study and having access to the data, including NTPS field staff, are required to sign an NCES Affidavit of Nondisclosure and have received public-trust security clearance.

Once the U.S. Census Bureau receives the completed survey forms, the responses received on paper questionnaires are keyed into electronic data files, which are checked against the survey forms for accuracy. Names, addresses, and other identifying information for schools, principals, and teachers are removed from the data files to protect respondents’ confidentiality. A school identification number is used to link principal and teacher data to the schools where they work.

The data are used in statistical summaries only. NCES issues its own reports and requires researchers to access the data through restricted-use licensing for other analyses. Only users who have official clearance from NCES may have access to the restricted-use data files. Several reports are issued once the data are finalized, which may include: a general report that provides an overview of the data, a teacher report, a school report, and a principal report. NTPS publications will be provided for download on the NCES publications page http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/.

Congress and the U.S. Department of Education use these data to critically examine existing educational programs and services and to plan new programs intended to improve education throughout the nation.

There are no risks involved in participating in this important survey. Your participation is entirely voluntary and you can refuse to participate without any penalty or loss of benefits to you, your school, or [district name]. If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw your participation at any time during the study without any adverse consequences from the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, or your school or district.

Please check one of the following:

____ I am willing to participate in the research project. ____ I am not willing to participate in the research project.

I fully understand that all of the information I provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151), and that my signature gives my consent to voluntarily participate in this research project. I understand that, while this study has been reviewed by the [District Name], [District Name] is not conducting the study.

You are making a decision whether or not to participate in this study. Your signature below indicates that you have read and understood the information provided above, have had an opportunity to ask questions, and agree to participate in this research study. If you later decide to withdraw your consent for participation in the study, you should contact the [name] at [email]. You may discontinue participation at any time. You should keep a copy of this form for your records.

Signature _________________________________________________________________________________________

Participant Printed Name Date

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please return this form to [name] via email to [email] or mail to:

[Address]

Special Contact District Approval Form

National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) 2020-21

District Approval Form

Please mark one of the boxes below to let us know your district’s decision to allow sampled school(s) to participate in the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS).

□ The U.S. Department of Education has permission to administer the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) 2020-21 to one or more schools in the [District Name].

□ The U.S. Department of Education does not have permission to administer the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) 2020-21 to any school in the [District Name].

Printed

Name: ___________________________ Date: ________________________

Signature: ___________________________ Title: ________________________

Address: ___________________________ Phone: _______________________

___________________________

Email: ___________________________

Shape1

Please return this form to [contact info] by email to [email], or by mail to:

[address]

NTPS Public School Pre-contact Letter

<Date>

<City, State, ZIP Code>

Dear Principal:

Your school has been selected for the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). Data from the 2015–16 NTPS show that:

A majority of public school principals held a master’s degree (61 percent) as their highest degree, compared to an education specialist/professional diploma at least one year beyond the master’s level (27 percent), a doctorate/first professional degree (10 percent), or a bachelor’s degree or less (2 percent).
Nationwide, about 21 percent of public schools offered at least one course entirely online, and among schools offering online courses, relatively more public charter schools offered all of their classes online (14 percent) than traditional public schools (5 percent).
On average, regular full-time teachers in public schools spent 53 hours per week on all school-related activities. That includes 27 hours that they were paid to deliver instruction to students during a typical full week. Public school teachers were required to work an average of 38 hours per week to receive their base pay.

These statistics are just a few of the results that the NTPS provides to help researchers and policymakers learn about our nation’s schools, principals, and teachers. The NTPS is administered every other year by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Education, and is the only national survey that provides this kind of information. All schools and students ultimately benefit when good data help legislators and administrators make good decisions. In addition, NTPS data allows you to compare your school with other schools <in State/across the country>.

The NTPS has been endorsed by several organizations, including <prominent local and/or national endorser(s)>. You can find additional information about NTPS and results from prior NTPS administrations at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps.

There is nothing to do right now but we will be in contact with your school later this summer. We look forward to your school’s participation in this important survey.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth, Ph.D.

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

NTPS Private School Pre-contact Letter

( 2=Private schools that are not Amish or Mennonite; 2A = Amish and Mennonite schools)

<Date>

<City, State, ZIP Code>

Dear Principal:

Your school has been selected for the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). Data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), the predecessor of the NTPS, show that:

More private school principals held a master’s degree (50 percent) as their highest degree, compared to those with a bachelor’s degree or less (31 percent), an education specialist/professional diploma (10 percent), or a doctorate/first professional degree (10 percent).
Among private schools, 39 percent overall, 51 percent of city schools, 44 percent of suburban schools, 23 percent of town schools, and 25 percent of rural schools had teachers or staff with specialist or coaching assignments.
On average, regular full-time teachers in both public and private schools spent 52 hours per week on all school-related activities. That includes 31 hours that they were paid to deliver instruction to students during a typical full week. Both groups of teachers were required to work 38 hours per week to receive their base pay.

These statistics are just a few of the results that the NTPS provides to help researchers and policymakers learn about our nation’s schools, principals, and teachers. The NTPS is administered every other year by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Education, and is the only national survey that provides this kind of information. All schools and students ultimately benefit when good data help legislators and administrators make good decisions. [2: In addition, NTPS data allows you to compare your school with other schools <in State/across the country>.]

The NTPS has been endorsed by several organizations, including <prominent local and/or national endorser(s)>. [2: You can find additional information about NTPS and results from prior NTPS administrations at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps.]

There is nothing to do right now but we will be in contact with your school later this summer. We look forward to your school’s participation in this important survey.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth, Ph.D.

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

2020-21 NTPS Generic Research Application

CONTACT

Applicant: Maura Spiegelman

Title: Statistician

Affiliation: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

United States Department of Education

Address: PCP, 550 12^th Street, SW, 4^th floor, Room 4035

Washington, DC 20202

Phone: (202) 245-6581

E-mail: maura.spiegelman@ed.gov

NTPS Research Application Contact:

District Research Application Team

1-800-221-1204

[email protected]

TITLE

National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), 2020-21

Anticipated Start Date: July 2020

Anticipated End Date: July 2021

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is the most comprehensive source of data on schools, teachers, and principals in the United States. NTPS provides critical information about the characteristics and qualifications of teachers and principals, teacher hiring practices, class size, and other conditions in a wide variety of schools across the nation. The NTPS system of related questionnaires allows for school, principal, and teacher characteristics to be analyzed in relation to one another. NTPS does not involve students, parents, or any use of classroom time.

NTPS is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Census Bureau administers the NTPS surveys on behalf of NCES. NCES is authorized to conduct NTPS by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543).

The need for contextual data on teachers, school principals, and school policies and programs has been well established. In response to concerns about the status of teaching and education, state and local education policymakers have sought more information about the school environment, the composition of the school workforce, and policies affecting the recruitment, retention, and retirement of teachers.

NTPS is a redesigned successor to the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), conducted periodically by NCES since 1987. NTPS maintains the role SASS served as the Department of Education’s primary source of information on the teacher labor market and what is happening in elementary and secondary schools from the teacher’s and administrator’s perspectives. NTPS is integrated with other ED data collections to reduce requests for redundant information from schools and districts.

NTPS, which is conducted on a 2- or 3-year cycle and was last conducted in 2017-18, is a large survey of elementary and secondary education schools, teachers, and principals in the United States. The data obtained through NTPS are used by a wide variety of people interested in elementary and secondary education, including legislators, other education policymakers, researchers, teacher professional organizations, education advocacy groups, and journalists. NTPS provides a unique resource of information on elementary and secondary education by linking data provided by schools with their respective principals and teachers. Data can be analyzed not only within each component (i.e., the school, principal, and teacher data files), but also across components or data files. This linkage across the different respondent groups makes NTPS data unique among school surveys and allows researchers to study the complexities of the American education system from multiple perspectives. For example, researchers can study teacher attrition using information from not only teachers but also from their schools and principals. Moreover, the integrated survey design allows NCES to collect information from the school personnel who can best supply it, providing more accurate information and resulting in less inconvenience to respondents. In addition, because NTPS collects data every two years, changes in education issues over time can be assessed.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY AND BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION

NTPS helps researchers and policymakers learn about our nation’s schools, teachers, and principals so they can work on improving education for all students. NTPS is the only national survey that provides this kind of information. All districts ultimately benefit when good data help legislators and administrators make good decisions. The ability of NCES to provide this important information is contingent upon the voluntary participation of sampled schools, principals and teachers; participation of these schools and staff is dependent upon their districts’ approval. Because your district, and your schools and staff, represent yourselves and many others like you, your participation is crucial for producing high quality information. By participating in this survey, you will ensure that information about your district’s schools, principals, and teachers is included in those decisions. The data you and your schools provide will better inform and help to shape future education policies.

HYPOTHESES AND MEASUREMENT

Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and other Federal agencies, State Departments of Education, education associations, and the education research community will use data from the 2020-21 NTPS to present research on a range of issues related to K-12 education. In the past, some of the most frequently published topics have included class size, number and characteristics of new teachers, teaching certification, teacher professional development, teacher attrition/retention, principal attrition and mobility, and teacher qualifications. Based on previous administrations of NTPS, the data will be used to produce national statistics on topics such as:

Teacher qualifications, career paths, professional development activities, and school and district support for teachers’ careers; and
School organization and decision-making, management of curriculum and instruction, school programs, and school climate and safety.

Examples of the types of topics that can be explored with NTPS data are briefly described below in terms of the broad education issues measured in NTPS.

Teacher Quality and Career Paths

Teacher quality and the factors that influence it are the focus of many educational researchers. The movement of teachers in and out of the teaching workforce has been a central concern of NTPS/SASS since 1987. Building upon this base, more detailed indicators of teachers’ career paths may help explain entry into teaching and teacher attrition. Teachers’ experiences during the recruitment process and their first year of teaching can greatly influence decisions to continue teaching. Teacher quality items help inform about the characteristics of training, which can be related to teaching assignments. Quality is defined as the match between teacher preparation (degrees, certification, and endorsements) and teaching assignment fields. These topics are measured in detail in the NTPS.

Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Evaluation

Recruiting and retention methods for teachers are a major topic of interest as schools and districts investigate ways to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. Questions in the School Questionnaire explore teacher vacancies and the ease with which positions are filled. Teachers are asked about their plans to remain in the teaching profession in the Teacher Questionnaire. The Principal Questionnaire explores the evaluation of teachers.

Goals, Influence, and Decision Making

The amount of influence that principal and teachers perceive they have in setting school policies is another focus of educational researchers. The NTPS Principal questionnaire asks principals about their most important educational goals and how much influence they think they have as principals on decisions concerning school policies and processes. The NTPS Teacher Questionnaire asks teachers how much influence they think they have over school policies and how much control they have in their classroom.

School Climate and Safety

Increased attention to school climate and safety has led policymakers to begin examining these topics at the national level. School climate and safety items in the NTPS Principal Questionnaire include the principal’s knowledge of violence and other school problems, and items in the NTPS Teacher Questionnaire include teachers’ perspectives on climate and incidents of teachers being threatened or physically attacked.

Basic Descriptive Information

Each of the NTPS surveys contains questions that provide basic descriptive information on the respondent:

The Principal and Teacher Questionnaires include items on gender, age, and race/ethnicity;
The Principal Questionnaire includes items on principals’ licensure, highest degree earned, years of teaching experience, and salary;
The Teacher Questionnaire contains items on years of teaching experience, education degrees and fields, certification, salary, and main teaching assignment; and
The School Questionnaire contains items on enrollment, programs and services in the school, and classroom organization.

QUESTIONNAIRES

Copies of the draft 2020-21 NTPS questionnaires for public schools are enclosed. The school, principal, and teacher questionnaire modules are described below. Additional information about NTPS is available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps.

School Questionnaire. The School Questionnaire is targeted towards an administrator or administrative assistant in sampled schools and consists of the following core and rotating modules:

Core Modules

General Information about This School. Includes items on grade levels served, enrollment, average daily attendance, length of school year, whether the school is a regular or special program/emphasis school, kindergarten programs, library media centers, courses taught entirely online, presence of before- or after-school programs, and instruction for English-language learners.
Community Service Requirements. Asks whether the district that the school is a part of grants high school diplomas and has a community service requirement for a standard diploma. If so, the section asks for the number of community service hours required for high school graduation.
Special Programs and Services. Asks about Individual Education Plans and services for students with disabilities, prekindergarten, participation in the National School Lunch Program, and participation in Title 1.
Contact Information. Asks for contact information for the person who completed most of the questionnaire, including the date completed and how many minutes it took to complete the form.

Rotating Modules

School Staffing. Defines the types of teachers sought in NTPS reporting and then asks for the total number of teachers by full- and part-time teaching status and race/ethnicity; full- and part-time staffing counts for various categories, including principals, librarians, student support staff, and aides; whether any of the teachers or staff at the school have special assignments or coaching responsibilities in academic subjects; teaching vacancies in the school in various subject fields and whether the vacancies were easy or difficult to fill; and the number of newly-hired and first-year teachers at the school.
Instructional Time. Asks about how much students receive instruction in certain subjects, such as reading and math, in a typical week.
Classroom Organization. Asks about the method in which the school organizes classes or students.

In addition to the core modules, the following rotating module will be included in the NTPS 2020-21 School Questionnaire: School Staffing.

Principal Questionnaire. The Principal Questionnaire is targeted towards the principals of sampled schools and consists of the following core and rotating modules:

Core Modules

Principal Experience and Training. Includes items on experience prior to becoming a principal and as a principal, participation in a development program for aspiring school principals, highest degree earned, license or certification in school administration, and current teaching status.
Goals and Decision Making. Asks principals to rate their three most important educational goals and to indicate how much influence they think they have as principals on decisions concerning school policies and processes.
School Climate and Safety. Asks principals to indicate to the best of their knowledge how often various types of problems occur at the school; to report on measures of parent involvement in school; whether teachers are required to help students with academic, social, and emotional needs outside of regular school hours; and whether the school has a formal teacher induction program for beginning teachers.
Principal Demographic Information. Asks about sex, race, ethnicity, year of birth, and current annual salary for the principal’s position at the sampled school.
Contact Information. Asks principals for name, home address, work, cell, and home telephone numbers, and work and home e-mail addresses. It also asks the date completed and how many minutes it took to complete the questionnaire. This information will be used during the Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS).

Rotating Modules

Working Conditions and Principal Perceptions. Asks principals to report the number of hours they spend on all school-related activities during a typical full week, the percentage of time spent on various tasks including administration, teaching, and student/parent interaction, the number of days he or she is required to work under contract, whether he or she is represented under a meet-and-confer or collective bargaining agreement, the principal’s agreement with measures of job satisfaction, and how long he or she plans to remain a principal.
Teacher Evaluation. Asks about the principal’s general knowledge and perceptions of teacher evaluations, formal evaluations on tenured and non-tenured teachers, the impact of student achievement on evaluations, and the influence of evaluations on the teaching practice within the school.
Teacher Professional Development. Asks about the principal’s knowledge and perceptions of teacher professional development.
Principal Evaluation. Asks about principals’ knowledge and perceptions of principal evaluations, whether they received feedback, and the impact of student achievement on their evaluations.
Principal Professional Development. Asks about the principal’s knowledge about and participation in various principal professional development activities.
Principal Engagement. Asks about principals’ engagement and connection with the school and with colleagues.

In addition to the core modules, the following rotating module will be included in the NTPS 2020-21 Principal Questionnaire: Working Conditions and Principal Perceptions.

Teacher Questionnaire. The Teacher Questionnaire is targeted towards teachers sampled for NTPS based on school-level teacher rosters. It consists of the following core and rotating modules:

Core Modules

General Information. Includes items confirming eligibility for the teacher sample, including their position at the school and whether they are teaching in any of grades K-12 or comparable ungraded levels. It also contains items on year began teaching (for the first time and at the sampled school), number of schools taught in, and number of years teaching.
Class Organization. Asks the teacher to report grades taught, number of students with an IEP and of limited-English proficiency, main teaching assignment subject field, looping, use of instructional software, how classes are organized, number of students taught and class size, hours spent teaching various academic subjects (for self-contained classroom teachers), and details on each class period or section taught (for subject-matter teachers).
Education and Training. Asks details about major and, if applicable, minor fields of study for all levels of educational attainment from vocational certificate through doctorate degrees; courses taken on teaching methods, including classroom management and using student performance data; and student teaching including number of classrooms and number of weeks.
Certification. Asks detailed information about the content area(s) and grade range(s) in which sample members are certified to teach, and whether the teacher entered teaching through an alternative route to certification program.
General Employment and Background Information. Includes items on earnings, union membership, tenure, sex, marital status, race, ethnicity, and year of birth.
Contact Information. Asks for contact information for the sample teacher, including spouse’s information (if applicable), phone numbers, and email addresses. This information is used in the TFS to track sample members.¹

Rotating Modules

Early Career Experiences. Targeted towards teachers in their first three years of teaching. It asks about their main activity prior to teaching, how well prepared they felt for various teaching-related tasks, whether they participated in a formal teacher induction program, and whether they received various kinds of support during their first year of teaching (including whether and how a master or mentor teacher supported them that year).
Teacher Working Conditions. Asks teachers to report the number of hours they are required to work under contract per week; how many of those hours are spent on delivering instruction; how many total hours (paid and unpaid) are spent each week on all teaching and school-related activities; whether the teacher serves as a coach, club sponsor, or in other department- or school-wide roles; and how much the teacher spent of his or her own money on school supplies in the last school year.
School Climate and Teacher Attitudes. Asks a series of questions about how much influence teachers think they have over school policies, how much control they have in their classroom, whether they agree with various measures of job satisfaction, the extent to which various conditions are a problem at the school, how long they plan to remain in teaching, and whether they’ve ever been threatened or physically attacked by a student from the school.
Teacher Evaluations. Asks about teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of teacher evaluations, the type of feedback they received, and the influence of evaluations on their teaching.
Teacher Professional Development. Asks about the current methods/modes of teacher professional development and other opportunities to learn, and their implications on teachers’ approaches to teaching.
Teacher Engagement. Asks about teachers’ engagement and connection with the school and with colleagues.

In addition to the core modules, the following three rotating modules will be included in the NTPS 2020-21 Teacher Questionnaire: Early Career Experiences, Teacher Working Conditions, and School Climate and Teacher Attitudes.

NTPS also collects information from schools on the Teacher Listing Form (TLF). The TLF will be sent to sampled schools at the beginning of data collection. The TLF will be used to sample teachers to participate in the Teacher Questionnaire. For each teacher, it requests name, subject taught (in eight categories: special education, general elementary, math, science, English/language arts, social studies, Vocational/Technical, and other), teaching status (full- or part-time), and teacher email address.

METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLING

The U.S. Census Bureau is the collection agent for NTPS data on behalf of NCES. NTPS is a self-administered survey that is offered to respondents through a mail questionnaire and an online survey. As part of an effort to increase survey response rates, subject to approval, a random sample of respondents will receive a prepaid gift card in the initial survey package.

Sampled schools are asked to assign a survey coordinator to serve as a central point of contact for NTPS. The survey does not require the use of any school personnel to administer it, other than the direct time it takes for the respondent to complete the questionnaire. The survey does not involve students. Sampled principals, teachers, and the most appropriate school staff are requested to record their answers either (a) on the printed questionnaire and return the questionnaire by mail to the U.S. Census Bureau or (b) using the online survey option to send in their responses via a secure server link. There is no use of classroom time required for the completion of these questionnaires.

Nationally, the 2020-21 NTPS will include approximately 10,600 public schools and school principals, and approximately 47,000 public school teachers. Sampling for NTPS begins by selecting schools as the primary sampling unit, and then including the principal and a relatively small sample of teachers within each selected school. Public schools selected for NTPS are sampled from the Common Core of Data (CCD), the universe of public schools supplied annually by state educational agencies to NCES. NCES modifies the list of schools from the CCD to meet the definition of a school as used by NTPS. To make sure that the sample contains sufficient numbers for estimates, the NTPS uses a stratified probability sample design. Some major stratification variables include instructional level of the school, locale, school enrollment, charter school status, and state. The main design objective is to provide the following data for public schools:

National estimates of public schools and public school characteristics;
National estimates of combined grade public schools (schools with a grade span that overlaps the elementary, middle, and/or high school levels);
National estimates of public charter schools and selected school characteristics; and
State-level estimates.

After schools are stratified and sampled, teachers within the schools are also stratified and sampled based on the broad type of teaching assignment area and full- or part-time teaching status. The sample of teachers will be selected from a list of teachers provided by the school. For each school in the sample, all teachers who teach students in grades K-12 during the fall of 2020, except for short-term substitutes, student teachers, and teacher aides, are eligible for sampling. An average of 7 teachers will be sampled from each selected school. For all public schools, the principal will be included in the survey from each selected school.

DATA COLLECTION

The U.S. Census Bureau handles the NTPS data collection for NCES. The 2020-21 NTPS is a mixed mode survey with paper and internet response options. Follow-up with non-responding schools, principals, and teachers will be conducted by mail, email, and telephone, and in person by field staff. U.S. Census Bureau staff who administer the NTPS receive training in preparation for the survey, and have undergone a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

The 2020-21 NTPS data collection begins with a letter mailed to all sampled school principals in July 2020, prompting the principal to log into the NTPS Respondent Portal to complete a short Screener Interview. The purpose of the Screener Interview is to determine the school’s eligibility to participate in NTPS 2020-21 and to establish a survey coordinator. Principals who do not complete the online screener will be contacted by telephone in August 2020 to collect the information.

The next step of data collection is to collect the school-level questionnaires – the Teacher Listing Form, School Questionnaire, and Principal Questionnaire – from schools beginning in September 2020. If the principal established a survey coordinator during the Screener Interview, the package with these materials will be addressed to the coordinator; otherwise, it will be addressed to the principal. Schools that do not respond to the initial request will receive follow up by mail, email, and telephone or personal visit from Census field staff.

Once the Teacher Listing Form is received, processed, and the teacher sample selected, invitations to complete the teacher questionnaire will be sent out to teachers on a flow basis by email and mailed paper letters, beginning in November 2020. Teachers who do not respond to the initial request will receive follow up by mail, email, and telephone or personal visit from Census field staff. NTPS data collection for school, principal, and teacher questionnaires will end in July 2021.

The planned data collection schedule is outlined below.

NTPS 2020-21 Planned Timetable	Approximate Schedule
Mail advance screener letter to school principals	July 2020
Screener telephone follow-up to name survey coordinator	August 2020
Initial mail-out of questionnaires to schools	September 2020
Initial mail-out of questionnaires to teachers	November 2020
Final acceptance of all questionnaires	July 2021
Release initial reports and data files	July 2022

RESPONSE BURDEN

NTPS relies on the voluntary participation of the principal, teachers, and school personnel. The quality of national and state-level estimates is dependent on the level of respondent participation. The data provided by individual schools and staff are combined with the information provided by other schools and staff in statistical reports. Every effort is made to create questionnaires that collect in-depth data without putting an undue burden on the respondent. The estimated average response time for each questionnaire in the 2020-21 NTPS is shown below.

2020-21 NTPS Questionnaire	Estimated average response time per respondent
Teacher Listing Form	30 minutes
School questionnaire	13 minutes
Principal questionnaire	25 minutes
Teacher questionnaire	40 minutes

The National Teacher and Principal Survey does not require student or parent participation, and no classroom time is required for completion of the questionnaires. All participation is voluntary. There are no penalties for not participating in the study. When completing the questionnaires, respondents can skip any question they do not want to answer.

ANALYSIS AND RELEASE OF INFORMATION

Once the U.S. Census Bureau receives the completed survey forms, staff create electronic data files of the survey forms. Names, addresses, and other identifying information for schools, principals, and teachers are removed from the data files to protect respondents’ confidentiality. When the respondents’ identifying information is removed from the data files, a school identification number is used to link principal and teacher data from the schools in which they work.

The data are used in statistical summaries only. NCES issues its own reports and allows researchers to access the data through restricted-use licensing for other analyses. Only users who have official clearance from NCES may have access to the restricted-use data files.

NTPS publications will be provided for download on the NCES publications page (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/).

BENEFIT TO YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT

NTPS provides critical information about the characteristics and qualifications of teachers and principals, teacher hiring practices, class size, and other conditions in a wide variety of schools across the nation. NTPS is the only national survey that provides this kind of information. All districts ultimately benefit when good data help legislators and administrators make good decisions. The ability of NCES to provide this important information is contingent upon the voluntary participation of sampled schools, principals, and teachers; participation of these schools and staff is dependent upon their districts’ approval. Because your district and its schools and staff represent themselves and many others like them, your and your schools’ participation is crucial for producing high quality information. By participating in this this survey, you will ensure that information about your district’s schools, principals, and teachers is included in those important decisions.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Data security and confidentiality protection procedures have been put in place for NTPS 2020-21 to ensure that all NCES contractors and agents working on NTPS 2020-21 comply with all privacy requirements including, as applicable: the Inter-agency agreement with NCES for this study; Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. §552a); Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 5b); Computer Security Act of 1987; U.S.A. Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56); Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543); the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, Title III, Part B, Confidential Information Protection; Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §151); the U.S. Department of Education General Handbook for Information Technology Security General Support Systems and Major Applications Inventory Procedures (March 2005); the U.S. Department of Education Incident Handling Procedures (February 2009); the U.S. Department of Education, ACS Directive OM: 5-101, Contractor Employee Personnel Security Screenings; NCES Statistical Standards; and all new legislation that impacts the data collected through the inter-agency agreement for this study.

The U.S. Census Bureau will collect data under an interagency agreement with NCES, and maintain the individually identifiable questionnaires per the security plan, including:

1. Provisions for data collection in the field;

2. Provisions to protect the data-coding phase required before machine processing;

3. Provisions to safeguard completed survey documents;

4. Authorization procedures to access or obtain files containing identifying information; and

5. Provisions to remove printouts and other outputs that contain teacher identification information from normal operation. Such materials will be maintained in secured storage areas and will be securely destroyed as soon as practical.

By law (20 U.S.C. §9573), a violation of the confidentiality restrictions is a felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years and/or a fine of up to $250,000. All government or contracted staff working on the NTPS study and having access to the data, including NTPS field staff, are required to sign an NCES Affidavit of Nondisclosure and have received public-trust security clearance.

From the initial contact with the participants in this survey through all of the follow-up efforts, potential survey respondents will be informed that (a) the U.S. Census Bureau administers NTPS on behalf of NCES; (b) NCES is authorized to conduct NTPS by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543); (c) all of the information they provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151); and that their participation is voluntary.

The following language will be included in respondent contact materials and on data collection instruments:

All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this voluntary information collection is 1850-0598. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average [XX] minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this collection, or comments or concerns about the contents or the status of your individual submission of this questionnaire, please e-mail: [email protected], or write directly to: National Teacher and Principal Survey, National Center for Education Statistics, PCP, 550 12^th Street SW, #4035, Washington, DC 20202.

INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB) OR HUMAN SUBJECTS REVIEW

Under the federal policy for the protection of human subjects, NTPS is exempt from IRB review because it utilizes survey procedures and is conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving normal educational practices. There is no potential for harm to human subjects.

The Department of Education has adopted a common set of regulations known as the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects or "Common Rule." The design of these regulations is based on established, internationally recognized ethical principles. The specific regulation is Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 97, Protection of Human Subjects, which includes Subpart A, Basic Policy, and Subpart D, Additional Protections for Children. These regulations classify as exempt certain categories of research. Research that is nonexempt is covered by the regulations. Research activities in which the only involvement of human subjects will be in one or more of the following categories are exempt [34 CFR 97.101(b)(2)]:

Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior, unless the information identifies the subjects and disclosure could reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects' financial standing, employability, or reputation. Subpart D amends this exemption, in part: If the subjects are children, research involving interview or survey procedures and research involving observations of public behavior in which the researcher(s) participate in the activities being observed are not exempt. However, research involving the use of educational tests and research involving observations of public behavior in which the researcher(s) do not participate in the activities being observed are exempt.

For more information, please see http://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/humansub/overview.html.

INFORMED CONSENT

The nature of this self-administered, cross-sectional survey is not considered intrusive, and has been ruled to be exempt under the protection of human subjects’ provisions in federal research. There are no individual student data (such as test scores or Social Security numbers) associated with any of the data acquired in this data collection. Since no data are collected about individual students, it is not necessary to obtain active, informed consent from students’ parents/guardians.

Participation in the NTPS is completely voluntary, and individual survey items can be left blank, at the discretion of each respondent. On each questionnaire for each respondent, there is a statement indicating that participation is voluntary. A respondent gives implied consent to participate by completing the NTPS questionnaire.

Endorsement letter for associations that have previously endorsed NTPS

[Name] [Date]

[Organization]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip]

Dear <insert name>,

I am writing to notify your organization of the upcoming 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), an important study administered every two years by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). As an organization that has previously endorsed the NTPS, I wanted to extend my deepest gratitude to you for your continued endorsement and support of this and future collections.

For your reference, I have enclosed the most recent draft copies of the survey forms used for NTPS data collection. If you would like to continue your endorsement of the NTPS for the upcoming 2020-21 survey cycle and any future collections, no action is required at this time.

Please contact me directly with any questions you may have regarding endorsement of the NTPS by phone at (202) 245-6581 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Additionally, you may also contact Walter Holmes at the U.S. Census Bureau by phone at (301) 763-9370 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Maura Spiegelman

Project Director

National Teacher and Principal Survey, NCES

Enclosures

Endorsement letter for associations that did not previously endorse NTPS

[Name] [Date]

[Organization]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip]

Dear <insert name>,

I am writing to invite your organization to endorse the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), an important study that the U.S. Census Bureau is administering on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) during the upcoming 2020-21 school year. The NTPS is critical to understanding elementary and secondary schools nationwide and the teachers and administrators who staff them; thus, I hope you will consider endorsing this survey for both the 2020-21 administration as well as any future collection.

The NTPS is a large-scale, nationwide sample survey that includes both public and private elementary and secondary schools and their staff. It is conducted every two years, and is designed to measure critical aspects of schools and teaching, the composition of the principal and teacher workforce, and overall conditions in schools. Additionally, it also provides information on the status of K-12 education from the perspective of school staff, as well as both national- and state-representative data on public schools, principals, and teachers, and national- and affiliation-representative data for private schools, principals, and teachers. Data collected from the NTPS are used by Congress, NCES, state education agencies, private school associations, and education research organizations to evaluate the effects of school workplace conditions, salaries, and training opportunities on the educational work force, assess school staffing practices and personnel policies, and aid in the Department of Education's program planning in the areas of teaching shortage incentives, teaching policies, and teacher education, among other things. Findings from previous NTPS data collections include, for example:

In the 2014-15 school year, 94% of public school teachers spent their own money on classroom supplies.
In the 2015–16 school year, the average base salary for regular, full-time teachers in public schools was $55,100.
In the 2015-16 school year, the average start time for public high schools was 7:59am.

Your endorsement of the NTPS will help to improve the credibility of this study in the eyes of teachers, principals, and other staff who may be selected to participate. By endorsing this survey and allowing us to print the name of your organization on the front cover of applicable survey forms and mailing materials, you can also help to improve the response rates of your members, as well as other education professionals. For your convenience, I have enclosed an endorsement letter and draft copies of the survey forms used for NTPS data collection. If after reviewing these materials you would like to endorse this survey, please sign and return the endorsement letter as soon as possible so that we may include your organization on our list of official endorsers.

If you have any questions pertaining to the endorsement of the NTPS, please contact me directly by phone at (202) 245-6581 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Additionally, you may also contact Walter Holmes at the U.S. Census Bureau by phone at (301) 763-9370 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Maura Spiegelman

Project Director

National Teacher and Principal Survey, NCES

Enclosures

Endorsement letter for state associations

[Name] [Date]

[Organization]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip]

Dear <insert name>,

I am writing to invite your organization to endorse the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), an important study that the U.S. Census Bureau is administering on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) during the upcoming 2020-21 school year. Your endorsement of this important survey is requested for both the 2020-21 administration as well as any future collections.

The NTPS is a large-scale, nationwide sample survey that includes both public and private elementary and secondary schools and the teachers and administrators who staff them. It is conducted every two years, and is designed to measure critical aspects of schools and teaching, the composition of the principal and teacher workforce, and overall conditions in schools. Additionally, it also provides information on the status of K-12 education from the perspective of school staff, as well as both national- and state-representative data on public schools, principals, and teachers, and national- and affiliation-representative data for private schools, principals, and teachers. Data collected from the NTPS are used by Congress, NCES, state education agencies, private school associations, and education research organizations to evaluate the effects of school workplace conditions, salaries, and training opportunities on the educational work force, assess school staffing practices and personnel policies, and aid in the Department of Education's program planning in the areas of teaching shortage incentives, teaching policies, and teacher education, among other things. Findings from previous NTPS data collections include, for example:

In the 2014-15 school year, 94% of public school teachers spent their own money on classroom supplies.
In the 2015–16 school year, the average base salary for regular, full-time teachers in public schools was $55,100.
In the 2015-16 school year, the average start time for public high schools was 7:59am.

Your endorsement of the NTPS will help to improve the credibility of this survey in the eyes of teachers, principals, and other staff who may be selected to participate. By endorsing this survey and allowing us to print the name of your organization on the front cover of applicable survey forms and mailing materials, you can also help to improve the response rates of your members, as well as other education professionals. For your convenience, I have enclosed an endorsement letter and draft copies of the survey forms used for NTPS data collection. If after reviewing these materials you would like to endorse this survey, please sign and return the endorsement letter as soon as possible so that we may include your organization on our list of official endorsers.

Sincerely,

Maura Spiegelman

Project Director

National Teacher and Principal Survey, NCES

Enclosures

Endorsement letter for private associations that have previously endorsed NTPS and/or PSS

[Name] [Date]

[Organization]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip]

Dear <insert name>,

I am writing to notify your organization of the upcoming 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) and the 2020-21 Private School Survey (PSS), important studies administered every two years by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). As an organization that has previously endorsed the NTPS and the PSS, I wanted to extend my deepest gratitude to you for your continued endorsement and support of this and future collections.

The NTPS is a very important study that measures critical aspects of schools and teaching, the composition of the principal and teacher workforce, and overall conditions in schools. Data collected from this survey are used by Congress, NCES, state education agencies, private school associations, and education research organizations to examine a variety of issues, including but not limited to: the effects of school workplace conditions, salaries, and training opportunities on the educational work force, school staffing practices and personnel policies, and the Department of Education's program planning in the areas of teaching shortage incentives, teaching policies, and teacher education, among other things. Similarly, the PSS is an important nationwide sample survey that includes all private schools and early childhood programs providing educational instruction to students in kindergarten or at least one of grades 1-12. The PSS recognizes the importance of private schools in the United States and strives to better understand their place in the education system. Data collected from this survey are predominantly used by NCES to produce a web based private school search tool and statistical summaries on providers of private education in the United States. Your continued support of these studies is both appreciated and recognized for its contribution to the overall success of NTPS and PSS data collection efforts.

For your reference, I have enclosed the most recent draft copies of the survey forms used for NTPS and PSS data collections. No action is required to continue your endorsement of these surveys for the upcoming 2020-21 survey cycle and any future collections.

Please contact me directly with any questions you may have regarding endorsement of the NTPS by phone at (202) 245-6581 or by email at [email protected]. Additionally, you may also contact Walter Holmes at the U.S. Census Bureau by phone at (301) 763-9370 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you have any questions or comments pertaining to the endorsement of PSS, you may contact Stephen Broughman directly by phone at (202) 245-8338 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Maura Spiegelman

Project Director

National Teacher and Principal Survey, NCES

Enclosures

Endorsement letter for private associations that did not previously endorse NTPS and/or PSS

[Name] [Date]

[Organization]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip]

Dear <insert name>,

I am writing to invite your organization to endorse the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) and the Private School Survey (PSS), two important studies that the U.S. Census Bureau is administering on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) during the upcoming 2020-21 school year. Your endorsement of these important surveys is requested for both the 2020-21 administrations as well as any future collections.

The PSS is a nationwide sample survey that includes all private schools and early childhood programs providing educational instruction to students in kindergarten or at least one of grades 1-12. Private schools make up a significant segment of the nation’s education system, with approximately 25 percent of all elementary and secondary schools being classified as such, and roughly 10 percent of all children and 13 percent of all teachers being enrolled in or employed by these schools, respectively. The PSS recognizes the importance of private schools in the United States and strives to better understand their place in the education system. Data collected from this survey are predominantly used by NCES to produce a web based private school search tool and statistical summaries on providers of private education in the United States.

Your endorsement of the NTPS and the PSS will help to improve the credibility of these surveys in the eyes of teachers, principals, and other staff who may be selected to participate. By endorsing these surveys and allowing us to print the name of your organization on the front cover of applicable survey forms and mailing materials, you can also help to improve the response rates of your members, as well as other education professionals. For your convenience, I have enclosed endorsement letters and draft copies of the survey forms used for NTPS and PSS data collections. If after reviewing these materials you would like to endorse one or both of these surveys, please sign and return the endorsement letters as soon as possible so that we may include your organization on our list of official endorsers.

If you have any questions pertaining to the endorsement of the NTPS, you may contact me directly by phone at (202) 245-6581 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Additionally, you may also contact Walter Holmes at the U.S. Census Bureau by phone at (301) 763-9370 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you have any questions or comments pertaining to the endorsement of PSS, you may contact Stephen Broughman directly by phone at (202) 245-8338 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Maura Spiegelman

Project Director

National Teacher and Principal Survey, NCES

Enclosures

1 The TFS and PFS are conducted every four years as a follow up to sample members from the prior year’s NTPS. The latest PFS was fielded in 2016-17 as a follow up to NTPS 2015-16. TFS or PFS will be next administered in 2021-22, as a follow-up to NTPS 2020-21.

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National Teacher and Principal Survey of 2020-2021 (NTPS 2020-21) Preliminary Field Activities