Change Memo

Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: March 25, 2020

TO: Robert Sivinski, OMB

THROUGH: Carrie Clarady, Avar Consulting, in contract to NCES

FROM: Maura Spiegelman, NCES

SUBJECT: 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS 2020-21) Generic Research Application Change Request (OMB# 1850-0598 v.30)

The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), conducted every two to three years by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), is a system of related questionnaires that provides descriptive data on the context of elementary and secondary education. Redesigned from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) with a focus on flexibility, timeliness, and integration with other ED data, the NTPS system allows for school, principal, and teacher characteristics to be analyzed in relation to one another. NTPS is an in-depth, nationally representative survey of first through twelfth grade public and private school teachers, principals, and schools. Kindergarten teachers in schools with at least a first grade are also surveyed. NTPS utilizes core content and a series of rotating modules to allow timely collection of important education trends as well as trend analysis. Topics covered include characteristics of teachers, principals, schools, teacher training opportunities, retention, retirement, hiring, and shortages. The NTPS 2019-20 preliminary activities were approved in July 2019, with a change request approved in November 2019 (OMB# 1850-0598 v.26-27). This request is to update the details of the NTPS 2019-20 sampling plan. This request does not introduce changes to the estimated respondent burden or the costs to the federal government. OMB approved the main study for 2020-21 in March 2020 (OMB# 1850-0598 v.28-29).

The current request is to add information to the Generic Research Application. Upon further discussion, researchers decided that although they make mention of a pair of follow-up surveys to special contact districts, more explicit description of those projects would help school districts make better informed decisions. This submission seeks to clear (1) new language in the generic research application to make that involvement more explicit; and (2) previously cleared copies of the instruments used for those follow-up surveys to serve as examples for districts to consider. These examples are available only upon request, and they are not the instruments that will be used to collect data; those will be submitted for clearance in Spring 2021. These changes do not affect the cost to the government or participant burden.

The revisions made to the last approved NTPS 2020-21 clearance documents (OMB# 1850-0598 v.29) are reflected below. Blue text indicates the document in which a change was made and green text indicates the section of that document, followed by notes regarding the edits. Black font demarks the text that remains unchanged from the last approved, while text in red font shows the revisions that were made.

Appendix A

2020-21 NTPS Generic Research Application

p. 15

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 to three years, changes in education issues over time can be assessed.

p. 16

Principal and Teacher Attrition

Data on principal and teacher turnover are collected in the Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS), both of which will be next administered during the 2021-22 school year. Principals who respond to the 2020-21 NTPS will be contacted in the following school year to determine whether they are still working as a principal at the same school, whether they are working at a different school, or have left the profession. Teachers who responded to the 2020-21 NTPS may be contacted in the following school year to ask about their experiences and working conditions (for current teachers) or employment and reasons for career changes (for former teachers).

Appendix A1

The materials in this section are previously used and cleared copies of the Principal Follow-Up Survey and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey. They are included in this package for clearance so that, upon request by Special Contact Districts, they can be sent to those Districts as examples of the kinds of materials used for those two surveys.

Please see the full text of these materials in the attached Appendix A1.