Grantee Survey, District Administrative Records Request

Appendix A: Email Notifications

Table of Contents:

#	Title	Page
A1	Advance email	3
A2	Invitation email	4
A3	Reminder email	6
A4	Introductory email to districts about the administrative data request	7

A1. Advance email

Subject: Introduction to the US Department of Education’s Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods Grantee Survey

Dear [GranteeContact(s)],

I hope you and your family are staying safe during these trying times. As you may know, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the US Department of Education has contracted with Mathematica to conduct an evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods. We know how much effort you have already put into collecting data for your annual performance reporting; this study will build on that work. The study team includes Erika Bernabei, who previously worked at the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink, and Peter Tatian and Sarah Gillespie from Urban Institute.

You are one of 22 Promise Neighborhoods grantees who are being asked to complete a survey for this study. Your responses and insights could help shape the future of the Promise Neighborhoods program for other communities. In the next few days, we will send you an email with the survey materials, which collect information on the services implemented by Promise Neighborhoods grantees during their grant period, as well as any challenges related to implementing grant activities. We are interested in learning more about the 5-year implementation grant you received for [FILL PN NAME] in Fiscal Year [FILL YEAR]. We expect the survey will take 75 minutes.

[For previous grantees only: We greatly appreciate your help with this important study, which is mandated by Congress and will expand the field’s knowledge of Promise Neighborhoods. As a token of our appreciation, we will send you a $50 gift card after you complete and submit both documents.]

[For current grantees only: This important study is mandated by Congress and will expand the field’s knowledge of Promise Neighborhoods. As you may know, the Department of Education expects recipients of Promise Neighborhoods grants to participate in this study, per the Education Department General Administrative Regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591.]

If you have any questions about this upcoming data collection effort, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email address] or [phone number]. Thank you, in advance, for working with us and lending your voice to this important study!

Sincerely,

Martha Bleeker, Mathematica,

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 1850-XXXX, Exp: XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Mathematica; P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543, Attention: Martha Bleeker.

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The report will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific grantee or individual. 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).

Survey Director for the Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods

A2. Invitation email

Subject: [Fill PN Name]: Invitation to participate in the US Department of Education’s Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods Grantee Survey

Dear [GranteeContact(s)],

Thank you in advance for your participation in the data collection effort for the Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods.

[For current grantees only: This data collection effort includes two parts: (1) a pre-populated Excel workbook that we ask you to review and complete and (2) a set of survey questions. Instructions on how to complete the materials are included in the “Introduction” tab of the Excel workbook and on the first page of the survey. We suggest you complete the Excel workbook first, as it asks you to list and/or confirm all of the programs your Promise Neighborhood has provided, or is currently providing, during the grant period. Thinking first about the programs provided will help you answer questions in the survey.

• Accessing the survey materials. The Excel workbook and survey are attached and encrypted with a password. For security reasons, we will send your password in a separate email. You will need this password to open both files.

• Returning the completed survey. We ask that you please complete the survey and Excel workbook and return them to us via email by [INSERT DATE].]

[For previous grantees only: Instructions on how to complete the survey are included on the first page of the survey.

• Accessing the survey. The survey is attached and encrypted with a password. For security reasons, we will send your password in a separate email. You will need this password to open the survey.

• Returning the completed survey. We ask that you please complete the survey and return it to us via email by [INSERT DATE].]

[For all grantees:

• Check-in call with the study team. A member of the study team can schedule a short call to walk you through the survey and answer any questions if that would be helpful. Please let us know if you’d like to set up a call.

• Please think about the 5-year implementation grant you received for [FILL PN NAME] in Fiscal Year [FILL YEAR] when completing the survey. If other staff associated with the Promise Neighborhood have some of the information needed to complete these documents, please feel free to consult with them.]

[For previous grantees only: We greatly appreciate your help with this important study, which is mandated by Congress and will expand the field’s knowledge of Promise Neighborhoods. As a token of our appreciation, we will send you a $50 gift card after you complete and submit the Excel workbook and survey questions.]

[For current grantees only: This important study is mandated by Congress and will expand the field’s knowledge of Promise Neighborhoods. As you may know, the Department of Education expects recipients of Promise Neighborhoods grants to participate in this study, per the Education Department General Administrative Regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591.]

Your answers will be completely confidential. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific grantee, your organization, your Promise Neighborhood, or an individual person. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email address] or [phone number]. Thank you for working with us and lending your voice to this important study!

Sincerely,

Martha Bleeker, Mathematica

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 1850-XXXX, Exp: XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Mathematica; P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543, Attention: Martha Bleeker.

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The report will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific grantee or individual. 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).

Survey Director for the Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods

A3. Reminder email

Subject: [Fill PN Name]: Reminder to participate in the US Department of Education’s Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods Grantee Survey

Dear [GranteeContact(s)],

Thank you in advance for your participation in the data collection effort for the Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods. This is a reminder to complete the survey materials. For security purposes your password was sent in a separate email; please contact the study team if you would like to receive your password again. The purpose of this data collection is to help practitioners and the US Department of Education better understand the implementation of the program and its relationship to student outcomes.

[For previous grantees only: We greatly appreciate your help with this important study, which is mandated by Congress and will expand the field’s knowledge of Promise Neighborhoods. As a token of our appreciation, we will send you a $50 gift card after you complete and submit the survey.]

[For current grantees only: This important study is mandated by Congress and will expand the field’s knowledge of Promise Neighborhoods. As you may know, the Department of Education expects recipients of Promise Neighborhoods grants to participate in the study, per the Education Department General Administrative Regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591.]

Your answers will be completely confidential. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific grantee, your organization, your Promise Neighborhood, or an individual person.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email address] or [phone number]. Thank you for working with us and lending your voice to this important study!

Sincerely,

Martha Bleeker, Mathematica

Survey Director for the Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 1850-XXXX, Exp: XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Mathematica; P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543, Attention: Martha Bleeker.

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The report will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific grantee or individual. 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).

A4. Introductory email to districts about the administrative data request

Subject: U.S. Department of Education’s Evaluation of Promise Neighborhoods

Dear [District Contact(s)],

I hope this email finds you well during this very challenging time. I am reaching out about an evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the study is to help practitioners and the US Department of Education better understand the implementation of the program and its relationship to student outcomes. The evaluation requires school-level administrative data to examine the relationship of the program to student outcomes. The U.S. Department of Education has contracted with Mathematica and its partners to conduct the evaluation.

I have reviewed the information available online about requesting administrative data [through the XXXX process] and have some follow up questions that I would like to discuss by phone.

I understand this is a difficult time as districts grapple with the challenges presented by COVID and their lingering effects. Please let me know your availability for a call over the next two weeks. If possible, it would be helpful to include a staff person on the call who is familiar with the types of data available.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best,

[Liaison]
[Signature, including phone number]

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