[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 213 (Thursday, November 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67957-67958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27898]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (the Department), in accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of 
information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its 
information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden 
on the public and helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. The Director, Information Collection Clearance 
Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of 
Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection 
requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 3, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be electronically mailed to [email protected] or 
mailed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., LBJ, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537. Please note that written comments received 
in response to this notice will be considered public records.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that Federal agencies provide 
interested parties an early opportunity to comment on information 
collection requests. The Director, Information Collection Clearance 
Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of 
Management, publishes this notice containing proposed information 
collection requests at the beginning of the Departmental review of the 
information collection. The Department of Education is especially 
interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is 
this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; 
(2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) 
is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this 
collection on the respondents, including through the use of information 
technology.

    Dated: October 29, 2010.
Darrin A. King,
Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory 
Information Management Services, Office of Management.

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

    Type of Review: New.
    Title of Collection: Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers: 
State and Local Responses to Federal Initiatives.
    OMB Control Number: 1875-NEW.
    Agency Form Number(s): N/A.
    Frequency of Responses: Once.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Government, State 
Educational Agencies or Local Educational Agencies.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 42.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 126.
    Abstract: The most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act in 2002 required that States provide assurances 
and develop plans to ``ensure that poor and minority children are not 
taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, 
unqualified, or out of field teachers'' (Section 1111(b)(8)(C)). In 
2009, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requirements 
reinforced the focus on equitable distribution of teachers by requiring 
States applying for education stimulus funds to provide updated 
assurances and to publicize their most recent ``equity plans.'' ARRA 
also establishes competitive grants to help States build their pool of 
effective teachers and address inequities in the distribution of 
teachers. In addition to their focus on the equitable distribution of 
teacher quality, Federal programs also have been promoting shifts in 
how teacher quality is measured, away from teacher qualifications and 
toward measures of instructional practice and effectiveness at raising 
student achievement. Federal programs such as the Teacher Incentive 
Fund and Race to the Top have provided incentives for States and 
districts to move in this direction, including funds to support some of 
the technical aspects of development.
    Federal policymakers need to know whether the policies and programs 
they sponsor under these laws contribute to teacher quality for 
disadvantaged students. Hence, the U.S. Department of Education 
requires a study documenting the State and local actions to (a) develop 
new measures of teacher quality, (b) analyze the distribution of 
teacher quality, and (c) develop and implement plans to ensure teacher 
quality for disadvantaged students. To inform

[[Page 67958]]

Federal policymakers, the study will examine the implementation of 
these activities with attention to implementation challenges, the role 
of State and local context, and the roles of the Federal programs 
designed to foster these activities.
    The planned data collection will serve four objectives:
    1. To examine how States and districts analyze the distribution of 
teacher quality, plan actions to address inequities, and monitor 
progress.
    2. To examine how States and districts are changing their measures 
of teacher quality, and to understand their experiences in doing so.
    3. To examine State and local actions to improve teacher quality 
for disadvantaged students (i.e., students in high-poverty or high-
minority schools).
    4. To describe the perceived contributions of Federal programs to 
State and local actions aimed at improving the quality of teachers for 
disadvantaged students, and how State and local contexts mediate these 
contributions.
    To address these objectives, our design includes telephone 
interviews with State education agencies and local education agencies.
    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse 
Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 4426. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download 
Attachments'' to view. Written requests for information should be 
addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-4537. Requests may also be electronically 
mailed to [email protected] or faxed to 202-401-0920. Please specify 
the complete title of the information collection and OMB Control Number 
when making your request.
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339.

[FR Doc. 2010-27898 Filed 11-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P