[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32204-32205]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14607]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Evaluation of Strategies Used in America's 
Promise Job Driven Grant Program Evaluation

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation 
Office, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95)]. This program helps to ensure that 
requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden 
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are 
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on 
respondents is properly assessed.
    Currently, the Department of Labor is soliciting comments 
concerning the collection of data about the Evaluation of Strategies 
Used in America's Promise Job Driven Grant Program Evaluation. A copy 
of the proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by 
contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this 
notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before September 11, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Megan Lizik, 
Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-2312, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Instructions: Please 
submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All submissions 
received must include the agency name and OMB Control Number identified 
above for this information collection. Because we continue to 
experience delays in receiving mail in the Washington, DC area, 
commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit their comments 
electronically via email or to submit them by mail early. Comments, 
including any personal information provided, become a matter of public 
record. They will also be summarized and/or included in the request for 
OMB approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Megan Lizik by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    I. Background: The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) of the U.S. 
Department of Labor (DOL) intends to design and conduct an evaluation 
to assess the success of the America's Promise Job Driven Grant Program 
(America's Promise). The goal of this project is to build knowledge 
about the effectiveness and implementation of the program.
    The evaluation will include two components, an implementation study 
and an impact study. The goal of the impact evaluation is to understand 
how programs and strategies funded under America's Promise affect the 
outcomes of participants using an experimental or quasi-experimental 
design in a subset of three sites. The goal of the implementation 
evaluation is to understand program design and implementation for all 
23 grantees, including more detailed focus on implementation in 12 
grantees and a measurement of partnerships and systems change in six 
grantees.
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
proposed data collection instruments that will be used in the 
evaluation:
    * Grantee survey. To understand early implementation experiences, 
the project will field a web-based survey to all America's Promise 
grantees promptly after the receipt of OMB clearance, likely in spring 
2018. This survey will gather information about grantee 
characteristics, services and operations, partner recruitment methods, 
partners' characteristics, strategies for engaging employers, employer 
participation by sector, and early implementation challenges.
    * Partner network survey. To measure partnership development and 
resulting systems change, the project will select up to six grantees to 
participate in two rounds of a web-based partner network survey with up 
to 25 primary partners. The survey will be fielded in spring 2018 and 
early 2020.
    * Baseline information forms (BIFs). In sites selected for the 
impact study, applicants will complete a BIF prior to random 
assignment. The BIF will collect demographics, education history, work 
history, and contact information. Whenever possible, BIFs will be 
collected electronically through the study's web-based random 
assignment system (RAS).
    * Study random assignment system (RAS). The study RAS will be a 
web-based system used by program staff to enter an initial record for 
each applicant and initiate the baseline information form for the 
applicant to complete. The system will then conduct random assignment 
and monitor the integrity of random assignment.
    * Text survey. Between completion of the baseline information form 
and a follow-up survey (which will be included in a future information 
request), the evaluation will use texting to ask a short series of 
questions of study participants who were part of random assignment. 
Questions will include employment status, hours worked in the current 
week, if any training has recently been completed or is ongoing, and 
satisfaction with a training program or activity that was recently 
completed by participants at that site.
    A future information collection request will include site visit and 
telephone interview protocols as well as a follow-up survey of members 
of the treatment and control groups.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
Evaluation of Strategies Used in the America's Promise Job Driven Grant 
Program Evaluation. DOL is particularly interested in comments that do 
the following:
    * Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;

[[Page 32205]]

    * Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions;
    * Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    * Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology--for example, permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, the Department of Labor is 
requesting clearance for the grantee survey, partner network survey, 
baseline information forms, study random assignment system, and text 
survey.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: America's Promise Job Driven Grant Program 
Evaluation applicants, grantees, and partners.

                                                              Estimated Total Burden Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                              Average
                                                           Total  number  Annual  number     Number of      burden time       Annual         Estimated
                       Respondents                          respondents         of         responses per   per response      estimated     total burden
                                                                            respondents     respondent        (hours)         burden          (hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Implementation Study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web-based survey of grantees............................              23            7.67               1             .50            3.84            11.5
Web-based survey of partners............................           * 150              50               2             .33              33             100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Impact Study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline Information Form...............................           3,000           1,000               1            0.25             250             750
Grantee staff RAS data entry............................               3               1           1,000             .08              80             240
Text Survey.............................................       \1\ 2,400             800               1            0.25             200             600
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................................       \2\ 3,176  ..............  ..............  ..............          566.84         1,701.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Assumes 25 partners per 6 grantees.
\1\ Assumes a sample of 3000 with an 80 percent response rate.
\2\ So as not to double-count participants who complete the baseline intake form and then also complete the text survey, this total only counts the 3000
  from the baseline intake form. However, all hours are calculated for the total burden.

    Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a 
matter of public record.

    Dated: June 30, 2017.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2017-14607 Filed 7-11-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P