[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 8896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02685]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2020-SCC-0143]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Study of Financial Aid Supports for GEAR UP Students

AGENCY: Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a new information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
March 12, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of 
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find 
this information collection request by selecting ``Department of 
Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check ``Only Show 
ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Comments may also be sent to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Daphne Garcia, 202-245-6592.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), 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, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 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. Please note that 
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered 
public records.
    Title of Collection: Study of Financial Aid Supports for GEAR UP 
Students.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Tribal, and Local Governments 
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 42.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 95.
    Abstract: This is a congressionally-mandated evaluation of the 
scholarship component of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for 
Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program. Established in the 1998 
Higher Education Act (HEA), GEAR UP provides competitive, multi-year 
grants to states and local partnerships to prepare students attending 
high-poverty middle and high schools for college enrollment and 
success. State grantees must use at least half of their funds to 
provide college scholarships to GEAR UP students unless they receive a 
waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
    How GEAR UP grantees provide scholarships to support students' 
enrollment and persistence in college is of interest for several 
reasons. First, this component distinguishes GEAR UP from other federal 
college access programs that serve primarily low-income students or 
those from high need schools. Second, the 2008 HEA reauthorization gave 
state grantees flexibility in how they implement and fund the 
scholarships. While program statute requires states to set aside at 
least half of their GEAR UP funds to provide scholarships (states that 
do are referred to as ``set-aside states''), states may be granted a 
waiver to devote all of their GEAR UP funds to other activities 
(referred to as ``waiver states'') if they can ensure that GEAR UP 
students have access to alternative scholarship funds--such as those 
that are state-funded. The reauthorization also changed other aspects 
of the scholarship component, such as the minimum amount and which 
students must be eligible to receive this financial aid.
    Little information is available about how states are carrying out 
these requirements or the challenges they face in administering this 
part of the GEAR UP program. The data collection for this study will 
examine the scholarship practices of all states that received a GEAR UP 
grant since fiscal year 2011, the first year the scholarship changes 
went into effect. ED plans to use the study results to inform program 
improvement, both current efforts and in the future through the 
upcoming reauthorization of the HEA.

    Dated: February 4, 2021.
Stephanie Valentine,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-02685 Filed 2-9-21; 8:45 am]
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