[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 60194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18875]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0155]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; REL 
Peer Review: Pilot Data Collection Methods for Examining the Use of 
Research Evidence

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 30, 2023.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2023-SCC-0155. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, the Department will 
temporarily accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the 
docket ID number and the title of the information collection request 
when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that 
comments submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. 
Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail 
or delivery should be addressed to the Manager of the Strategic 
Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 4C210, 
Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Christopher Boccanfuso, 202-245-
6832.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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, 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. The Department is soliciting comments on the 
proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 
The Department 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: REL Peer Review: Pilot Data Collection Methods 
for Examining the Use of Research Evidence.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 115.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 43.
    Abstract: The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. 
Department of Education (ED) requests clearance for data collection 
activities to support a pilot study of the reliability and validity of 
survey items used to assess the use of research evidence (URE) among 
education agencies and other partners served by the Regional 
Educational Laboratories (RELs). The REL program is an essential IES 
investment focused on partnering with State and local education 
agencies use evidence to improve education outcomes by creating 
tangible research products and providing engaging learning experiences 
and consultation. IES seeks to better understand how REL partners use 
research evidence to improve education outcomes and the role of RELs in 
promoting URE among partners. This study will test the reliability and 
validity of new and extant URE items in the REL context. Specifically, 
the study will (1) assess how existing items from the URE literature 
perform in a REL context and (2) assess the reliability and validity of 
a small set of items from the Stakeholder Feedback Surveys (SFS) that 
are currently administered to REL partners and used by IES to improve 
the work of REL contractors, inform the REL program as a whole, and 
address internal requests such as the Congressional Budget 
Justification. The reliability and validity of the new and existing 
survey items will be assessed through two data collection activities: 
an online survey administered to a set of partnerships across RELs and 
follow-up interviews with a subset of REL partners.

    Dated: August 28, 2023.
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. 2023-18875 Filed 8-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P