Change Memo

Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: December 9, 2020

TO: Robert Sivinski, OMB

THROUGH: Carrie Clarady, NCES

FROM: Maura Spiegelman, NCES

SUBJECT: 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS 2020-21) Rolling E-mails Change Request (OMB# 1850-0598 v.37)

The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), conducted every two to three years by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), is a system of related questionnaires that provides descriptive data on the context of elementary and secondary education. Redesigned from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) with a focus on flexibility, timeliness, and integration with other ED data, the NTPS system allows for school, principal, and teacher characteristics to be analyzed in relation to one another. NTPS is an in-depth, nationally representative survey of first through twelfth grade public and private school teachers, principals, and schools. Kindergarten teachers in schools with at least a first grade are also surveyed. NTPS utilizes core content and a series of rotating modules to allow timely collection of important education trends as well as trend analysis. Topics covered include characteristics of teachers, principals, schools, teacher training opportunities, retention, retirement, hiring, and shortages.

The NTPS 2019-20 preliminary activities were approved in July 2019, with a change request approved in November 2019 (OMB# 1850-0598 v.26-27). OMB approved the main study for 2020-21 in March 2020 (OMB# 1850-0598 v.28-30). In December 2019, NCES received OMB approval (OMB#1850-0803 v. 259) for cognitive interviews to test new and revised items about virtual schools and online course offerings in the NTPS School Questionnaire. Questions about virtual schools and online course offerings were revised, based on the results of this cognitive testing. This testing occurred in the winter and spring of 2020. During the end of this testing window, in March 2020, it became clear that questions needed to distinguish between typical practices (the intent of these questions) and changes implemented by schools due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Questions on virtual schools and online course offerings were added to all NTPS questionnaires (OMB# 1850-0598 v.31-33), and references to the coronavirus pandemic were added to correspondence with sampled schools and principals (OMB# 1850-0598 v.34-35). An additional e-mail to schools that had not yet completed a Teacher Listing Form was also added (OMB# 1850-0598 v.36).

This request adds additional e-mails to respondents for whom any materials are not complete (Teacher Listing Form, School Questionnaire, Principal Questionnaire, Teacher Questionnaire). While we will continue to mail letters and surveys to sampled respondents, we believe that for the duration of the 2020-21 school year, e-mail will be the most effective mode in reaching respondents. We also updated some language in reference to mailed packages in order to account for the fact that we do not necessarily believe respondents will receive mail and e-mail simultaneously, due to delayed mailings or delays in respondents retrieving mail from the schools at which they work.

Black font demarks the text that remains unchanged from the last approved package, while text in red font shows the revisions that were made. This requested change does not affect the approved total cost to the federal government for conducting this study nor the estimated respondent burden.

Modifications to the Contact Materials (Appendix A)

Reminder E-mail 3 – TLF (Appendix A, p.77)

Subject: Reminder: the U.S. Department of Education needs your school’s teacher list

Body:

Dear <NAME>,

The U.S. Department of Education needs a list of your school’s teachers so that we may invite a small number of teachers to complete the Teacher Questionnaire for the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). The information collected on the NTPS will help decision makers evaluate the effects of school workplace conditions, salaries, and training opportunities on the educational workforce and aid in the U.S. Department of Education’s program planning in the areas of teacher recruitment and retention, teaching policies, and teacher education.

The Teacher Listing Form collects the name, e-mail address, and subject matter taught for each teacher in your school. Please complete your school’s Teacher Listing Form by January 15th.

Click here to complete the Teacher Listing Form.

Log in using this User ID: <USERID>

The NTPS also includes a School Questionnaire and a Principal Questionnaire. If these questionnaires have not been completed, we will send login information in a separate email.

Thank you for completing this survey promptly.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Reminder E-mail 2 – School Questionnaire (Appendix A, p.78)

Subject: Reminder: U.S. Department of Education School Research Survey

Body:

Dear <Coordinator or Principal Name>,

The U.S. Department of Education is awaiting your response to the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) School Questionnaire. Only a few <school type: public, private, charter> <level> schools are asked to share their experiences by completing the NTPS. Your response is important because it ensures that your school and schools like yours are heard by Congress, the Department of Education, State Education agencies, and others who will use the data to inform funding and other education sector decisions. This is also your school’s opportunity to share information about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected instruction in your school.

Please respond by January 15th.

Click here to complete the School Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

Thank you very much for your contribution to this important effort.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

 

Reminder E-mail 2 – Principal Questionnaire (Appendix A, p.79)

Subject: Reminder: Help the U.S. Department of Education document this important time in history

Body:

Dear <Principal Name>,

The U.S. Department of Education is awaiting your response to the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) Principal Questionnaire. Only a few <school type: public, private, charter> <level> principals are asked to share their experiences by completing the NTPS. Your response, combined with other principals, will provide a historical record of how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted education. Please help us document these changes for the U.S. Department of Education.

Please respond by January 15^th.

Click here to complete the Principal Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

Thank you very much for your contribution to this important effort.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Advance Teacher Mailout E-mail (Appendix A, p.86)

Subject: Share your experience: U.S. Department of Education Teacher Survey

Body:

Dear <Teacher Name>,

The U.S. Department of Education requests your participation in the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). The NTPS is a nationwide sample survey of the teaching and working conditions in schools across the United States. It is administered by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Education, and it has been endorsed by <AGENCY> as well as many other organizations.

In the coming weeks, you may receive additional information about the survey by mail at your school’s address; however, you can respond online now using the information provided below.

Click here to complete the Teacher Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

This is your opportunity to tell policymakers about your experiences and express your opinions as a teacher in your school. We are aware of the strain the coronavirus pandemic has put on schools and teachers, and we understand that you may be facing challenges in adjusting your instruction to deliver meaningful learning experiences to students. As such, the NTPS includes questions aimed at addressing how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted your teaching during the pandemic.

Please be assured that your responses to the survey questions will not be shared with your school administration. The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau follow strict procedures to protect the confidentiality of study participants.*

Thank you in advance for responding to this important survey.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

*NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). 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). Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Initial Teacher Mailout E-mail to Survey Coordinator (Appendix A, p.87)

Subject: <Name>, we We mailed survey invitations to you.

Body:

Dear <Coordinator Name>,

We greatly appreciate your assistance so far with the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). A few days ago, we mailed [This month you will receive/You will soon receive] a package of materials for teachers to you at your school address. The package contained contains individually sealed invitations for the selected teacher(s) at your school to complete the Teacher Questionnaire online.

The survey gives teachers an opportunity to tell policymakers about their experiences in the teaching profession. Each selected teacher’s participation is critical to obtain an accurate view of the teaching profession, including teachers’ professional backgrounds, teaching fields, workloads, and working conditions across the country. We are aware of the strain COVID-19 has put on schools and teachers, and have added questions to the Teacher Questionnaire to address how the pandemic has impacted the delivery of instruction to students.

Please distribute the invitations to each teacher and ask them to complete their questionnaire within one week. In addition, please follow up with the teachers in a few days to remind them to complete their questionnaire.

You may use the Respondent Portal to check which teachers have completed their questionnaire, to request paper Teacher Questionnaire(s) for any teachers who would prefer to complete a paper version, and to make any necessary corrections to the selected teachers’ names or e-mail addresses.

Click here to access the Respondent Portal.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

Please reassure the selected teachers their responses will not be shared with any school staff. The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau follow strict procedures to protect the confidentiality of study participants.*

Thank you for your continued help with this important survey.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

*NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). 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). Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Initial Teacher Mailout E-mail (E-mail 1) (Appendix A, p.90)

Subject: National Teacher and Principal Survey for the National Center for Education Statistics

Body:

Dear <Teacher Name>,

The National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau are dedicated to providing policymakers and researchers with the most comprehensive data available on our country’s schools and teachers. To accomplish this, we need your help.

Last week, we mailed you [This month you will receive/You will soon receive] a letter at your school’s address inviting you to participate in the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) by completing the Teacher Questionnaire. [C: The envelope containing these materials, along with instructions for distributing this envelope directly to you, was mailed is addressed to your school’s NTPS survey coordinator, <Coordinator Name>.] [M: We’ve included The envelope includes $5 for you in the envelope as a token of our appreciation for your participation in the 2020–21 NTPS.//NM: We’ve included The envelope includes a tote bag for you in the envelope as a token of our appreciation for your participation in the 2020–21 NTPS.]

Click here to complete the Teacher Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

This is your opportunity to tell policymakers about your experiences and express your opinions as a teacher in your school. We are aware of the strain COVID-19 the coronavirus pandemic has put on schools and teachers, and we understand that you may be facing challenges in adjusting your instruction to deliver meaningful learning experiences to students. As such, we have added the survey includes questions to address how COVID-19 the coronavirus pandemic impacted your teaching during the beginning of the pandemic. The success of this national survey depends on your participation. Only a small percentage of schools and teachers are selected to participate. We cannot substitute another teacher for you. Your responses to the survey questions will not be shared with your school administration.

Thank you in advance for responding to this important survey.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). 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). Reports of the findings from the survey will not identify participating districts, schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Reminder Teacher Mailout E-mail (E-mail 2) (Appendix A, p.93)

Subject: Let the U.S. Department of Education know what you think: Take our survey today

Body:

Dear <Teacher Name>,

We recently requested your participation in the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) by completing the Teacher Questionnaire online. Only a few <school type: public, private, charter> <level> teachers are asked to share their experiences by completing the NTPS. Your response is important because it ensures that teachers like you are heard by Congress, the Department of Education, State Education agencies, and others who will use the data to inform funding and other education sector decisions. Your response, combined with other teachers, will provide a historical record of how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted teaching.

Please complete the Teacher Questionnaire online this week.

Click here to complete the Teacher Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

As a reminder, we are strictly prohibited from sharing any of your responses to the survey questions with any of your school administration.

Thank you for your prompt response.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Second Teacher Mailout E-mail (E-mail 3) (Appendix A, p.97)

Subject: <Teacher Name>, please Please complete your teacher survey.

Body:

Dear <Teacher Name>,

Last week, we sent We recently mailed you a second invitation to complete the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) Teacher Questionnaire online. Your participation is important to obtain an accurate view of the characteristics and opinions of teachers in K–12 schools across the United States. The NTPS and its predecessor, the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), have been informing policymakers and researchers on the condition of education since the 1980s. We need your help to continue to provide relevant and reliable data to Congress, the Department of Education, state and local education agencies, and you!

If you have recently responded, thank you. If you have not yet done so, please complete the Teacher Questionnaire online as soon as possible.

Click here to complete the Teacher Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

You will be able to save your answers and return to complete the survey later if you get interrupted while responding. As a reminder, we are strictly prohibited from sharing any of your responses to the survey questions with any of your school administration.

Thank you for your prompt response.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Reminder Teacher Mailout E-mail (E-mail 4) (Appendix A, p.99)

Subject: Reminder: Help the U.S. Department of Education document history

Body:

Dear <Teacher Name>,

We are contacting you to remind you to complete the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) Teacher Questionnaire online as soon as possible.

We acknowledge that this year has been particularly difficult for school staff, teachers, and students, but this makes your experience all the more important to share. You are an important part of teaching history. If teachers like you do not participate in NTPS, the data will provide an incomplete and possibly inaccurate picture of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on school communities, potentially affecting funding and other important education policy decisions.

Click here to complete the Teacher Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

Thank you for your prompt response.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

Third Teacher Mailout E-mail (Appendix A, p.102)

Subject: Please help us produce representative data for teachers in schools like yours

Body:

Dear <Teacher Name>,

About a week ago, we We recently mailed you the Teacher Questionnaire for the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). We wanted to take an opportunity to share selected findings from previous surveys:

• On average, regular full-time teachers in [1: <STATE> public//2: <Catholic/private>] schools earned a base teaching salary of <$XX,XXX> for the 2017–18 school year.

• On average, <XX> percent of regular full-time teachers in [1: <STATE> public//2: <Catholic/private>] schools held a job outside the school system during the school year, earning an average of <$X,XXX>.

We need your help to produce representative data for [1: <STATE> public//2: <Catholic/private>] school teachers this year. Policymakers at the state, federal, and local levels use this data to set education policy and improve teacher and principal working conditions. This is your chance to let your voice be heard!

If you have recently completed the survey, thank you. If not, please complete the questionnaire we mailed to you and return it to use in the postage-paid envelope. Alternatively, you may complete your survey online.

Click here to complete the Teacher Questionnaire.

Log in using this User ID: <USER ID>

Please be assured that your responses to the survey will not be shared with anyone at your school.

Thank you for your contribution to this important survey.

Sincerely,

National Teacher and Principal Survey Team

U.S. Census Bureau, on behalf of the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

1-888-595-1338 | ntps@census.gov | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps

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