Communications Materials

School Pulse Panel

OMB# 1850-0963 v.6

Appendix A – Communication Materials

Appendix B – Screener

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

September 2021

revised October 2021

Appendix A – Communication Materials

Advance E-mail to School, September, Responded to summer

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans, providing <September> information by <date>

<insert name>:

Thank you for your participation in the brief, summer survey for the School Pulse Panel study. The data you provided have already been valuable for increasing our understanding of how schools are responding to rapidly changing threats from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a reminder, we need your continued participation in the monthly data collections. The School Pulse Panel’s <September> survey will open on <MM/DD/YY>. Please be on the lookout for an email that includes a link to the survey. You will have two weeks to complete the survey.

The survey will take approximately 2-3 hours to complete. If necessary, you can save your responses and return to the survey later. We encourage you to work with other school staff, such as special education coordinators and district staff, to complete the survey; you can do so by sharing the survey link with them. Some questions may best be answered by central data office staff and having help with completing the survey will greatly reduce the burden on school staff. Your school will be compensated up to $5,000 for continued participation throughout the year.

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel

The information you provide is essential to understanding the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education.

The School Pulse Panel is distinct from other studies in that it will provide information every month during the 2021-22 school year on the status of the reopening and operating of schools within the United States. This monthly collection will build a real-time picture of reopening progress across the United States. With each new variant and subsequent increase in COVID-19 cases, it becomes ever more imperative that we collect real-time data on how schools are experiencing these changes and the adaptations they are making to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of their students and staff. Your participation helps to ensure that the needs of your school and schools like yours will be considered in future policy and funding discussions.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

Schools will be compensated up to $5,000 for regularly participating throughout the year. Compensation will be sent to the school districts in the form of a debit card, which in turn will be distributed to participating schools. Money will be added to the card quarterly with a payment for each monthly survey your school completes during that quarter. School participation is voluntary.

From September 2021 continuing through August 2022, you will be asked to provide information about school reopening efforts, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, and technology use. New items may be rotated in on a quarterly basis. Instructions will be provided as part of the survey.

The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences. If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education


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 schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

E-mail to School, September, Responded to summer

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans, providing <September> information by <date>

<insert name>:

Thank you for your participation in the brief, summer survey for the School Pulse Panel study. The data you provided have already been valuable for increasing our understanding of how schools are responding to rapidly changing threats from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a reminder, we need your continued participation in the monthly data collections. The School Pulse Panel’s <September> survey is open and ready for you to enter your information.

To get started, click the link below.

Please complete the <September> survey by <MM/DD/YY>.

Respond now at [INSERT LINK]

The survey will take approximately 2-3 hours to complete. If necessary, you can save your responses and return to the survey later. We encourage you to work with other school staff, such as special education coordinators and district staff, to complete the survey; you can do so by sharing the survey link with them. Some questions may best be answered by central data office staff and having help with completing the survey will greatly reduce the burden on school staff. Your school will be compensated up to $5,000 for continued participation throughout the year.

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel

The information you provide is essential to understanding the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education.

The School Pulse Panel is distinct from other studies in that it will provide information every month during the 2021-22 school year on the status of the reopening and operating of schools within the United States. This monthly collection will build a real-time picture of reopening progress across the United States. With each new variant and subsequent increase in COVID-19 cases, it becomes ever more imperative that we collect real-time data on how schools are experiencing these changes and the adaptations they are making to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of their students and staff. Your participation helps to ensure that the needs of your school and schools like yours will be considered in future policy and funding discussions.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

Schools will be compensated up to $5,000 for regularly participating throughout the year. Compensation will be sent to the school districts in the form of a debit card, which in turn will be distributed to participating schools. Money will be added to the card quarterly with a payment for each monthly survey your school completes during that quarter. School participation is voluntary.

From September 2021 continuing through August 2022, you will be asked to provide information about school reopening efforts, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, and technology use. New items may be rotated in on a quarterly basis. Instructions will be provided as part of the survey.

This study is in support of the recent Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences.  If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education


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 schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Advance E-mail to School, September, not invited to summer

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans, please complete by <date>

Dear <insert name>:

Every student in America deserves a high-quality education in a safe environment. This promise, which was already out of reach for too many, has been further threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are asking you and your school to participate in a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The study is the School Pulse Panel, and the information you provide is essential to understanding the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education – especially as new variants and challenges emerge. 

The School Pulse Panel is distinct from other studies in that it will provide information every month during the 2021-22 school year on the status of the reopening and operating of schools within the United States. The data you provide each month will help to build a real-time picture of reopening progress across the United States and enhance our understanding of the experiences of students and educators in dealing with the rapidly evolving pandemic. Your participation helps to ensure that the needs of your school and schools like yours will be considered in future policy and funding discussions. Every month, information will be provided on a data dashboard posted on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics website. 

Your Involvement and Compensation

From September 2021 continuing through August 2022, you will be asked to provide information about school reopening efforts, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, and technology use. Total time to complete the survey is expected to be 2-3 hours each month. We recognize this is a large request of school staff; we strongly encourage you to work with other school and district staff to help complete the survey. Identifying and working with staff members who are best positioned to answer various parts of the survey will greatly reduce your burden. For example, some questions related to enrollment may be best answered by central data office staff. You can share the survey with other staff members by providing them with link below. If necessary, you can save your responses and return to the survey. Instructions will be provided as part of the survey.

Schools will be compensated up to $5,000 for regularly participating throughout the year. Compensation will be sent to the school districts in the form of a debit card, which in turn will be distributed to participating schools. Money will be added to the card quarterly with a payment for each monthly survey your school completes during that quarter. School participation is voluntary.

The School Pulse Panel’s <September> survey will open on <MM/DD/YY>. Please be on the lookout for an email that includes a link to the survey. You will have two weeks to complete the survey.

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel 

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

This study is in support of the recent Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences. 

The survey was designed by NCES in coordination with several agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is an information collection effort conducted at the federal level to understand the impact of COVID-19 on education. Please be assured that reports of the survey findings will not identify schools or districts by name. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. Data collected will be used for statistical purposes only. 

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation. 

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education


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 schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

E-mail to School, September, not invited to summer

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans, please complete by <date>

Dear <insert name>:

Every student in America deserves a high-quality education in a safe environment. This promise, which was already out of reach for too many, has been further threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are asking you and your school to participate in a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The study is the School Pulse Panel, and the information you provide is essential to understanding the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education – especially as new variants and challenges emerge. 

The School Pulse Panel is distinct from other studies in that it will provide information every month during the 2021-22 school year on the status of the reopening and operating of schools within the United States. The data you provide each month will help to build a real-time picture of reopening progress across the United States and enhance our understanding of the experiences of students and educators in dealing with the rapidly evolving pandemic. Your participation helps to ensure that the needs of your school and schools like yours will be considered in future policy and funding discussions. Every month, information will be provided on a data dashboard posted on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics website. 

Your Involvement and Compensation

From September 2021 continuing through August 2022, you will be asked to provide information about school reopening efforts, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, and technology use. Total time to complete the survey is expected to be 2-3 hours each month. We recognize this is a large request of school staff; we strongly encourage you to work with other school and district staff to help complete the survey. Identifying and working with staff members who are best positioned to answer various parts of the survey will greatly reduce your burden. For example, some questions related to enrollment may be best answered by central data office staff. You can share the survey with other staff members by providing them with link below. If necessary, you can save your responses and return to the survey. Instructions will be provided as part of the survey.

Schools will be compensated up to $5,000 for regularly participating throughout the year. Compensation will be sent to the school districts in the form of a debit card, which in turn will be distributed to participating schools. Money will be added to the card quarterly with a payment for each monthly survey your school completes during that quarter. School participation is voluntary. You will have two weeks to complete the survey.

To get started, click the link below.

Please complete the <September> survey by <MM/DD/YY>.

Respond now at [INSERT LINK]

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel 

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

This study is in support of the recent Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences. 

The survey was designed by NCES in coordination with several agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is an information collection effort conducted at the federal level to understand the impact of COVID-19 on education. Please be assured that reports of the survey findings will not identify schools or districts by name. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. Data collected will be used for statistical purposes only. 

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation. 

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education


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 schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

E-mail to School, September Reminder 1

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans; please complete the <September> survey by <MM/DD/YY>

<insert name>:

This is a reminder to please complete the School Pulse Panel <September> survey by MM/DD/YY. As new COVID-19 variants emerge, the answers you provide will be an invaluable resource for increasing our understanding of how schools are responding to these threats in real time. Your participation helps to ensure that the experiences and needs of your school and schools like yours are considered in future policy and funding discussions.

We anticipate that the survey will take 2-3 hours to complete. The burden of survey completion can be greatly reduced by identifying and working with other school and district staff members who are best positioned to complete various parts of the survey. The survey can be shared with other staff members using the link provided below. By participating in each monthly survey throughout the year, your school will be compensated up to $5,000. School participation is voluntary.

To get started, click the link below.

Respond now at [INSERT LINK]

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel

As a reminder, you and your school agreed to participate in the School Pulse Panel, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The information you provide is essential to understanding the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education. We have communicated with your district about your school’s opportunity to participate.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences. If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

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 schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

E-mail to School, September Reminder 2

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans; please complete the <September> survey by <MM/DD/YY>

<insert name>:

We are seeking your participation in the School Pulse Panel survey. During these challenging times, we appreciate your time and effort. Your participation in this survey will provide a real-time picture of how schools are continuing to serve their students and support their staff in the midst of the ongoing and rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic. Your participation helps to ensure that future policy and funding decisions are based the most accurate representation of the experiences and needs of schools like yours during this time.

Please complete the <September> survey by MM/DD/YY. The survey will take approximately 2-3 hours to complete. The burden of survey completion can be greatly reduced by identifying and working with other school and district staff members who are best positioned to complete various parts of the survey. The survey can be shared with other staff members using the link provided below. By participating in each monthly survey throughout the year, your school will be compensated up to $5,000. School participation is voluntary.

To get started, click the link below.

Respond now at [INSERT LINK]

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel

As a reminder, you and your school were randomly selected to participate in the School Pulse Panel, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The information you provide is essential to understanding the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education. Your school represents many other schools with similar characteristics.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences. If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

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 schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

E-mail to School, September Reminder 3

Subject: Action requested: 2021-22 school reopening plans; please complete the <September> survey by <MM/DD/YY>

<insert name>:

This is a final reminder to please complete <September> survey by <MM/DD/YY>. In order to develop a comprehensive picture of how schools are responding to ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, it is crucial that we collect these data each month. By collecting data monthly, we will be better able to understand how schools are continually adapting their practices to best serve their students and support their staff as new variants and challenges emerge.

The survey will take approximately 2-3 hours to complete. The burden of survey completion can be greatly reduced by identifying and working with other school and district staff members who are best positioned to complete various parts of the survey. The survey can be shared with other staff members using the link provided below. By participating in each monthly survey throughout the year, your school will be compensated up to $5,000. School participation is voluntary.

To get started, click the link below.

Respond now at [INSERT LINK]

Additional Information About the School Pulse Panel

As a reminder, you and your school agreed to participate in the School Pulse Panel, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. We have communicated with your district about your school’s opportunity to participate.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a division within the Institute of Education Sciences. If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

October Advance Letter

(Variations of this letter will be sent depending on whether they can accept incentives or not)

(NCES does not currently plan to circulate this letter, but we have left it as part of the package in order to maintain continuity of our plans.)

[Date]

Dear Principal,

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact K-12 education in the United States. It is critical for the Department of Education, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other Federal agencies to have accurate and up to date information on the operating status of schools. We have selected a small number of schools to represent all schools in the United States as part of a carefully selected panel. Your school was selected to participate in this important panel. Each month during the 2021-22 school year, you will be asked to provide information on the operating status and COVID-19 related protocols at your school.

On October 12th, the US Census Bureau will send you an email invitation (sender: ADDP.School.Pulse.Panel@census.gov) to participate in the School Pulse Panel. To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

What Is Involved?

Within the email invitation that you receive is a link to the October survey, which asks about your school’s response to the pandemic, including reopening status, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, and technology use. This email will be sent to:

[principal email address]

If this is the incorrect email address, please contact the School Pulse Panel staff at 1-844-868-3661 to provide the correct email address.

Participating schools will be compensated up to $5,000 for the year if each survey is completed. Total time to complete the survey is expected to be 2-3 hours each month. You are encouraged to work with district staff to complete the survey. Working with your district will greatly reduce the time it takes to complete the survey. On the back of this letter are specific instructions for accessing and completing the survey. Participation is voluntary.

What’s Next?

After completing the October survey, you will receive a new survey monthly, through August 2022. You will receive the next survey in an email on Tuesday, November 9. Each survey will focus on various aspects of your school’s response to the pandemic.

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Additional Information About Participating in the School Pulse Panel

This study is in support of the recent Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a center within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Accessing the Survey

You can access the survey using the unique link that will be emailed to you. The survey does not need to be completed in one sitting. You will have two weeks to complete the survey.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of topics covered in this survey:

• instructional mode offered,

• enrollment counts of subgroups of students using various instructional modes,

• pandemic-related learning needs,

• safe and healthy school mitigation strategies,

• mental health services,

• use of technology, and

• information on staffing.

Completing the Survey

You may not be the most appropriate person to answer every question related to each of these topics. For some topics, such as enrollment and attendance, staff at the district level may be in a better position to respond. You are free (and encouraged) to send the survey link to members of your school and/or district staff to ease the burden of completion. Please note that when other staff members access the survey, they will be brought to the introduction page; when you send the link to others, be sure to include which specific questions you want them to answer. These questions are numbered and can be easily accessed using the table of contents, found at the top of each survey page.

Compensation

The school will be offered up to a total reimbursement of $5,000 for participation in the study over the course of 12 months (this includes September 2021 through August 2022). The reimbursement will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card and will be prorated to include the dollar amount that reflects the number of months of participation for that quarter. More information on the delivery of the debit card will come in November.

Other Important Information

All participation is voluntary. There are no penalties for not participating in the study. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, therefore your participation is critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

November Tote Bags – Participated and allowed to receive incentives

(NCES does not currently plan to circulate this letter, but we have left it as part of the package in order to maintain continuity of our plans.)

Dear Principal,

On behalf of the Department of Education, I want to thank you for your participation in the School Pulse Panel so far. Your school is one a of small number of schools that are providing a monthly snapshot of the operational status of schools during the 2021-22 school year. I have included a tote bag as a token of appreciation for your continued participation in the panel.

On November 9th, the US Census Bureau will send you an email invitation (sender: ADDP.School.Pulse.Panel@census.gov) to participate in the November collection of the School Pulse Panel. For more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

Thank you again for helping to ensure that policy makers at the Department of Education, Centers for Disease Control, and other Federal agencies have accurate, timely data to drive policy decisions and to inform resource allocations to assist with school reopening efforts.

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

November Tote Bags – Non-responding schools and can accept incentives

(NCES does not currently plan to circulate this letter, but we have left it as part of the package in order to maintain continuity of our plans.)

Date

Dear Principal,

Recently, we sent you an invitation to join the U.S. Department of Education’s School Pulse Panel. We have selected Your school as part of a small number of schools to participate in this important panel. The panel provides a monthly snapshot of school operating status and COVID-19 safety measures that is used to help determine Federal policy to support schools during this difficult time.

We will be sending the next survey to {email} on November 9th. Please respond to ensure that your school and students have a voice in public policy as we navigate the challenges posed by COVID-19.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

If you do not receive the email on November 9th, please contact the School Pulse Panel staff at 1-844-868-3661.

Please complete this survey as soon as possible.

Participating schools will be compensated up to $5,000 for the year if each survey is completed. Total time to complete the survey is expected to be 2-3 hours each month. You are encouraged to work with district staff to complete the survey. Working with your district will greatly reduce the time it takes to complete the survey. On the back of this letter are specific instructions for accessing and completing the survey. Participation is voluntary.

What’s Next?

After completing the November survey, you will receive a new survey monthly, through August 2022. Each survey will focus on various aspects of your school’s response to the pandemic.

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

As an additional token of our appreciation, I have included a tote bag with this letter. Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Christopher Chapman
Associate Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Additional Information About Participating in the School Pulse Panel

This study is in support of the recent Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. The School Pulse Panel is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is a center within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Accessing the Survey

You can access the survey using the unique link that will be emailed to you. The survey does not need to be completed in one sitting. You will have two weeks to complete the survey.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of topics covered in this survey:

• instructional mode offered,

• enrollment counts of subgroups of students using various instructional modes,

• pandemic-related learning needs,

• safe and healthy school mitigation strategies,

• mental health services,

• use of technology, and

• information on staffing.

Completing the Survey

You may not be the most appropriate person to answer every question related to each of these topics. For some topics, such as enrollment and attendance, staff at the district level may be in a better position to respond. You are free (and encouraged) to send the survey link to members of your school and/or district staff to ease the burden of completion. Please note that when other staff members access the survey, they will be brought to the introduction page; when you send the link to others, be sure to include which specific questions you want them to answer. These questions are numbered and can be easily accessed using the table of contents, found at the top of each survey page.

Compensation

The school will be offered up to a total reimbursement of $5,000 for participation in the study over the course of 12 months (this includes September 2021 through August 2022). The reimbursement will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card and will be prorated to include the dollar amount that reflects the number of months of participation for that quarter. More information on the delivery of the debit card will come in November.

Other Important Information

All participation is voluntary. There are no penalties for not participating in the study. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, therefore your participation is critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Letter AX. Thank you letter from Secretary Cardona

Dear Principal/Head of School <Name>,

I want to express my sincere gratitude for your participation in the September collection of the School Pulse Panel. I understand the difficulties that the beginning of the school year has presented to school administrators, who find themselves tasked with not only focusing on their students’ learning, but their mental and physical health as well. Despite these challenging circumstances, your willingness to join this monthly panel and provide the U.S. Department of Education with the data we need to make decisions that support all members of the education field is all the more impressive and deserving of recognition.

Thank you for all that you do to support public education.

Sincerely,

Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.

Letter BX. Secretary Letter to Non-responding Schools

Dear Principal/Head of School <Name>,

To support schools and districts as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we at the U.S. Department of Education have committed to collecting timely information on the operating status of public schools. To obtain this information, we have selected a small number of schools to provide data on a monthly basis that will represent all schools in the United States. <School Name> has been selected to participate in this new study, the School Pulse Panel (SPP).

Over the past few months, members of the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau have been attempting to reach your school about this study. Your participation is vital to the success of this study and I write to you today to ask that you please join this historic data collection effort.

School Pulse Panel Background

• The SPP was developed in response to a Presidential Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers.

• The SPP was designed by NCES, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Census Bureau, and other federal agencies to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on education.

• The SPP is a monthly survey collection that will begin in January 2022 and may last up to 12 months.

• Data will be collected through web-based surveys and no student or classroom time is required to respond.

School Pulse Panel Participation

• Each monthly survey is expected to take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

• Due to the importance of these data, your school will be compensated $400 for each month you complete a survey.

• The surveys will focus on school learning modes, enrollment, and COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

• Findings from this study will be shared through web tables and an online dashboard within a few weeks of each survey.

• Your school’s responses will be kept confidential and shared findings will not allow individual schools to be identified.

You will soon receive additional materials from NCES and the U.S. Census Bureau that provide instructions on how to participate in this study. More information about the SPP can be found at: www.census.gov/schoolpulse. If you have any questions, please contact the SPP project director, Rachel Hansen (Rachel.Hansen@ed.gov).  I believe all students in our public education system deserve the best education possible. This collection can help us understand more about the many challenges COVID-19 has created for schools and students. Thank you for considering participating in this important data collection effort.

 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.   

Letter EX. Secretary Letter to non-applied Special Districts

Dear Superintendent <Name>,

To support schools and districts as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we at the U.S. Department of Education have committed to collecting timely information on the operating status of public schools. To obtain this information, we have selected a small number of schools to provide data on a monthly basis that will represent all schools in the United States. At least one school in <School District Name> has been selected to participate in this new study, the School Pulse Panel (SPP).

In the coming weeks, your district will receive a research application about the SPP and communications from members of the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau that will ask you to approve this study to be conducted in one or more schools in your district. School participation is vital to the success of this study, and I write to you today to ask that you please approve, endorse, and encourage the selected school(s) in <School District Name> to join this historic data collection effort.

School Pulse Panel Background

• The SPP was developed in response to a Presidential Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers.

• The SPP was designed by NCES, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Census Bureau, and other federal agencies to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on education.

• The SPP is a monthly survey collection that will begin in January 2022 and may last up to 12 months.

• Data will be collected through web-based surveys and no student or classroom time is required.

School Pulse Panel Participation

• Each monthly survey is expected to take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

• Due to the importance of these data, each school will be compensated $400 for each month they complete surveys.

• The surveys will focus on school learning modes, enrollment, and COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

• Findings from this study will be shared through web tables and an online dashboard within a few weeks of each survey.

• Responses will be kept confidential and shared findings will not allow individual schools to be identified.

More information about the SPP can be found at: www.census.gov/schoolpulse. If you have any questions, please contact the SPP project director, Rachel Hansen (Rachel.Hansen@ed.gov).  I believe all students in our public education system deserve the best education possible. This collection can help us understand more about the many challenges COVID-19 has created for schools and students. Thank you for considering participating in this important data collection effort.

 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.   

Letter F/GX. Secretary Letter to non-responding Special Districts

Dear Superintendent <Name>,

To support schools and districts as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we at the U.S. Department of Education have committed to collecting timely information on the operating status of public schools. To obtain this information, we have selected a small number of schools to provide data on a monthly basis that will represent all schools in the United States. At least one school in <School District Name> has been selected to participate in this new study, the School Pulse Panel (SPP).

Over the past few months, members of the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau have been recruiting selected schools to participate. To date, your district has either not responded or has rejected the SPP application to contact selected schools in your district. Their participation is vital to the success of this study, and I write to you today to ask that you please endorse this study and urgently request your district to approve the application to have <School District Name>’s selected school(s) join this historic data collection effort.

School Pulse Panel Background

• The SPP was developed in response to a Presidential Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers.

• The SPP was designed by NCES, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Census Bureau, and other federal agencies to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on education.

• The SPP is a monthly survey collection that will begin in January 2022 and may last up to 12 months.

• Data will be collected through web-based surveys and no student or classroom time is required.

School Pulse Panel Participation

• Each monthly survey is expected to take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

• Due to the importance of these data, each school will be compensated $400 for each month they complete surveys.

• The surveys will focus on school learning modes, enrollment, and COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

• Findings from this study will be shared through web tables and an online dashboard within a few weeks of each survey.

• Responses will be kept confidential and shared findings will not allow individual schools to be identified.

More information about the SPP can be found at: www.census.gov/schoolpulse. If you have any questions, please contact the SPP project director, Rachel Hansen (Rachel.Hansen@ed.gov).  I believe all students in our public education system deserve the best education possible. This collection can help us understand more about the many challenges COVID-19 has created for schools and students. Thank you for considering participating in this important data collection effort.

 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.   

Email A1: Schools Who Responded to September Collection

[Date] [Subject line] Thank You for Your Response to the School Pulse Panel

Dear Principal,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, thank you for participating in the September data collection for the new School Pulse Panel. Your responses will provide meaningful and timely data on the experiences of schools as they navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We received feedback from schools indicating that the September survey was too long. In the interest of minimizing this burden on schools, we will take a brief pause in the monthly cycle to remove content from the survey. The Census Bureau will resume collecting data for the School Pulse Panel starting in January 2022 with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey which will continue monthly thereafter. Schools will continue to be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey.

We will contact you again in November to verify contact information for your school.

Again, thank you for your support of this important initiative. We appreciate your patience and look forward to your participation in the School Pulse Panel again in January.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr
Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email A2: Schools Who Have Responded To Date: advise of changes, send screener POC (Nov 8^th email)

[Date] [Subject Line] School Pulse Panel: Upcoming Changes

Dear Principal,

Thank you for participating in the School Pulse Panel last month. This study is providing critical information to the Department of Education and the public on the operating status of schools in the United States. We could not have these important data without your participation.

To prepare for the next collection in January, we want to make sure we have the best contact for your school’s participation in the Panel. Additionally, in order to receive your first reimbursement for completing the September survey, we need the name and school mailing address of the person who should receive this reimbursement on behalf of the school. We cannot send a reimbursement until this information has been provided. Please complete this information for your school as soon as possible by visiting the following link and entering the User ID listed below:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may also call 1-844-868-3661 to confirm your school’s contact information. To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse.

• The Census Bureau will send you an invitation in January 2022 for a shorter, 30-minute survey.

• The new, shorter survey will continue every month after January for up to 12 months.

• Schools will continue to be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey.

Again, thank you for your previous response and your support of this important study. We appreciate your patience and look forward to your participation in the School Pulse Panel again in January.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Letter A3: Schools Who Have Responded to Date (summer and/or September)-November 8 Letter

[Date]

Dear Principal,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, we express our gratitude to you for your participation in the School Pulse Panel.

We received feedback from schools indicating that the September survey was too long. In the interest of minimizing this burden on schools, we will take a brief pause in data collection from October to December to shorten the length of the survey. The Census Bureau will resume collecting data for the School Pulse Panel starting in January 2022 with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey which will continue monthly thereafter. Schools will continue to be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey.

To prepare for the next collection in January, we want to make sure we have the best contact information for your school’s participation in the Panel. Additionally, in order to receive your first reimbursement for completing the September survey, we need the name and school mailing address of the person who should receive this reimbursement on behalf of the school. We cannot send a reimbursement until this information has been provided. Please complete this information for your school as soon as possible by visiting the following link and entering the User ID listed below:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may also call 1-844-868-3661 to provide this information. If you have already provided this information, thank you.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year: https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/.

Again, thank you for your continued support of this important study. We appreciate your patience and look forward to your participation in the Panel again in January.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

School Pulse Panel: Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Pulse Panel different from other education surveys?

The School Pulse Panel is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Teacher and Principal Survey produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture the rapid pace at which schools must adapt in this pandemic environment. Your contribution is key to producing a new source of “near time” statistics that shed light on these challenges and inform the response of education officials at the federal level.

How frequently do you collect data for the School Pulse Panel?

The School Pulse Panel is designed to collect data from schools every month. However, based on feedback from schools who participated in initial data collection efforts, we will take a brief break in data collection for the months of October-December 2021 to shorten the survey and minimize the amount of time required to participate. The next time we will request your participation will be January 2022 – and then every month for up to 12 months.

How do I participate?

The survey will resume in January 2022. At that time, your school’s designated Point of Contact will receive an invitation to complete the School Pulse Panel survey via email. The email will include a link to the survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A new survey invitation will be issued each month from the email address addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is conducting the Panel on behalf of NCES.

Does the person completing the School Pulse Panel have to be the principal?

No. We initially identified the principal at each school as the School Pulse Panel Point of Contact, but you are welcome to delegate completion of the survey to another staff member who is knowledgeable about student enrollment and other programs at the school. Please confirm or correct the Point of Contact information by visiting the URL on the front of this letter.

Will you ask the same questions every month?

Some questions may remain on the survey from month to month to detect how schools are experiencing and adapting to change. Other questions may rotate in and out. Topics may include instructional mode, enrollment counts of subgroups of students, pandemic-related learning needs, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, technology use or information on staffing.

How will my school be reimbursed?

If permitted, for each month of participation, the school will be offered $400. For most schools, these reimbursements will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card. Some schools may need to make alternate arrangements with the Census Bureau.

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email A4: Schools Who Have Responded To Date, Nov 17^th reminder email

[Date] [Subject Line]: School Pulse Panel: Confirm Contact Information

Dear Principal,

We greatly appreciated your earlier response to the School Pulse Panel. We need to confirm that we have the best Point of Contact to send the survey invitation to in January 2022 to ensure your school has a chance to participate.

To prepare for the next collection in January, we want to make sure we have the best contact information for your school’s participation in the Panel. Additionally, in order to receive your first reimbursement for completing the September survey, we need the name and school mailing address of the person who should receive this reimbursement on behalf of the school. We cannot send a reimbursement until this information has been provided. Please complete this information for your school as soon as possible by visiting the following link and entering the User ID listed below:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may also call 1-844-868-3661 to provide this information. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Email A6: Schools Who Have Responded to Date, December 23^rd reminder email

[Date] [Subject line: School Pulse Panel: Last chance to correct contact information]

Dear Principal,

As we finalize our plans for the January School Pulse Panel, we wanted to provide you one last opportunity to confirm that we have the correct contact information for your school. If you have not already responded, please do so now using the link and User ID provided:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may call 1-844-868-3661 if you wish to provide the information by phone. If we do not receive your response, we will use the information we currently have on file for your school for the January survey.

Again, thank you for your previous response and your support of this important initiative. We appreciate your patience and look forward to your participation in the Panel again in January.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr
Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Email B1: Schools Who Did Not Respond (Passive), advise of changes, encourage participation, compelling need for your representation (Nov 8^th email)

[Date] [Subject line] School Pulse Panel: Information Needed

Dear Principal,

We recognize and appreciate the unprecedented challenges that your school is facing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues through the 2021-22 school year. In order to guide response and recovery, education policymakers need to know more about what is happening in your school. Your school represents many others with similar characteristics and therefore we need your involvement to represent the experiences of schools like yours.

• The survey will be 30 minutes or less once a month starting in January 2022.

• Schools will be reimbursed $400 for each month they complete the survey.

• All you need to do before January 2022 is ensure that we have the best contact information for your school’s participation in the Panel.

• Please confirm or correct contact information by visiting this link and using this User ID:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You also may call 1-844-868-3661 if you wish to provide this information by phone.

The Census Bureau will send an invitation for the January 2022 data collection to the point of contact you designate.

The School Pulse Panel is designed to produce real-time data that shed light on the challenges you and your school are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic as they are happening. Data from the study can ensure that policy-related and resource allocation decisions made on behalf of our schools are responsive and impactful.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year: https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/.

Thank you for your consideration of this important initiative and we look forward to your school’s participation in January!

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Letter B2: Schools Who Did Not Respond (Passive)

[Date]

Dear Principal,

We received feedback from schools that the September School Pulse Panel was too long. In the interest of minimizing this burden on schools, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is taking a break from data collection until January to shorten the survey. The Census Bureau will resume collecting data for the School Pulse Panel starting in January 2022 with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey and continuing monthly for up to 12 months. Schools will continue to be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey.

Your school is one of a small number invited to participate in the Panel, an initiative to produce continuous, real-time data on the experiences of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are reaching out to you again to encourage your participation when the survey resumes in January. In the meantime, we want to take this opportunity to make sure we have the best contact information for your school’s participation in the Panel. Please confirm or correct this information by visiting the following link and entering your User ID:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may call 1-844-868-3661 if you wish to provide the information by phone.

We understand the pandemic has placed exceptional demands on your school, staff and students, but the federal government currently lacks the timely data needed to guide response and recovery from this unprecedented period for our schools. Data from the study will be used to make policy and funding decisions. By participating in the Panel, you can ensure that the experiences of your school are included in these decisions.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year: https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/.

Thank you for your consideration of this important initiative and we look forward to your school’s participation in January!

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr
Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

School Pulse Panel: Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Pulse Panel different from other education surveys?

The School Pulse Panel is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Teacher and Principal Survey produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture the rapid pace at which schools must adapt in this pandemic environment. Your contribution is key to producing a new source of “near time” statistics that shed light on these challenges and inform the response of education officials at the federal level.

How frequently do you collect data for the School Pulse Panel?

The School Pulse Panel is designed to collect data from schools every month. However, based on feedback from schools who participated in initial data collection efforts, we will take a brief break in data collection for the months of October-December 2021 to shorten the survey and minimize the amount of time required to participate. The next time we will request your participation will be January 2022 – and then every month for up to 12 months.

How do I participate?

The survey will resume in January 2022. At that time, your school’s designated Point of Contact will receive an invitation to complete the School Pulse Panel survey via email. The email will include a link to the survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A new survey invitation will be issued each month from the email address addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is conducting the Panel on behalf of NCES.

Does the person completing the School Pulse Panel have to be the principal?

No. We initially identified the principal at each school as the School Pulse Panel Point of Contact, but you are welcome to delegate completion of the survey to another staff member who is knowledgeable about student enrollment and other programs at the school. Please confirm or correct the Point of Contact information by visiting the URL on the front of this letter.

Will you ask the same questions every month?

Some questions may remain on the survey from month to month to detect how schools are experiencing and adapting to change. Other questions may rotate in and out. Topics may include instructional mode, enrollment counts of subgroups of students, pandemic-related learning needs, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, technology use or information on staffing.

How will my school be reimbursed?

If permitted, for each month of participation, the school will be offered $400. For most schools, these reimbursements will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card. Some schools may need to make alternate arrangements with the Census Bureau.

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email B3/C3: Schools Who Did Not Respond (Passive or Refusal), Nov 17^th reminder email

[Date] [Subject Line] Respond to the School Pulse Panel to Shape Education Policy

Dear Principal,

We need to hear from your school so that Department of Education has accurate, up-to-date information about the impact of COVID-19 on K-12 education to inform key decisions on policy and funding.

We want to confirm that we have the best Point of Contact to send the survey invitation to in January 2022 when the Panel resumes. Please confirm or update this information here using the link and User ID provided:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may also call 1-844-868-3661 to provide this information. If you have already provided this information, thank you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Email B4/C4: Schools Who Did Not Respond (Passive or refusal), December 13^rd reminder email

[Date] [Subject line: Last chance to correct contact information for School Pulse Panel]

Dear Principal,

As we finalize our plans for the January School Pulse Panel survey, we wanted to provide you one last opportunity to confirm that we have the correct contact information for your school. If you have not already responded, please do so now using the link and User ID provided below:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You may call 1-844-868-3661 if you wish to provide the information by phone. If we do not receive your response, we will use the information we currently have on file for your school.

Again, thank you for your consideration in participating in this important initiative. We appreciate your patience and look forward to your participation in the Panel in January.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Email C1: Schools Who Refused, advise of changes, resolicit participation given lower burden (Nov 8^th email)

[Date] [Subject line] New, Shorter School Pulse Panel

Dear Principal,

We understand that your school chose not to participate in the School Pulse Panel. Schools are facing unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we have decided to reduce the survey to just 30 minutes to make it easier for schools to respond. We also will not have a survey from October- December 2021. We need your involvement in January 2022 to represent the experiences of schools like yours.

• Participating in the School Pulse Panel is your chance to tell policymakers in the Department of Education and the White House about your school’s experiences as you continue to provide education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The shorter, 30-minute survey will begin in January 2022.

• Schools will still be reimbursed $400 for each month they complete the survey.

• All you need to do before January 2022 is ensure we have the best contact information for your school’s participation in the Panel.

• Please confirm or correct contact information by visiting this link and using this User ID:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You also may call 1-844-868-3661 if you wish to complete this by phone.

The Census Bureau will send an invitation for the January 2022 data collection to this point of contact.

Thank you for your consideration of this important study.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

Letter C2: Schools Who Refused (Active) (Nov 8^th letter)

[Date]

Dear Principal,

We understand that you chose not to participate in the School Pulse Panel this fall. The Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics recognize that schools are facing many challenges right now, so in the interests of minimizing the School Pulse Panel’s burden, we are taking a break from data collection until January. The Panel will resume with a much shorter 30-minute survey that will continue monthly for up to 12 months. We hope that you will consider participating in this shorter School Pulse Panel to tell us about your school’s experiences with educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools will still be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey.

We want to take this opportunity to make sure we have the best contact information for your school’s participation in the study. Please confirm or correct this information by visiting the following link and entering your User ID:

[URL]

User ID: XXX

You also may call 1-844-868-3661 if you wish to complete this by phone.

The Department of Education and other Federal agencies lack the timely data needed to guide response and recovery from this unprecedented period for our schools. The School Pulse Panel is an initiative to produce continuous, real-time data on the experiences in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic as they are happening. Data from the study can ensure that decisions made on behalf of our schools are responsive and impactful.

Your school is one of a small number invited to participate in the Panel. We need your involvement to represent the experiences your schools and of other schools like yours.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year: https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/.

Thank you for your consideration of this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peggy Carr

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

School Pulse Panel: Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Pulse Panel different from other education surveys?

The School Pulse Panel is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Teacher and Principal Survey produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture the rapid pace at which schools must adapt in this pandemic environment. Your contribution is key to producing a new source of “near time” statistics that shed light on these challenges and inform the response of education officials at the federal level.

How frequently do you collect data for the School Pulse Panel?

The School Pulse Panel is designed to collect data from schools every month. However, based on feedback from schools who participated in initial data collection efforts, we will take a brief break in data collection for the months of October-December 2021 to shorten the survey and minimize the amount of time required to participate. The next time we will request your participation will be January 2022 – and then every month for up to 12 months.

How do I participate?

The survey will resume in January 2022. At that time, your school’s designated Point of Contact will receive an invitation to complete the School Pulse Panel survey via email. The email will include a link to the survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A new survey invitation will be issued each month from the email address addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is conducting the Panel on behalf of NCES.

Does the person completing the School Pulse Panel have to be the principal?

No. We initially identified the principal at each school as the School Pulse Panel Point of Contact, but you are welcome to delegate completion of the survey to another staff member who is knowledgeable about student enrollment and other programs at the school. Please confirm or correct the Point of Contact information by visiting the URL on the front of this letter.

Will you ask the same questions every month?

Some questions may remain on the survey from month to month to detect how schools are experiencing and adapting to change. Other questions may rotate in and out. Topics may include instructional mode, enrollment counts of subgroups of students, pandemic-related learning needs, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, technology use or information on staffing.

How will my school be reimbursed?

If permitted, for each month of participation, the school will be offered $400. For most schools, these reimbursements will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card. Some schools may need to make alternate arrangements with the Census Bureau.

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email D1: Special Districts Who Approved

[Date]

Dear School District Research Coordinator,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, I am writing to express our thanks for your support on behalf of the new School Pulse Panel. We have completed the first month (September) of data collection and appreciate the approval for your schools to participate. Their responses, combined with others from a select sample of schools across the nation, will provide timely and relevant data on the experiences of schools, staff, and students as they navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are implementing a major change in plans for the School Pulse Panel. Having received feedback from schools that the September survey was too long, we are pausing data collection briefly to remove content from the survey. We will resume the monthly data collection cycle starting January 2022 with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey. Schools will continue to be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey, subject to district conditions and restrictions.

We are continuing our outreach to schools to ensure the Panel is fully representative of how schools, staff, and students are experiencing education during this period.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions. The School Pulse Panel email is addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov and the phone number is 1-844-868-3661.

Again, thank you for your support of this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hansen

Statistician, Project Director, School Pulse

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email E1: Special Districts Active, Pending Approval

[Date]

Dear School District Research Coordinator,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, I am writing to express our thanks for your support on behalf of the new School Pulse Panel. We have completed the first month (September) of data collection and appreciate your continued consideration as we await approval of our application to engage the schools in your district selected for the Panel.

I also want to advise you that NCES is implementing a major change to the School Pulse Panel. Having received feedback from schools participating in the September survey that it was too long, we are pausing data collection briefly to remove content from the survey. The Census Bureau will resume collecting data for the School Pulse Panel starting in January 2022 and will continue monthly thereafter with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey. Schools will continue to be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey, subject to district conditions and restrictions.

We are asking for your district to make a decision on our research application as soon as possible, so that we can engage schools and prepare them for the January 2022 start. The Panel is comprised of a small number of carefully selected schools across the nation. We understand this is a challenging time, but we need your involvement to ensure the experiences of your district’s schools and schools like them are represented. Please let us know as soon as possible whether we need to make an amendment to our research application to reflect the change in survey length.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions. The School Pulse Panel email is addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov and the phone number is 1-844-868-3661.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please also feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year.

Again, thank you for your support of this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hansen

Statistician, Project Director, School Pulse

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

School Pulse Panel: Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Pulse Panel different from other education surveys?

The School Pulse Panel is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Teacher and Principal Survey produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture the rapid pace at which schools must adapt in this pandemic environment. Your contribution is key to producing a new source of “near time” statistics that shed light on these challenges and inform the response of education officials at the federal level.

How frequently do you collect data for the School Pulse Panel?

The School Pulse Panel is designed to collect data from schools every month. However, based on feedback from schools who participated in initial data collection efforts, we will take a brief break in data collection for the months of October-December 2021 to shorten the survey and minimize the amount of time required to participate. The next time we will request your participation will be January 2022 – and then every month for up to 12 months.

How do I participate?

The survey will resume in January 2022. At that time, your school’s designated Point of Contact will receive an invitation to complete the School Pulse Panel survey via email. The email will include a link to the survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A new survey invitation will be issued each month from the email address addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is conducting the Panel on behalf of NCES.

Does the person completing the School Pulse Panel have to be the principal?

No. We initially identified the principal at each school as the School Pulse Panel Point of Contact, but you are welcome to delegate completion of the survey to another staff member who is knowledgeable about student enrollment and other programs at the school. Please confirm or correct the Point of Contact information by visiting the URL on the front of this letter.

Will you ask the same questions every month?

Some questions may remain on the survey from month to month to detect how schools are experiencing and adapting to change. Other questions may rotate in and out. Topics may include instructional mode, enrollment counts of subgroups of students, pandemic-related learning needs, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, technology use or information on staffing.

How will my school be reimbursed?

If permitted, for each month of participation, the school will be offered $400. For most schools, these reimbursements will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card. Some schools may need to make alternate arrangements with the Census Bureau.

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email F1: Special District Who Did Not Respond (Passive)

[Date]

Dear School District Research Coordinator,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, I am writing to provide you an update on the School Pulse Panel. We received feedback from schools indicating that the September survey was too long. In the interests of minimizing this burden on schools, we will take a break from data collection for a few months while we significantly reduce the survey’s length. The Census Bureau will resume collecting data for the School Pulse Panel starting in January 2022 with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey and will continue monthly for the 2021-22 school year. Schools will still be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey.

We need your involvement to represent the experiences of schools like the ones in your district. We are asking that your district approve our research application as soon as possible so that we can engage the selected schools and prepare them for the January 2022 start. If you are awaiting paperwork or otherwise believe there is a miscommunication about your district’s approval process, please let us know so we can resolve these issues. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have questions. The School Pulse Panel email is addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov and the phone number is 1-844-868-3661.

We understand the pandemic has placed exceptional demands on schools, staff, and students, but the Department of Education and other Federal agencies lack the timely data needed to guide response and recovery from this unprecedented period for our schools. The School Pulse Panel is designed to produce real-time data that shed light on these challenges as they are happening. Data from the Panel can ensure that decisions made on behalf of schools are responsive and impactful.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please also feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year.

Thank you for your consideration of this important School Pulse Panel initiative.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hansen

Statistician, Project Director, School Pulse

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

School Pulse Panel: Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Pulse Panel different from other education surveys?

The School Pulse Panel is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Teacher and Principal Survey produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture the rapid pace at which schools must adapt in this pandemic environment. Your contribution is key to producing a new source of “near time” statistics that shed light on these challenges and inform the response of education officials at the federal level.

How frequently do you collect data for the School Pulse Panel?

The School Pulse Panel is designed to collect data from schools every month. However, based on feedback from schools who participated in initial data collection efforts, we will take a brief break in data collection for the months of October-December 2021 to shorten the survey and minimize the amount of time required to participate. The next time we will request your participation will be January 2022 – and then every month for up to 12 months.

How do I participate?

The survey will resume in January 2022. At that time, your school’s designated Point of Contact will receive an invitation to complete the School Pulse Panel survey via email. The email will include a link to the survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A new survey invitation will be issued each month from the email address addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is conducting the Panel on behalf of NCES.

Does the person completing the School Pulse Panel have to be the principal?

No. We initially identified the principal at each school as the School Pulse Panel Point of Contact, but you are welcome to delegate completion of the survey to another staff member who is knowledgeable about student enrollment and other programs at the school. Please confirm or correct the Point of Contact information by visiting the URL on the front of this letter.

Will you ask the same questions every month?

Some questions may remain on the survey from month to month to detect how schools are experiencing and adapting to change. Other questions may rotate in and out. Topics may include instructional mode, enrollment counts of subgroups of students, pandemic-related learning needs, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, technology use or information on staffing.

How will my school be reimbursed?

If permitted, for each month of participation, the school will be offered $400. For most schools, these reimbursements will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card. Some schools may need to make alternate arrangements with the Census Bureau.

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Email G1 Special Districts Who Refused, advise of changes, resolicit participation given lower burden

[Date]

Dear School District Research Coordinator,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, I am writing to provide you with an update on the School Pulse Panel. Schools in your district were one of a select number invited to participate in the Panel, an initiative to produce continuous, real-time data on the experiences in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We recognize that the burden of completing a 2-3 hour survey was a central source of concern for school districts who declined to approve our outreach to their schools. We have paused data collection briefly to reduce the survey’s length. The Census Bureau will resume collecting data for the School Pulse Panel starting in January 2022 and continuing monthly thereafter with an abbreviated, 30-minute survey. Schools will still be reimbursed $400 for each month that they complete the survey, subject to district conditions and restrictions.

Given this shortened instrument, we respectfully request that you revisit your district’s decision as soon as possible. As the pandemic continues to place exceptional demands on our schools, staff, and students, there is a critical gap in our data resources; specifically, we lack the timely data needed to guide response and recovery from this unprecedented period for our schools. The School Pulse Panel is designed to produce real-time data that shed light on these challenges as they are happening. We need your support to permit the experiences of schools in your district to be represented and to ensure that decisions made on behalf of schools are responsive and impactful.

We are asking that your district approve our research application as soon as possible. This will give us time to engage your schools and prepare them for the January 2022 survey. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us. The School Pulse Panel email is addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov and the phone number is 1-844-868-3661.

To learn more about the School Pulse Panel, visit www.census.gov/schoolpulse. As we prepare the inaugural data release, please also feel free to review data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Monthly School Survey that was administered in the spring of 2021. This collection served as the predecessor to the School Pulse Panel and captured similar critical information for the 2020-2021 school year.

Thank you for your consideration of this important School Pulse Panel initiative.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hansen

Statistician, Project Director, School Pulse

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
U.S. Department of Education

School Pulse Panel: Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Pulse Panel different from other education surveys?

The School Pulse Panel is a unique survey. While surveys like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Teacher and Principal Survey produce benchmark statistics critical to monitoring progress over time, they are not designed to capture the rapid pace at which schools must adapt in this pandemic environment. Your contribution is key to producing a new source of “near time” statistics that shed light on these challenges and inform the response of education officials at the federal level.

How frequently do you collect data for the School Pulse Panel?

The School Pulse Panel is designed to collect data from schools every month. However, based on feedback from schools who participated in initial data collection efforts, we will take a brief break in data collection for the months of October-December 2021 to shorten the survey and minimize the amount of time required to participate. The next time we will request your participation will be January 2022 – and then every month for up to 12 months.

How do I participate?

The survey will resume in January 2022. At that time, your school’s designated Point of Contact will receive an invitation to complete the School Pulse Panel survey via email. The email will include a link to the survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A new survey invitation will be issued each month from the email address addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is conducting the Panel on behalf of NCES.

Does the person completing the School Pulse Panel have to be the principal?

No. We initially identified the principal at each school as the School Pulse Panel Point of Contact, but you are welcome to delegate completion of the survey to another staff member who is knowledgeable about student enrollment and other programs at the school. Please confirm or correct the Point of Contact information by visiting the URL on the front of this letter.

Will you ask the same questions every month?

Some questions may remain on the survey from month to month to detect how schools are experiencing and adapting to change. Other questions may rotate in and out. Topics may include instructional mode, enrollment counts of subgroups of students, pandemic-related learning needs, virus spread mitigation strategies, services offered for students and staff, technology use or information on staffing.

How will my school be reimbursed?

If permitted, for each month of participation, the school will be offered $400. For most schools, these reimbursements will be paid out quarterly to the district in the form of a debit card. Some schools may need to make alternate arrangements with the Census Bureau.

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that by federal mandate we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the study, contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-868-3661 or via e-mail at addp.school.pulse.panel@census.gov. The Census Bureau is collecting the data for NCES.

NCES is authorized to conduct this survey by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP 2021; Sec. 2010) and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). All of the information schools 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 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, or staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

School Pulse Panel FAQ/Brochure

Web Instrument Log-in Screenshot

Note: These pages will be updated upon complete of user acceptance testing of the instrument which is happening now. The text will remain the same, with the following exceptions:

• The time estimate for the information collection will be updated to 2-3 hours

• The OMB control number and expiry date will be updated upon emergency clearance

Appendix B – Screener (to be programmed in Qualtrics)

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact K-12 education in the United States. It is critical for the Department of Education, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the public to have accurate and up-to-date information on how schools are responding to the pandemic. We have selected a small number of schools to represent all schools in the United States as part of a carefully selected panel. Your school was selected to participate in this important panel. Each month for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year, you will be asked to provide information on the operating status and COVID-19 related protocols at your school.

The purpose of this screener is to:

1. Ensure that we have up-to-date contact information for your school.

2. Provide you with the opportunity to appoint a primary person of contact who will be responsible for completing the monthly survey.

3. Indicate the best way to provide your school with compensation for its participation

This screener should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

{Page Break}

1. Please confirm or enter the following information about your school.

   1. School Name: ______________________

   2. Principal/Head of School First Name: ______________________

   3. Principal/Head of School Last Name: ______________________

   4. Principal/Head of School Phone Number: ______________________

   5. School Address 1: ______________________

   6. School Address 2: ______________________

   7. City: ______________________

   8. State: ______________________

   9. Zip Code: ______________________

2. Is this also the MAILING address for your school?

   1. Yes

   2. No

If no, another fill-in question to enter school mailing address

1. Name: ______________________

2. Address 1: __________________

3. Address 2: __________________

4. City: _______________________

5. State: _______________________

6. Zip Code: ____________________

3. What type of school is [School Name]

   1. Public School

   2. Charter School

   3. Private School

   4. Home School

   5. Bureau of Indian Education School

4. Please indicate the grades that your school offers:

• Kindergarten

• 1^st grade

• 2^nd grade

• 3^rd grade

• 4^th grade

• 5^th grade

• 6^th grade

• 7^th grade

• 8^th grade

• 9^th grade

• 10^th grade

• 11^th grade

• 12^th grade

5. The survey will collect information on your school’s enrollment, current learning environment (for example, in-person or remote learning), COVID-19 mitigation strategies, and other various topics. Please identify the best person in your school for us to contact for this survey. As principal/head of school, you may be this person, or you can identify another school staff member to serve in this role. This person will serve as your school’s primary person of contact for this study.

The primary person of contact will receive future communications regarding the School Pulse Panel, including monthly survey links. This person should be a school staff member who can respond to monthly surveys. This person is responsible for collecting information necessary to answer survey items and submit completed surveys online.

1. Name: ____________________

2. Job Title: ____________________

3. Email: ____________________

4. Work Phone Number: ____________________

• I, the principal/head of school, will be the primary person of contact for the School Pulse Panel (contact information collected in item 1 will be used).

6. Please identify an alternative person of contact.

The alternative person of contact will be contacted if the primary person of contact leaves the school or is otherwise unavailable during a collection period.

1. Name: ____________________

2. Job Title: ____________________

3. Email: ____________________

4. Work Phone Number: ____________________

• I, the principal/head of school, will be the alternative person of contact for the School Pulse Panel (contact information collected in item 1 will be used).

7. Given that you are being asked to provide enrollment counts, it may be helpful for us to also contact the person in your school or district who is responsible for this type of data. This might be a student information systems manager or someone responsible for federally mandated state reporting. If you wish for us to include this person in our outreach, please provide their information below.

1. Name: ____________________

2. Job Title: ____________________

3. Email: ____________________

4. Work Phone Number: ____________________

8. Your school will receive $400 for each completed monthly survey. Where would you like this to be sent?

   1. My school mailing address

   2. My district mailing address

   3. Other, please specify

If b or c selected: Please provide the following:

1. Name: ______________________

2. Address 1: __________________

3. Address 2: __________________

4. City: _______________________

5. State: _______________________

6. Zip Code: ____________________