Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), DoD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES:

Consideration will be given to all comments received by December 14, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Chief Management Officer, Directorate of Oversight and Compliance, Regulatory and Audit Matters Office, 9010 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-9010.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

Any associated form(s) for this collection may be located within this same electronic docket and downloaded for review/testing. Follow the instructions at http://www.regulations.gov for submitting comments. Please submit comments on any given form identified by docket number, form number, and title.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on this proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection instruments, please write to the Department of Defense Education Activity, Attn: Dr. Sandra D. Embler, 4040 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1635, or call at (703) 588-3175.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title; Associated Form; And OMB Number: Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Evaluation and Program Surveys—Generic; OMB Control Number 0704-0437.

Needs and Uses: The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has a need to conduct a variety of one-time surveys, interviews, and focus groups on an as-needed basis. The population for these data collections will be limited to students and parents of students attending DoDEA schools. These information collections are necessary to measure DoDEA's progress on the goals set forth in the Community Strategic Plan, and to assess parent and student input on school policies and procedures. These data collections will include, but are not limited to, school operations and procedures (such as school uniforms, transportation, school calendar), school facilities, curricular and instructional needs and effectiveness, programmatic needs and effectiveness, and extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. The information sought by these data collections will allow DoDEA to quickly have access to the information necessary to determine overall effectiveness, increase efficiency, and obtain valuable input from parents and students on new and existing policies and procedures. Data collection instruments to include burden hours and supporting documentation will be submitted to the DoD Clearance Officer and OMB for final approval as they become available.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Annual Burden Hours: 1,041.

Number of Respondents: 2,500.

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Annual Responses: 2,500.

Average Burden per Response: 25 minutes.

Frequency: On occasion.

The following categories will be included in this data collection.

School procedures and policies. These data collections will gather information from DoDEA students and parents on issues related to the everyday operational processes and policies of the school. These data collections will include, but will not be limited to, information on the school calendar, school uniforms, school transportation, school lunch, school facilities (i.e., gymnasiums, cafeterias, and playgrounds. These data collections will allow DoDEA to immediately identify or determine the extent of student and parent concerns and to quickly gather suggestions for improvement from parents and students.

School curriculum. These data collections will gather information from students and parents on the curricular availability and instructional practices in DoDEA schools. These data collections will include, but will not be limited to, course offerings, availability and use of curricular materials, instructional practices, and availability and use of educational technology. These data collections will also gather information on the perceived effectiveness of the school curriculum.

Program effectiveness and operations. These data collections will gather opinions from students and parents on the provision, needs, and effectiveness of non-curricular programs and support services, such as counseling, special education services, gifted education, English as a Second Language Services, Physical and Occupational Therapy, and in-school medical services. These data collections will help assess the extent to which support services are available and accessible, as well as help determine the effectiveness and additional needs of support programs.

Extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. These data collections will provide information from students and parents on the availability, effectiveness, and perceived needs of school extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. These data collections will help determine the extent to which the athletic interests of DoDEA students are being met by the current offerings, and assess the effectiveness of such activities. These data collections will also help determine the extent to which the dramatic, artistic, musical, and academic interests of DoDEA students are being met, and determine the future needs of such programs.