[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87428-87430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25439]



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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 
National Science Foundation's Evaluation of the Robert Noyce Teacher 
Scholarship Program

AGENCY: National Science Foundation (NSF).

ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and 
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second 
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal 
Register, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed 
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance 
simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently Under 30-Day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e89b98848185989c87a8869b8ec68f879e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4635362a2f2b3632290628352068212930">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 
1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 
days a year (including Federal holidays).
    Comments: Comments regarding (a) whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the NSF, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the NSF's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
use, and clarity of the information on respondents; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology should be addressed to the points 
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556. 
NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless the 
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control 
number, and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to 
the collection of information that such persons are not required to 
respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title of Collection: The Evaluation of the National Science 
Foundation's (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.
    OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
    Abstract: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has been committed 
to broadening participation of underrepresented groups and diverse 
institutions in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) 
through an array of means. One way that NSF supports this is through 
its Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce Program; https://www.nsfnoyce.org/), which was authorized in 2002 under the National 
Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-368) and 
reauthorized in 2007 under the American COMPETES Act (Pub. L. 110-69; 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-110publ69/pdf/PLAW-110publ69.pdf). The program provides funding to higher education 
institutions via (a) scholarships, (b) stipends, and (c) other means of 
programmatic support to recruit and prepare science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and other professionals to 
become K-12 STEM teachers.
    The overall goal of the Noyce Program is to ``increase the number 
of K-12 teachers with strong STEM content knowledge who teach in high-
need school districts'' (The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program 
[nsfnoyce.org]). Specifically, the Noyce Program's goals include aiding 
in establishing and facilitating the awarding of scholarships, 
fellowships, funding, and programming that help to recruit, train, and 
retain K-12 STEM teachers for high-need school districts. Additional 
Noyce Program goals include supporting research on K-12 STEM teachers 
in high-need school districts to understand patterns of teacher 
retention and effectiveness in these settings. Program objectives for 
the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program include increasing the (a) number 
and (b) diversity of students from groups underrepresented in STEM 
fields who pursue careers in K-12 STEM teaching, especially in high-
need school districts.
    The NSF STEM Education (EDU) Directorate requests the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval of this clearance to initiate new 
data collections to be conducted as part of an external evaluation of 
the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. These collections, to be 
conducted by the evaluation contractor, include:
    Demographic Questionnaire. A one-time, web-based survey of selected 
individuals who have been involved in various aspects of NSF's Robert 
Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program from FY2014 to FY2024 (i.e., PIs, 
program coordinators, faculty, current and former scholars/fellows, K-
12 school leaders, external evaluators) as well as representative 
individuals who are eligible for Noyce funding but have not received 
it. The purpose of this questionnaire is to (a) ensure that the 
participants recruited are diverse, and (b) support the qualitative 
data analytic approaches. Information about the respondents that will 
be captured within the questionnaire will include demographic data 
(e.g., race/ethnicity, gender identity), length of time with the 
institution, and experience with the Noyce Program (as applicable). The 
survey data will enable NSF to supplement the information gleaned from 
the interviews and focus groups, encouraging further understanding of 
what is working well and growth opportunities for the Noyce Program.
    Interviews with Principal Investigators. Interviews with a 
purposive sample of up to 50 PIs or Co-PIs who had NSF's Robert Noyce 
Teacher Scholarship Program funded between FY2014 and FY2024. The 
interviews will be conducted either in-person during the annual Noyce 
Summit (2025), in-person during regional Noyce conferences (Fall 2024-
Summer 2025), or using a virtual meeting platform at a time convenient 
for the respondents. The interviews will elicit information about how 
the Noyce Program can support the STEM teacher preparation field, the 
impact of the award, barriers and facilitators to applying for Noyce 
funding, and how changes to the solicitation over the past 10 years 
have impacted the perception of the Noyce award, as well as perceptions 
of the merit review process. This information will be triangulated with 
the other data collected as well as with information from the review of 
documents to provide a holistic understanding of the context of the

[[Page 87429]]

Noyce Program, what is working well, and growth opportunities.
    Interviews with Eligible Individuals Who Have Not Received NSF's 
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Funding. Interviews with a 
purposive sample of up to 20 representatives who are eligible for Noyce 
funding but have not received it. This sample includes individuals who 
have never applied for Noyce funding and those who have applied for but 
not received Noyce funding. The interviews will be conducted either in-
person during the annual Noyce Summit (2025), in-person during regional 
Noyce conferences (Fall 2024-Summer 2025), or using a virtual meeting 
platform at a time convenient for the respondents. These interviews 
will elicit information about how the Noyce Program can support the 
STEM teacher preparation field, the impact of the award, barriers and 
facilitators to applying for Noyce funding, and how changes to the 
solicitation over the past 10 years have impacted the perception of the 
Noyce award (as applicable to the representatives' roles).
    Focus groups. A series of up to 115 focus groups are also planned, 
including program coordinators/program staff, faculty, current 
scholars/fellows, former scholars/fellows, high-need K-12 school and 
district leaders, external evaluators, American Association for the 
Advancement of Science (AAAS) staff, and current and former NSF staff. 
This may include a total of up to 469 respondents. The focus groups 
will be conducted either in-person during the annual Noyce Summit (in 
2025), in-person during regional Noyce events (Fall 2024-Summer 2025), 
or using a virtual meeting platform at a time convenient for the 
respondents, and will elicit information about how the Noyce Program 
can support the STEM teacher preparation field, the impact of the 
award, barriers and facilitators to applying for Noyce funding, and how 
changes to the solicitation over the past 10 years has impacted the 
perception of the Noyce award, as well as perceptions of the merit 
review process as applicable to the representatives' roles.
    This data collection is necessary to provide NSF with actionable 
information about the overall context of the Robert Noyce Teacher 
Scholarship Program, as well as to (a) understand overall perceptions 
of the Program from both Noyce and non-Noyce recipients, and (b) 
identify what is working well and opportunities for growth. This 
information will help support the overall goal of increasing the number 
and diversity of qualified teachers within the STEM education field. 
Further, the need is grounded in the importance and value of producing 
a diverse pool of STEM professionals who choose to pursue a career as a 
K-12 STEM teacher in a high-need school/school district.
    Use of the Information: Aggregate results from the demographic 
questionnaire, interviews, and focus groups will be synthesized and 
summarized in reports developed by the evaluation contractor that will 
be provided to NSF. Although questionnaire, interview, and focus group 
responses will be identifiable to the contractor, the reports provided 
to NSF will only include overall findings. No individual-level 
responses will be attributable to an individual respondent. 
Additionally, no information about individuals participating in the 
data collection activities will be released to anyone outside the 
contractor's organization. The data collected and reported on will be 
used for planning, management, and evaluation purposes only. These data 
are needed for effective administration, program monitoring, 
evaluation, and for strategic reviews and measuring attainment of NSF's 
program and strategic goals, as identified by the President's 
Accountable Government Initiative, the Government Performance and 
Results Act Modernization Act of 2010, Evidence-Based Policymaking Act 
of 2018, and NSF's Strategic Plan.
    Expected Respondents: The respondents are Principal Investigators 
(PIs), representatives who are eligible for NSF's Robert Noyce Teacher 
Scholarship Program funding but have not received it (Potential PIs), 
program coordinators/program staff, faculty, current and former 
scholars/fellows, high-need K-12 school and district leaders, external 
evaluators, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 
staff, and current and former NSF staff.
    The demographic questionnaire respondents will include up to 78 PIs 
with Noyce awards between FY2014 to FY2024, up to 56 representatives 
who are eligible for NSF's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program 
funding but have not received it, up to 94 program coordinators/program 
staff, up to 188 faculty, up to 125 current scholars/fellows, up to 100 
former scholars/fellows, up to 125 high-need K-12 school and district 
leaders, and up to 63 external evaluators (approximately 827 total 
respondents).
    The interviews will include up to 50 PIs with NSF's Robert Noyce 
Teacher Scholarship Program awards between FY2014 to FY2024 and up to 
20 representatives who are eligible for funding but have not received 
it (Potential PIs), all of whom will also have completed the 
questionnaire (approximately 70 total). The focus groups will include 
up to 60 program coordinators/program staff, up to 120 faculty, up to 
80 current scholars/fellows, up to 64 former scholars/fellows, up to 80 
high-need K-12 school and district leaders, and up to 40 external 
evaluators, all of whom will have also completed the questionnaire. 
Additionally, up to 3 AAAS staff, up to 6 current NSF staff, and up to 
16 former NSF staff are expected to participate in focus groups 
(approximately 469 total respondents).

Estimate of Burden

Estimates of Annualized Cost to Respondents for the Hour Burdens

    The overall annualized cost to the respondents is estimated to be 
$50,455.69. The hourly wage estimates for completing the interviews 
mentioned in the burden hours table are based on information from the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics website (http://www.bls.gov) and average GS-
15-Step 5 for the current POs (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/24Tables/html/GS_h.aspx). Specifically, the ``May 2023 National Occupational 
Employment and Wage Estimates'' were used. For Principal Investigators, 
faculty, external evaluators, and former NSF staff, 25-1000 
``Postsecondary Teachers'' was used; for this, the average hourly rate 
was calculated for a 9-month contract because an hourly rate was 
unavailable. For program coordinators, 25-9031 ``Instructional 
Coordinators'' was used; for representatives who are eligible for NSF's 
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program funding but have not received 
it, 11-9033 ``Education Administrators, Postsecondary'' was used; for 
Current and Former Scholars/Fellows, 25-2000 ``Preschool, Elementary, 
Middle, Secondary, and Special Education Teachers'' was used (for this, 
the average hourly rate was calculated for a 9-month contract because 
an hourly rate was unavailable); for K-12 School Leaders, 11-9032 
``Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary'' was used 
(for this, the average hourly rate was calculated for a 9-month 
contract because an hourly rate was unavailable); and for AAAS staff, 
19-0000 ``Life, Physical and Social Science Occupations'' was used.

[[Page 87430]]



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       Total number of
             Respondent type                   Collection title        respondents in   Burden hours per    Total hours   Average hourly     Estimated
                                                                          category         respondent         burden       rate estimate    annual cost
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretest:
    PIs.................................  Pretest Demographic                        1              0.33            0.33           70.66           23.32
                                           Questionnaire.
    Potential PIs.......................                                             1              0.33            0.33           58.66           19.36
    External Evaluators.................                                             1              0.33            0.33           70.66           23.32
    PIs.................................  Pretest Principal                          5                 1               5           70.66          353.30
                                           Investigator Interview
                                           Protocol.
    Potential PIs.......................  Pretest Potential                          3                 1               3           58.66          175.98
                                           Principal Investigator
                                           Interview Protocol.
    Current Scholars/Fellows............  Pretest Scholars and                       4                 1               4           47.84          191.36
                                           Fellows Focus Group
                                           Protocol.
    Program Coordinators................  Pretest Program                            1                 1               1           37.12           37.12
                                           Coordinator Focus Group
                                           Protocol.
    External Evaluators.................  Pretest External                           1                 1               1           70.66           70.66
                                           Evaluators Focus Group
                                           Protocol.
Demographic Questionnaire:
    PIs.................................  Demographic Questionnaire.                78              0.33           25.74           70.66        1,818.79
    Potential PIs.......................                                            56              0.33           18.48           58.66        1,084.01
    Program Coordinators................                                            94              0.33           31.02           37.12        1,151.46
    Faculty.............................                                           188              0.33           62.04           70.66        4,383.75
    External Evaluators.................                                            63              0.33           20.79           70.66        1,469.02
    Current Scholars/Fellows............                                           125              0.33           41.25           47.84        1,973.40
    Former Scholars/Fellows.............                                           100              0.33              33           47.84        1,578.72
    High Need K-12 School Leaders.......                                           125              0.33           41.25           77.10        3,180.38
Interviews:
    PIs.................................  Principal Investigator                    50                 1              50           70.66        3,532.99
                                           Interview Protocol.
    Potential PIs.......................  Potential Principal                       20                 1              20           58.66        1,173.20
                                           Investigator Interview
                                           Protocol.
Focus Groups:
    Program Coordinators................  Program Coordinator Focus                 60                 1              60           37.12        2,227.20
                                           Group Protocol.
    Faculty.............................  Faculty Focus Group                      120                 1             120           70.66        8,479.17
                                           Protocol.
    External Evaluators.................  External Evaluators Focus                 40                 1              40           70.66        2,826.39
                                           Group Protocol.
    Current Scholars/Fellows............  Current Scholars/Fellows                  80                 1              80           47.84        3,827.22
                                           Focus Group Protocol.
    Former Scholars/Fellows.............  Former Scholars/Fellows                   64                 1              64           47.84        3,061.78
                                           Focus Group Protocol.
    High Need K-12 School Leaders.......  High Need K-12 School/                    80                 1              80           77.10        6,167.78
                                           District Leaders Focus
                                           Group Protocol.
    AAAS Staff..........................  AAAS Staff Focus Group                     3                 1               3           42.24          126.72
                                           Protocol.
    Current NSF Staff...................  Current and Former NSF                     6                 1               6           66.82          400.92
                                           Staff Focus Group
                                           Protocol.
    Former NSF Staff....................  Current and Former NSF                    16                 1              16           70.66        1,130.56
                                           Staff Focus Group
                                           Protocol.
                                                                     -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total...........................  ..........................               556  ................          827.04  ..............       50,455.69
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Estimated Number of Responses per Report

    It is estimated that there will be up to 1,366 responses (which 
does not include the 17 pretest responses). Up to 827 of these 
responses will be from the demographic questionnaire (excluding the 3 
from the pretest), up to 70 from the interviews (excluding the 8 from 
the pretest), and up to 469 for the focus groups from those directly or 
indirectly affiliated with institutions eligible to receive Noyce 
funding (excluding the 6 from the pretest).

    Dated: October 28, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-25439 Filed 10-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P


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