[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43753-43754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19893]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2017-ICCD-0120]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Study 
of Higher Education Articulation Agreements Covering the Early Care and 
Education Workforce

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (OPEPD), 
Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a new information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 20, 2017.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2017-ICCD-
0120. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the 
Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 216-32, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Erica Lee, 202-260-1463.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the

[[Page 43754]]

following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper 
functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and 
used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) 
how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department 
minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including 
through the use of information technology. Please note that written 
comments received in response to this notice will be considered public 
records.
    Title of Collection: Study of Higher Education Articulation 
Agreements Covering the Early Care and Education Workforce.
    OMB Control Number: 1875-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 47.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 104.
    Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify elements that 
states have in place to enable successful articulation as early care 
and education (ECE) workers progress from an associate's degree to a 
bachelor's degree and describe states' successes and challenges in 
implementing the elements. Specifically, the study will use telephone 
interviews, focus groups, and review of extant documents to examine ECE 
articulation policies and their implementation in six focal states that 
have statewide articulation policies addressing degrees or coursework 
in early childhood education.
    This analysis will rely on three types of data sources:
    <bullet> Telephone interviews. One-on-one phone interviews will be 
conducted with 76 individuals including: Faculty and college 
administrators from states' two-year and four-year institutions of 
higher education; state higher education administrators; 
representatives from higher education governing bodies and ECE 
licensure bodies; and other individuals who are knowledgeable about 
development, implementation, and monitoring of ECE articulation 
policies and the ECE workforce.
    <bullet> Focus groups. Virtual focus groups will be held in each of 
the six states, including student focus groups (with 24 students total) 
and focus groups of institutional support staff (with 20 staff total).
    <bullet> Review of extant documents. These documents will include 
articulation policies, legislation, and governing body meeting notes.

    Dated: September 14, 2017.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2017-19893 Filed 9-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P