Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0183-0004
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-07-22T04:00Z

PART
B
OF
THE
SUPPORTING
STATEMENT
INFORMATION
COLLECTION
REQUEST
(
EPA
ICR
Number
1885.01)

IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Office
of
Radiation
and
Indoor
Air
Indoor
Environments
Division
B­
1
INFORMATION
COLLECTION
REQUEST
(
EPA
ICR
No.
1885.01)
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Office
of
Radiation
and
Indoor
Air
Indoor
Environments
Division
SECTION
I
 
SURVEY
OBJECTIVES,
KEY
VARIABLES,
AND
OTHER
PRELIMINARIES
1(
a)
Survey
Objectives
EPA
is
proposing
to
conduct
a
survey
to
evaluate
the
current
use
of
indoor
air
quality
(
IAQ)
management
practices
in
our
nation's
schools.
EPA
has
developed
low­
cost
guidance
for
schools,
entitled
IAQ
Tools
for
Schools,
which
details
the
wide
range
of
potential
indoor
air
pollutants
and
suggests
ways
in
which
school
administrators
can
improve
the
indoor
air
quality
of
their
schools.
Through
this
survey
effort,
EPA
can
evaluate
the
effectiveness
of
IAQ
Tools
for
Schools
and
other
outreach
efforts
and
select
future
initiatives
that
will
further
the
implementation
of
IAQmanagement
practices
in
schools.

By
surveying
schools,
EPA
expects
to
be
able
to
demonstrate
the
achievement
of
the
Agency's
Government
Performance
Results
Act
(
GPRA)
goal.
Between
now
and
the
year
2005,
the
Agency
is
striving
to
achieve
the
implementation
of
sound
IAQ­
management
practices
in
15
percent
of
our
nation's
schools.

EPA
expects
the
following
issues
to
be
addressed
by
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey:

Issue
1:
The
extent
to
which
sound
IAQ­
management
practices
are
being
used
in
the
nation's
schools
Issue
2:
The
barriers
to
implementation,
if
any,
that
have
been
incurred
by
school
administrators
in
attempting
to
administer
IAQ­
management
practices
Issue
3:
Ways
in
which
the
Agency
might
better
target
its
outreach
efforts
to
encourage
widespread
adoption
by
school
administrators
of
sound
IAQ
practice,
such
as
those
outlined
in
IAQ
Tools
for
Schools
1(
b)
Key
Variables
The
key
variables
associated
with
this
survey
effort
include:

°
The
level
of
knowledge
possessed
by
school
administrators,
or
their
contractors,
about
indoor
air
quality
and
ways
in
which
to
improve
it
°
Potential
sources
of
indoor
air
pollution
within
a
particular
building
°
IAQ­
management
practices
currently
being
used
by
school
administrators
and
managers
B­
2
The
most
significant
variable
in
terms
of
its
potential
influence
on
the
survey
results
are
the
types
of
IAQ­
management
practices
currently
being
used
by
school
administrators
and
managers.
This
variable
is
directly
related
to
the
survey's
primary
objective,
which
is
to
determine
the
extent
to
which
such
practices
are
utilized
in
the
nation's
schools.
The
other
variables
identified
may
influence
the
likelihood
that
a
school
administrator
will
implement
IAQ­
management
practices
and
therefore
may
indirectly
influence
survey
results.

1(
c)
Statistical
Approach
In
response
to
the
GPRA,
EPA
has
set
a
specific,
quantitative
goal
related
to
the
extent
to
which
sound
IAQ­
management
practices
are
being
used
in
schools
throughout
the
country.
The
primary
objective
in
conducting
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
is
to
measure
the
use
of
these
practices
in
our
nation's
schools.
EPA
has
targeted
school
administrators
throughout
the
United
States
as
potential
recipients
of
its
survey,
since
they
are
most
likely
to
know
what
IAQ
measures
are
currently
employed
as
part
of
their
school's
routine
operation
and
maintenance.
However,
it
is
not
practical
to
survey
every
school
administrator
in
the
United
States.
Consequently,
EPA
is
faced
with
surveying
a
subset
of
the
group
in
such
a
way
as
to
allow
the
Agency
to
draw
conclusions
about
the
group
as
a
whole
from
the
responses
received.
Anecdotal
information
is
not
sufficient
for
this
purpose,
and
so
EPA
has
chosen
a
statistical
approach
for
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey.

The
survey
asks
a
series
of
questions
about
the
use
of
IAQ­
management
practices
by
school
administrators.
EPA
intends
to
survey
schools
twice
during
the
period
for
which
this
ICR
is
in
effect 
once
in
the
first
year
and
again
in
the
third.
An
analysis
of
the
first
set
of
survey
results
will
provide
EPA
with
a
snapshot
of
the
current
use
of
these
practices
and
establish
a
baseline.
The
second
set
of
survey
results
can
then
be
compared
to
the
baseline
and
will
allow
EPA
to
determine
its
progress
toward
meeting
its
GPRA
goals.
This
comparison
will
also
allow
EPA
to
draw
statistically­
valid
conclusions
concerning
the
change
in
the
use
of
these
practices
during
the
period
between
survey
cycles.
If
necessary,
EPA
intends
to
resurvey
in
2005
to
again
determine
whether
the
Agency
has
met
its
GPRA
goal.

The
survey
responses
will
also
provide
EPA
with
an
indication
of
any
barriers
school
administrators
may
be
experiencing
in
their
attempts
to
implement
IAQ­
management
practices.

These
data
will
allow
the
Agency
to
design
outreach
materials
and
activities
to
assist
this
group
in
overcoming
obstacles
and
adopting
good
IAQ
practices.
B­
3
EPA
will
be
assisted
in
its
survey
effort
by
a
contractor
who
will
provide
support
in
identifying
survey
recipients,
distributing
survey
forms
and
instructions,
responding
to
questions
from
survey
recipients,
capturing
survey
results,
tabulating
and
analyzing
data,
and
reporting
results.

1(
d)
Feasibility
EPA
has
reviewed
the
administrative
procedures
necessary
to
conduct
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
and
has
concluded
that
it
is
feasible
to
undertake
the
survey.
The
survey
was
peer­
reviewed
by
staff
of
EPA's
IED
and
EPA
Regional
offices
to
ensure
that
the
questions
asked
will
reveal
sufficient
information
to
adequately
evaluate
the
IAQ­
management
practices
implemented
in
schools
and
to
ensure
that
the
questions
do
not
collect
redundant
information.

EPA
has
also
arranged
for
the
data
to
be
handled
by
an
independent
company
to
assure
complete
confidentiality
of
the
responses.
Furthermore,
EPA
has
sufficient
funding
to
conduct
the
survey
and
provide
the
necessary
logistical
support.

SECTION
II
 
SURVEY
DESIGN
2(
a)
Target
Population
and
Coverage
The
sample
for
each
survey
cycle
will
be
selected
from
a
registry
of
public
and
private
schools
operating
in
the
United
States
during
the
school
year
immediately
preceding
the
year
in
which
the
survey
is
conducted.
(
For
example,
schools
surveyed
in
2001
will
be
selected
from
the
registry
of
schools
operating
in
the
1999­
2000
school
year.)
B­
4
2(
b)
Sample
Design
The
approximately
111,000
primary
and
secondary
public
and
private
schools
operating
in
the
United
States
during
the
1999­
2000
school
year
comprise
the
sample
frame
for
the
first
distribution
of
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey.
EPA
obtained
the
sampling
frame
for
the
survey
from
Market
Data
Retrieval,
a
commercial
source
of
information
regarding
schools
and
school
districts
located
with
the
United
States.
A
publication
entitled,
MDR's
School
Directory
1999­
2000,
provides
the
following
information
for
every
school
in
the
country:
school
name,

address,
telephone
number,
fax
number,
principal,
school
nurse,
district
affiliation,
district
address,
district
telephone
number,
and
district
fax
number.
An
updated
version
of
this
publication
will
be
used
to
provide
the
sampling
frame
for
the
second
survey
distribution
cycle.

Survey
participants
may
be
concerned
about
the
confidentiality
of
their
responses.
To
ameliorate
this
concern,
EPA
has
taken
steps
to
ensure
that
Agency
staff
will
be
unable
to
access
raw
survey
data.
These
measures
are
described
in
more
detail
in
Section
4(
b)
below.

2(
b)
ii
Sample
Size
EPA
anticipates
distributing
a
survey
to
2,010
schools
in
two
separate
survey
cycles
of
1,005
schools
each.
In
selecting
the
sample
size
for
each
survey
cycle,
the
Agency
evaluated
a
number
of
parameters
including
confidence
levels,
precision,
and
cost.
EPA
also
considered
the
likely
response
rates
for
a
survey
of
this
kind.
EPA
selected
a
confidence
level
of
95
percent
and
a
precision
rate
of
three
percent
for
the
survey
results.
The
selection
of
these
parameters,
coupled
with
the
expected
response
rates,
led
to
the
selection
of
the
sample
size.

EPA
did
consider
higher
precision
rates.
However,
to
achieve
a
precision
rate
of
two
percent
would
require
EPA
to
more
than
double
its
sample
size.
The
Agency
determined
that
the
added
cost
of
substantially
increasing
the
sample
size
was
not
warranted
given
the
survey's
ultimate
objective.
The
sample
size
selected
will
ensure
a
95
percent
confidence
level
in
the
survey's
results.
This
was
considered
sufficient
to
demonstrate
the
achievement
of
EPA's
GPRA
goal
with
a
high
degree
of
confidence.
Additional
precision
was
considered
unnecessary
to
meet
this
objective.
B­
5
2(
b)
iii
Stratification
Variables
There
are
no
stratification
variables
for
this
survey.
The
only
purpose
of
the
survey
is
to
determine
the
implementation
status
of
IAQ­
management
practices
in
the
nation's
schools
and
barriers,
if
any,
to
implementing
such
practices.

2(
b)
iv
Sampling
Method
The
sample
for
EPA's
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
will
be
randomly
generated
from
the
sampling
frame
identified
in
Section
2(
b)(
i).
The
1,005
schools
selected
for
each
survey
distribution
cycle
will
comprise
the
survey's
sample.
A
total
of
2,010
schools
will
be
surveyed
during
the
period
for
which
this
ICR
is
in
effect.

2(
b)
v
Multi­
Stage
Sampling
EPA
is
not
conducting
multi­
stage
sampling
in
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey.

2(
c)
Precision
Requirements
2(
c)
i
Precision
Targets
EPA
is
targeting
an
overall
precision
rate
of
three
percent
for
determining
the
extent
to
which
sound
IAQ­
management
practices
are
utilized
in
our
nation's
schools.
EPA
feels
that
this
precision
rate
will
be
more
than
adequate
to
characterize
the
extent
to
which
the
Agency's
performance
goal
has
been
achieved.
In
addition,
this
precision
rate
will
allow
any
change
measured
between
the
baseline,
as
determined
by
the
first
survey
distribution
cycle,
and
subsequent
surveys
to
be
considered
a
true
(
or
statistically
relevant)
change
in
the
implementation
of
IAQ­
management
practices
and
not
a
function
of
the
margin
of
error.

2(
c)
ii
Nonsampling
Error
EPA
expects
that
the
largest
nonsampling
error
associated
with
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
will
be
the
result
of
nonresponse.
To
minimize
the
potential
for
nonresponse,
EPA
will
take
the
following
steps:

°
Detailed
instructions
will
accompany
the
survey
and
refer
recipients
to
staff
who
1Of
the
1,005
schools
surveyed
in
each
distribution
cycle,
EPA
expects
that
40
percent,
or
402
respondents,
will
submit
their
survey
response
by
mail.
Of
the
remaining
603
survey
recipients,
67
percent,
or
404
respondents,
will
provide
their
response
through
a
telephone
interview
conducted.
Consequently,
a
total
of
806
schools,
or
80
percent
(
806
÷
1,005),
will
respond
to
each
distribution
of
EPA's
survey.
This
will
yield
a
total
of
1,612
responses
for
both
survey
distribution
cycles.

2EPA
expects
that
25
percent
of
the
surveys
submitted
by
mail
will
contain
responses
insufficient
to
evaluate
a
school's
IAQ
practices.
(
Because
interviewers
will
be
able
to
clarify
responses
provided
over
the
phone
as
needed,
the
Agency
does
not
expect
to
receive
incomplete
or
insufficient
responses
from
those
respondents
who
elect
to
provide
their
survey
response
through
a
telephone
interview.)
Therefore,
in
each
distribution
cycle,
approximately
100
responses
provided
by
mail
(
402
x
.25)
will
be
incomplete.
Of
those
responses,
EPA
expects
to
clarify
67
percent,
or
67
responses,
through
telephone
follow­
up,
yielding
a
total
of
369
complete
responses
received
via
the
mail.
369
complete
mail
responses
+
404
complete
telephone
responses,
within
each
survey
distribution
cycle,
results
in
a
total
of
773
responses
sufficient
to
determine
implementation
of
sound
IAQ
practices.
Consequently,
EPA
expects
to
ultimately
realize
a
response
rate
of
77
percent
(
773
÷
1,005)
for
the
purpose
of
evaluating
a
school's
IAQ
practices.
This
will
yield
a
total
of
1,546
complete
responses
(
and
a
similar
response
rate
of
77
percent)
for
both
survey
distribution
cycles.

B­
6
will
respond
to
questions
about
the
survey.

°
The
survey
will
be
distributed
in
such
a
way
as
to
gain
the
recipient's
immediate
attention,
i.
e.,
FedEx
shipping.

°
Survey
recipients
completing
the
survey
in
writing
may
use
the
self­
addressed,
postage­
paid
envelope
included
in
the
survey
package.

°
EPA
will
contact
by
telephone
those
schools
that
have
not
responded
by
mail
within
30
days
of
the
survey's
receipt.
School
personnel
will
be
reminded
of
the
survey,
encouraged
to
complete
it,
and
given
the
option
of
responding
by
telephone.
If
a
school
chooses
to
respond
by
telephone,
an
appointment
will
be
scheduled
and
EPA
contractor
personnel
will
conduct
the
survey.

Based
on
these
steps,
EPA
expects
a
response
rate
of
80
percent1.
However,
given
the
length
and
nature
of
EPA's
survey,
the
Agency
expects
that
a
small
percentage
of
the
responses
received
will
contain
information
insufficient
to
measure
the
respondents'
progress
towards
implementing
sound
indoor
air
quality
management
practices.
Consequently,
EPA
estimates
ultimately
achieving
a
77
percent
response
rate2
of
responses
containing
complete
data.
Based
on
this
expected
response
rate,
EPA
has
selected
a
sample
size
large
enough
to
yield
the
number
of
responses
necessary
to
achieve
a
three
percent
precision
rate
and
a
95
percent
confidence
level.
B­
7
2(
d)
Questionnaire
Design
A
discussion
of
the
data
elements
contained
in
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
is
included
in
Section
4(
b)(
ii)
of
Part
A
of
the
Supporting
Statement
for
this
ICR.
The
survey
seeks
information
about
the
IAQ­
management
practices
employed
by
school
administrators.
All
of
the
questions
asked
are
linked
to
the
survey's
objective
of
determining
the
extent
to
which
sound
IAQmanagement
practices
are
utilized
in
the
nation's
schools.

EPA
designed
a
four­
page
survey
which
elicits
predominantly
multiple
choice
responses.
The
survey
seeks
information
on
a
number
of
important
practices
that
schools
can
use
to
promote
good
indoor
air
quality.
By
using
multiple
choice
questions,
rather
than
fill­
in­
the
blanks,
the
Agency
has
substantially
reduced
the
amount
of
time
necessary
for
the
respondent
to
complete
the
survey
and
has
ensured
consistency
in
data
response
and
interpretation.

The
survey
instrument
was
peer­
reviewed
by
staff
of
EPA's
IED
and
EPA
Regional
offices
to
ensure
that
the
questions
asked
will
reveal
sufficient
information
to
adequately
evaluate
the
IAQmanagement
practices
implemented
in
schools
and
to
ensure
that
the
questions
do
not
collect
redundant
information.
In
addition,
the
survey
instrument
was
pretested
on
behalf
of
nine
schools
by
school
principals,
facility
directors,
building
engineers,
and
health
officials
(
see
Section
3(
c)
of
Part
A
of
the
Supporting
Statement
for
this
ICR).
These
processes
ensured
that
respondents
would
understand
the
questions
asked
and
provide
the
type
of
data
necessary
to
measure
the
Agency's
objectives.
The
survey
was
designed
by
a
statistician
to
ensure
the
reliability
of
the
data.

SECTION
III
 
PRETESTS
AND
PILOT
TESTS
To
pilot
test
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey,
EPA
selected
nine
schools/
school
districts.
Of
these,
seven
responded
to
the
pretest
by
completing
and
returning
the
survey
by
mail,
and
two
responded
by
telephone
interview.
All
nine
pretest
respondents
found
the
survey
to
be
easy
to
understand
and
complete.
In
addition,
the
time
it
took
for
each
respondent
to
locate
the
data
and
complete
the
survey
was
not
considered
to
be
overly
burdensome.
Consequently,
EPA
did
not
adjust
the
survey
instrument
based
upon
the
pretest
results.

However,
at
the
time
that
EPA
conducted
the
pretest,
the
Agency
intended
to
limit
its
survey
to
those
schools
that
had
requested
and
received
IAQ
Tools
for
Schools.
The
questions
asked
were
very
specific
to
this
guidance.
Recently,
the
Agency
decided
to
broaden
its
survey
effort
to
B­
8
include
a
random
sampling
of
all
primary
and
secondary
public
and
private
schools
in
the
United
States.
EPA
believes
that
this
approach
will
provide
a
more
definitive
indication
of
the
progress
being
made
to
implement
sound
IAQ­
management
practices
in
all
schools
in
the
nation.
Thus,
the
survey
instrument
has
been
modified
to
make
it
more
applicable
to
a
broader
sample
base,

although
the
intent
of
the
questions
remains
the
same
as
those
contained
in
the
pretest.
EPA
does
not
believe
that
the
minor
modifications
(
type
of
questions
and
length)
made
to
the
survey
instrument
will
affect
the
amount
of
time
necessary
to
complete
it.

SECTION
IV
 
COLLECTION
METHODS
AND
FOLLOW­
UP
4(
a)
Collection
Methods
EPA
has
chosen
two
collection
methods
for
the
IAQ
in
Schools
Survey.
Survey
participants
may
respond
by
returning
their
completed
questionnaire
through
the
U.
S.
Postal
Service
using
a
selfaddressed
postage­
paid
envelope
supplied
by
EPA
in
the
survey
package.
Participants
may
also
respond
via
a
scheduled
telephone
interview.
These
two
collection
methods
were
selected
to
facilitate
participant
response
and
were
considered
to
be
cost
effective.

4(
b)
Survey
Response
and
Follow­
Up
The
target
response
rate
for
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
is
80
percent.
Actual
response
rate
will
be
measured
using
the
following
formula:

Response
Rate
=
Number
of
Responses
÷
Number
of
Survey
Recipients
Follow­
up
telephone
calls
will
be
made
to
all
survey
recipients
who
have
not
responded
within
30
days
of
the
survey's
receipt.
These
telephone
calls
will
explain
the
importance
of
the
survey,

strongly
encourage
recipients
to
participate,
and
give
them
the
option
of
responding
by
telephone.

EPA's
contractor
will
be
responsible
for
tracking
survey
responses,
entering
survey
results
into
the
program
database,
maintaining
the
data
in
a
secured
environment,
and
providing
quality
assurance/
quality
control
of
all
survey
activities.
The
contractor
will
ensure
the
accuracy
and
completeness
of
collected
information
by
reviewing
each
submission
prior
to
data
entry.
An
attempt
will
be
made
to
contact
any
respondent
who
submits
an
incomplete
survey
in
an
effort
to
complete
it
correctly.

Each
survey
form
will
be
assigned
a
unique
identifier
to
facilitate
the
tracking
of
survey
responses
within
the
project
database.
Survey
results
will
be
entered
into
a
Microsoft
Access
database,
and
the
data
will
be
aggregated
to
monitor
the
implementation
of
good
IAQ
practices
in
schools.
A
B­
9
double­
entry
protocol
will
be
observed
throughout
data
entry
to
ensure
an
accuracy
rate
of
at
least
99
percent.
Under
this
protocol,
each
survey
form
will
be
entered
into
the
database
twice,

after
which
a
computer
program
designed
to
identify
variances
in
the
data
entered
will
be
run.

Following
data
entry,
a
final
review
of
survey
responses
will
be
performed
to
identify
numerical
outliers
in
individual
responses
and
to
ensure
file
completeness.
Blank
responses
and
outliers
will
be
checked
against
the
hard
copies
of
the
survey
instruments
and
modified
within
the
database
where
appropriate.
The
contractor
will
randomly
check
approximately
10
percent
of
data
records
generated
to
ensure
compliance
with
the
99
percent
data
entry
threshold.

SECTION
V
 
ANALYZING
AND
REPORTING
SURVEY
RESULTS
5(
a)
Data
Preparation
Before
data
are
entered,
each
survey
will
be
visually
checked
to
ensure
its
completeness.

Incomplete
surveys
will
be
considered
nonresponses.
However,
EPA's
contractor
will
attempt
to
contact
those
respondents
submitting
incomplete
surveys
in
an
effort
to
complete
them
correctly.

Only
those
survey
response
forms
evaluated
as
"
complete"
will
be
entered
into
the
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Survey
database.

5(
b)
Analysis
The
data
obtained
through
this
survey
will
be
aggregated
and
analyzed
for
the
purpose
of
evaluating
the
progress
EPA
has
made
in
meeting
the
Agency's
EPA's
GPRA
goal.
Data
will
be
tabulated
for
each
section
of
the
questionnaire
based
on
the
number
of
responses
to
each
question.

For
example:
B­
10
Table
5.1
 
Barriers
to
Implementing
IAQ
Practices
in
Schools
Barriers
0
1
2
3
4
5
Potential
Liability
Costs
Lack
of
Resources
Lack
of
Knowledge
Competing
Priorities
School
Administration
School
Board
Rating
Scale:
0
=
none,
not
at
all
2
=
somewhat,
fair
4
=
a
lot,
good
1
=
not
much,
poor
3
=
moderate,
adequate
5
=
very
much,
excellent
Each
table
will
include
an
estimate
of
the
relative
error
associated
with
the
data
reported.

5(
c)
Reporting
Results
The
results
of
the
survey
will
be
compiled
into
a
summary
document.
This
document
will
be
made
available
to
all
survey
participants.
Depending
on
the
demand
for
the
survey
results,
EPA
may
choose
to
distribute
limited
copies
through
the
EPA's
Indoor
Air
Quality
Information
Hotline
(
IAQ
Info).
The
Agency
may
also
explore
the
possibility
of
making
the
summary
report
available
through
the
National
Service
Center
for
Environmental
Publications
(
NSCEP).
Raw
survey
data
will
be
maintained
by
the
survey
contractor
and
will
remain
unavailable
to
the
public
or
the
Agency.