Request for Information on Rigorous Research on Interventions That Promote Postsecondary Success, 61759-61760 [2021-24382]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 213 / Monday, November 8, 2021 / Notices government for the contract to design and conduct the proposed survey is $150,978. Alberta E. Mills, Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission. [FR Doc. 2021–24358 Filed 11–5–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket ID ED–2021–IES–0154] Request for Information on Rigorous Research on Interventions That Promote Postsecondary Success Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education. ACTION: Request for information. AGENCY: The What Works Clearinghouse, a program of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, reviews existing research on education policies, programs, products, and practices to provide educators and other key stakeholders the information they need to make evidence-based decisions. Through this request for information (RFI), the What Works Clearinghouse seeks public input to help us find rigorous research on education practices designed to improve postsecondary student success. DATES: We must receive your comments by December 8, 2021. ADDRESSES: Submit your response to this RFI through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. We will not accept submissions by postal mail, commercial mail, hand delivery, fax, or email. To ensure that we do not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. In addition, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments. Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit your comments electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under the ‘‘FAQ’’ tab. Privacy Note: The Department’s policy for comments received from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing in their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should be careful to include in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly available. We encourage, but lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:37 Nov 05, 2021 Jkt 256001 do not require, that each respondent include his or her name, title, institution or affiliation, and the name, title, mailing and email addresses, and telephone number of a contact person for his or her institution or affiliation, if any. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Soldner, Commissioner, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance & Evaluation Officer, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 4160, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–7240. Telephone: (202) 245–8385. Email: Matthew.Soldner@ed.gov. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1–800–877– 8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background A sizable number of students who enter postsecondary education with the intention of earning a certificate or degree never achieve that goal. One out of every five (18.5 percent) first-time postsecondary students who entered college in 2011–12 with the goal of completing a bachelor’s degree had not earned a credential of any type (completion) and was no longer enrolled (persistence) by spring 2017. Among students who entered college in 2011– 12 and had intended to earn an associate degree, the combined persistence and completion rate was even lower: nearly half (45.7 percent) were no longer enrolled and had no education credential to show for their time, effort, and expense.1 There is unlikely to be a ‘‘one size fits all’’ solution to significantly improving postsecondary completion outcomes among the Nation’s learners, given their diversity and the diversity of institutions they attend. Instead, a variety of policies, programs, products, and practices will be needed. What should be common across all, however, is that they should be evidence-based. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), a program of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, reviews existing education research to provide educators and other key stakeholders information they can use to make evidence-based decisions. Specifically, the WWC 1 See Table 1.1–C in Web Tables—A 2017 Followup: Six-Year Persistence and Attainment at Any Institution for 2011–12 First-Time Postsecondary Students (NCES 2020–238). https://nces.ed.gov/ pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020238. PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 61759 reviews causal impact studies; that is, research evaluating the efficacy of interventions—policies, programs, products, or practices—on outcomes of interest. Since 2012, the WWC has sought to increase the number of causal impact studies it has reviewed that are relevant to postsecondary educators, policymakers, and administrators. To date, this includes more than 930 individual studies.2 In that same time, the WWC has tripled the number of systematic reviews it conducts of specific branded and non-branded interventions (Intervention Reports) 3 and expanded its portfolio of postsecondary-focused Practice Guides,4 publications that present specific, evidence-based recommendations for educators to improve their practice. Despite the growth in its postsecondary-focused resources, the Department believes there may be existing causal impact research specifically relevant to improving postsecondary completion outcomes among the Nation’s learners that the WWC has not yet reviewed. As such, we seek public comment to assist us in identifying relevant research. We are particularly interested in research that focuses on policies, programs, products, and practices that improve postsecondary success and can be implemented by postsecondary systems and/or institutions, working either in their own settings or in other settings (e.g., high schools) in partnership with other education stakeholders (e.g., local or State educational agencies). This is a request for information only. This RFI is not a request for proposals (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or a notice inviting applications. This RFI does not commit the Department to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, we are not seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. The Department will not pay for any information or administrative costs that you may incur in responding to this RFI. The documents and information submitted in response to this RFI will not be returned. We will review every comment, and, as described above, electronic comments in response to this RFI will be publicly available on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 2 See https://go.usa.gov/xMsKy to see individual studies reviewed by the WWC in the postsecondary topic area. 3 See https://go.usa.gov/xMsKM to see WWC Intervention Reports in the postsecondary topic area. 4 See https://go.usa.gov/xMsKz to see WWC Practice Guides in the postsecondary topic area. E:\FR\FM\08NON1.SGM 08NON1 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 61760 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 213 / Monday, November 8, 2021 / Notices www.regulations.gov. Please note that IES will not directly respond to comments. search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department. Solicitation of Comments We invite stakeholders who are aware of publicly available causal impact research that is specifically relevant to improving postsecondary completion outcomes among the Nation’s learners but that the WWC has not yet reviewed to share the following in their comments: (1) The work’s author, title, year of publication, and publisher; and (2) If available, the work’s Digital Object Identifier (DOI), ERIC number, or a URL where the WWC can find a publicly available copy of the work (e.g., a university website). Commenters should not include manuscripts in their submissions that are not publicly available. The Institute is committed to improving the public’s access to, and the discoverability of, education research. In service of that goal, we invite authors, those who hold copyright, or their authorized representatives to consider depositing eligible content into ERIC, the Institute of Education Sciences’ bibliographic and full-text database of education research (https://eric.ed.gov/). More information about submitting content to ERIC, including our selection policy and how to access the online submission portal, can be found at https:// eric.ed.gov/submit/. Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format. Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced Matthew Soldner, Commissioner, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance & Agency Evaluation Officer. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:37 Nov 05, 2021 Jkt 256001 [FR Doc. 2021–24382 Filed 11–5–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meetings U.S. Election Assistance Commission. ACTION: Sunshine Act notice; notice of public meeting agenda. AGENCY: Roundtable Discussion: E-Poll Book Testing Pilot Program Considerations. DATES: Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Eastern. ADDRESSES: Virtual via Zoom The roundtable discussion is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCpN6i0g2rlF4ITWhwvBwwZw FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Muthig, Telephone: (202) 897– 9285, Email: kmuthig@eac.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose: In accordance with the Government in the Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act), Public Law 94–409, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552b), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) will conduct a virtual roundtable discussion on considerations for the establishment of a testing pilot program for electronic poll books (e-poll books). Agenda: The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) will hold a roundtable discussion on the benefits and challenges of implementing a testing program for e-poll books. The event will include three panels representing election officials, e-poll book manufacturers, and technology experts. An increasing number of election jurisdictions are utilizing e-poll books, replacing or supplementing the use of traditional paper poll books that contain and track voter rolls. Thirteen states where e-poll books are used have a certification program, and 12 states do not. The EAC recognized the need for uniform certification and testing standards and is in the process of developing a pilot program for e-poll books to enhance the security, as well as accessibility, of these devices. This SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 public meeting will help the EAC identify opportunities, challenges, and continuing needs of election officials who use these systems, the manufacturers who develop them, and experts who have an additional understanding of this subject. The full agenda will be posted in advance on the EAC website: https:// www.eac.gov. Status: This roundtable discussion will be open to the public. Kevin Rayburn, General Counsel, U.S. Election Assistance Commission. [FR Doc. 2021–24481 Filed 11–4–21; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Hanford Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open virtual meeting. AGENCY: This notice announces an online virtual meeting of the Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of this online virtual meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Wednesday, December 15, 2021; 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Thursday, December 16, 2021; 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. ADDRESSES: Online Virtual Meeting. To receive the meeting access information and call-in number, please contact the Federal Coordinator, Gary Younger, at the telephone number or email listed below by five days prior to the meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Younger, Federal Coordinator, U.S. Department of Energy, Hanford Office of Communications, Richland Operations Office, P.O. Box 550, Richland, WA 99354; Phone: (509) 372–0923; or Email: gary.younger@rl.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE–EM and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. SUMMARY: Tentative Agenda • Discussion Topics D Tri-Party Agreement Agencies’ Updates D Hanford Advisory Board Committee Reports D Board Business E:\FR\FM\08NON1.SGM 08NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 213 (Monday, November 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61759-61760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24382]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket ID ED-2021-IES-0154]


Request for Information on Rigorous Research on Interventions 
That Promote Postsecondary Success

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

ACTION: Request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The What Works Clearinghouse, a program of the U.S. Department 
of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, reviews existing 
research on education policies, programs, products, and practices to 
provide educators and other key stakeholders the information they need 
to make evidence-based decisions. Through this request for information 
(RFI), the What Works Clearinghouse seeks public input to help us find 
rigorous research on education practices designed to improve 
postsecondary student success.

DATES: We must receive your comments by December 8, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your response to this RFI through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. We will not accept submissions by postal mail, 
commercial mail, hand delivery, fax, or email. To ensure that we do not 
receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. In 
addition, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit 
your comments electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, 
including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting 
comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under the 
``FAQ'' tab.
    Privacy Note: The Department's policy for comments received from 
members of the public is to make these submissions available for public 
viewing in their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should be careful to include 
in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly 
available. We encourage, but do not require, that each respondent 
include his or her name, title, institution or affiliation, and the 
name, title, mailing and email addresses, and telephone number of a 
contact person for his or her institution or affiliation, if any.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Soldner, Commissioner, 
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance & 
Evaluation Officer, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 4160, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-7240. Telephone: (202) 245-8385. Email: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    A sizable number of students who enter postsecondary education with 
the intention of earning a certificate or degree never achieve that 
goal. One out of every five (18.5 percent) first-time postsecondary 
students who entered college in 2011-12 with the goal of completing a 
bachelor's degree had not earned a credential of any type (completion) 
and was no longer enrolled (persistence) by spring 2017. Among students 
who entered college in 2011-12 and had intended to earn an associate 
degree, the combined persistence and completion rate was even lower: 
nearly half (45.7 percent) were no longer enrolled and had no education 
credential to show for their time, effort, and expense.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See Table 1.1-C in Web Tables--A 2017 Follow-up: Six-Year 
Persistence and Attainment at Any Institution for 2011-12 First-Time 
Postsecondary Students (NCES 2020-238). https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020238.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There is unlikely to be a ``one size fits all'' solution to 
significantly improving postsecondary completion outcomes among the 
Nation's learners, given their diversity and the diversity of 
institutions they attend. Instead, a variety of policies, programs, 
products, and practices will be needed. What should be common across 
all, however, is that they should be evidence-based.
    The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), a program of the U.S. 
Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, reviews 
existing education research to provide educators and other key 
stakeholders information they can use to make evidence-based decisions. 
Specifically, the WWC reviews causal impact studies; that is, research 
evaluating the efficacy of interventions--policies, programs, products, 
or practices--on outcomes of interest.
    Since 2012, the WWC has sought to increase the number of causal 
impact studies it has reviewed that are relevant to postsecondary 
educators, policymakers, and administrators. To date, this includes 
more than 930 individual studies.\2\ In that same time, the WWC has 
tripled the number of systematic reviews it conducts of specific 
branded and non-branded interventions (Intervention Reports) \3\ and 
expanded its portfolio of postsecondary-focused Practice Guides,\4\ 
publications that present specific, evidence-based recommendations for 
educators to improve their practice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ See https://go.usa.gov/xMsKy to see individual studies 
reviewed by the WWC in the postsecondary topic area.
    \3\ See https://go.usa.gov/xMsKM to see WWC Intervention Reports 
in the postsecondary topic area.
    \4\ See https://go.usa.gov/xMsKz to see WWC Practice Guides in 
the postsecondary topic area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Despite the growth in its postsecondary-focused resources, the 
Department believes there may be existing causal impact research 
specifically relevant to improving postsecondary completion outcomes 
among the Nation's learners that the WWC has not yet reviewed. As such, 
we seek public comment to assist us in identifying relevant research. 
We are particularly interested in research that focuses on policies, 
programs, products, and practices that improve postsecondary success 
and can be implemented by postsecondary systems and/or institutions, 
working either in their own settings or in other settings (e.g., high 
schools) in partnership with other education stakeholders (e.g., local 
or State educational agencies).
    This is a request for information only. This RFI is not a request 
for proposals (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or a notice inviting 
applications. This RFI does not commit the Department to contract for 
any supply or service whatsoever. Further, we are not seeking proposals 
and will not accept unsolicited proposals. The Department will not pay 
for any information or administrative costs that you may incur in 
responding to this RFI. The documents and information submitted in 
response to this RFI will not be returned.
    We will review every comment, and, as described above, electronic 
comments in response to this RFI will be publicly available on the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at

[[Page 61760]]

www.regulations.gov. Please note that IES will not directly respond to 
comments.

Solicitation of Comments

    We invite stakeholders who are aware of publicly available causal 
impact research that is specifically relevant to improving 
postsecondary completion outcomes among the Nation's learners but that 
the WWC has not yet reviewed to share the following in their comments:
    (1) The work's author, title, year of publication, and publisher; 
and
    (2) If available, the work's Digital Object Identifier (DOI), ERIC 
number, or a URL where the WWC can find a publicly available copy of 
the work (e.g., a university website).
    Commenters should not include manuscripts in their submissions that 
are not publicly available.
    The Institute is committed to improving the public's access to, and 
the discoverability of, education research. In service of that goal, we 
invite authors, those who hold copyright, or their authorized 
representatives to consider depositing eligible content into ERIC, the 
Institute of Education Sciences' bibliographic and full-text database 
of education research (https://eric.ed.gov/). More information about 
submitting content to ERIC, including our selection policy and how to 
access the online submission portal, can be found at https://eric.ed.gov/submit/.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich 
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, 
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible 
format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this 
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published 
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

Matthew Soldner,
Commissioner, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional 
Assistance & Agency Evaluation Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-24382 Filed 11-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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