E8-9541. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist Program and the Companion Program, Brain Power! Challenge

SUMMARY:

Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 38, Page 10262) and allowed 60-days for public comment. One public comment was received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection: Title: Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist Program, for grades K-5, and the companion program for Middle School, the Brain Power! Challenge. Type of Information Collection Request: This information collection request is for an extension of a previously approved OMB clearance (OMB Control number 0925-0542 that was obtained in 2005, and is requested until April 30, 2010. Need and Use of Information Collection: This is a request to evaluate the effectiveness of the Brain Power! Program's ability (1) increase children's knowledge about the biology of the brain and the neurobiology of drug addiction, (2) increase positive attitudes toward science, careers in science, science as an enjoyable endeavor, and the use of animals in research; and stimulate interest in scientific careers; and (3) engender more realistic perceptions of scientists as being from many races, ages, and genders. The secondary goals of the evaluation are to determine the Program's impact on attitudes and intentions toward drug use. NIDA's mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. There are 2 critical components to this mission: 1. the strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines; 2. ensuring the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly improve the prevention of drug abuse and addiction, its treatment, and policy. The Brainpower! Challenge project is one of NIDA's many dissemination projects that is anticipated to improve the prevention of drug abuse and addiction among children and youth. These dissemination and diffusion projects complement NIDA's research projects to identify, develop, and refine effective efficient methods, structures, and strategies that test models to disseminate and implement research-tested health behavior change interventions and evidence-based interventions in prevention and treatment.

Secondly, from its research NIDA knows that in order for prevention efforts to be effective educational programs must involve teachers, peers, parents, and the entire community. In 1996 NIDA convened a national prevention research conference on preventing drug use among children and adolescents. From it a research-base guide was prepared to provide prevention principles that a school or community can use to implement a prevention program specifically tailored to meet each community's particular needs. And the public response to the guide is evident from the continued requests for the guide—an average of about 20,000 per month, and more than 200,000 copies distributed to date. The Brainpower! Challenge project provides a tool for science education that involves teachers, peers, parents and the entire community, and adds to any prevention programs implemented in the community.

Thirdly, while education for the prevention of drug abuse may be a worthy function for the Department of Education to conduct, Executive Order 12862 directs federal agencies to provide significant services directly to the public. To provide services from NIDA's research findings, the 1993 the Science Education Abuse Partnership Award Program was conceptualized to “* * *encourage the development and evaluation of programs that foster an understanding of neuroscience and the biology of drug abuse and addiction among K-12 students * * *.” NIDA's current Science Education Program to increase scientific literacy and interest in science careers, continues this purpose. The Brainpower! Challenge project will bring a service to the schools and to parents, for laying the foundation for drug prevention among children and youth, and to educate them in the biology and neurobiology of the brain and addiction. Its anticipated achievement will be three-fold—prevention of drug abuse among youth, fostering positive attitudes towards science careers, and service provision that translates research findings into practice among a vital population group.

The findings will provide valuable information concerning the goals of NIDA's Science Education Program of increasing scientific literacy and stimulating interest in scientific careers. In order to test the effectiveness of the evaluation, information will be collected from students before and after exposure to the curriculum with pre- and post-test self-report measures. Surveys will also be administered to teachers after the completion of the program to examine ease and fidelity of implementation, as well as impact in knowledge and understanding of the neurobiology of addiction. Surveys will be administered to parents to obtain parental reaction and opinion on the materials and the degree to which parents find the curriculum informative and appropriate. Frequency of Response: On occasion. Affected Public: Elementary and middle school students, teachers, and parents. Type of Respondents: Students, Teachers, and Parents. The reporting burden is as follows: Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,337; Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2; Average Burden Hours Per Response: .25; Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 640.5. There are no Capital Costs to report. There are no Operating or Maintenance Costs to report. The estimated annualized burden is summarized below.

Type of respondents	Estimated number of respondents	Estimated number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Estimated total annual burden hours requested
Students (K-grade 5)	640	2	.25	320
Students (grades 6-9)	560	2	.25	280
Parents (K-grade 5)	56	1	.25	14
Parents (grades 6-9)	56	1	.25	14
Teachers	25	1	.5	12.5
Total	1,337		1.5	640.5

Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, [e-mail] or by fax to 202-395-6974, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact Dr. Cathrine Sasek, Coordinator, Science Education Program, Office of Science Policy and Communications, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 5237, Bethesda, MD 20892, or call non-toll-free number [phone]; fax [phone]; or by e-mail to [e-mail].

Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30-days of the date of this publication.

Dated: April 25, 2008.

Mary Affeldt,

Associate Director for Management, National Institute for Drug Abuse.