[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19670-19672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9885]
[[Page 19669]]
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Part IV
Department of Justice
_______________________________________________________________________
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
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Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Labor's Education and Training for
Youthful Offenders Initiative; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 21, 1999 /
Notices
[[Page 19670]]
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
[OJP (OJJDP)-1218]
RIN 1121-ZB52
Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Labor's Education and
Training for Youthful Offenders Initiative
AGENCY: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office
of Justice Programs, Justice.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), pursuant to Section 243(a)(1) of the
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended
(Public Law 93-415), is issuing a solicitation for applications for a
cooperative agreement from public and private agencies, organizations,
institutions, and individuals to conduct process evaluations and impact
evaluation feasibility assessments of two programs administered by the
Department of Labor (Category II grants under the Youth Offender
Demonstration Projects notice issued on September 2, 1998), which are
intended to enhance school-to-work education and training in juvenile
correctional facilities and improve transition into the community.
DATES: Applications under this program must be received no later than 5
p.m. EDT on June 21, 1999.
ADDRESSES: The Application Package is available through OJJDP's
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736 and can also be obtained
online at the OJJDP Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.
For further information regarding the Evaluation of the U.S.
Department of Labor's Education and Training for Youthful Offenders
Initiative, contact: Dean Hoffman, Program Manager, Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 800 K Street, NW, Washington, DC
20531; phone: 202-353-9256; e-mail: hoffmand@ojp.usdo.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose
The evaluation will document the activities undertaken by two
States selected to receive Department of Labor grants under its
Education and Training for Youth Offenders Initiative, which is
intended to enhance school-to-work education and training in juvenile
correctional facilities and improve transition into the community. The
evaluation also will assess the feasibility of conducting impact
evaluations at both sites. The award will be made in the form of a
cooperative agreement.
Background
This Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
solicitation supports an evaluation of two Education and Training for
Youth Offenders Initiative (Youth Offenders Initiative) grantees to be
funded by the Department of Labor's Employment and Training
Administration (ETA). The ETA's solicitation for these programs was
published in the Federal Register on September 2, 1998 at 63 F.R.
46805-809. The solicitation also can be found on ETA's Web site at
www.doleta.gov. The ETA solicitation describes grants to be awarded in
three categories: (I) Model Community Projects; (II) Education and
Training for Youth Offenders Initiatives; and (III) Community-Wide
Coordination Projects. This OJJDP solicitation supports the evaluation
of the two grants to be awarded under category II.
The two Youth Offenders Initiative grantees will provide
comprehensive school-to-work education and training within juvenile
correctional facilities and followup and job placement services as
youth return to the community (i.e., case management and aftercare). It
is intended that the comprehensive services developed under these
grants will serve as models for other juvenile correctional facilities
across the country. Applicants are encouraged to read the ETA
solicitation for more detailed programmatic requirements.
The ETA solicitation states that, as a condition for award,
applicants must agree to participate in the evaluation sponsored by
OJJDP and comply with certain data collection requirements.
Goals
Phase I has three goals:
Design and conduct a process evaluation of the two
Education and Training for Youth Offenders Initiative programs to
determine the extent to which educational, job training, and aftercare
services were enhanced after the facility became an ETA program site.
Assess the feasibility of an impact evaluation at both
sites and design an impact evaluation where feasibility is established.
Phase II has a single goal:
Conduct an impact evaluation to measure the effects of the
program on job-related skills, employment, earnings, academic
performance, and recidivism.
Objectives
The objectives for Phase I of this evaluation are as follows:
Document each facility's existing (i.e., pre-ETA
involvement) educational, job training, and employment programs and
transitional (e.g., aftercare) services.
Document enhancements made to existing services after the
facility became an ETA program site.
Describe the number and characteristics of the youth
served and the type and amount of services delivered.
Document how the State agency and/or local government
assisted in planning, implementing, and managing the program.
Document the facility's coordination with Federal, State,
and local programs operating in the broader community and juvenile
justice system with a focus on youth employment. Explore how the nature
of this coordination may have changed after the facility became an ETA
program site.
Document the leveraging of other sources of funding, such
as Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP) formula grant
funds and Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) funds,
and steps taken to assure the activities are sustained as the program
is developed and implemented.
Assess the extent to which each program has been
implemented in accordance with the requirements of the ETA program
solicitation.
Identify and evaluate available data sources.
Determine whether an impact evaluation is feasible at each
site. Factors to consider include the number of youth served and the
correctional environment in which the program is implemented.
Design a rigorous impact evaluation where the feasibility
of such is established.
The objectives for Phase II of this evaluation are as follows:
Continue process evaluation activities.
Conduct a rigorous impact evaluation to measure the
effects of the program. As stated above, these programs should result
in increased job-related skills, higher success in postrelease
employment, increased postrelease earnings, improved academic
performance, and reduced recidivism.
Evaluation Strategy
This evaluation will be conducted in two phases over a period of 36
months. Phase I (12 months), which will be funded under this
solicitation, entails
[[Page 19671]]
designing and conducting a process evaluation at each site and
determining the feasibility of conducting an impact evaluation at each
site. The results of the feasibility assessments will determine to what
extent, if at all, the project continues into Phase II (24 months). If
the project does continue, Phase II will entail conducting an impact
evaluation at one or both sites. OJJDP will make the final
determination on whether the project continues into Phase II.
When addressing the issue of feasibility assessments, applicants
must demonstrate an understanding of the potential difficulties
involved in conducting an impact evaluation of an initiative such as
this one (e.g., obtaining a sufficient sample size, isolating the
effects of the program).
Products
The products for Phase I of the evaluation are:
1. A finalized process evaluation design and approach to conducting
the feasibility assessments, to be submitted to OJJDP for approval
within 2 months of the grant award. This will be a modified version of
the detailed process evaluation design and approach to conducting the
feasibility assessment that must be included in the application.
2. An interim report detailing the status of the process evaluation
and summarizing data collected to date on each site, to be submitted 7
months after the project begins.
3. A report discussing the results of the impact evaluation
feasibility assessments, due 10 months after the project begins. This
report should include proposed impact evaluation designs where
feasibility is established.
4. A Phase I final report at the end of the first phase. A summary
version of this report suitable for publishing as an OJJDP Bulletin
must be prepared.
The products for Phase II of the evaluation are:
1. An interim report summarizing the progress of the impact
evaluation and additional findings of the process evaluation, to be
submitted 6 months after Phase II begins.
2. A final report summarizing the results of the process and impact
evaluation(s), to be submitted at the end of Phase II. A summary
version of this report suitable for publishing as an OJJDP Bulletin
must be prepared.
Eligibility Requirements
OJJDP invites applications from public and private agencies,
organizations, institutions, and individuals. Private, for-profit
organizations must agree to waive any profit or fee to be eligible.
Joint applications from two or more eligible applicants are welcome;
however, one applicant must be clearly indicated as the primary
applicant (for correspondence, award, and management purposes) and the
others indicated as coapplicants.
Selection Criteria
Problem(s) To Be Addressed (15 points)
Applicants should demonstrate their knowledge of educational and
vocational programming in juvenile correctional facilities, aftercare
programs, and school-to-work efforts. Applicants should discuss their
experience with evaluating similar programs. Applicants should
demonstrate an understanding of and solutions to the challenges that
will be encountered in conducting the process and impact evaluations.
Goals and Objectives (15 points)
Applicants must establish clearly defined, measurable, and
attainable goals and objectives for the proposed evaluation and
feasibility assessment.
Project Design (40 points)
Applicants must present a clear preliminary research design for
conducting the process evaluation and assessing the feasibility of an
impact evaluation at each site. The design may need to be revised once
information is obtained about the specific approaches to be implemented
by the selected State and juvenile correctional facilities. The
research design should also include a workplan. All components of the
research design should be sound, feasible, and capable of achieving the
identified objectives. Issues to be addressed should be clearly
defined.
Management and Organizational Capability (20 points)
Applicants should discuss how they will coordinate and manage this
evaluation to achieve the objectives. Applicants' management structure
and staffing must be adequate and appropriate for the successful
implementation of the project. Applicants must clearly identify
responsible individuals, their time commitment, and major tasks. Staff
resumes should be attached as part of the appendixes. Applicants must
demonstrate the organization's ability to conduct the project
successfully. Description of prior experience in evaluating State and
local programs should be provided.
Budget (10 points)
Applicants must provide a proposed budget that is complete,
detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost effective in relation to the
activities to be undertaken.
Format
Applicants are required to limit their proposals to a total of 25
pages (excluding the budget narrative). The page limit does not include
the application forms, assurances, or appendixes. The appendixes must
include the following: resumes of the project manager and other key
staff and consultants and the timeline for the project's major
milestones with dates for submission included.
Award Period
The project period will be 36 months, funded in one 12-month budget
period (Phase I) and one 24-month budget period (Phase II). Funding for
Phase II depends upon feasibility of conducting the impact
evaluation(s), grantee performance, availability of funds, and other
criteria established at the time of award.
Award Amount
Up to $250,000 is available for the award of a cooperative
agreement for the initial 12-month budget period (Phase I).
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number
For this program, the CFDA number, which is required on Standard
Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance, is 16.542. This form is
included in OJJDP's Application Kit, which can be obtained by calling
the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736 or sending an e-mail
request to puborder@ncjrs.org. The Application Kit is also available
online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.
Coordination of Federal Efforts
To encourage better coordination among Federal agencies in
addressing State and local needs, the U.S. Department of Justice is
requesting applicants to provide information on the following: (1)
Active Federal grant award(s) supporting this or related efforts,
including awards from the U.S. Department of Justice; (2) any pending
application(s) for Federal funds for this or related efforts; and (3)
plans for coordinating any funds described in items (1) or (2) with the
funding sought by this application. For each Federal award, applicants
must include the program or project title, the Federal grantor agency,
the amount of the
[[Page 19672]]
award, and a brief description of its purpose.
``Related efforts'' is defined for these purposes as one of the
following:
1. Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposed award would
supplement, expand, complement, or continue activities funded with
other Federal grants).
2. Another phase or component of the same program or project (e.g.,
to implement a planning effort funded by other Federal funds or to
provide a substance abuse treatment or education component within a
criminal justice project).
3. Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance, research, or
evaluation) to the program or project described in the application.
Delivery Instructions
All application packages should be mailed or delivered to the
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o Juvenile
Justice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K,
Rockville, MD 20850; 301-519-5535. Note: In the lower left-hand corner
of the envelope, you must clearly write ``Evaluation of the Youth
Offenders Initiative.''
Due Date
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the original and five
copies of the application package are received by 5 p.m. EDT on June
21, 1999.
Contact
For further information, call Dean Hoffman, Program Manager,
Research and Program Development Division, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, 202-353-9256, or send an e-mail inquiry to
hoffmand@ojp.usdoj.gov.
Shay Bilchik,
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
[FR Doc. 99-9885 Filed 4-20-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P
