Through the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA), the U.S. Department of Education (ED) funds school-based drug and violence prevention programs. The State Grants portion of the Act provides funding to approximately 97 percent of all school districts. The National Programs portion of the SDFSCA supports efforts that (1) provide models to help schools and communities improve their SDFSCA programs; and (2) develop, evaluate, and disseminate new or improved approaches to creating safe and orderly learning environments. One such effort is the Middle School Drug Prevention and School Safety Program Coordinator initiative, which will support the recruiting, hiring, and training by districts nationwide of one or more full-time staff member(s) to oversee implementation of drug prevention and school safety programs for middle school students. Research suggests that the presence of a full-time coordinator will result in improved programming and, by extension, lead to improved program outcomes. It is logical that a well-trained staff member who is familiar with the research on effective prevention programming and who uses the approach to implementation set out in the SDFSCA Principles of Effectiveness will be better able to make informed and appropriate choices in designing and implementing prevention programs to meet the needs of students in the schools they serve.

The Principles of Effectiveness, established in 1998, require grant recipients: (1) to base their program selections on a needs assessment, (2) to develop measurable goals and objectives for their prevention programs, (3) to implement research-based, effective programs; and (4) to evaluate their success at regular intervals and use the evaluation findings to improve programming.

Middle school students are at the age when they often begin experimenting with drugs and become more involved with violence and crime. By providing these coordinators in middle schools, this initiative will support early intervention efforts that can make a long-term impact on reducing youth drug use and creating safer schools. (For the purposes of this competition, middle schools are defined as schools that include no grade level lower than four and no grade level higher than nine.) Grants will be from three to five years, and are first scheduled to be awarded in September 1999. ED will also provide training to the newly-hired coordinators.

Section 4117(a)(1) of Title IV of the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires the Secretary to evaluate the impact of programs funded under SDFSCA.

To develop an evaluation design for a study of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) Middle School Coordinators Initiative and, at the option of the government, to implement that design. One purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which providing federal resources to support full-time school drug and violence prevention coordinators makes a positive difference in SDFSCA programming, and to help determine whether ED should recommend that all districts employ full-time coordinators. A secondary purpose is therefore to provide detailed information about the implementation process in grantee districts to serve as a model for other districts.

The Contractor shall complete the following tasks to accomplish the purposes of this project.

The Contractor shall submit all deliverables under the following tasks to ED. Unless otherwise indicated in this Statement of Work, ED will review and comment on the deliverables within three (3) weeks of receipt; the Contractor shall revise the deliverables, incorporating ED comments, and submit the revised versions to ED within two (2) weeks of the receipt of ED comments.

Please note that Phase II is optional. The government maintains exclusive discretion for exercise of this optional service component. The Contractor shall not perform tasks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 without official notification to exercise the option by the Contracting Officer.

Task 1.0 Meet with ED

The Contractor shall meet with ED (including the Contracting Officer, Contract Specialist, and Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative) one (1) week after the effective date of award of the Contract to clarify the objectives and requirements of the study. At the meeting, the Contractor shall deliver to ED a revised schedule of activities and deliverables, showing specific calendar dates for each due date. One (1) week after the meeting, the Contractor shall deliver to ED a memo summarizing the results of the meeting.

Task 2.0 Develop Initial Design Materials

Task 2.1 Prepare research questions. The Contractor shall submit a draft list of research questions and evaluation issues for the study to ED one (1) week after the effective date of award. ED will provide comments within one (1) week. The Contractor shall submit a revised list of research questions and evaluation issues three (3) weeks after the effective date of award.

Task 2.2 Convene expert working group. One (1) week after the effective date of award, the Contractor shall deliver to ED a list of 12 to 15 proposed working group members and a description of their qualifications. The list shall include individuals with expertise in the area of research and evaluation related to school safety and discipline, prevention of youth violence, or prevention of youth drug use, and in the area of state and local SDFSCA program administration (the list shall include at least two individuals from each of these two areas). The list shall also include at least one member of the ED Independent Review Panel and at least one member of the ED Planning and Evaluation Service’s Evaluation Review Panel. ED will review the list within one (1) week of receipt and indicate the acceptability of the names included on the list.

In consultation with ED, the Contractor shall select a total of seven working group members and two alternates. The Contractor shall contact each proposed working group member within four (4) weeks after the effective date of award and shall invite them to participate in the study. The Contractor shall deliver to ED within six (6) weeks after effective date of award letters of commitment and documentation of consulting rates from each working group member.

Task 2.3 Prepare literature review. Three (3) weeks after the effective date of award, the Contractor shall submit a literature review to ED that identifies and discusses information relevant to the research questions and evaluation issues, including information on local implementation of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA), the use of district and school-based program coordinators, and the theoretical and research base for their use.

Task 2.4 Prepare concept paper. Five (5) weeks after the effective date of award, the Contractor shall submit a concept paper to ED that discusses the objectives of the Middle School Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinator Initiative (hereafter, the Initiative), amplifies the revised research questions submitted under Task 2.1, and describes an analytic design or designs for an evaluation of the Initiative. [The Contractor shall describe either one design or more than one design, making clear whether and in what ways they can be combined and the relative advantages of each.] In describing the design(s), the Contractor shall discuss hypotheses, propose process and outcome variables, and present a conceptual framework depicting the theoretical basis for the design(s). The Contractor shall also explain and justify the Contractor’s choices, and shall discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of the design(s), including breadth and depth of information, complexity, and cost.

Possible evaluation approaches (these could be combined, and other approaches could be used) include, but are not limited to:

—Focus on effects over time of the Initiative on program implementation in districts with coordinators. Some baseline data is included in the grant application, and additional data could be collected during the first grant year. Grantees would be followed over time to discern changes in program implementation.

—Focus on cross-district comparisons between districts with and without coordinators. Grantees would be compared to a control or comparison group.

—Focus on the demonstration/model aspect of the Initiative. Case studies to examine the quality of implementation (including shortfalls and problems) would be used to provide instructive information on implementation to assist other districts.

—Focus on outcomes, especially for students. Due to variations in the way districts collect and report information on drug and violence incidents and student attitudes and behavior, the study would probably need to conduct its own collection of outcome data rather than relying on existing records, and would need to distinguish the effects of employing the coordinators from the effects of the prevention programs being used.

The Contractor shall meet with ED six (6) weeks after the effective date of award to discuss the concept paper, and shall submit a revised concept paper eight (8) weeks after the effective date of award.

Task 2.5 Prepare evaluation design. Ten (10) weeks after the effective date of award, the Contractor shall submit an evaluation design for the study of the Initiative. The evaluation design shall include the conceptual framework, a draft data collection plan, a draft sampling or site selection plan, draft data collection instruments, and a draft data analysis plan.

The draft data collection plan shall specify what information is to be collected, who the data are to be collected from, and what data collection method(s) the Contractor shall use. The Contractor shall also specify how the study will coordinate with local evaluation efforts, obtain all necessary local clearances, and maintain confidentiality, particularly with regard to student data.

The draft sampling or site selection plan shall specify how the study will take into account variations in district and school size (determined by enrollment), poverty (determined by the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and urbanicity (rural, suburban, or urban), as well as the methods to be used to recruit participants and ensure their continued participation throughout the study. If the Contractor proposes a design involving control or comparison sites (i.e., sites that are not receiving grants through the Initiative), the draft sampling or site selection plan shall also specify the methods to be used to select, recruit, and ensure the continued participation of these sites.

The draft data analysis plan shall indicate how the grantee intends to clean, manage, analyze, and report on the data. At minimum, the plan shall include an annual interim report providing data for each year of the study, a final report summarizing all the data collected throughout the study, and a nontechnical report intended for a general audience. The purpose of the nontechnical report is to provide information to practitioners and the public about lessons derived from the study about the benefits and challenges of the use of school coordinators, promising practices, and obstacles encountered and overcome in implementing the Initiative. The data analysis plan shall also include arrangements for members of the working group to review and comment on draft reports.

ED will provide comments on the evaluation design within three (3) weeks.

Task 2.6 Conduct working group meeting. The Contractor shall conduct the meeting of the working group, a one-and-one-half-day meeting in Washington, DC, within 12 weeks after the effective date of award to discuss the overall study design, conceptual framework, data collection plan, sampling or site selection plan, data collection instruments, and data analysis plan.

The Contractor shall make all arrangements for this meeting, including reservation of meeting facilities, travel and lodging (if necessary), and preparation and distribution of background materials and agenda.

Within one (1) week after the meeting, the Contractor shall deliver to working group members and to ED a summary of the meeting, including any recommendations made by the group.

Task 2.7 Revise evaluation design. The Contractor shall submit a revised conceptual framework, data collection plan, sampling or site selection plan, data collection instruments, and data analysis plan 15 weeks after effective date of award. The Contractor shall also submit a revised schedule of deliverables, incorporating data collection, analysis, and reporting milestones and deliverables specified in the evaluation design 15 weeks after the effective date of award.

Task 3.0 Develop OMB Clearance Package

Task 3.1 Prepare draft OMB package. Seventeen (17) weeks after the effective date of award, the Contractor shall submit a draft OMB forms clearance package to ED, prepared in accordance with OMB requirements, including form SF-83, and incorporating the conceptual framework, data collection plan, sampling or site selection plan, data collection instruments, and data analysis plan developed under Task 1.8. ED will provide comments within two (2) weeks.

Task 3.2 Prepare revised OMB package. Twenty (20) weeks after the effective date of award, the Contractor shall submit a revised OMB forms clearance package to ED. The Contractor shall also make changes to the clearance packages as appropriate to respond to comments from federal reviewers, the public, and OMB throughout the clearance process, which is estimated to take five months (40 weeks after the effective date of award).

Task 4.0 Collect Data

Task 4.1 Select respondents and make initial contacts. The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the sampling or site selection plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2. For any site selection that is part of the approved design, the Contractor shall deliver to ED a draft list of proposed sites for approval 26 weeks after the effective date of award. ED will provide comments on the list within two (2) weeks of receipt. The Contractor shall deliver the revised list of sites 29 weeks after the effective date of award, and shall begin contacting respondents to obtain their cooperation for the study. The Contractor shall draw any samples that are part of the approved design 30 weeks after the effective date of award, and shall begin contacting respondents to obtain their cooperation for the study.

Task 4.2 Implement data collection plan. Forty-one (41) weeks after the effective date of award [one (1) week after obtaining OMB clearance], the Contractor shall begin to collect study data. The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data collection plan and instruments incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 5.0 Analyze Data and Prepare Reports

Task 5.1 Implement data analysis plan. The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 5.2 Prepare reports. The Contractor shall prepare reports in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 6.0 Collect Data

The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data collection plan and instruments incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 7.0 Analyze Data and Prepare Reports

Task 7.1 Implement data analysis plan. The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 7.2 Prepare reports. The Contractor shall prepare reports in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 8.0 Collect Data

The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data collection plan and instruments incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 9.0 Analyze Data and Prepare Reports

Task 9.1 Implement data analysis plan. The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 9.2 Prepare reports. The Contractor shall prepare reports in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 10.0 Collect Data

The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data collection plan and instruments incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 11.0 Analyze Data and Prepare Reports

Task 11.1 Implement data analysis plan. The Contractor shall proceed in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

Task 11.2 Prepare reports. The Contractor shall prepare reports in accordance with the data analysis plan incorporated in the revised OMB package under Task 3.2 and the revised schedule of deliverables prepared under Task 2.7.

IV. Reporting Requirements

In addition to the reports that are required for each task as described previously, the contractor shall submit one copy of the following reports, monthly, to the Contracting Officer, with one copy to the COTR:

• Monthly Progress Report/Exception Reports. The contractor shall prepare monthly progress reports, due within ten (10) working days after the end of each month. They shall summarize the major activities and accomplishments for the reporting period. In addition, they shall provide information for each project task regarding significant findings and events, problems encountered, and staff use. The reports shall also specify the extent to which the project is on schedule, briefly describe the activities planned for the next month, identify and discuss significant deviations from the substantive and time factors in the management plan, and identify and discuss any decisions which may be needed from ED. If there are no exceptions, the reports shall state that there are no exceptions. If there are exceptions to the management plan, the contractor shall describe the plan for resolving the problems.

• Monthly Labor/Expenditure Reports. The contractor shall prepare monthly expenditure reports due within ten (10) working days after the end of each month. These reports, prepared and signed by the project director, shall summarize the actual personnel assignments for the month just completed, showing for each staff member the hours charged by task. The report shall project similar assignment information for the upcoming month. The reports shall also exhibit expenditures, segregating project costs by individual and by task and specifying for all travel the locations, duration, and personnel for each trip.

5. Submission of Reports and Other Deliverables

The contract number shall be clearly identified on each deliverable. The contractor shall submit one copy of each deliverable to the following individuals, and shall deliver all additional copies to the COTR:

Alice Mihill, Contract Specialist
U.S. Department of Education
Contracts and Purchasing Operations
ROB-3, Room 3636A
7^th and D Streets, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4444

Alice_Mihill@ed.gov

Joanne Wiggins
U.S. Department of Education
Planning and Evaluation Service
FOB-6 Room 6W257
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8240

Joanne_Wiggins@ed.gov

Charlotte Gillespie
U.S. Department of Education
Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program
FOB-6 Room 3E328
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202

Charlotte_Gillespie@ed.gov

Deliverables for Phase I (required activities):

Due 10 days after the end of each month: Progress/Exception Reports and Labor/Expenditure Reports.

H weeks after effective date of award

Deliverables for Phase II (optional activities)

Due 10 days after the end of each month: Progress/Exception Reports and Labor/Expenditure Reports.

Hweeks after effective date of award

* weeks after OMB clearance

**Detailed schedule of deliverables for Phase II, including tasks or milestones, due dates, and numbers of copies, will depend on the specifics of the evaluation design and revised schedule of deliverables to be approved by ED at the end of Phase I.