Contract Open

National Evaluation of the 2019 Comprehensive Centers Program Grantees

NCEE

Program: Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Award amount: $4,136,906

Awardee:

Abt Associates, Inc., AnLar, ETS, University of Delaware's Center for Research in Education & Social Policy

Year: 2019

Duration: 5 years (09/01/2020 - 09/01/2025)

Project type:

Other

Contract number: 91990019D0002

Background

State and local education agencies face increased responsibilities resulting from both changes in federal law and the Coronavirus pandemic. The Comprehensive Centers program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education at over $50 million per year, provides training, tools, and other supports to help these agencies carry out their education plans and take steps to close achievement gaps. The Centers' services aim to build individual and organizational capacity to help identify and solve key educational problems. This evaluation examines the delivery and perceived usefulness of the Centers' technical assistance, given new stakeholder needs and changes in the Center program that took effect with the 20 new grants awarded in 2019. Congress requires a periodic evaluation of the Comprehensive Centers program, with the results intended to inform ongoing program improvements.

Project Activities

Research question

What key educational problems are the Comprehensive Centers seeking to address? How has the pandemic shifted the program's emphasis?
What services are Comprehensive Centers providing? What types of capacity are these services designed to increase?
What are the perceived successes and challenges of program changes, including the shift in the number and geographic reach of the centers and new requirements to increase collaboration with the Department's Regional Educational Laboratories?

Structured Abstract

Design

This descriptive study is based on document reviews, surveys of state agencies and school district staff in 2022, and interviews with Center directors.