This week, JLF released my third evaluation of the state’s multi-million dollar dropout prevention grant program. (My other evaluations of the initiative can be found here and here.) Contrary to the claims of legislators, the grants did not appear to have much success, although we’ll need more research to know for sure.
Yesterday, I obtained the first official evaluation of the grants, which was conducted by EDSTAR, Inc. (cost: $99,480.00 in state funds) in cooperation with the NC Department of Public Instruction. Those on the Left may not like the fact that both the state and JLF are conducting ongoing evaluations of the grants, but the law requires it and the taxpayers deserve it.
Anyway, I found that the report had useful pieces of information, some of which I was not able to obtain from the Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps program at DPI. The most interesting bit of information was the breakdown of total expenditures.
Personnel – $2,633,775
Equipment – $549,236
Professional Development – $537,074
Program Food and Supplies – $437,275
Participant Activities – $229,780
Other – $202,650
Curriculum – $150,925
Transportation of Students – $104,694
Travel – $70,372
Indirect/Overhead – $59,189
Student Incentives – $49,995
Facilities – $33,413
Total – $5,058,378
Schools spent nearly a million dollars spent on equipment, food, and supplies? What is included in the “Other” category? What kinds of incentives did school purchase for nearly $50,000 or did students receive cash?
The EDSTAR report concluded,
Many of the programs are effective, and their effectiveness is documented with pre- and post- data to measure it. We have learned that some grantees need help with documenting successes in ways that make programs replicable. Measurable success is important to determine which programs should be replicated. The effective programs with appropriate documentation will be shared and replicated.
What kinds of data document “effectiveness” and why didn’t EDSTAR discuss it in their report? How many is “many” anyway? I suppose we’ll find out in the next report…perhaps mine.
