§ 12639.
Evaluation
(a)
In general
The Corporation shall provide, directly or through grants or contracts, for the continuing evaluation of programs that receive assistance under the national service laws, including evaluations that measure the impact of such programs, to determine—
(1)
the effectiveness of programs receiving assistance under the national service laws in achieving stated goals and the costs associated with such programs, including an evaluation of each such program’s performance based on the performance levels established under subsection (k); and
(2)
the effectiveness of the structure and mechanisms for delivery of services, such as the effective utilization of the participants’ time, the management of the participants, and the ease with which recipients were able to receive services, to maximize the cost effectiveness and the impact of such programs.
(c)
Conducting evaluations
(e)
Community participation
(f)
Comparison of program models
(g)
Program objectives
The Corporation shall ensure that programs that receive assistance under division C are evaluated to determine their effectiveness in—
(1)
recruiting and enrolling diverse participants in such programs, consistent with the requirements of section 12575
1
See References in Text note below.
of this title, based on economic background, race, ethnicity, age, marital status, education levels, and disability;
(2)
promoting the educational achievement of each participant in such programs, based on earning a high school diploma or the equivalent of such diploma and the future enrollment and completion of increasingly higher levels of education;
(3)
encouraging each participant to engage in public and community service after completion of the program based on career choices and service in other service programs such as the Volunteers in Service to America Program and National Senior Service Corps programs established under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (
42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.), the Peace Corps (as established by the Peace Corps Act (
22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)), the military, and part-time volunteer service;
(4)
promoting of positive attitudes among each participant regarding the role of such participant in solving community problems based on the view of such participant regarding the personal capacity of such participant to improve the lives of others, the responsibilities of such participant as a citizen and community member, and other factors;
(5)
enabling each participant to finance a lesser portion of the higher education of such participant through student loans;
(6)
providing services and projects that benefit the community;
(7)
supplying additional volunteer assistance to community agencies without overloading such agencies with more volunteers than can effectively be utilized;
(8)
providing services and activities that could not otherwise be performed by employed workers and that will not supplant the hiring of, or result in the displacement of, employed workers or impair the existing contracts of such workers; and
(9)
attracting a greater number of citizens to engage in service that benefits the community.
(h)
Obtaining information
(2)
Confidentiality
(B)
Disclosure
(ii)
Aggregate information
(i)
Independent evaluation and report of demographics of national service participants and communities
(1)
Independent evaluation
(2)
Report
The entity conducting the evaluation shall submit a report to the President, the authorizing committees, the Corporation, and each State Commission containing the results of the evaluation—
(A)
with respect to the evaluation covering the year beginning on September 21, 1993, not later than 18 months after September 21, 1993; and
(B)
with respect to the evaluation covering each subsequent year, not later than 18 months after the first day of each such year.
(j)
Reserved program funds for accountability
(k)
Performance levels
The Corporation shall, in consultation with each recipient of assistance under the national service laws, establish performance levels for such recipient to meet during the term of the assistance. The performance levels may include, for each national service program carried out by the recipient, performance levels based on the following performance measures:
(1)
Number of participants enrolled in the program and completing terms of service, as compared to the stated participation and retention goals of the program.
(2)
Number of volunteers recruited from the community in which the program was implemented.
(3)
If applicable based on the program design, the number of individuals receiving or benefitting from the service conducted.
(4)
Number of disadvantaged and underrepresented youth participants.
(5)
Measures of the sustainability of the program and the projects supported by the program, including measures to ascertain the level of community support for the program or projects.
(6)
Measures to ascertain the change in attitude toward civic engagement among the participants and the beneficiaries of the service.
(7)
Other quantitative and qualitative measures as determined to be appropriate by the recipient of assistance and the Corporation.
(l)
Corrective action plans
(2)
Assistance
(A)
New program
For a program that has received assistance under the national service laws for less than 3 years and for which the recipient is failing to meet or exceed the performance levels agreed upon under subsection (k), the Corporation shall—
(i)
provide technical assistance to the recipient to address targeted performance problems relating to the performance levels for the program; and
(ii)
require the recipient to submit quarterly reports on the program’s progress toward meeting the performance levels for the program to the—
(I)
appropriate State, territory, or Indian tribe; and
(II)
the Corporation.
(B)
Established programs
For a program that has received assistance under the national service laws for 3 years or more and for which the recipient is failing to meet or exceed the performance levels agreed upon under subsection (k), the Corporation shall require the recipient to submit quarterly reports on the program’s progress toward the performance levels for the program to—
(i)
the appropriate State, territory, or Indian tribe; and
(m)
Failure to meet performance levels
If, after a period for correction as approved by the Corporation in accordance with subsection (l), a recipient of assistance under the national service laws fails to meet or exceed the performance levels for a national service program, the Corporation shall—
(1)
reduce the annual amount of the assistance received by the underperforming recipient by at least 25 percent, for each remaining year of the grant period for that program; or
(n)
Reports
The Corporation shall submit to the authorizing committees not later than 2 years after April 21, 2009, and annually thereafter, a report containing information on the number of—
(1)
recipients of assistance under the national service laws implementing corrective action plans under subsection (l)(1);
(2)
recipients for which the Corporation provides technical assistance for a program under subsection (l)(2)(A)(i);
(3)
recipients for which the Corporation terminates assistance for a program under subsection (m);
(4)
entities whose application for assistance under a national service law was rejected; and
(5)
recipients meeting or exceeding their performance levels under subsection (k).
([Pub. L. 101–610, title I, § 179], Nov. 16, 1990, [104 Stat. 3164]; [Pub. L. 102–384], §§ 4, 9, Oct. 5, 1992, [106 Stat. 1455], 1456; [Pub. L. 103–82, title I, § 118], title II, § 203(a)(1)(A), title IV, § 402(b)(1), Sept. 21, 1993, [107 Stat. 865], 891, 918; [Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title XI, § 1182(d)(4)], Nov. 30, 1993, [107 Stat. 1773]; [Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, § 1501(e)(5)], Feb. 10, 1996, [110 Stat. 501]; [Pub. L. 111–13, title I, § 1607], Apr. 21, 2009, [123 Stat. 1532].)