This special report from the IEL Policy Exchange encourages us to rethink the federal role for children, youth and families. It calls for the federal government to steer more and row less. It examines the current array of federal programs and identifies important "details" that often make it complicated for communities to benefit fully from federal programs and policies. Finally, it describes promising approaches to make government more results-driven and accountable to the public——from using "benchmarks" (or indicators) to implementing the Government Performance and Results Act.
This report is based on 1996 testimony by Margaret Dunkle, Director of the IEL Policy Exchange, before the U.S. House of Representatives. The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families of the Committee on Education and the Workforce (formerly the Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee) invited her to testify on federally funded youth programs and initiatives, with an emphasis on the Youth Development Community Block Grant Bill that Congress was then considering.
Although IEL is not a membership organization and does not take positions either for or against specific legislative proposals, IEL staff members have often been invited to testify before the U.S. Congress to share perspectives from our ongoing work. Since the Policy Exchange began in 1992, its Director has testified three times before Congress.
This report continues the Institute for Educational Leadership’s proud and unique history as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that aims to improve society by strengthening educational opportunities for young people. Founded in 1964, IEL works at the national, state and local levels to connect education to the other public and private entities that provide the foundation for a strong society.
Many issues——from welfare reform to mounting pressure to balance the federal budget——make it important for policy makers to think sooner rather than later about changing public and private roles to assure that children, especially those with the fewest resources, grow up to be fully productive members of our society. I encourage you to use this report as a valuable resource as you explore these hard questions in the months and years ahead.
Michael D. Usdan
President
Institute for Educational Leadership
Contents
(Note that the pagination and format differ somewhat from the printed version.)
| Introduction |
1 |
| Youth Development and the IEL Policy Exchange |
3 |
| What Is the Federal Role When It Comes to Children and Youth? |
5 |
| First Things First——Abandoning Ship Is Not an Option |
7 |
Mostly Rowing——A Look at Current Federal Programs
- Trickle-Down Fragmentation
- Coordination in Congress?
- Results from Other Studies
- Something for Everyone?
|
9 |
| The Devil Is in the Details——Eleven Questions to Ask
of Every Program or Policy Affecting Children and Youth |
17 |
Row Less, Steer More
- Results-Driven Experiments at the Federal, State and Local Levels——A Few Examples
- Performance Measures——Risks and Rewards
- Possible Indicators for Youth Development
|
19 |
| Endnotes |
25 |
| Appendix I. Economic Consequences of Preventable Problems (from Great Transitions) |
33 |
| Appendix II. The Government Performance and Results Act |
35 |
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