DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Note:  The 1997 Appropriation for the SDFSC program allocated all funds to state grants. Upon Congressional review, the Department plans to reallocate $25 million of these funds to SDFSC National Programs.

II. METHODOLOGY

• The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program authorizes activities to prevent drug use and violence by youth. For purposes of scoring the Department's drug control funds, the Department estimates that all funds used under this program for violence prevention also have a direct impact on drug prevention. Therefore, this drug control budget includes 100 percent of the resources for the SDFSC program.



• Although this requested budget identifies specific dollar amounts for treatment resources, these funds reflect only approximations of the cost of activities that assist individuals with a drug-related disabling condition. The Department estimates that approximately 4 percent of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State grant funds will be used by State VR agencies to provide services to drug dependent clients for which data are available -- approximately 8.5 percent of individuals who achieved an employment outcome under this program had a primary or secondary disabling condition due to drug abuse. In FY 1997, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) plans to recompete its Research and Training Center on the vocational rehabilitation of persons whose disability is drug dependency; the Department's drug control budget includes 100 percent of funding for this Center. An estimated 10 percent of total program funds in the Grants for Infants and Families program are spent each year on services for children who were prenatally exposed to drugs. Amounts for all other drug treatment activities are based on the specific funding levels for individual project grants that the Department has identified as drug-related.



• The Department's drug control budget also includes program administration dollars that reflect the personnel compensation and benefits of a full-time-equivalent staff of 35 who administer these programs.

III. PROGRAM SUMMARY

• The Department of Education administers programs to improve and expand elementary and secondary education, special education and early intervention programs for children with disabilities, bilingual education, vocational and adult education, higher education, and vocational rehabilitation activities. The Department's drug control programs are listed below by the goals of the National Drug Control Strategy.

Goal 1: Educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.

• The SDFSC program authorizes activities to prevent drug use and violence by youth. Funds are appropriated directly for State grants and for National programs.



• Drug and violence prevention activities authorized under the statute include developing instructional materials; counseling services; professional development programs for school personnel, students, law enforcement officials, judicial officials, or community leaders; implementing conflict resolution, peer mediation, and mentoring programs; implementing character education programs and community service projects; establishing safe zones of passage; and acquiring and installing metal detectors and hiring security personnel.



• SDFSC National Programs is a broad discretionary authority that permits the Secretary to carry out programs to prevent the illegal use of drugs and violence among, and promote safety and discipline for, students at all educational levels. Such programs may include training, demonstrations, direct services to school districts with severe drug problems, data collection and program evaluation, development and dissemination of information and materials, financial and technical assistance to institutions of higher education for campus-based projects that serve college and university students, and other Federal initiatives that meet unmet national needs, including the priorities in the National Drug Control Strategy. These programs are often carried out jointly with other Federal agencies.

Goal 2: Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use.

• The VR State grant program provides vocational counseling, training, placement, and other services designed to help individuals with a physical or mental disability prepare for and engage in gainful employment to the extent of their capabilities. Funds are allocated to states and territories on the basis of their population and per capita income. Persons with disabilities that result in a substantial impediment to employment and who can benefit in terms of an employment outcome, including those individuals whose disabling condition is due to drug abuse, are eligible for assistance.



• The rehabilitation training program supports training and other related activities designed to increase the number of skilled rehabilitation personnel available to work with disabled individuals.



• The Grants for Infants and Families program provides financial assistance to states to help them develop and implement statewide systems of comprehensive, coordinated early intervention programs for children with disabilities, aged birth through 2 years. Funds are allocated based on the number of children from birth through age 2 in the general population.



• Special Education Program Support and Improvement programs, (which would replace Special Purpose Funds under legislation to be proposed for FY 1998), support grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to public agencies and private nonprofit organizations, as well as in some cases, profit-making organizations. Activities include research, demonstrations, training, and other activities. Funded activities include a project studying the effectiveness of various intervention models for serving infants and toddlers prenatally exposed to cocaine and a project preparing personnel to work with drug-exposed children and their families. Awards are usually made on a competitive basis in the first year and are renewed on a noncompetitive basis for 2 to 4 succeeding fiscal years.



• The activities of the NIDRR are intended to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society and employment of individuals with disabilities and to improve their economic and social self-sufficiency. NIDRR supports research, demonstrations, and dissemination activities, through various discretionary programs, on issues relating to persons of all ages with disabilities.

IV. BUDGET SUMMARY

1997 Base Program

• The FY 1997 base program includes $559.2 million for prevention activities which support Goal 1 of the National Drug Control Strategy. This includes $531 million for SDFSC State Grants, $25 million for SDFSC National Programs, and $3.2 million for program administration.



• The FY 1997 base program contains an estimated $119.8 million for drug-related treatment and treatment research activities which support Goal 3 of the National Drug Control Strategy. This includes $87 million for the VR State Grants program, $31.6 million for Grants for Infants and Families, $0.5 million for the Special Purpose Funds, $0.5 million for NIDRR, and $0.2 million for program administration.

1998 Request

• The total FY 1998 drug control budget request is $746.6 million, an increase of $67.7 million over the FY 1997 enacted level.

Goal 1: Educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.

• The total FY 1998 drug control request for Goal 1 activities for FY 1998 is $623.5 million, a net increase of $64.3 million over FY 1997. The 1998 request includes the following program enhancements: an increase of $59 million for SDFSC State Grants, and an increase of $5 million for SDFSC National Programs.

Goal 3: Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use.

• The total drug control request for Goal 3 activities for FY 1998 is $123.2 million, a net increase of $3.4 million over FY 1997. The 1998 request includes the following program enhancements: an increase of $2.8 million for VR State Grants, and an increase of $0.8 million for Special Education Grants for Infants and Families.

V. PROGRAM STATISTICS

¹Assumes Congressional approval to reallocate $25 million of the 1997 SDFSC appropriation from State grants to National Programs.

²Estimated number of individuals whose cases were closed during the year where drug dependency is reported as the primary or secondary disability.

³Number of individuals achieving an employment outcome during the year where drug dependency was reported as the primary or secondary disability divided by the total number of individuals receiving VR services whose active cases were closed during the year where drug dependency was reported as the primary or secondary disability.

⁴Estimated at 10 percent of total children served. The estimate for 1998 is an extrapolation based on the prior year's increase in children served.

VI. PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Demonstrated Results of Past Program Activities

• The SDFSC State Grants program provides sustained support for drug and violence prevention activities serving more than 40 million students in over 97 percent of the nation's school districts. Although nationally representative data about outcomes associated with the program are not yet available, the Department does have evidence that prevention programs supported with these funds can be effective. Descriptions of 20 successful school-based and community-based prevention programs for youth funded under the Drug-Free Schools and Communities (DFSC) Act (the predecessor to the SDFSC Act) were compiled in a Departmental study of promising prevention programs. Each of these programs conducted evaluation activities that identified positive program outcomes. Importantly, the programs included in the study are typical of effective prevention strategies being implemented in schools and communities across the Nation. Positive outcomes resulting from the programs included the following:



• Students were less likely (in some cases, compared to their own behavior prior to the program, and in others, compared to nonparticipants) to use drugs and alcohol, less likely to resort to violence to solve problems, less likely to be arrested, and less likely to ride with a drunk driver.



• Students were less likely to think it is acceptable for them or their peers to use drugs, drink alcohol, or smoke cigarettes.



• Some of the schools achieved success by focusing efforts on "at-risk" students and offered these youths constructive alternatives to behaviors often associated with drug use.

• A forthcoming longitudinal study of 19 programs funded under the DFSC Act between 1991 and 1995 identifies characteristics that are typical of effective drug prevention programs:




• Prevention program "stability" (as measured by: the length of time the program had been in place; the existence of a coherent program rationale that shapes the focus of the program at the district level; and the amount of time devoted by the prevention program coordinator to directing the program), was associated with more anti-drug attitudes and better recognition of the consequences of drug use.



• Prevention program "extensiveness," or having an array of well-implemented program services for both the general student population and for students at high risk, was associated with benefits for students: significantly lower lifetime use of drugs, more anti-drug attitudes, and better recognition of the consequences of drug use.

Performance Measures

• The Department has developed a draft set of core indicators for the SDFSC State Grants program. The indicators will be implemented through a model data collection system currently under development. The Department also will provide technical assistance to states in implementing this system. The indicators will attempt to measure program outcomes (e.g., use of alcohol and other drugs, and incidence of violence and other criminal acts in schools); types of services provided; participation in the program by school districts, schools, and students; and selected aspects of program administration.

Significant Recent Accomplishments

• Continuing distribution of the Department's award-winning handbook Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention. More than 27 million copies have been printed; it is the most sought after publication in the Department's history.



• Supporting a project to collect and disseminate information on model programs, exemplary practices, and State laws relating to programs that provide alternative education for students who are expelled from their regular education program for drug use, bringing a gun to school, or engaging in other disruptive behavior.



• Continuing a joint funding agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Department of Health and Human Services) for two grants to institutions of higher education to train school personnel and others in classroom-based techniques of violence prevention for children and adolescents.



• In collaboration with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, developing and disseminating a guide to implementing conflict resolution programs in schools.



• Initiating a multi-year study of school-related violence designed to identify promising school- based strategies and programs.



• Providing support for programs in 28 schools and communities designed to: (1) infuse research-based knowledge about "what works" into the design, development, and implementation of school-based strategies to prevent drug use among youth; (2) remove weapons from schools; (3) prevent truancy and address the needs of youth who are out of the education mainstream; and (4) prevent violent, aggressive, intimidating, or other disruptive behavior arising from bullying, sexual harassment, or other causes.



• Making drug and violence prevention materials produced by the Department available to the public through a toll-free telephone number. In 1996, the Department received an average of 21,000 calls per month, and as a result, mailed out more than 2 million publications.



• Continuing a study of the effects of prenatal drug exposure on children's classroom behavior and academic achievement in order to develop a manual of interventions for teachers and others. This manual is designed to address factors that place these children at high risk for drug use later in life.



• Supporting a training and technical assistance center to strengthen drug prevention programs at institutions of higher education.



• In cooperation with the U.S. Olympic Committee, developing and disseminating teaching materials on research-based techniques of enhancing student resiliency to factors that place them at high risk of using drugs using themes based on the Olympic games.



• Expanding dissemination of two innovative projects that combine arts education and drug prevention: "The Art of Prevention," a training video and materials for teachers on how to use the arts in drug prevention; and the "Murals Reflecting Prevention" project, which encourages schools and communities to develop murals that express drug prevention themes.



• Disseminating information about exemplary prevention strategies employed by some of the schools honored in the Drug-Free School Recognition program.



• Disseminating 50,000 copies of the Department's drug prevention newsletter, The Challenge, to teachers, teacher-parent organizations, school administrators, and other drug prevention professionals four times per year. This newsletter includes up-to-date developments about prevention research, model prevention strategies, and examples of lesson plans that can be adopted for classroom use.



• In partnership with the National Institute of Justice (Department of Justice), developing a monograph that is helping school districts implement the best practices of "Safe Haven" programs, in many instances without Federal support, based on the experiences of federally funded model programs.



• Assisting states in planning, developing and implementing statewide systems of coordinated early intervention programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities, including those who were drug-exposed.



• Evaluating three models of early intervention services for children exposed prenatally to cocaine, including a center-based program, home visit program, and monitoring program that does not include direct services.



• Annually assisting more than 17,000 individuals with a primary or secondary disabling condition resulting from drug abuse to achieve an employment outcome under the Vocational Rehabilitation State Grant program.