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National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk

The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk (NDTAC)

2010 NDTAC National Conference: Achieving Title I, Part D, Program Excellence through Effective Administration, May 11-14, New Orleans, LA

Overview & Conference Presentations

The 2010 NDTAC National Conference, Achieving Title I, Part D, Program Excellence Through Effective Administration, was designed specifically for State coordinators of the Title I, Part D, program. The conference was held Tuesday, May 11–Friday, May 14, 2010, at the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans, Louisiana. This hands-on conference provided information and interactive activities related to administering and enhancing Part D programs (addressing specifically the program's successful practices, uniform evaluation, and related technical assistance needs) in order to improve outcomes of youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at risk.

Access conference presentations, handouts, and activities:

Keynote Session

Integrating Educational and Mental Health Services for Youth in Secure Care

Lee Underwood, Executive Director, USA Consulting Group

In this session, Dr. Underwood provided a rich description of the demographics of youth who find themselves in secure care. He discussed ways of integrating educational and mental health services to meet the needs of these youth in a comprehensive and effective manner.

What Will Be Your Legacy: How Value-Added Will You Be?

David Osher, Vice President, American Institutes for Research and Principal Investigator, NDTAC

Dr. Osher challenged Title I, Part D Coordinators to make positive changes for youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk.
Theme 1: Planning and Funding

Plenary Session: Keeping Title I, Part D, True to Its Purpose: Planning and Funding Based on Needs and Outcomes

Presenters: John McLaughlin, Federal Program Coordinator, Title I, Part D, U.S. Department of Education; and Nicholas Read, Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC

This session provided an introduction to the conference’s focus on the processes and protocols involved in generating and administering Title I, Part D, funds. The presenters emphasized the importance of maintaining the purpose of the Part D program, the need to provide ongoing technical assistance, and the significance of forming and maintaining quality relationships at all levels of funding.

Breakout Session: Strategies for Developing Efficient and Effective Annual Count Processes

Stephanie Lampron, Deputy Director, NDTAC; DeAngela Milligan, Research Associate, NDTAC; and Marcia Calloway, Title I, Part D, Coordinator, Nevada Department of Education

This session provided an overview of the Annual Count process and offered ideas to make it more efficient, effective, and accurate. The presenters sought to provide participants with a better understanding of how to approach the process and strategies to overcome challenges.

Breakout Session: Making Sound Use of Funds Decisions for Title I, Part D

Simon Gonsoulin, Project Director, NDTAC; Nicholas Read, Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC; and Jeffrey Breshears, Title I, Part D, Coordinator, California Department of Education

This session guided participants through a detailed decisionmaking process for deciding the allowableness and appropriateness of “use of fund” proposals from Title I, Part D, grantees.

Mini-Session: Broadening the Reach of Your Title I, Part D, Dollars: Planning for Institutionwide Projects

Anju Sidana, Research Associate, NDTAC; and Greta Colombi, Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC

This session provided an overview of planning for and developing institutionwide projects (IWPs) and introduced sample tools for the planning process. The presenters sought to assist participants with thinking through scenarios and using tools to become more comfortable with the planning process.

Mini-Session: Facility Accreditation

Dorothy Wodraska, Director, Juvenile Transition, Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools

This session followed the accreditation journey of the Arizona Juvenile Detention Schools and discussed accreditation in the context of a comprehensive framework for continually improving student learning and school effectiveness.

Mini-Session: Coordination and Collaboration in Title I, Part D, Programs

John McLaughlin, Federal Program Coordinator, Title I, Part D, U.S. Department of Education

This session provided an overview of different models of coordination and collaboration and highlighted the NDTAC model of coordination and collaboration. The session sought to guide participants through a discussion of the stages of collaboration as they relate to Title I, Part D, implementation.

Theme 2: Monitoring

Plenary Session: The Power of Monitoring: Building Strengths While Ensuring Compliance

Greta Colombi, Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC; and Simon Gonsoulin, Project Director, NDTAC

This session focused on the steps Part D coordinators can take to ensure compliance while building on existing strengths. The presentation provided an overview of each stage of Federal and subgrantee monitoring and discussed the role of technical assistance (TA) in the monitoring process. Presenters sought to provide participants with a better understanding of the monitoring expectations of the U.S. Department of Education, how to improve monitoring processes and capacity to monitor, and how to provide TA while monitoring subgrantees.

Breakout Session: Innovative Approaches to Offsite Monitoring and TA Provision

Greta Colombi, Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC

This session focused on the basics of offsite monitoring and introduced some innovative tools and technologies (e.g., remote document sharing, blogs, wikis) that can be used to improve compliance and program quality.

Breakout Session: Federal Monitoring Update

John McLaughlin, Federal Program Coordinator, Title I, Part D, U.S. Department of Education;
Debra Little, Title I, Part D, Program Specialist; and Dennis Rozumalski, Title I, Part D Coordinator, Delaware Department of Education

In this session, presenters reviewed the basics of Federal monitoring, provided an updated analysis of Federal monitoring results through fiscal year (FY) 2008–09, discussed strengths and areas for improvement based on results of FY 2009–10 reviews to date, and described the Federal monitoring process from a State Part D coordinator’s perspective.

Mini-Session: Establishing a Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

Mindee O’Cummings, State Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC

This session reviewed strategies to promote positive behavior and discourage negative behavior in youth enrolled in N or D programs. It also explored specific ways to encourage implementation of these strategies through the subgrantee monitoring process.

Mini-Session: Focusing on Significant Issues for Reentry and Family Engagement

Simon Gonsoulin, Project Director, NDTAC; and Patricia Frost, Title I, Part D, Coordinator, Nebraska Department of Education

This session provided an overview of significant issues for reentry and family engagement—two important considerations for Title I, Part D, programs. Presenters shared three tools now used successfully in the field to promote family engagement in Title I, Part D, programs in Nebraska.

Mini-Session: Meeting the Educational Needs of Diverse Learners

Sarah Bardack, Research Associate, NDTAC; and DeAngela Milligan, Research Associate, NDTAC

This session sought to communicate the importance of addressing the unique educational needs of diverse learners in the context of individualizing service delivery, program evaluation, and Federal monitoring. The session provided an overview of strategies and barriers to identifying diverse learners, assessing their educational needs, and addressing any gaps in instruction.

Theme 3: Reporting and Evaluation

Plenary Session: Promoting Data Collection and Evaluation in Title I, Part D, Programs

Stephanie Lampron, Deputy Director, NDTAC; John McLaughlin, Federal Program Coordinator, Title I, Part D, U.S. Department of Education; and Bobbi Stettner-Eaton, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Education

This general session introduced participants to the reporting and evaluation strand of the conference. An overview of the data process—including data collection, data quality, and data use—was provided, and current Part D performance data were shared. Participants also were provided with updates at the U.S. Department of Education that relate to data collection and the status of the school year 2008–09 collection.

Breakout Session: Taking the Fast Lane to High-Quality Data

Stephanie Lampron, Deputy Director, NDTAC; and Sarah Bardack, Research Associate, NDTAC

This session discussed the importance and impact of collecting and reporting high-quality data and provided an overview of strategies that coordinators can use to efficiently improve data quality. The session sought to help participants identify common data problems and develop technical assistance tools to help data providers collect more accurate data in advance of the Federal submission deadlines.

Breakout Session: Making the Most of Your Data: Strategies for Evaluating Your Program

Greta Colombi, State Technical Assistance Liaison; and John McLaughlin, Federal Program Coordinator, Title I, Part D, U.S. Department of Education

This session focused on how State Part D coordinators can use data to evaluate their programs. The session began with a review of why using data is important, how data can be used, and strategies for using data. Presenters also sought to assist participants in considering ways support data use by subgrantees.

Mini-Session: Using Pre- and Posttesting To Improve Programming and Student Achievement

Anju Sidana, Research Associate, NDTAC

This session provided an overview of using pre- and posttesting to measure and improve programming and academic achievement for youth enrolled in N or D programs. The session sought to assist participants with assessing the current status of pre-post testing in their States and thinking through next steps for reaching their pre-post testing goals.

Mini-Session: Working With ED Around the CSPR and EDFacts Collections

Bobbi Stettner-Eaton, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Education; and Dory Seidel, Research Assistant, NDTAC

This session provided an opportunity to learn more about the EDFacts and Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) relationship, file specification files, and important contacts in each State, with the goal of helping participants improve their State data.

Mini-Session: Creating and Using Title I, Part D, Data Report Cards

Nicholas Read, State Technical Assistance Liaison, NDTAC

This brief presentation provided an overview of Part D report cards, why they are important, and how they can be used. It highlighted the main steps that N or D coordinators will want to consider when creating report cards and focused on how State and local programs can use report cards to increase accountability, improve data and program quality, and inform and educate other stakeholders.


The content of this Web site does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The programs/models featured on this site have not been evaluated by NDTAC. The site is meant to serve as a tool and to provide examples of work being done in the field. This Web site was created and is maintained by American Institutes for Research (AIR) through funding from the U.S. Department of Education, contract no. ED-04-CO-0025/0006.
For more information, send an e-mail to NDTAC@air.org.