State SDFSCA Coordinator Letter

Appendix B-2
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
WASHINGTON, D.C, 20202-______

Date __, 2009
Dear State Coordinator of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Program:
The U.S. Department of Education is conducting the Study of the Implementation of the Safe and
Drug-free Schools and Communities Act Program State Grants, in which schools and districts in
your state will be asked to participate. As you know, youth substance abuse and school crime
continue to be major issues for America's schools. The following questions and answers explain
why the study is being undertaken.

•

Why is the U.S. Department of Education conducting the study?
The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of prevention activities funded through the
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) Program. The study is
authorized under Section 4121(a)(9) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110). The U.S. Department of
Education will use information from the study to provide data for SDFSCA performance
measures required under the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA). Findings will be
shared in aggregate form with your state and will help the U.S. Department of Education
describe the range and nature of prevention activities across the country.

•

How will the study be conducted?
The study will consist of three components: (1) a survey of school personnel (e.g., principals
or other school staff familiar with prevention programs) in a nationally-representative sample
of elementary and secondary schools and districts; (2) a survey of district personnel (e.g.,
district prevention coordinators) in the school districts of sample schools, and 3) a survey of
staff who implement prevention programs in a subset of schools that participate in component
1. This study is being conducted by Westat, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland.

•

Is participation in the study voluntary?
Federal law states that “a grantee shall cooperate in any evaluation of the program by the
Secretary [of Education]” (Authority: 20 U.S.C.1221e-3, 1226c, 1231a, 3474, and 6511
(a))[45 FR 86298, Dec 30, 1980, as amended at 57 FR 30341, July 8, 1992]. The information
collected will help the U.S. Department of Education to improve the SDFSCA program and
report to Congress on GPRA measures for the SDFSCA State Grants Program.

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How will confidentiality be protected?

Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. Reports
prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not
associate responses with a specific district, school, or individual. Information that identifies
the district, school, or respondent will not be provided to anyone, except as required
by law.
•

What is needed from schools and districts in your state?
Enclosed is a list of the schools and districts in your state that have been randomly selected to
participate in the study, along with informational copies of the draft surveys we plan to send
to districts and schools in spring 2009. We will be collecting information about the
prevention activities and programs being implemented in these schools and districts as part of
the first component of the study.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Dr. Scott Crosse, the Project
Director at Westat, at 1-800-937-8281, ext. 3979 or at [email protected]. You may
also call Dr. Sharon Stout, the Contracting Officer’s Representative at the U.S. Department of
Education, at (202) 260-2493 or at [email protected].
Thank you very much for your cooperation with this important study.
Sincerely,

Alan L. Ginsburg
Director
Policy and Program Studies Service

William Modzeleski
Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools

Enclosures

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