A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Office of the Under Secretary Strategic Plan - 1994

U.S. Department of Education
Office of the Under Secretary
Strategic Plan
1994

Mission

Develop policy recommendations and strategic initiatives that help define a broad, coherent vision for achieving the National Education Goals and the Secretary's priorities; and support the implementation of critical policies by the Department and education providers through application of resources, analysis, strategic planning, and evaluation.

Context

Accomplishments. OUS has been centrally involved in developing strategic policy and leadership directions for the Department during the initial period of the Clinton Administration. Key contributions of OUS to the Department's mission include:

Coordinating and supporting development with other ED offices of a fundamental and comprehensive legislative agenda that launched:

Systemic reforms that change 30 years of the federal role in elementary and secondary education through enactment of the Goals 2000 and School-to-Work legislation. Furthermore, the proposed ESEA legislation would provide critical support to improving teaching and learning in the nation's schools, particularly in high-poverty communities.

A new, more customer-oriented and cost-effective postsecondary education student aid policy through Direct Student Loans, income-contingent loans, and the gatekeeping triad of ED, State review entities, and accrediting institutions.

Helping to obtain one of the largest budget increases among agencies in this Administration_in support of the Department's reform efforts.

Launching, with joint leadership of the Deputy Secretary, the Department's strategic planning process to guide future policy and resource priorities and steer implementation of the Department's major new policy and management initiatives.

Coordinating with other federal Departments national policy initiatives related to education, including Head Start reforms, welfare reform, health care reform, and empowerment zones/enterprise communities.

Supporting reform through evaluations that identified major failings or opportunities for significant improvements in a number of key program areas, suggesting policy directions and reauthorization strategies for reform.

Coordinating collaborative development of the Department's plan for staff streamlining and formulating initial policies to effect employee reallocations, such as the retirement incentive program.

Establishing a more collaborative internal budget formulation process to improve allocation of resources based on Department priorities.

Leading internal and external review groups to analyze and monitor costs and trends of student aid programs.

OUS Goals

For 1994, OUS has re-aligned its goals as follows to support those outlined in the Department's strategic plan:

Goal 1:	A world-class education for each child. Promoting systemic school reform. Strengthening families and communities.
Goal 2:	A comprehensive system for school-to-work.
Goal 3:	Access to high-quality postsecondary education and lifelong learning. Promoting access through removing financial and educational barriers. Ensuring the basic quality of postsecondary education. Developing a high-quality system of lifelong learning.
Goal 4:	ED a high-performance organization.
Goal 5:	OUS a high-performance organization.

Priorities within Goals

OUS's primary functions are policy analysis, policy development, support and guidance for policy implementation, and accountability and feedback. We carry out these functions in cooperation with all offices in the Department. Specifically, our priorities are:
Policy analyses that identify key issues or lay out statements of vision and effective practice.
Policy development through review or development of legislation, regulations, and funding priorities.
Support for policy implementation through budget policy and execution and through strategic planning.

Evaluation and performance measurement to guide policy implementation and support Department accountability.

Performance Measures

Achieving these aims represents a significant challenge. OUS needs to know how well it is doing, so that it can build on its successes and correct its weaknesses. Because of OUS's central policy responsibility and critical role in resource allocation and evaluation, OUS should be a model of a performance-driven organization.

Performance Indicators. Performance indicators that OUS will explore to assess its own performance include a variety of indicators for activities under OUS's direct control (agency performance indicators), plus additional measures related to change in outside systems such as schools, higher education institutions, or State agencies (systems change indicators) and outcomes for students (student outcomes indicators).

Measures for "agency performance" indicators include:

External expert reviews of the quality of OUS processes and products, including reviews of evaluation studies, budget materials, cost estimates, and the Department's strategic plan.
Customer surveys of the readability, usefulness, and accessibility of OUS-produced or -cleared materials--especially budget documents, evaluation studies, and family involvement activities.
Unsolicited comments from internal and external users of OUS materials and products, such as the Secretary, other ED offices, OMB, and Congressional committees.
Concrete evidence of impacts such as legislative changes, resource allocation shifts, and program improvements related to OUS recommendations.
Internal surveys of OUS and ED employees to identify satisfaction and accomplishments.

-###-

Last update September 12, 1996 (smj)