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

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 529

Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program

(CFDA No. 84.176)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, Title V, Part D, (now Part C), Subpart 1, P.L. 99-498, as amended by P.L. 102-325 (20 U.S.C. 11104 to 11104K) (expires September 30, 1997).

Purpose: To encourage and enable outstanding high school graduates to pursue teaching careers at the preschool, elementary school, or secondary school level.

Funding History:

Fiscal Year Appropriation
1986 $9,570,000
1987 15,500,000
1988 14,840,000
1989 15,235,000
1990 14,922,000
1991 14,639,000
1992 15,000,000
1993 14,731,000 /
1994 14,731,000 1/
1$75,000 of the FY 1993 appropriation and $50,000 of the FY 1994 appropiation were set aside for the mandated evalutaion study.

II. Program Information and Analysis

Performance Indicators

There are several performance indicators that are currently used by the program office to assess the performance of each State. Three of those indicators are summarized below along with the numbers of scholarship recipients from program years 1986-87 through 1992-93 who fall into each category.2

2The data from one State are missing for program year 1992-93.

According to calculations made from the Annual Performance Report form, the total number of people who have received a Douglas Scholarship since the program began is 11,622.3 Therefore, all of the percentages below refer to the percentage of scholarship recipients in each category, as a percentage of the total number of people who have ever received the scholarship -- 11,622.

3The Annual Performance Report form is currently being revised. One revision that is being considered is wheterh to add a question that directly asks the States to provide the total number of Douglas Scholarships that have been awarded since the inception of the program. Since this question has never been directly asked, the calculation of 11,622 may not be absolutely precise if any State did not supply the correct numbers for some of the categories that were used to calculate this number.

  1. Percentage of Scholarship Recipients Who Have Completed Teacher Certification Course of Study: 62.6%

    This is based on the total number of scholarship recipients who have completed their teacher certification course of study -- 7,278.

  2. Percentage of Scholarship Recipients Who Are Currently In Repayment: 4.0%

    This is based on the number of scholarship recipients who are in repayment -- 465.

  3. Percentage of Scholarship Recipients Who Are Currently in Default: Less than 1% (0.20%).

    This is based on the number of scholarship recipients who are in default status -- 26.

Population Targeting

To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must have graduated from high school, be scheduled to graduate from high school by the end of the secondary school year, or have received a certificate of high school equivalency (GED). The applicant must rank in the top 10 percent of the graduating class or have GED test scores equivalent to ranking in the top 10 percent of graduates in the State or in the Nation. Furthermore, States must establish selection criteria that best meet their teaching needs in order to select scholars from among the eligible applicants. These selection criteria must be reviewed and approved by the Secretary before a State may use them.

Services

This program awards scholarships to high school seniors or graduates who are planning to pursue a career in teaching. Awards are for up to four years of higher education, and are equal to the cost of attendance, not to exceed $5,000 per year.

The following table shows that since 1987-88 the number of scholarships and average award have remained relatively constant. As the program matured through FY 1990, the number of renewal scholarships increased relative to first-time scholarships. As the number of scholars graduating increased in FY 1990, the number of new scholars increased for FY 1991. Renewal scholarships receive funding priority.

Table 1

Award Data4

NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS
AVERAGE
Year Total First Time Renewal Award
1986-87 (FY 1986) 1,694 1,694 0 $4,098
1987-88 (FY 1987) 3,025 1,928 1,097 $4,555
1988-89 (FY 1988) 3,614 1,902 1,712 $4,583
1989-90 (FY 1989) 3,615 1,263 2,352 $4,600
1990-91 (FY 1990) 3,248 1,132 2,116 $4,669
1991-92 (FY 1991)(est) 3,202 1,299 1,903 $4,620
1992-93 (FY 1992)(est) 3,436 1,200 2,236 $4,496
1993-94 (FY 1993)(est) 3,404 1,204 2,200 $5,000
Source: III.1.

4Total scholarships times average awards does not equal appropriations for a given year because funds not expended in a given year are returned and can be used for awards in a later year.

Program Administration

The Douglas program is administered by either the State agency that administers the State Student Incentive Grant program, the Federal Family Education Loan program (formerly the Guaranteed Student Loan Program), or any other appropriate agency approved by the Secretary. Either a selection panel or a grant agency in each State establishes specific scholar selection criteria. Particular efforts are made to attract students from low-income backgrounds; ethnic and racial minority students; individuals with disabilities; other individuals from groups historically underrepresented in teaching; individuals who express a willingness or desire to teach in rural schools, urban schools, or schools having less than average academic results or serving large numbers of economically disadvantaged students; or women or minorities who show interest in pursuing teaching careers in mathematics and science and who are underrepresented in such fields.

Forty-seven States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands participate in the program. In addition, four Insular Areas consolidate Douglas funds under other Department programs.

Outcomes

Data from the 1992-93 Performances Reports included information on scholarship recipients from FY 1986 through FY 1992. These 1992-93 Reports indicated that as of FY 1992, 7,278 scholarship recipients, or 62.6 percent of the scholarship recipients overall, had completed their teacher certification course of study. Of those, 66.72 percent had taught in the past or were currently teaching.

Approximately 2,348 recipients (20.2 percent) had completed their scholarship obligation, and 2,131 (18.34 percent) had completed their obligation through teaching and not at all through repayment.

As of FY 1992, 465 scholarship recipients were in repayment. This represents 4 percent of the recipients overall. In addition, less than one percent of the recipients overall were in default -- 26 recipients.

Management Improvement Strategies

The Department reviews all State reports for the accuracy of application and performance data. Department staff review edits periodically to refine them and to improve data quality. Finally, the Department provides case-by-case assistance to the States regarding various administrative aspects of the program and distributes appropriate guidance to all participating entities.

III. Sources of Information

  1. Program files

IV. Planned Studies

A program evaluation study began in 1993 to address the congressional mandate contained in the Higher Education Amendments of 1992. The study will focus on the effectiveness of the program in attracting high-achieving students into teaching.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:
Valerie Hurry, (202) 708-9453
Program Studies:
Elizabeth Eisner, (202) 401-0182

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