20 U.S.C. § 1070a–18: Reports, evaluations…

§1070a–18 Reports, Evaluations, and Grants for Project Improvement and Dissemination

Title 20 › CHAPTER 28 — HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE › SUBCHAPTER IV — STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Part A — Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education › subpart 2 — federal early outreach and student services programs › § 1070a–18

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must send a yearly report to the committees that oversee these programs. The report is due no later than 12 months after the programs’ own performance reports are sent to the Secretary. It must show how each program did on the outcome measures set earlier, combine project-level data into national results, and, when needed, include descriptive, multi-year, and multi-cohort information. The report must also give comparable results for low-income students, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities. Along with the report, the Secretary must explain how the secondary review process (under section 1070a–11(c)(8)(C)(iv)) worked, including how many reviews happened, what types, how they were resolved, and how they affected award timing. The Secretary must fund outside groups to carry out strong evaluations of the programs, including a required Upward Bound evaluation to start by June 30, 2010, that looks at which students and which program features help most. Evaluations must find practices that improve access, preparation, and success for low-income and first-generation students. The Secretary must share those practices publicly and with program sites. No program may be forced to join an evaluation if it must recruit extra students or deny services to students. The Secretary should limit burden on people and follow institutional review board standards. The Secretary may also fund older programs (running before October 7, 1998) to spread successful practices and give technical help.

Title 20, §1070a–18

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(a)Reports to the authorizing committees

(1)In general

The Secretary shall submit annually, to the authorizing committees, a report that documents the performance of all programs funded under this division. Such report shall—

(A)be submitted not later than 12 months after the eligible entities receiving funds under this division are required to report their performance to the Secretary;

(B)focus on the programs’ performance on the relevant outcome criteria determined under section 1070a–11(f)(4) of this title;

(C)aggregate individual project performance data on the outcome criteria in order to provide national performance data for each program;

(D)include, when appropriate, descriptive data, multi-year data, and multi-cohort data; and

(E)include comparable data on the performance nationally of low-income students, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.

(2)Information

The Secretary shall provide, with each report submitted under paragraph (1), information on the impact of the secondary review process described in section 1070a–11(c)(8)(C)(iv) of this title, including the number and type of secondary reviews, the disposition of the secondary reviews, the effect on timing of awards, and any other information the Secretary determines is necessary.

(b)Evaluations

(1)In general

(A)Authorization of grants and contracts

For the purpose of improving the effectiveness of the programs and projects assisted under this division, the Secretary shall make grants to, or enter into contracts with, institutions of higher education and other public and private institutions and organizations to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and projects assisted under this division, including a rigorous evaluation of the programs and projects assisted under section 1070a–13 of this title. The evaluation of the programs and projects assisted under section 1070a–13 of this title shall be implemented not later than June 30, 2010.

(B)Content of upward bound evaluation

The evaluation of the programs and projects assisted under section 1070a–13 of this title that is described in subparagraph (A) shall examine the characteristics of the students who benefit most from the Upward Bound program under section 1070a–13 of this title and the characteristics of the programs and projects that most benefit students.

(C)Implementation

Each evaluation described in this paragraph shall be implemented in accordance with the requirements of this section.

(2)Practices

(A)In general

The evaluations described in paragraph (1) shall identify institutional, community, and program or project practices that are effective in— (i)

(ii)the preparation of such individuals and students for postsecondary education; and

(iii)fostering the success of the individuals and students in postsecondary education.

(B)Primary purpose

Any evaluation conducted under this division shall have as the evaluation’s primary purpose the identification of particular practices that further the achievement of the outcome criteria determined under section 1070a–11(f)(4) of this title.

(C)Dissemination and use of evaluation findings

The Secretary shall disseminate to eligible entities and make available to the public the practices identified under subparagraph (B). The practices may be used by eligible entities that receive assistance under this division after the dissemination.

(3)Special rule related to evaluation participation

The Secretary shall not require an eligible entity, as a condition for receiving, or that receives, assistance under any program or project under this division to participate in an evaluation under this section that—

(A)requires the eligible entity to recruit additional students beyond those the program or project would normally recruit; or

(B)results in the denial of services for an eligible student under the program or project.

(4)Consideration

When designing an evaluation under this subsection, the Secretary shall continue to consider—

(A)the burden placed on the program participants or the eligible entity; and

(B)whether the evaluation meets generally accepted standards of institutional review boards.

(c)Grants

The Secretary may award grants to institutions of higher education or other private and public institutions and organizations, that are carrying out a program or project assisted under this division prior to October 7, 1998, to enable the institutions and organizations to expand and leverage the success of such programs or projects by working in partnership with other institutions, community-based organizations, or combinations of such institutions and organizations, that are not receiving assistance under this division and are serving low-income students and first generation college students, in order to—

(1)disseminate and replicate best practices of programs or projects assisted under this division; and

(2)provide technical assistance regarding programs and projects assisted under this division.

(d)Results

In order to improve overall program or project effectiveness, the results of evaluations and grants described in this section shall be disseminated by the Secretary to similar programs or projects assisted under this subpart, as well as other individuals concerned with postsecondary access for and retention of low-income individuals and first-generation college students.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2008—Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(h)(1), substituted “Reports, evaluations, and grants for project improvement and dissemination” for “Evaluations and grants for project improvement and dissemination partnership projects” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(h)(3), added subsec. (a). Former subsec. (a) redesignated (b). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(h)(2), (4), redesignated subsec. (a) as (b), added pars. (1) to (4), and struck out former pars. (1) and (2) which read as follows: “(1) In general.—For the purpose of improving the effectiveness of the programs and projects assisted under this division, the Secretary may make grants to or enter into contracts with institutions of higher education and other public and private institutions and organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and projects assisted under this division. “(2) Practices.—The evaluations described in paragraph (1) shall identify institutional, community, and program or project practices that are particularly effective in enhancing the access of low-income individuals and first-generation college students to postsecondary education, the preparation of the individuals and students for postsecondary education, and the success of the individuals and students in postsecondary education. Such evaluations shall also investigate the effectiveness of alternative and innovative methods within Federal TRIO programs of increasing access to, and retention of, students in postsecondary education.” Former subsec. (b) redesignated (c). Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(h)(2), redesignated subsecs. (b) and (c) as (c) and (d), respectively. 1998—Pub. L. 105–244 amended section generally, revising and restating former subsecs. (a) to (c) relating to evaluation for project improvement.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1998 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–244 effective Oct. 1, 1998, except as otherwise provided in Pub. L. 105–244, see section 3 of Pub. L. 105–244, set out as a note under section 1001 of this title.