[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41459-41463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-18814]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services


School-Based Partnership Grant Assessment Solicitation

AGENCY: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Department of 
Justice.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is 
seeking proposals to conduct an assessment of the School-Based 
Partnership (SBP) grant program. This notice provides background on the 
SBP program, outlines the purpose and needs sought from the assessment, 
and identifies questions to be addressed by applicants seeking to 
provide services under this cooperative agreement. The assessment is 
being announced as an open competition and requires a three-week 
turnaround. The selected awardee will be expected to begin work 
immediately upon selection.

DATES: Applications for the School-Based Partnerships Assessment 
Cooperative Agreement are due on August 17, 1999, by 5:00 p.m. EST. 
Please fax a short letter notifying the COPS Office of your intent to 
apply for the School-Based Partnerships Assessment Cooperative 
Agreement and identify the contact person, phone number, address, and 
fax number for receipt of SBP Background Materials. The letter should 
be faxed to the attention of COPS/PPSE c/o Stacy Curtis at (202) 633-
1386 no later than August 3, 1999. The selected awardee will be 
notified by phone and fax and should plan to begin meeting with the 
COPS Office in September to begin planning the project.

REQUIREMENTS/LIMITATIONS: Package should include the original 
application and three copies. Applications should not exceed 15 double-
spaced, 12-point typed pages. Budget materials, letters of support/
cooperation, and time lines are considered acceptable appendices.

ADDRESSES: Please send application package to: Office of Community 
Oriented Policing Services Program/Policy Support and Evaluation 
Division 1100 Vermont Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20530 (20005 for express 
services) Attn: Stacy Curtis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Curtis at (202) 633-1297 or 
Karin Schmerler at (202) 633-1321 to obtain additional information 
about this solicitation. Additional information can also be obtained 
through the COPS Office Internet web site at www.usdoj.gov/cops or by 
calling the Department of Justice Response Center at 1-800-421-6770.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In 1998, the COPS Office announced the first round of School-Based 
Partnerships grantees to 155 law enforcement agencies. The COPS Office 
issued a second grant solicitation in early 1999, to fund additional 
policing agencies and their partners. Funding decisions for SBP '99 are 
forthcoming. Various components of this assessment will include 
grantees funded in 1998 while other tasks will focus on grantees funded 
in 1999. It is possible that some SBP grantees will receive grants in 
both 1998 and 1999 to problem solve on different crime and disorder 
problems. Applicants for the assessment should consider ways to best 
incorporate information from all grantees from the two years of funding 
and should not be limited in their proposals to the ideas and tasks 
included in this solicitation.
    The SBP grant program is part of the COPS Office's commitment to 
advancing community policing through collaborative problem solving. The 
initiative seeks to facilitate a shift from traditional incident-driven 
policing to proactive problem-oriented policing that encourages 
community participation to keep children safe by reducing school-
related violence, crime, and disorder. Rather than repeatedly 
responding to the same types of crimes after they have occurred, 
policing agencies that practice community policing and problem solving 
work with community members to identify persistent problems, learn more 
about why these problems occur, and address the underlying conditions 
that precipitate their occurrence.
    The SBP program provides policing agencies with a unique 
opportunity to work with schools and community-based organizations to 
address persistent school-related crime problems. Grantees were 
required to

[[Page 41460]]

focus on one primary school-related crime or disorder problem occurring 
in or around an elementary or secondary school. Target problems 
include: drug dealing or use on school grounds, problems experienced by 
students on the way to and from school, assault/sexual assault, alcohol 
use or alcohol-related problems/DWI, bullying/threat/intimidation, 
vandalism/graffiti, loitering and disorderly conduct directly related 
to crime or student safety, disputes that pose a threat to student 
safety, or larceny. Successful applicants provided evidence of 
partnerships with schools or community-based agencies and with students 
to work cooperatively to analyze the targeted crime or public safety 
issue.
    The School-Based Partnerships program emphasizes problem analysis, 
a key component of problem solving, to help develop effective 
responses, many of which include prevention and intervention efforts. 
Grantees use problem-solving methods to understand the causes of the 
problem, develop specific, tailor-made responses to that problem and 
assess the impact of those responses. In order to help communities use 
creative problem solving to address school-related problems, the 
program funded resources for purchasing computer technology, hiring 
crime analysis personnel, conducting student surveys and victim/
offender interviews, utilizing community organizers, school personnel 
and/or students to analyze or coordinate the project, and procuring 
training and technical assistance in collaborative problem solving.
    As part of a successful application, SBP grantees were required to 
allocate at least 5% of the total project cost to found a local-level 
evaluation. The COPS Office included this requirement to assure that 
the impacts of the SBP projects are well documented and to promote 
local-level practitioner-researcher partnerships. Policing agencies 
typically have partnered with universities or colleges, research 
agencies, or have accessed internal resources to conduct the 
evaluation. At a minimum, the local-level evaluations must include data 
on outcome measures to evaluate the project's impact on the target 
crime or disorder problem. Ideally, local level evaluators will also 
assess the implementation of the problem-solving process. The 
combination of process and outcome evaluations will provide the most 
thorough assessment of the SBP grant program. Grantees will be required 
to submit a final report detailing the implementation of the project, 
including hurdles and particular successes with the problem-solving 
model, as well as indicators of the impact of the problem-solving 
process on the targeted problem.

Information Assistance Needs

    In recent years the number of departments across the country 
implementing problem-solving approaches has increased dramatically. In 
1997, the COPS Office first facilitated collaborative problem-solving 
initiatives through the Problem-Solving Partnerships grant, which 
focuses on crime and disorder problems in communities across the 
country. The School-Based Partnerships program applies the same 
problem-solving model to crime and disorder experienced in and around 
schools. Anecdotal accounts of problem solving indicate that 
collaborative efforts to analyze crime and disorder problems prior to 
implementing a standard response have been very effective at enhancing 
quality of life and deceasing the targeted crime and disorder problems.
    However, the field of policing continues to lack well-documented 
research on the use of problem-solving approaches to reducing crime and 
disorder.
    The local-level evaluation of the SBP grant program provides the 
COPS Office an opportunity to understand the processes and outcomes 
associated with collaborative problem-solving involving police 
officers, schools, and community members. It will also allow the COPS 
Office to examine the factors that facilitate as well as impede the 
implementation of problem-solving approaches. Because the scope and 
intensity of local-level evaluations will vary across agencies, a 
national assessment of the SBP program will help provide a more 
comprehensive look at the COPS grant program's impact by documenting 
and assessing two rounds of grant funding.
    The COPS Office is seeking to work with a provider to collect and 
analyze several project reports from all SBP '98 grantees. These 
reports will allow for systematic data collection from all grantees and 
will yield information on how departments operationalized the problem-
solving model in the field. These reports will also provide in-depth 
information on lessons learned and the subsequent impact of problem 
solving in the targeted problems. Additionally, the COPS Office is 
interested in funding in-depth case studies of a subset of grantees 
awarded in fiscal year 1999. These case studies would use a quasi-
experimental design to study the impact of problem solving in target 
schools compared to similar schools not participating in this school-
based project but located in the same or similar jurisdiction as the 
policing agency and school participating in the SBP project. One of the 
primary goals of this solicitation is to provide information to law 
enforcement and educational agencies to stimulate the promotion of 
problem solving as a way to address crime and disorder problems in and 
around schools. In summary, the successful applicant will: (1) Develop 
(based on a previously used questionnaire), distribute, and synthesize 
findings from a progress report questionnaire on analysis activities 
undertaken by SBP '98 grantees; (2) review evaluation strategies 
provided by local-level evaluators and provide technical assistance 
when needed; (3) develop, distribute, and synthesize findings from a 
progress report questionnaire on the response activities of SBP '98 
grantees; (4) develop, distribute, and synthesize findings from a 
survey of all SBP '98 grantees on their experiences implementing 
problem solving; (5) conduct case studies with a subset of SBP '99 
grantees; and (6) prepare a final report of findings from SBP '98 and 
'99 grantees. Applicants should not be limited to these tasks as 
outlined below. Although the following deliverables are required, we 
are also seeking creative ideas on other problem-solving products 
relating to schools that would benefit the policing and education 
communities.

Scope of Work

    For a period hereinafter set forth, the COPs Office and the Awardee 
will cooperatively furnish the necessary personnel, travel, supplies, 
and otherwise perform all things necessary for, or incident to, the 
performance of work (the accomplishment of functional objectives) as 
set forth below:

Specific Requirements

    At a minimum, the following specific tasks are required.
Task 1
    During the first quarter, the awardee will work collaboratively 
with the COPS Office to revise a progress report questionnaire 
developed previously to gather information on the analysis activities 
of grantees conducting projects under the Problem Solving partnerships 
grant (the questionnaire will be made available to the chosen 
provider). The awardee will distribute the progress report 
questionnaire to SBP '98 grantees and will collect and synthesize the 
data, culminating in the development of written reports on the major 
problem types. The awardee will

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then distribute these reports to SBP '98 and '99 grantees. The purpose 
of this task is to provide all SBP grantees with important information 
regarding analysis findings and the ways their fellow grantees have 
addressed challenges in the analysis phase that may assist them in 
implementing their own grants. This tasks will also help the COPS 
Office anticipate challenges that may be faced by SBP '99 grantees, and 
help inform any future program design that may be necessary.
    Throughout the course of this cooperative agreement, the awardee 
will provide information on the status of the project. A schedule for 
reporting will be established between the awardee and the COPS office.

Deliverables for Task 1

    (1) The awardee will help the COPS Office refine the existing 
analysis phase progress report questionnaire, send it to the 155 SBP 
'98 grantees, collect responses, and synthesize data into at least four 
separate analysis reports covering the major problem types.
    (2) The awardee will disseminate the reports to all SBP '98 and '99 
grantees according to their focus problem.
    (3) Throughout the course of the project, the awardee will submit 
progress reports on project activities according to an established 
schedule.
Task 2
    During the first and second quarters of the cooperative agreement 
the awardee will review proposed local-level evaluation strategies 
submitted to COPS by SBP '98 grantees. Throughout the project, the 
awardee will assist local-level evaluators in refining these strategies 
when technical assistance appears to be required. It is estimated that 
providing technical assistance to local-level evaluators will make up 
approximately 10% of staff time on this project.

Deliverables for Task 2

    (1) As necessary, the awardee will provide technical assistance to 
local level evaluators of SBP '98 grants.
    (2) The awardee will develop a final report on the evaluation 
assistance provided to local level evaluators during the course of the 
cooperative agreement.
Task 3
    During the second quarter, the awardee will work collaboratively 
with the COPS Office to revise a progress report questionnaire used 
previously to gather information on the responses utilized by Problem 
Solving Partnerships grantees to tackle the crime and disorder problems 
being addressed through the problem-solving model (the report will be 
made available to the awarded provider). The awardee will distribute 
the progress report questionnaire to SBP '98 grantees and will collect 
and synthesize the data, culminating in the development of written 
reports on the major problem types. The awardee will then distribute 
these reports to SBP '98 and '99 grantees. The purpose of this task is 
to provide SBP '98 and '99 grantees with important information 
regarding issues their fellow grantees have faced with respect to 
generating, selecting and implementing effective responses. This 
information may prove to be vital as SBP '99 grantees implement their 
own grant projects. This task will also help the COPS Office anticipate 
challenges that may be faced by SBP '99 grantees and will help inform 
future COPS program design.

Deliverables for Task 3

    (1) The provider will help the COPS Office refine the existing 
response phase progress report questionnaire, send it to the 155 SBP 
'98 grantees, collect responses, and synthesize data into at least four 
separate reports covering the major problem types.
    (2) The provider will disseminate the reports to all SBP '98 and 
'99 grantees according to their focus problem.
Task 4
    During the third quarter, the awardee will develop a tool to 
collect project information that spans the life of the grant project 
from all SBP '98 grantees on their experiences implementing 
collaborative problem solving focused on problems in and around 
schools. The tool should include both process and outcome indicators 
and narrative descriptions provided by grantees outlining and processes 
and impacts of the grant projects. The awardee will work 
collaboratively with the COPS Office to assure that the instrument 
adequately addresses the goals of the SBP grant program. If necessary, 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the awardee will submit 
the instrument to the COPS Office to be cleared by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). The awardee will be available to assist 
local level evaluators in completing this report. In addition, the 
awardee will identify a subset of grantees that implemented successful 
projects and will develop 10 short (3 to 5 page) case studies on these 
projects (an example, ``What Works: Promising Practices from the 
Field,'' will be provided to potential applicants pending submission of 
Notice of Intent to Apply, See SBP Background Materials). These case 
studies will include information generated by the information 
collection tools described previously and phone and other 
correspondence between the awardee and SBP '98 grantees. Given 
conditions at the local level and beyond the control of the COPS 
Office, this cooperative agreement may include a no-cost extension to 
incorporate additional time for the awardee to conduct case studies.

Deliverables for Task 4

    (1) The awardee will develop an information collection instrument 
to collect final project information from all SBP '98 grantees on their 
experiences implementing collaborative problem solving focused on 
problems in and around schools. Prior to its administration, the 
awardee will submit the instrument to the COPS Office for review and 
approval.
    (2) The awardee will produce a report to document survey findings.
    (3) The awardee will produce 10 short case studies from the SBP '98 
program.
Task 5
    During the second and third quarters of the grant period, the 
awardee will select a subset of five SBP '99 grantees with which to 
conduct an in-depth case study of the processes and outcomes of their 
SBP grant projects. The awardee will identify promising projects 
through SBP '99 applications and follow-up contact with the grantees. 
Selected grantees should be able to implement a quasi-experimental 
design to compare a series of measures collected at the target schools 
and similar schools not participating in the School-Based Partnerships 
grant project. Technical assistance from the awardee is anticipated. 
Control schools should be located in the same or similar jurisdiction 
as the policing agency and school participating in the SBP grant 
project. Through subcontracts, the selected locales will be eligible 
for additional funding of up to $5,000 to collect information from 
control schools. Many control schools will already collect data on 
suspensions, attendance, calls for service, etc., and additional 
funding will allow grantees to conduct student/faculty surveys, 
environment surveys, etc., as deemed appropriate by the awardee in 
conjunction with the local level evaluator. The awardee will develop 
site selection criteria for review by the COPS Office and will submit a 
list of potential case study sites for final review and selection in 
collaboration with representatives of the COPS Office. It is 
anticipated that the awardee will travel to selected sites during the 
course of

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these studies. The awardee will develop data collection instruments for 
use during site visits and will submit these to the COPS Office for 
review. The awardee will continue to be available to assist local-level 
evaluators. Given conditions at the local level and beyond the control 
of the COPS Office, this cooperative agreement may include a no-cost 
extension to incorporate additional time for the awardee to conduct all 
aspects of this cooperative agreement.

Deliverables for Task 5

    (1) The awardee will develop a short proposal identifying potential 
case study sites selected from the pool of SBP '99 grantees. This 
proposal will include site selection criteria and justifications for 
including these grantees as potential case study candidates. 
Ultimately, five candidates will be selected in collaboration with the 
COPS Office to be included as case studies. Case studies will include 
the processes and outcomes of implementing collaborative problem 
solving, including a focus on the obstacles encountered and benefits of 
engaging in problem-solving partnerships with schools, community-based 
agencies (where applicable), and students. The awardee will provide 
oversight to ensure the integrity of the data and assessment process.
    (2) The awardee will develop data collection instruments to 
document the experiences and outcomes of sites implementing the SBP 
grant program. The awardee will submit these for review by the COPS 
Office.
    (3) The awardee will develop short reports (10 pages or fewer) that 
document the research methods and findings from each case study. These 
reports shall include a summary section and a description of each 
individual case study.
    (4) The awardee will disseminate these case studies to all SBP '98 
and '99 grantees and to other audiences as identified by the COPS 
Office and/or the provider.
Task 6
    During the fourth quarter of the grant period, the awardee will 
write a report on the SBP grant program. The report will include an 
analysis of information collected from all SBP '98 grantees and in-
depth information from the case study sites of SBP' 99 sites. This 
report should include an examination of the processes undertaken by SBP 
grantees, lessons learned, and recommendations to policing agencies and 
schools seeking to implement similar problem-solving partnerships. In 
addition, this report should include information on the impact of the 
projects and the methods and measures local-level evaluators used to 
assess the projects' impact. Given conditions at the local level and 
beyond the control of the COPS Office, this cooperative agreement may 
include a no-cost extension to incorporate additional time for the 
awardee to conduct all aspects of this cooperative agreement.

Deliverable for Task 6

    (1) The awardee will develop a final report based on findings from 
an outcome evaluation of the SBP grant program.
    (2) The awardee will disseminate widely copies of the report to SBP 
grantees and other policing agencies. The report must receive written 
approval from the COPS Office prior to dissemination.
Task 7 (Optional)
    Applicants may propose additional problem-solving products that 
would make significant contributions to school safety.

1Applicant Criteria

    Applicants should meet the following criteria:
    1. Prossess expertise in the areas of community policing, 
collaborative problem-solving, and schools (or evidence of a 
partnership with a school organization/consultants with significant 
experience with school safety issues). Significant experience in the 
areas of community policing and general problem solving will be 
essential. In addition, prior experience working with schools or youth 
crime prevention issues is essential.
    2. Posses significant experience coordinating assessments of 
efforts between policing agencies and other government agencies and/or 
community-based entities.
    3. Possess significant experience providing technical assistance on 
evaluation to third-party evaluators, overseeing projects involving 
quasi-experimental designs, and conducting on-site interviews.
    4. Possess experience administering federal grants or cooperative 
agreements of more than $300,000.
    5. Have a person record of working collaboratively on projects with 
other organizations.
    6. Possess experience working with local policing agencies in 
rural, suburban, and urban communities in jurisdictions ranging from 
15,000 to over 1,000,000 persons.

Proposal Questions

    Applicants competing for this cooperative agreement must submit a 
Notice of Intent to Apply (see DATES section). The COPS Office will 
provide potential applicants with required forms including, a 
background information form and budget worksheets (a full lists of 
forms is included in SBP Background materials). Applicants must 
complete these forms and provide a double-spaced narrative proposal to 
apply. The narrative should not exceed 15-pages; the required forms and 
budget do not count toward the page length. The proposal should address 
all of the following questions:

Capabilities

    1. Describe your organization's previous experience working on 
assessments of community policing and collaborative problem-solving 
efforts. Describe your agency's background working with schools of 
youth crime prevention initiative. Please also describe your 
organization's experience providing technical assistance to third-party 
evaluators.
    2. Discuss how you work on this project will enhance your 
organization's ability to be a long-term contributor to the assessment 
of innovative collaborative problem-solving strategies and community 
policing efforts. Please outline how your organization would build upon 
the efforts and infrasturture developed under this project to impact 
policing departments and communities over the next five years.
    3. Discuss your management plan for implementing this project with 
respect to internal and external management of personnel and resources. 
Also address how you would facilitate and manage the operations of this 
project beyond the life of the Cooperative Agreement.
    4. Describe a potential management plan for conducting the 
collection of information to best inform grantees of lessons learned? 
Provide research questions and topic areas for analysis.

Plan for Case Studies

    5. Describe a potential management plan for conducting the five 
quasi-experimental case studies of SBP '99 grantees. Provide your plan 
for identifying potential sites, research questions and topic areas for 
analysis.

Plan for Final Report/Other Problem-Solving Products

    6. Discuss how data collected from SBP '98 grantees and sites 
participating in the case studies could be analyzed, documented, 
reviewed, and disseminated to promote the ideal implementation of 
problem-solving

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approaches in the future. Provide a description of any additional data 
collection efforts or other activities you would like to undertake and 
the deliverables that would result. Discuss how policing agencies and 
researchers could access the products developed out of this project.

Timeline

    7. Provide a detailed timeline of the assessment activities 
described above. Although funds will be awarded for one calendar year, 
applicants may submit a timeline that exceeds 12 months in anticipation 
of a no-cost extension to allow for circumstances at the local level 
and beyond the control of the COPS Office or the awardee of this 
cooperative agreement.

Budget

    Prepare a detailed budget for a one-year agreement. Applicants may 
apply for up to $350,000. The budget may include travel and per diem 
costs related to the case studies, mailing or telephone costs for data 
collection instruments, and production and dissemination costs of all 
deliverables.

SBP Background Materials

    The following materials will be provided to potential applicants 
following their submission of a Notice of Intent to Apply (See DATES). 
Materials are also available from the COPS Office internet web site at 
www.usdoj.gov/cops.
--SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance
--Budget Detail Worksheet
--Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other 
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements; Coordination 
with Affected Agencies; Non-Supplanting; and Retention (one form)
--Assurances
--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
--School-Based Partnerships Application Kit and Fact Sheet
--Problem-Solving Tips
--List of SBP grantees and problem types awarded in 1998; grantees 
awarded in 1999 will be available following the announcement of funding 
decisions (likely September 1999)
--Anticipated time line for SBP '98 and SBP '99 projects
--What Works: Promising Practices from the Field

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) reference for 
this program is 16.710.

    Dated: July 9, 1999.
Mary Lou Leary,
Interim Director.
[FR Doc. 99-18814 Filed 7-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-AT-M