United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-05-14 monographic deposited born digital 30 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-657 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657 P0b002ee180393ef6 f:d01657 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657 GAO-01-657 Academic achievement Bilingual education Education program evaluation Educational grants Redundancy Centralization Comprehensive School Grant Dept. of Education Bilingual Education Program Other Written Product A01002

In fiscal year 2000, the federal government funded four bilingual education programs--Program Development and Implementation Grants, Program Enhancement Projects, Comprehensive School Grants, and Systemwide Improvement Grants--that award grants to school districts to serve children with limited English proficiency. To determine if such programs are designed to achieve similar outcomes for the same target group and are not well coordinated, this report reviews (1) how similar the performance goals and measures, eligibility criteria, and allowable services are among the four bilingual education programs, (2) to what extent the different kinds of grants were made to the same types of schools or school districts and were used to provide the same services, (3) what is known about these programs' effectiveness, and (4) whether these programs can be better coordinated or if opportunities exist for program coordination and cost savings. GAO found that all four federal bilingual education programs share the same performance goals and measures, use similar eligibility criteria, and allow for similar uses of program funds. In fiscal year 2000, the four bilingual programs made grants to school districts that shared some characteristics and provided similar services; however, individual schools typically did not receive funding from more than one program. The services provided with program funds are similar, but are tailored by school districts and schools to meet local needs. Currently, the effectiveness of the four bilingual programs on a national level is not known. The authorizing legislation requires the use of local evaluations to assess students' progress in meeting state standards. The variation in local assessment tests complicates the task of providing a national picture of program effectiveness. Even if the Department of Education were able to obtain uniform information about local projects, it faces challenges in trying to isolate the funding effects of the four bilingual programs from funding effects of other programs that support students with limited English proficiency. Finally, these four bilingual programs lend themselves to consolidation. While cost savings from consolidation would likely be small, there may be advantages to consolidation, such as allowing more time for staff to perform other important activities and reducing the administrative burden associated with redundant federal programs. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657.pdf GAO-01-657 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-657 Other Written Product GAO-01-657; Bilingual Education: Four Overlapping Programs Could Be Consolidated; Academic achievement Bilingual education Education program evaluation Educational grants Redundancy Centralization Comprehensive School Grant Dept. of Education Bilingual Education Program Title 20 Section 1400et seq. 20 U.S.C. 1400et seq. Public Law 103-382