 
Who We Are
The U.S. Department of Education operates two hundred
targeted programs, with a staff of fewer than 5,000 people and
provides 10 percent of all educational funding in the United States.
As the smallest cabinet-level Department the Department of Education's
work is vast and its resources relatively limited, it is imperative
that it functions as a focused, coherent, and high-performing
organization. The Planning and Evaluation Service (PES) helps
make this possible in the following ways:
- Through our strategic planning activities, we help frame program goals, define indicators of success, and promote sound budget decisions;
- Our evaluation studies monitor the performance of Department programs to encourage high-quality educational services for the American public, strengthen guidance for programs, identify effective practices, and promote appropriate legislative change in the federal government; and
- Our international activities help ensure that we have access to the best information and ideas on educational programs from around the world.
Our many Customers demand a wide range of
performance and improvement information of all kinds. Each group has
particular needs:
- National policymakers (including senior Departmental officers, the Office of Management and Budget, Congress, national associations): Strategic information on the national performance of polices and programs, and suggestions on how to improve them. This is especially important for annual budget decisions and major reauthorization processes, which usually take place every 5 years.
- Federal program managers: Frequent, real-time data on how their programs are functioning - information that can help design program improvement strategies.
- Local and state grantees: Periodic data on how they compare to other grantees, and practices and procedures that have been linked to successful outcomes.
- Educators, parents, and community members: Practical advice on creating and maintaining a successful education model or practice.
To ensure that we provide the best resources to the
Department of Education, the Mission of the Planning and
Evaluation Service is to carry out legislative requirements and to
serve the public. PES helps guide Department priorities, evaluate
results against these priorities, compare outcomes with national and
international standards of excellence, and use information to plan and
improve our efforts.
Our Vision is to provide leadership in
gathering, analyzing, and processing information on the Department of
Education's policies and programs. We want to be known for offering
accurate, objective, and timely information for sound policy
development and management.
Our PES Core Values articulate our ideals and
influence our daily interactions. They include honesty and integrity,
high performance, a customer focus, continuous improvement, an
appreciation of differences, and open communications.
Our mission, vision, values, and customers drive
everything we do. Customers focus our work on the development of the
Department's strategic plan and performance measures; evaluations of
Department-sponsored programs; and the coordination of international
relations to promote a global exchange of information and human
resources.
PES CORE VALUES 
Honesty and Integrity
We seek to build and sustain credibility; be committed to intellectual honesty; and demonstrate fairness and equity in all interactions.
High Performance
We will work to create high-quality products and services; hold ourselves accountable; acquire skills to be technically competent; be efficient; and streamline processes and procedures.
Customer Focus
We will know our internal and external customers and their needs and then meet and exceed their expectations; be responsive and timely; and use customer input and feedback to pro-actively improve our products and services.
Continuous Improvement
We will learn from our successes and failures; participate in self-evaluation; increase/expand our skill capacities; and look to and plan for the future
Appreciation of Differences
We will appreciate differences in gender, race, disability, lifestyle, beliefs, age, and thought, and use these differences to enrich our work. We will also act with respect for others.
Open Communications
We seek to listen respectfully, objectively, and actively; share knowledge and experiences; and provide ongoing feedback to each other about the quality of our work and our performance.
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What We Do
Plan (plan) vt.
To design, to make a diagram or plot plan, to devise a detailed map on a large scale; to have in mind as a project or purpose. |
We Plan in order to help the Department shape
the direction of its policies and resources. Through our strategic
planning, we encourage the Department to focus on high quality,
performance-driven, and customer-oriented management goals and
objectives. Every year, PES works with other divisions to develop the
Department's Strategic Plan and Report, reconfirming and reassessing
the Department's goals and the ways in which the agency is working to
realize them.
To create an effective plan, PES works with program offices to establish:
- Objectives based on Department goals and priorities;
- Key strategies for achieving Department objectives (including ways to coordinate with other federal agencies);
- Indicators to measure performance in specified areas; and
- Strategies for challenges to achieving our objectives.
The Congress of the United States identified our 1999
Strategic Plan as among the best of those submitted by federal
agencies. At the spring 2000 House appropriations hearings,
Subcommittee Chairman John Porter stated that:
"The Department [of Education] is making
admirable progress in developing and applying performance standards
under the Government Performance and Results Act. I especially want
to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of ... the Planning and
Evaluation Service for their work on GPRA."
Our plan reflects the long-term priorities of the
President and the Secretary of Education to meet the federal
responsibilities as defined in legislation by the Congress of the
United States.
Department of Education Priorities
- All students will read independently and well by the end of 3rd grade.
- All students will master challenging mathematics, including the foundations of algebra and geometry, by the end of 8th grade.
- By 18 years of age, all students will be prepared for and able to afford college.
- All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and effective strategies for reaching those standards.
- There will be a talented, dedicated, and well-prepared teacher in every classroom.
- Every classroom will be connected to the Internet by the year 2000 and all students will be technologically literate.
- Every school will be strong, safe, drug-free, and disciplined.
Each year, as part of the Department's Annual Plan to
Congress, PES collaborates with program offices to develop a set of
"Objective Plans," by which we identify strategies for achieving the
President's and Secretary's priorities, as well as legislative
mandates, and measure the Department's success in adhering to them.
An example of an Objective Plan is found in the accompanying box.
| A PES Objective Plan |
Objective: To have a talented, dedicated, and well-prepared teacher in every classroom in America.
Indicators: Using baseline data from previous years, we are able to determine progress in a number of areas affecting teacher quality. The indicators of improvement for this objective are:
- The percentage of secondary school teachers who have at least a minor in the subject they teach.
- The number of nationally board-certified teachers.
- The percentage of new teachers who feel very well prepared to (1) address the needs of students with limited English proficiency; (2) address the needs of students with disabilities; and (3) integrate educational technology into the grade or subject they teach.
- The number of states that use a performance-based assessment of subject matter expertise and teaching skills as a requirement in the certification and licensure process for new teachers.
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Strategic Plans are only beneficial when implemented.
Each Assistant Secretary has an annual performance agreement that
identifies the progress of his or her office in achieving the
performance goals outlined in the Department's Strategic Plan.
The Strategic Plan has also fostered cross-agency cooperation
in areas such as preschool education and drug education, where several
Departments have overlapping responsibilities.
For more information on the Department's Annual Plan,
call toll-free, 1-877-433-7827 or visit the Strategic Planning Web page
at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/AnnualPlan2001.
Evaluate (i val' yoo wat'), vt.
To find the value or amount of; to judge the worth of. |
We Evaluate to determine the effectiveness,
efficiency, and equity of our Department programs.
Evaluation is the primary function of PES. It is through our
evaluation studies that we document the progress and performance of
goals established in our planning process. Our studies, many of which
are congressionally mandated, provide critical information to
policymakers.
To assess the performance of certain programs, our
studies focus on performance-based questions:
- What are the program outcomes and impacts on participants?
- Who participates? What services are provided? How do the effects of the program vary across participants?
- How well is the program managed? How can it be improved?
Two recent PES evaluation studies are described in the box below.
| Sample Evaluation Studies |
Title I
In 1999, the report, Promising Results, Continuing Challenges,
synthesized the findings from a number of evaluation studies
focusing on the implementation and impact of the $8 billion Title I
program. The program provides funding to high-poverty districts
and schools to improve education for children at risk of academic
failure. The report found that while 4th-grade student achievement
in reading and math in the highest-poverty schools has risen since
1992, the achievement gap between students in the highest-poverty
schools and low-poverty schools remains large. The report also
found that paraprofessionals, who make up half the staff supported
with Title I funds, are often used to teach or help to teach
students even though many are not educationally qualified for such
responsibilities.
Additionally, the report found that Title I funds are effectively targeted on high-poverty schools, with 73 percent of Title I funds going to schools with 50 percent or more low-income students.
This report is being used to inform congressional deliberations over the reauthorization of the Title I program, and preliminary findings from the report were used in developing the Administration's proposal for the Title I reauthorization.
For more information on the report, Promising Results, Continuing Challenges: Final Report of the National Assessment of Title I, visit the Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/hlights.html.
Student Financial Aid
A PES analysis conducted as part of the strategic planning process estimated that in 1999, for every $1 invested in the student financial assistance programs, the federal government will receive over $3 in increased tax revenues and decreased welfare costs. The return ranged from $1.15 for student aid recipients who attended college but did not receive a degree to $6.20 for those attending graduate school.
The "profitability" of the student financial assistance program is due to its support of needy students to obtain additional education, which leads to higher lifetime incomes, increased tax payments, and decreased welfare costs. The analysis stands to support the Administration's commitment to increasing the federal investment in student financial aid.
For more information on this student financial aid study, call 202-401-3562. |
International (in ter national'), adj. Affairs (a fairs'), n.
Pertaining to communications between nations in public matters. |
We Coordinate International Affairs to
facilitate the Department's exchange of information and relationships
with other nations in order to develop more effective educational
systems. As we face the challenges of an increasingly global economy,
it is critical that we understand the educational policies and
practices of other nations.
The International Affairs (IA) division in PES
coordinates the Department's international efforts. To this end, IA
undertakes a variety of activities:
- Advising the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other Department officials on international matters that may affect U.S. education and/or Department policy;
- Coordinating the Department's participation in international organizations, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Organization of American States (OAS), and UN agencies;
- Helping to develop international cooperative agreements in education with other nations; and
- Initiating studies and analyzing information on education policies and practices abroad.
| Highlights of International Activities |
Ministerial Meetings. Ministers of Education of the G-8 nations and the 21 economies belonging to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group met back-to-back this spring in Tokyo and Singapore to discuss the challenges and successes of educational policy in the 21st century. Collectively, these meetings brought together nations that represent 40 percent of the world's population; over 90 percent of its economic resources; and nine out of the ten nations sending the most students to American colleges and universities. IA prepared background and briefing papers for the meetings, advised the Secretary regarding his participation and collaborated with other nations to ensure that the meetings were substantive and successful.
Presidential Memorandum and Secretary's Speech on International Education. On April 19, 2000, the President released a policy memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies identifying major areas on which to focus government-wide attention, including: strengthening international exchanges, promoting international benchmarking of effective practices, developing international applications of instructional technologies, and promoting bi-literacy. On the same day, the Secretary of Education presented a major speech at the French embassy addressing the importance of these international education priorities. IA, along with other Department offices and outside organizations and agencies, is responsible for tracking the progress of these initiatives.
Bilateral Cooperation. IA offers leadership in coordinating the U.S. government's implementation of bilateral agreements on educational cooperation. Such agreements currently exist with China, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. These agreements encourage educational exchange programs among university faculty, students, and researchers, as well as increased dialogue on teacher and administrator development, school-community partnerships, educational technology, and systems of evaluation. And where no formal agreement exists, IA also guides the Department's cooperative efforts with countries such as Egypt and South Africa with which there is no formal agreement.
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| WHERE WE ARE GOING
Knowledge, resources, and
results are what PES is all about. As we move into the future,
we will continue to apply these tools to everything we do, whether to
develop a product or deliver a service. PES applies knowledge and
harnesses diverse data and information resources to produce results
for the Department of Education and other governmental customers using
performance measurement tools in planning, evaluation, and
international affairs. In addition, PES has identified opportunities
to improve our products and enhance our ability to meet customer
needs. We will continue to:
- Create a quality workplace,
- Apply innovative methodologies, and
- Use knowledge management to enhance communications.
Create a Quality Workplace
In a knowledge-focused organization, the skills and dedication
of our staff are key to our success. Our staff members bring a rich
assortment of skills to their jobs. As a group, their areas of
expertise include statistics, economics, sociology, social work, and
teaching. Staff development to support and strengthen these skills has
been, and will continue to be, an important PES focus and will
continue to be a focus in the future. We believe that by creating a
dynamic quality workplace for our staff, we can deliver first class
products and services to our customers. That's why we continue to
offer:
- Ongoing training and development opportunities tailored to staff and management competencies;
- A performance-focused rewards and recognition program;
- Opportunities to learn "best practices" from both the public and private sectors; and
- The opportunity for every staff member to participate in influencing the change process, either as an individual contributor or as a member of a team.
Apply Innovative Methodologies
The application of new methodologies is intended to
improve information quality and response time. One innovative
approach, already in use, is:
Development of a partnership with State
Education Agencies, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education,
the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, and the Chief
Information Officer is applying modern information technologies to
harvest a core set of program performance data directly from State
computers. This arrangement focuses real-time data collections on our
highest priority information needs, eliminates duplicative and
unnecessary data reporting across the Department, and enhances ease of
data use through automated report generators.
PES plans to continue to explore innovative
methodologies, such as Departmental and intergovernmental
partnerships, to enhance our products and services.
Use Knowledge Management to Enhance Communications
PES is creating a new knowledge management and
communication group to provide decisionmakers, practitioners, and the
public with much improved access to program and planning information.
The goal of the new knowledge management system will be to make
practical information available in different forms. Some
possibilities include issue briefs, to examine topics organized around
the Department's Strategic Plan; program briefs describing results
from program evaluations; and self-assessment and benchmark guides to
enable projects to assess their results and processes within a
national context.
PES believes that continuous effort to improve staff
functioning, to increase the use of new methodologies, and to improve
knowledge management will enhance our future performance.
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