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 111

Allen J. Ellender Fellowships

(CFDA No. 84.148)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: Title IV, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 3081-3112) (expires September 30, 1999).

Purpose: To make a grant to the Close Up Foundation of Washington, D.C., for financial assistance to economically disadvantaged secondary school students and their teachers and economically disadvantaged older Americans and recent immigrants, to increase their understanding of the Federal Government. Special consideration is given to the participation of students with special educational needs, including handicapped students, students from recent immigrant families, ethnic minority students, gifted and talented students, and students of migrant parents.

Funding History

Fiscal Year	Appropriation	Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1973	$500,000	1987	1,700,000
1975	500,000	1988	2,394,000
1980	1,000,000	1989	3,458,000
1981	1,000,000	1990	3,703,000
1982	960,000	1991	4,101,000
1983	3,000,000 ^1/	1992	4,300,000
1984	1,500,000	1993	4,223,000
1985	1,500,000	1994	4,223,000
1986	1,627,000

1/ In 1983, Congress appropriated a double amount in order to place the program on a forward-funded basis. The appropriation for FY 1983 provided $1.5 million for the 1982-83 school year and $1.5 million for the 1983-84 school year.

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

The program targets economically disadvantaged secondary students and their teachers, economically disadvantaged older Americans, and recent immigrants.

Services

In the 1992-93 school year, the Close Up Foundation awarded Ellender fellowships through the Washington Program for High School Students and Educators to approximately 2,413 students and 2,567 teachers and administrators to enable them to come to Washington, D.C., for a first-hand look at the operations of the three branches of the U.S. Government. Fellowships also were awarded through the Program for New Americans and the Program for Older Americans to enable the target populations to participate in Close Up's week-long civics education programs in Washington.

Although the three programs serve different populations, they are very similar in structure. The program week in Washington consists of question-and-answer seminars with outside speakers, study visits to historical and cultural sites, workshops with Close Up instructors, and meetings with Congressional representatives, Senators, or staffers.

Program Administration

An Evaluation of the Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program, conducted in 1992 found that (III.1):

In operating the Washington Program for High School Students and Educators, the Close Up Foundation spends twice as much of the Federal Ellender funds on teachers as on disadvantaged students, and more teachers than students receive fellowships.
In the 1990-91 program year, 1,315 of the 2,584 schools that participated in the Washington Program for High School Students and Educators awarded one full teacher and one six-tenths student fellowships, while 463 schools awarded one full teacher fellowship and divided the six-tenths student fellowship among two or more disadvantaged students. However, 571 schools awarded only teacher fellowships. At these schools, the teacher coordinator accompanied full-paying students, but brought no disadvantaged students receiving Ellender fellowships. The Ellender fellowships are often awarded to the same teacher at the same school for many years.
Other organizations offer civics education programs similar to the Close Up Foundation's Washington Program for High School students and Educators. All have similar though not identical prices, and all bring students to Washington for about one week.

The report suggests a number of options for better targeting of services on disadvantaged students:

Require each secondary school teacher to bring at least one student fellowship recipient to Washington in order to qualify for fellowship funds in the Washington Program for High School Students and Educators and the Program for New Americans.
Limit the proportion of Federal Ellender funds spent on teacher fellowships.
Limit the number of times an individual teacher can receive a Federal Ellender fellowship.
Allow only disadvantaged students, and not teachers to receive Ellender funds.

III. Sources of Information

An Evaluation of the Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program (Rockville, MD: Westat, Inc., 1992).
Program files.

IV. Planned Studies

None.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:: Carrolyn Andrews, (202) 260-2670
Program Studies:: Barbara Coates, (202) 401-1958

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[Impact Aid: Construction]

[Indian Education--Financial Assistance to Local Education Agencies and Indian-Controlled Schools for the Education of Indian Children--Subpart 1]