March 19, 2014

The U.S. Department of Education recently released a Request for Proposals for the Elementary and Secondary Counseling Program Grant. The RFP and additional information is available here.  Approximately $15 million is available to fund around 40 programs nationwide for three years.

The main purpose of the grant is to establish or expand counseling programs in elementary and secondary schools. The two accountability goals are to decrease student:mental health professional ratios and decrease disciplinary referrals. Preference points are available for programs that aim to (a) improve school engagement, environment, and safety and improve family and community engagement and/or (b) support military families.

The evaluation section of the grant is worth 20 points, with additional points awarded for high-quality objectives that align to federal priorities and grant activities. Via Evaluation has conducted several Elementary and Secondary Counseling evaluations, and many other evaluations for U.S. Department of Education grants. Of the Elementary and Secondary Counseling grant applications to which Via Evaluation contributed in the last round of funding, 75% resulted in a grant award.

Applications are due by April 28th, 2014.

Please contact us here at Via Evaluation soon if you are interested in discussing our role in your Elementary and Secondary Counseling grant. We look forward to hearing from you.