National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk
Who We Are
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The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk (NDTAC) was established in 2002 through support from the U.S. Department of Education (USED). NDTAC serves as a national resource center to provide direct assistance to States, schools, communities, and parents seeking information on the education of children and youth who are considered neglected, delinquent, or at-risk. The education of youth involved in the juvenile justice system is a primary focus of the Center. NDTAC's leaders are Dr. David Osher, Mr. Simon Gonsoulin, and Mr. Tarek Anandan.
NDTAC works with State and local administrators and service providers of the Title I, Part D program to:
- Ensure youth who are neglected or delinquent have the opportunity to meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet
- Improve educational services for children and youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system
- Provide children and youth who are neglected or delinquent with the services needed to make a successful transition from institutions to schools and/or employment
- Prevent youth who are at risk of academic failure from dropping out of school
- Provide children and youth who have dropped out of school, or who are returning to school after residing in an institution, with a support system to ensure their continued education
NDTAC's Mission
The overarching mission of NDTAC is to improve educational programming for youth who are neglected or delinquent. NDTAC is legislated to:
- Provide information, resources, and direct technical assistance to States and those who support or provide education to youth who are neglected or delinquent. See the Technical Assistance section for more information.
- Develop a model and tools to assist States and providers with reporting data and evaluating their services. See the Program Evaluation & Data Reporting section for more information.
- Serve as a facilitator to increase information-sharing and peer-to-peer learning at State and local levels. See the Facilitating Information Sharing section for more information.
Technical Assistance
Information, resources, and technical assistance are provided through a variety of avenues, including Web site resources, Center-sponsored conferences and Webinars, and personalized assistance. On this site, practitioners can learn about innovative programs and practices, gain information on No Child Left Behind and how it affects the neglected and delinquent population, and connect to direct assistance. View NDTAC's Direct Assistance page to learn more about our technical assistance offerings and locate the NDTAC staff member that has been assigned as the liaison for your State. Visit our Events page to learn about our regular web-based conferences (Webinars), monthly Q&A calls, and other related events around the country. Join the Title I, Part D / NDTAC e-mail list to keep up to date with the Center’s resource and technical assistance offerings and to connect with your peers in the field.Program Evaluation & Data Reporting
NDTAC, in collaboration with USED, has worked to create a model for evaluating all Title I, Part D programs routinely and in a uniform manner. A set of performance measures are collected annually from each State through USED’s Consolidated State Performance Reports (CSPR). The 2004-05 school year marked the first full-scale collection of the Title I, Part D performance measures. A major focus of NDTAC’s technical assistance services is the annual data collection process and data quality improvement. Visit the Data Corner for more information about the CSPR, data reporting tools, and other Part D data-related activities.NDTAC also assists in disseminating the program’s evaluation results for purposes of (1) addressing Federal reporting requirements, such as the Title I, Part D indicators for the Government Performance and Results Act; (2) providing information to congress and legislators on the progress of students in Part D programs; and (3) providing feedback to the field about the performance of juvenile justice education programs in their States or localities.
Facilitating Information Sharing and Peer-to-Peer Learning
State and local administrators across the country often face similar challenges and independently find solutions that may benefit their peers. NDTAC recognizes that the opportunity to discuss questions and innovative solutions with other administrators, practitioners, and experts in the field is invaluable. Therefore, the Center coordinates activities that facilitate cross-agency and cross-State communication. NDTAC also works to facilitate collaborative relationships between agencies and families, mentors, and community organizations.
NDTAC Leadership
NDTAC is operated by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a nonprofit research organization that performs basic and applied research, provides technical support, and conducts analyses based on methods of the behavioral and social sciences.
The Center's principal investigator is Dr. David Osher. Mr. Simon Gonsoulin serves as the Center’s director and Ms. Stephanie Lampron as its deputy director.
Dr. David Osher has over 25 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, and researcher. Dr.Osher has a wide-ranging background in juvenile justice, children’s mental health, and the education of children at risk of poor community outcomes.
Mr. Simon Gonsoulin brings to NDTAC 19 years of experience in education, special education, and juvenile justice. Mr. Gonsoulin is an expert in issues related to juvenile justice education and administration as well as special education administration.
Ms. Stephanie Lampron works in the areas of project management, technical assistance, and evaluation, with a special focus on data. She has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Education on the development and implementation of the National evaluation framework for Title I, Part D programs.