Sponsoring Agency: National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation
Project Officer: Alan Dodkowitz
Performance Period: January 2005 – June 2007
Project Summary:
The “Steve Young Memorial Scholarship Program” was created by a partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation as a means of assisting the widows of police officers killed in the line of duty between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2006 to obtain the skills needed to successfully support themselves and their families after the loss of their spouse. The total amount of the grant is $3 million, distributed over four years. This grant is expected to provide 40-50 scholarships per year. The key objectives of the evaluation effort are the following: (1) document the structure and types of assistance provided through the program; (2) analyze the number and characteristics of individuals assisted through the program; (3) analyze outcomes for scholarship recipients (for example, training and employment outcomes) and overall effects of the project; (4) assess the implementation challenges for the program and how they were overcome; and (5) provide an overall assessment of effectiveness and costs of the project. The study results and final report will be used by the grantee to meet requirements under its grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. An important part of this evaluation will focus on documentation of the role of the One-Stop Career Centers in the service delivery process. Project staff will conduct site visits to three Career Centers and supplement these visits with telephone interviews with the program managers and other involved staff at up to 10 additional One-Stop Centers. These interviews will provide an opportunity to gain input on issues such as: the participant assessment process; participant flow through services; types of education and training undertaken and providers utilized; costs of training; types of other supportive services utilized; nature of case management services provided; challenges faced by participants, including obstacles to completion of training; participant outcomes; and general views toward the Steve Young Memorial Scholarship Program in comparison to other training initiatives administered by the One-Stop. The evaluation effort includes a mail survey with participants of the program. The survey will provide an opportunity to obtain direct input from program participants concerning their views of the program, including reasons for applying for the scholarship; types of services received; whether the scholarship and other assistance was sufficient; whether the assessment, case management services, and other services made available through the One-Stop, were helpful (and specifically how they were helpful); why a particular type of training/education was selected; if training was not completed, reasons for not completing; how the participant has benefited from program participation and views about what was most (and least) helpful; and suggestions about how the program might be improved.
Reports: J. Trutko, An Assessment of the Steve Young Memorial Scholarship Program: Final Report, Capital Research Corporation, prepared for the National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation, 2007.