Performance Partnership Pilots 

(P3) 

National Outreach Webcast

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

1:30PM – 3:00PM (EST)
Welcoming Remarks

● Johan Uvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of 

Career, Technical and Adult Education, ED

● Bill Bentley, Associate Commissioner, Family and 

Youth Services Bureau, HHS

● Gerri Fiala, Deputy Assistant Secretary, 

Employment and Training Administration, DOL
Restoring the Promise of 

Opportunity for All

● Creating a clearer path to postsecondary education 

and careers.

● More than 5 million disconnected 14-24 year olds in 

U.S.

● Significant challenges hinder meaningful 

improvements to education, employment, health and 

well-being. 
Webcast Purpose

● Inform the broader community serving disconnected 

youth about the goals of P3 

● Provide context and propose initial design 

considerations for P3

● Offer key questions to help confirm, refine, or 

challenge potential design elements
What is the vision and broader 

context for (P3)?

KATHY STACK

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Collaboration to Develop Performance 

Partnership Pilots

● White House Council on Community Solutions

● President's Memorandum on Administrative 

Flexibility, Lower Costs, and Better Results for State, 

Local and Tribal Governments

● Request for Information on Strategies for Improving 

Outcomes for Disconnected Youth

● Interagency Forum on Disconnected Youth

● P3 Consultation Paper (forthcoming ) 
Key Features of FY 2014 Legislative Authority

● Competitive and formula grant programs funded by the 

Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Act

● Up to 10 Performance Partnership Pilots using FY 2014 funds

● Additional flexibility in exchange for significant improvements in 

educational, employment and other key outcomes 

● Agreements with States, Tribes, or local communities 
Elements of P3

● Blending funds

● Waivers

● Performance Agreements

● Limitations 
Opportunities of P3

● Responds to State and community needs and 

strengths

● Mobilizes additional resources for Opportunity 

Agenda 

● Supports cost-effective innovations that improve 

coordination and service delivery

● Uses data and evidence for learning and 

improvement

● Creates new model for outcome-based accountability
Challenges 

● Legislative timing

● State and community readiness

● Technical assistance needs
Shared Expectations

● Set high aspirational goals for needle-moving pilots

● Use tiered approach to pilot selection

● Anticipate that many initial pilots will be limited in 

scope

● Expect to strengthen pilots over time
What are Performance Partnership 

Pilots? 

Initial Design Considerations

SARA HASTINGS 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

MARY ELLEN WIGGINS 

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Who are Disconnected Youth? 

● Individuals between the ages of 14 and 24 who are 

low income and either homeless, in foster care, 

involved in the juvenile justice system, unemployed, 

or not enrolled in or at risk of dropping out of an 

educational institution.

● Interest in pilots that target very high-need or 

underserved populations.
Examples of Potential Pilots

● Integrated enrollment and case management organization: 

assess risk factors in order to better target appropriate services to 

the highest users of multiple systems. 

● Coordinated approach to serving youth involved in multiple 

systems: create joint performance goals, integrate services for 

vulnerable youth and their families, and align eligibility 

requirements that currently lead to service gaps.

● Reducing drug addiction and incarceration: workforce 

development agency partners with substance-abuse treatment 

providers and local business that will guarantee part-time or fulltime work experiences to recovering addicts. 
Performance Measurement & Evaluation

Required for all pilots:

● Outcome measures and interim indicators in 

education and employment domains

● Additional measures and indicators in other domains 

(criminal justice, health, well-being) as appropriate

● Reliable administrative data on individuals under 

these domains

● Cooperation in any Federal evaluation
Performance Measurement & Evaluation

Stronger candidates:

● Establish baselines and comparison groups to measure 

progress

● Demonstrate expertise to manage pilot using strong data 

analysis

Strongest candidates:

● Use strategies or interventions shown effective in 

rigorous evaluation

● Incorporate rigorous impact and process evaluation
Who can apply, and who can be partners?

● State, local and Tribal governments are eligible to 

apply

● Willing partnerships among State, local and Tribal 

agencies and systems

● States must be partners in pilots that are financed 

with funding for a state-administered program

● Non-governmental partners may also be key players 

in designing and implementing pilots 
Interest and Applications

● Optional letter of interest

● Preliminary application

● Invitation to strongest candidates to submit full 

proposal
Preliminary Application

● Overview of proposed pilot

● Objectives

● Needs assessment

● Governance structure

● Program and funding streams

● Flexibility requested

● Evidence-based/-informed practices

● Capacity to implement

● Commitment to evaluate

● Assurances to protect vulnerable populations
Full Application

● Strongest preliminary candidates invited to submit 

detailed proposals

● Federal agencies will work with up to 10 finalists to 

develop formal Performance Agreements

● Other promising candidates encouraged to refine 

and resubmit proposal for FY 2015 (if authorized by 

Congress)
Selection Criteria

● Under development

● Guiding principles include capacity to:

− Improve outcomes for disconnected youth

− Leverage existing, successful partnerships

− Support promising strategies developed locally

− Support strategies, outcomes, and target populations 

representing Administration priorities
Technical Assistance & Support 

● Diverse expertise needed for successful pilots

● Federal government working to:

− Learn what types of TA would most help the field.

− Identify resources the Federal government can best provide.

− Identify external experts and websites that may help enhance 

the strength of a pilot application. 

− Find external partners that can facilitate convenings and 

webinars or provide hands-on assistance. 

● Will post resources on http://www.findyouthinfo.gov 
Leadership Panel

● Facilitator: Grace Solares, U.S. Department of 

Education

● Kisha Bird, CLASP

● Thaddeus Ferber, Forum for Youth Investment

● Mala Thakur, National Youth Employment Coalition
Please send questions for leadership panelists to:

disconnectedyouth@ed.gov
Key Questions for Stakeholders

JOHAN UVIN, ED

KATHY STACK, OMB
Key Questions: Successful Partnerships?

● What are leading examples of existing intergovernmental 

partnerships that have been able to create the 

infrastructure and conditions needed to implement and 

scale what works and curtail inefficient activities that are 

not producing results? 

● What are the key features of such partnerships? How can 

we distinguish partnerships that are likely to achieve 

better outcomes from partnerships that include all the 

right partners but are less likely to get better results? 

● What successful outcome-focused partnerships involve 

philanthropy, and what factors made them successful? 
Key Questions: Application Process?

● What are the benefits and drawbacks of the 

solicitation process described?

● Does the preliminary application content include the 

right information to distinguish the top candidates? 

● What will be the greatest challenges for communities 

to complete applications in this timeframe and what 

could be done to mitigate them? What assistance or 

clarification could the Federal agencies provide? 
Key Questions: Measurement and Evaluation?

● What reliable, high-value data sources could be used 

to improve quality and lower the cost of performance 

measurement and evaluation? 

● What types of partners could help pilot jurisdictions, 

at a reasonable cost, set up strong data systems and 

performance management processes, and design 

rigorous evaluations that are help pilot communities 

learn what works and is cost-effective? 

● Are there other approaches to measuring outcomes 

and incorporating accountability and learning that 

we should consider? 
Key Questions: Funds?

● Will a summer application process allow you to 

effectively utilize 2014 funds in your pilots? 

● Could you improve the effectiveness of a 2014 pilot 

by adding additional programs to your pilot in future 

years? 
Key Questions: Criteria? 

● Are these sound principles for developing selection 

criteria? 

● What should be added or changed?
Key Questions: Technical Assistance?

● What specific challenges will States, communities and 

tribes face in planning and implementing effective pilots 

that could be addressed through technical assistance? 

● What expertise is the Federal government uniquely 

qualified to provide? 

● What external organizations and experts are most 

knowledgeable and can offer solutions to address these 

needs and challenges? 

● What philanthropic and other private sector 

organizations can help finance or facilitate knowledge 

transfer? 
Next Steps

● Release of the P3 Consultation Paper 

● Q and A webinar

● Feedback and comments to: 

disconnectedyouth@omb.eop.gov

● Incorporate comments and release solicitation