(4) disseminating information acquired through
such research.
SEC. 402. GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary may
award grants and contracts to eligible entities to carry out
evaluation, education and training, research, and dissemi-
nation activities described in this section.
(b) EVALUATION.—
(1) SYSTEM.—The Associate Commissioner
shall develop and establish a system for evaluating
the effectiveness of activities implemented under this
Act, including mechanisms for determining and
measuring programmatic outcomes resulting from
those activities.
(2) DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding grants and
contracts under subsection (a), the Assistant Sec-
retary shall use 50 percent of the funds appro-
priated for carrying out this section for an equitable
distribution among the States to allow State agen-
cies to be responsible for evaluating the effectiveness
of the activities implemented in the State under this
Act.
(c) EDUCATION
AND
TRAINING.—The Associate
Commissioner shall develop and establish a system for
providing education and training of personnel of States,
area agencies on youth, and community boards to increase
their capacity to work with youth, with a special emphasis
on younger minority individuals and younger low-income
individuals, in carrying out quality youth development pro-
grams under this Act.
(d) IMPACT EVALUATION.—
(1) BIENNIAL
EVALUATION.—The Associate
Commissioner, in consultation with the Director and
the National Council on Youth Policy, shall conduct
an independent biennial evaluation of the impact of
programs assisted under this Act and of other recent
and new initiatives to promote positive youth devel-
opment. The evaluation shall report on—
(A) whether funded programs, services,
and activities—
(i) provided a thorough assessment of
local resources and barriers to access the
full array of developmental core resources;
(ii) used objective data and the knowl-
edge of a wide range of community mem-
bers;
(iii) developed measurable goals and
objectives; and
(iv) implemented research-based pro-
grams that have been shown to be effective
and meet identified needs; and
(v) conducted periodic program eval-
uations to assess progress made towards
achieving program goals and objectives and
whether they used evaluations to improve
program goals, objectives and activities;
(B) whether funded programs, services,
and activities have been designed and imple-
mented in a manner that specifically targets, if
relevant to the program—
(i) research-based variables that are
predictive of healthy adolescent develop-
ment;
(ii) risk factors that are predictive of
an increased likelihood that young people
will use drugs, alcohol or tobacco or en-
gage in violence or drop out of school; or
(iii) protective factors, buffers, or as-
sets that are known to protect youth from
exposure to risk, either by reducing the ex-
posure to risk factors or by changing the
way the young person responds to risk,
and to increase the likelihood of positive
youth development;
(C) whether funded programs, services,
and activities have appreciably reduced indi-
vidual risk-taking behavior and community risk
factors and increased either individual or com-
munity protective factors; and
(D) whether funded programs, services,
and activities have conducted effective youth
and parent involvement.
(2) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than Janu-
ary 1, 2003, and every 2 years thereafter, the Asso-
ciate Commissioner shall submit to the President
and Congress a report on the findings of the evalua-
tion conducted under paragraph (1) together with
the data available from other sources on the well
being of adolescents.
(e) DISSEMINATION.—The Associate Commissioner
shall develop a system to facilitate the dissemination of
information acquired through the research to States, area
agencies on youth, community boards, and the public
about successful and promising strategies for providing all
youth with the full array of core resources specified in sec-
tion 101.
SEC. 403. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this title $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums
as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2002, 2003,
2004, and 2005.
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