Standards: The Corporation for National and Community Service, State Administrative Standards Project (2000-2009)

Project Description:
The Corporation for National and Community Service funds and supports the national service programs AmeriCorps*State/National, AmeriCorps*NCCC, AmeriCorps*Vista, Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior Service Corps. The legislation that created the Corporation mandated that states seeking funds for AmeriCorps*State programs, would need to create a state commission on national and community service. There are now 50 state commissions.

The State Administrative Standards project was created to assess the capacity of the state commissions to administer federal funds in a responsible manner. Through this project, the Corporation addresses such issues as:

• accountability, efficiency and uniformity across state commissions
• capacity of state commissions to administer Corporation projects
• systems for monitoring compliance
  

ENCOMPASS is leading this national project to assess the administrative and financial systems of the State Service Commissions.

Methodologies and Activities:
ENCOMPASS organized five-member assessment teams composed of Corporation employees and ENCOMPASS consultants, including a financial expert. ENCOMPASS provided orientation and training for these teams to conduct site visits to each state commission. The teams weigh the operations of the state commissions against eleven standards set out by the Corporation. Team leaders produce detailed reports of each site visit that provide justification for the team’s determination of whether each standard has been met.

Accomplishments/Impact:
ENCOMPASS teams evaluated the states’ compliance with eleven standards over a two year period, and presented reports in support of the team judgments and recommendations.

ENCOMPASS also conducted reviews and assessments of outcomes of site visits, and prepared analyses of specific standards to identify issues of fairness, equity, and consistency. This information was used to enhance system learning and to ensure consistency in determinations about standards across the teams.

Many states – including those that had problems meeting the standards -- praised the process and the teams for their approach. They concluded that the Standards Project led to increased quality and accountability, and was helpful in guiding state commissions to achieve improvements in administrative, financial and mission-based activities.

The Corporation has contracted with ENCOMPASS to coordinate and deliver follow-up compliance assistance to some 30 states that were expected to achieve full compliance in 2003.

ENCOMPASS continued to monitor compliance with administrative and financial standards up to 2009 when the project was discontinued by new CNCS leadership. ENCOMPASS supported the Corporation to reduce the number of standards, increase standardization, and create an evaluation feedback mechanism for the project.

© Copyright ENCOMPASS LLC, 2009