and to conduct cross-program special studies. Each of these efforts will be facilitated by the evaluation models that were developed for all programs during FY 1977 and FY 1978. The volunteer activity surveys referred to above represent the first phase of each model's implementation. The second phase of implementation are pilot and feasibility studies which will later lead to full scale national evaluations of each program, Pilot and feasibility work will begin in late FY 1978, and it is anticipated that one program will be nationally evaluated in FY 1979. Budget Justification The FY 1979 Domestic Operations evaluation request of $400 thousand is unchanged from that of FY 1978. During FY 1979, the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Program volunteer activity surveys will be completed. VISTA's new thrust in training and technical assistance will be assessed along with the new Summer Intern Program. Pilot and feasibility studies will also be completed prior to implementation of impact evaluation models. Finally, one national evaluation will be initiated. The FY 1979 evaluation activities will be complemented by the development of methods, techniques and instruments for the regular monitoring of volunteer activities. Technical assistance, through the development of evaluation guides, will also be initiated for local program evaluations. Institutionalization of the developed monitoring and evaluation systems will begin in late FY 1979. Within ACTION, some overall functions related to both domestic and international volunteer activities are conducted on a consolidated basis. Costs associated with these consolidated functions are considered to be ACTION agency-wide costs. Included in this category are expenses of recruitment and processing of volunteers, relationship to the private sector, general management and administration. Agency-wide costs are financed jointly from the domestic and international program appropriations. Because it is impossible to determine precisely which costs are attributable to either domestic or international programs, the costs of consolidated functions are assigned to each appropriation, statistically, based on the formula outlined on page 70. The formula is refined to recognize the contribution of directly paid supporting costs by the international appropriation. These costs, paid to the Department of State, Foreign Assistance Administrative Services (FAAS), have been added to the Agency-Wide Support costs in computing the appropriate amount to be charged to each appropriation. In effect, the addition of these costs to the total to be divided reduces the actual percentage Peace Corps pays for ACTION Agency-Wide Support. The formula is based on workload, expressed as the ratio of full-time staff employed exclusively for domestic programs to the full-time staff employed exclusively for international programs. This ratio is then applied to the total of agency-wide and overseas FAAS costs to determine the share of costs to be applied to each appropriation. This methodology remains readily understandable outside ACTION and uncomplicated to execute within the agency. For FY 1979, the budget request includes funds totaling $26,295,000 for the following agency-wide costs: Recruitment and processing of international and domestic Voluntary citizen participation assistance, liaison and coordination activities; Agency-wide planning, policy development, budgeting, and evaluation; Internal management including legal, legislative, equal opportunity; Administrative functions encompassing management analysis, procurement, accounting, data processing, personnel, training, and general administrative services. |