EVALUATION.

SEC. 179. EVALUATION. (a) In General.—The Commission shall provide, through grants or contracts, for the continuing evaluation of programs that receive assistance under this title, including evaluations that measure the impact of such programs, to determine— (1) the effectiveness of various program models in achieving stated goals and the costs associated with such; (2) for purposes of the reports required by subsection (h), the impact of such programs, in each State in which a program is conducted, on the ability of— (A) the VISTA and older American volunteer programs (established under the Domestic Volunteer Services Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.)); (B) each regular component of the Armed Forces (as defined in section 101(4) of title 10, United States Code); (C) each of the reserve components of the Armed Forces (as described in section 216(a) of title 5, United States Code); and 104 STAT. 3165 (D) the Peace Corps (as established by the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)); to recruit individuals residing in such State to serve in such program; and (3) the structure and mechanisms for delivery of services for such programs. (b) Comparisons.—The Commission shall provide for inclusion in the evaluations required under subsection (a), where appropriate, comparisons of participants in such programs with individuals who have not participated in such programs. (c) Conducting Evaluations.—Evaluations of programs under subsection (a) shall be conducted by individuals who are not directly involved in the administration of such program. (d) Standards.—The Secretary shall develop and publish general standards for the evaluation of program effectiveness in achieving the objectives of this title. (e) Community Participation.—In evaluating a program receiving assistance under this title, the Commission shall consider the opinions of participants and members of the communities where services are delivered concerning the strengths and weaknesses of such program. (f) Comparison of Program Models.—The Commission shall evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different program models in meeting the program objectives described in subsection (g) including full- and part-time programs, programs involving different types of national service, programs using different recruitment methods, programs offering alternative voucher options, and programs utilizing individual placements and teams. (g) Program Objectives.—The Commission shall ensure that programs that receive assistance under subtitle D are evaluated to determine their effectiveness in— (1) recruiting and enrolling diverse participants in such programs, consistent with the requirements of section 145, based on economic background, race, ethnicity, age, marital status, education levels, and disability; (2) promoting the educational achievement of each participant in such programs, based on earning a high school diploma or the equivalent of such diploma and the future enrollment and completion of increasingly higher levels of education; (3) encouraging each participant to engage in public and community service after completion of the program based on career choices and service in other service programs such as the Volunteers in Service to America Program and older American volunteer programs established under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.), the Peace Corps (as established by the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)), the military, and part-time volunteer service; (4) promoting of positive attitudes among each participant regarding the role of such participant in solving community problems based on the view of such participant regarding the personal capacity of such participant to improve the lives of others, the responsibilities of such participant as a citizen and community member, and other factors; (5) enabling each participant to finance a lesser portion of the higher education of such participant through student loans; (6) providing services and projects that benefit the community; 104 STAT. 3166 (7) supplying additional volunteer assistance to community agencies without overloading such agencies with more volunteers than can effectively be utilized; (8) providing services and activities that could not otherwise be performed by employed workers and that will not supplant the hiring of, or result in the displacement of, employed workers or impair the existing contracts of such workers; and (9) attracting a greater number of citizens to public service, including service in the active and reserve components of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Peace Corps (as established by the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)), and the VISTA and older American volunteer programs established under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.). (h) Obtaining Information.— (1) In general.—In conducting the evaluations required under subsection (g), the Commission may require each program participant and State or local applicant to provide such information as may be necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. (2) Confidentiality.—The Commission shall keep information acquired under this section confidential. (i) Deadline.—The Commission shall complete the evaluations required under subsection (g) not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act. (j) Report.—Not later than 24 months after the date on which the first program is initiated under this title, the Commission shall prepare and submit, to the appropriate Committees of Congress, a report containing the results of the evaluations conducted under subsection (a)(2) with respect to the first 18 months after such initiation date.