The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent or At Risk (NDTAC) serves as a national resource center to provide direct assistance to states, schools, communities and parents seeking information on the education of children and youth who are considered neglected, delinquent or at risk. The education and transition of youth involved in the juvenile justice system is a primary focus of the Center.
The Center works with state and local administrators and service providers of the federal Title I, Part D program to:
- ensure that children and youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at risk have the opportunity to meet the same challenging state academic standards that all children are expected to meet by improving educational services for them;
- provide these children and youth with the services needed to make a successful transition from institutions to schools and/or employment;
- prevent youth who are at risk of academic failure from dropping out of school; and
- provide children and youth who have dropped out of school, or who are returning to school after residing in an institution, with a support system to ensure their continued education.
The Center provides technical assistance on a wide range of education- and transition-related topics for youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems including curriculum and instruction, learning and behavior management, teacher quality, classroom and facility climate, family and community engagement, mentoring and much more.
Additionally, the Center, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, developed and currently supports the use of a first-of-its-kind uniform evaluation model for assessing academic and vocational achievement and outcomes for youth participating in Part D-funded programs in juvenile justice and child welfare facilities.
Funded by: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs