Introduction Letter

Attachment 1:

Letter of Introduction to the SS/HS Cross-Site Evaluation

(month, day, year)

(Name)

(Organization)

(Address 1)

(Address 2)

(City, State ZIP)

Re: Safe Schools/Healthy Students National Evaluation

Dear _______:

On behalf of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Federal partners, I am providing you with information about the SS/HS national cross-site evaluation and the National Evaluation Team (NET) conducting this effort. As part of your grant, you will be working closely with the NET to collect and report data related to your local implementation. This evaluation is separate from your local evaluation, which demonstrates your program’s effectiveness and helps ensure it continues over time. This national evaluation helps effectively describe to Congress and other stakeholders the specific outcomes of grant funding and what has been achieved through the SS/HS Initiative overall.

Part of the NET’s role is to serve as a resource to grantees. As the national evaluation progresses, the NET will share what has been learned about effective practices across the initiative and describe patterns and trends in the data that may hold insights for future decisionmaking.

SAMHSA has awarded a contract to MANILA Consulting Group and its partners RMC Research Corporation and Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation to conduct the SS/HS national evaluation. The NET will give a presentation for new grantees at the New Grantee Meeting in Washington, DC, (month, day, year). At that time, the NET will introduce data collection activities (including site visits, surveys, and telephone interviews with the project director and other grant partners). The NET has also reviewed the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requirements and has specific recommendations for each of the six GPRA measures identified in the SS/HS Program Announcement.

I look forward to meeting you in (month). If you have any questions about the national evaluation or the role of the MANILA team, please contact your Federal Project Officer or Mike Van Horn, Deputy Project Director at MANILA, at 571-633-9797, extension 205, or via email at mvanhorn@manilaconsulting.net.

Sincerely,

(signature)

Nainan Thomas, M.S.W., LL.B, Ph.D.

Center for Mental Health Services

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

1 Choke Cherry Road

Room 6-1099

Rockville, MD 20857