MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Integration of Performance and Financial Information

The Department’s emphasis on sound no longer funded. Programs accounting for about
financial practices, performance results, and 98 percent of the Department’s budget authority
the accountability of its programs reflect its have now been assessed using the PART.
responsiveness to the effective use of
Integrating Performance with Budget
taxpayer dollars. The Department works to
Submissions. To further integrate performance
align the performance of its programs with its
and budget, the Department combines its annual
budget requests and to strengthen the link
performance plan and annual budget to create an
between financial investments and program
annual performance budget. The Department has
quality.
identified significant program-based measures that
The Program Assessment Rating Tool. reflect the Department’s strategic goals.
Since 2002, the Office of Management and
The Department Faces Particular Challenges
Budget has required federal agencies to
Linking the Performance of its Programs to
assess the quality of government programs
Funding Expenditures. The Department’s
using the Program Assessment Rating Tool
challenge of linking performance results,
(PART). The Office of Management and
expenditures, and budget is complicated by the fact
Budget uses this assessment across federal
that more than 98 percent of the Department’s
agencies to gauge the effectiveness of funded
funding is disbursed through grants and loans in

Management’s Discussion and Analysis

programs, ensure they meet statutory
which only a portion of a given fiscal year’s
requirements, and demonstrate accountability
appropriation is available to state, school,
for the federal expenditure.
organization, and student recipients during the
PART assessments provide information that fiscal year in which the funds are appropriated.
is used to establish funding priorities for The remainder is available at or near the end of the
budget justifications and submissions. Each appropriation year or in the subsequent year.
program receives numeric scores for program
Funds for competitive grant programs are generally
purpose and design, strategic planning,
available when appropriations are passed by the
program management, and program results.
Congress. However, the processes required for
Once a program has undergone the PART
conducting the grant competitions often result in
process, the Department implements follow-
the award of grants near the end of the fiscal year
up actions based on PART recommendations
with funding available to grantees for additional
to improve program quality. The PART is
fiscal years.
particularly useful to ensure that resources are
targeted toward those programs and activities Thus, the results presented in this report cannot be
most likely to achieve positive results. attributed solely to the actions taken related to
FY 2007 funds but to a combination of funds from
The Department will continue to invest in
fiscal years 2005 through 2007. Further, the results
programs receiving a PART rating of
of some education programs may not be apparent
Effective, Moderately Effective, or Adequate,
for several years after the funds are expended.
while programs rated Ineffective will be
proposed for elimination or reform. For Although program results cannot be directly linked
programs rated Results Not Demonstrated, to a particular fiscal year’s funding, for the purpose
the Department may support continued of this report, performance results during specific
funding if the programs are likely to fiscal years will serve as proxies.
demonstrate results in the future and are not The entire program performance report required
duplicative of other programs. under the Government Performance and Results
In 2007, the Department assessed a total of Act of 1993 is available at
eight programs, of which four were http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2007report
reassessments, bringing the total number of /index.html.
programs assessed using the PART since
2002 to 93, including two programs that are

FY 2007 Performance and Accountability Report—U.S. Department of Education 25