	Background

DOD’s military Tuition Assistance Program helps active duty service  members—some of whom may regularly be reassigned to another  location, including overseas—pursue an education. Schools participating in the military Tuition Assistance Program must sign  DOD’s Voluntary Education Partnership memorandum of understanding  (MOU), which requires, among other things, that the schools (1) be  accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the  Department of Education (Education); (2) comply with state  authorization requirements consistent with Education regulations; (3) be  certified to participate in federal student aid programs authorized under  Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965; (4) disclose basic  information about the school’s programs and costs, including tuition, fees,  and other charges to service members; and (5) undergo, when requested,  an evaluation of the quality of the education programs it is providing to  service members. In accordance with contract requirements, the contractor was to  conduct evaluations of individual postsecondary schools. In Fiscal Year 2013, 571 Advisors Provided Information on Programs and Educational Support to Nearly 280,000 Eligible Service Members

		Since Fiscal Year 2011, the Number of Advisors Increased Slightly Overall, with the Air Force Driving Most of the Increase

In fiscal year 2013, 571 advisors were available to provide a range of  information on programs and educational support to nearly 280,000  service members taking courses funded under the Tuition Assistance  Program (see fig. From fiscal year 2011 through 2013, the number of service members  taking courses using the Tuition Assistance Program declined by 8,819  (about 3 percent), according to DOD data. DOD advisors, who are required to have specific training in  educational advising, are available to help service members determine  their educational goals, advise them about the range and types of schools  they can attend, and the types of courses and degrees these schools  offer. Evaluations of Schools Participating in the Programs Do Not Provide DOD with Information Needed for Assessment

The evaluations of schools by DOD’s contractor have provided a range of  different information on schools participating in the Tuition Assistance  Program, according to DOD officials, but they do not provide the  information DOD needs to assess the schools. This is because DOD  lacked a specific plan to frame and guide the evaluations, and did not  require the contractor to develop one. According to federal standards,  an evaluation plan should clearly define the evaluation questions and  methodology and address the collective knowledge, skills, and  experience needed by the entity conducting the evaluations. According to  DOD’s contract, evaluations were to assess school quality. However, our  review of the contract found that the 15 areas for evaluation that DOD  provided to the contractor were often broad, not clearly defined, and  lacked specificity (see app. For example, one area  was simply stated as “the methods whereby academic institutions are  invited on the installation.” Another simply stated “the degree of  congruence among various missions (the military, installation, and the  institutions), the education plan of the installation, the educational  programs provided by the institutions which have a MOU with the  installation and the distance learning providers.” Based on our review of  these 15 areas, it was not always clear what DOD was asking the  contractor to evaluate and how the 15 areas would be measured. Had DOD developed a specific plan to frame and guide the evaluations,  such a plan could have better positioned DOD to fully assess the skills  needed by the contractor before awarding the evaluation contract. Thus, DOD had to  modify its contract to obtain the needed skills (see app. After concluding that the evaluations are not providing the information  needed, DOD decided not to renew its school evaluation contract. Without a plan, it will be difficult for  DOD to obtain information on the quality of the schools and determine  whether any adjustments are needed in the program. In its comments, DOD agreed with our  recommendation that a plan was needed to guide future school  evaluations.
Why GAO Did This Study

DOD's military Tuition Assistance Program includes partnership agreements with about 3,000 schools through which service members can pursue a postsecondary education. Through this program, service members' tuition is paid directly to participating schools and in fiscal year 2013, the program spent $540 million. The program also provides service members with education advisors, and conducts evaluations of schools to assess quality. Congress mandated that GAO provide information on the role of these advisors and on the DOD contractor evaluations of schools participating in the program.
GAO examined (1) the number of advisors and the type of advice they provide, and (2) the information collected through evaluations of schools participating in the military Tuition Assistance Program. For this work, GAO analyzed DOD data on the program from fiscal year 2011 through 2013; reviewed all DOD contractor evaluations for fiscal years 2012 and 2013; and interviewed officials from DOD and the military services, contractor staff responsible for the evaluations, and advisors at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. GAO visited this base because many of its service members participate in the program, and some of the participating schools were evaluated by DOD's contractor in 2013.

What GAO Found

In fiscal year 2013, 571 Department of Defense (DOD) education advisors were available to provide information and educational support to the nearly 280,000 service members taking courses funded through the military Tuition Assistance Program. This program accommodates service members, who may regularly be reassigned to another location (including overseas), by allowing them to take classes online, directly on base, or at nearby schools. DOD advisors offer a range of services to service members such as helping them understand the types of degrees and courses schools offer and helping them develop educational goals and plans.
DOD used a contractor to conduct evaluations of schools participating in the Tuition Assistance Program, however, according to DOD, the evaluations did not provide the agency the information it needed to assess schools. This is because DOD lacked a specific plan to frame the evaluations, which according to federal standards, should clearly define the evaluation questions and methodology and address the collective knowledge, skills, and experience needed by the entity conducting the evaluations. According to DOD's contract, evaluations were to assess school quality, but the 15 areas DOD provided the contractor for evaluation were often not clearly defined and it was not clear what the contractor was to evaluate. For example, one of the areas was the “degree of congruence” among various entities involved in delivering educational services, which DOD provided the contractor without further specificity. Further, because DOD's contract did not specify all the skills needed by the contractor, DOD had to modify its contract to require such skills. However, still lacking information it needs, DOD recently decided not to renew the contract. DOD has suspended the evaluations and is exploring alternative options for evaluating schools, but does not yet have a plan to guide future efforts. Absent a plan, it will be difficult for DOD to have all of the information it needs to effectively evaluate schools.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOD develop a plan for future school evaluations. DOD agreed with the recommendation.