[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 42 (Thursday, March 3, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-4890]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: March 3, 1994]


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Part V





Department of Education





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Fund for Innovation Education: Program--Partnerships for Standard-Based 
Professional Development of K-12 Educators; Notice of Proposed Priority
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 

Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education 
Program--Partnerships for Standard-Based Professional Development of K-
12 Educators

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority for fiscal years 1994 and 1995.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes an absolute priority for fiscal years 
1994 and 1995 under the Fund for Innovation in Education (FIE): 
Innovation in Education Program to support innovative projects that 
provide K-12 teachers and other educators with sustained, high quality 
professional development opportunities that are aligned with 
challenging content and professional standards developed at the 
national, State or local levels. The intent of this priority is to 
enable school educators, working with appropriate university, 
community, and business partners, to create and maintain model learning 
environments that will help all students in elementary and secondary 
schools achieve challenging academic standards in subjects such as 
English, mathematics, science, history, geography, civics, foreign 
languages, and the arts.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 4, 1994.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be 
addressed to Bryan Gray, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey 
Avenue, NW., room 522, Washington, DC 20208-5524. Telephone: (202) 219-
1496. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-
877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through 
Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An essential step in achieving our National 
Education Goals is ensuring that we have high academic expectations for 
all students and that each student has the opportunity to fulfill those 
expectations. Current national, State, and local efforts to define high 
standards for what students should know and be able to do in the 
various subject areas provide a starting point for creating the type of 
learning opportunities that an education system of excellence must 
provide for all members of an increasingly diverse student population.
    In order to provide learning opportunities where more rigorous and 
complex learning is expected of all students, teachers will need high-
quality, career-long professional development programs. Other educators 
who help to create teaching and learning environments that better serve 
the academic and other needs of students will need similar high-quality 
professional development opportunities. Such educators might include 
school and district administrators, school and university-based teacher 
educators, curriculum and supervisory personnel, paraprofessionals/
instructional aides, and members of school boards. To provide effective 
professional development programs for teachers and other educators, 
applicants must ensure that their proposed projects are aligned with 
high standards for student learning. Applicants should also consider 
related standards for teacher effectiveness and for the preparation, 
credentialling and continuing development of educators. More 
specifically, in designing policies and practices for professional 
development, applicants are urged to draw on relevant work, as 
appropriate, from groups such as the National Board for Professional 
Teaching Standards, the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support 
Consortium, and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher 
Education.
    The Secretary recognizes that successful well-articulated programs 
that provide for continuous improvement of professional educators from 
recruitment to retirement will require educators to work together 
across traditionally separated roles and organizations. Therefore, 
projects must be carried out by partnerships. Finally, the design of 
professional development efforts must incorporate what is known about 
developing and managing high-performance school systems that support 
education excellence and equity.
    The Secretary proposes to direct financial assistance to projects 
that develop new or further develop existing innovative partnerships of 
school, university, community, and other entities to establish and 
maintain high-quality, standards-based professional development 
programs for teachers and other educators. The purpose of these 
partnerships may be to improve the entire continuum of professional 
development or to focus on one or more points along that continuum 
(e.g., preservice, induction, inservice).
    In accordance with recommendations in the Senate Report that 
accompanied the Fiscal Year 1994 Department of Education Appropriation 
Act, the Secretary supports development of programs based on existing 
strategies, such as creating model professional development schools, or 
applicants' newly designed strategies. The Secretary also recognizes 
the need for professional development efforts, as identified in the 
Senate Report, that prepare educators for working with other human 
service professionals to address non-academic student/family problems 
(e.g., drugs, violence, nutrition, unemployment) as well as other 
conditions that place students at-risk for failure in school. The 
Secretary is particularly interested in projects that provide relevant 
development opportunities for educators who work in urban school 
communities.
    The Secretary strongly encourages the development of challenging 
and feasible school-based collaborations that are based upon 
appropriate research results and exemplary teaching and professional 
development practices, as well as the contributions of expert school, 
higher education, and community practitioners. Emphases might include 
collegial strategies such as in-school mentoring for teachers; school-
university teams integrating teacher preparation and school curriculum 
to effectively educate at-risk students; teacher sabbaticals to work in 
model schools; and practitioner-led inquiry and reform activities.
    The Secretary will announce the final priority in a notice in the 
Federal Register. The final priority will be determined by responses to 
this notice, available funds, and other considerations of the 
Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the availability 
of funds, the nature of the final priority, and the quality of the 
applications received. The publication of this proposed priority does 
not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities; nor 
does it limit the Secretary to funding only this priority, subject to 
meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.


    Note: This notice of proposed priority does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition 
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or 
following publication of the notice of final priority.

Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only applications 
that meet this absolute priority:
    Projects that design and implement innovative, high quality, 
standards-based preservice, induction and/or inservice professional 
development programs for K-12 teachers and other educators.
    Each project must involve one or more local education agencies 
(LEAs) working in partnership with one or more institutions of higher 
education (IHEs), and others such as State education officials and 
representatives from professional organizations, private schools, 
business, and the community, as appropriate. Programs and activities 
must be built upon relevant and current research including a 
demonstrated relationship between the professional development approach 
and lessons learned from relevant research and exemplary practice. A 
grounding in research findings must also be evident in the content of 
the professional development activities.

Required Activities

    Each project must:
    (a) Provide professional development opportunities that are aligned 
with challenging academic content standards for students as developed 
through voluntary national, State, and/or local efforts in one or more 
subjects such as English, mathematics, science, history, geography, 
civics, foreign languages, and the arts.
    (b) Consider the implications of available professional standards 
such as those for beginning and expert teachers and other educators, as 
well as for teacher preparation, credentialling, and ongoing staff 
development as appropriate to the particular focus of the project.
    (c) Establish an advisory committee composed of school and 
university practitioners; state education officials; parents; 
professional organization, community and business representatives; and 
others as appropriate. The advisory committee must guide the project 
activities to ensure a systemic approach including cross-institutional 
planning, coordination, and resource allocation.
    (d) Evaluate the following aspects of the project:
    (1) The degree to which the professional development content and 
strategies reflect relevant research and exemplary practice;
    (2) The degree to which the project activities were actually 
implemented as compared to the original design; and
    (3) The nature and impact of project outcomes related to improved 
teaching and increased student learning and development.
    The evaluation must use state-of-the-art documentation and 
assessment approaches.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The objective of the 
Executive Order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a 
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and 
local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.

Invitation To Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding this proposed priority. All comments 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection, during and after the comment period, in room 522, 555 New 
Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 
4 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.

Applicable Program Regulations

    The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 
in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 3151.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.215J Secretary's 
Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program)

    Dated: February 28, 1994.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 94-4890 Filed 3-2-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P