[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 9, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-5426]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: March 9, 1994]


_______________________________________________________________________

Part V

Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration

Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________




Job Training Partnership Act: School-to-Work Opportunities; Local 
Partnership Implementation Grants; Application Procedures; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

 
Job Training Partnership Act: School-to-Work Opportunities; Local 
Partnership Implementation Grants; Application Procedures

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor. Office of 
Vocational and Adult Education, Education.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for grant 
applications (SGA).

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SUMMARY: This notice contains all of the necessary information and 
forms needed to apply for grant funding. This notice announces the 
competition for Local Partnership Grants financed under title IV of the 
Job Training Partnership Act, to enable local partnerships to begin 
implementation of School-to-Work Opportunities initiatives that will 
eventually be a part of a statewide School-to-Work Opportunities 
system. These initiatives will offer young Americans access to programs 
designed to prepare them for a first job in high-skill, high-wage 
careers, and to increase their opportunities for further education.

DATES: Applications for grant awards will be accepted commencing March 
9, 1994. The closing date for receipt of applications is May 9, 1994, 
at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time) at the address below. Telefacsimile (FAX) 
applications will not be honored.

ADDRESSES: Applications shall be mailed to: U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Acquisition and 
Assistance, Attention: Ms. Laura Cesario, Reference: SGA/DAA 94-007, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room S-4203, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Laura Cesario, Division of Acquisition and Assistance, telephone: 
(202) 219-8702 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section A. Purpose

    The U.S. Departments of Labor and Education are conducting separate 
competitions for grants to States that are prepared to implement 
statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems and to local 
partnerships that are prepared to implement local School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiatives. This notice announces the competition for 
Local Partnership Grants. Grants under this competition will be 
financed under title IV of the Job Training Partnership Act to enable 
local partnerships to begin implementation of School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiatives that will eventually be a part of a statewide 
School-to-Work Opportunities system.
    Multiple awards will be made to local partnerships to implement 
local School-to-Work Opportunities initiatives as defined in this 
notice. Approximately $10 million to $12 million are available for 
awards under this notice. The amount of an award under this competition 
will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will depend upon the 
scope and quality of the application, the size of the jurisdictions 
covered by the local partnership, and the number of projected program 
participants. The estimated number of awards under this competition is 
expected to be between 15 and 25. The Departments are not bound by the 
estimates in this notice.
    The Departments intend to conduct subsequent competitions for Local 
Partnership Grants, on an annual basis, under the proposed ``School-to-
Work Opportunities Act'' currently pending in Congress.

Section B. Application Process

1. Eligible Applicants

    A local entity that meets the definition of ``partnership'' in 
Section B (7) of this notice is eligible to apply for a Local 
Partnership Grant. An eligible partnership must include employers, 
public secondary and postsecondary educational institutions or 
agencies, and labor organizations or non-managerial employee 
representatives. Other entities appropriate to effective implementation 
of the proposed School-to-Work Opportunities initiative may also be 
included in the partnership. The partnership must demonstrate that a 
sound planning and development base for a School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiative has been built and that implementation is ready to begin.

2. Submission of Application

    Applicants must submit an original and four (4) copies of the 
application. The application shall consist of two (2) separate parts:
    Part I shall contain the Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for 
Federal Assistance,'' and SF 424A, ``Budget'' (Appendix A). All copies 
of the 424 Form must have original signatures of the designated fiscal 
agent. In addition, the budget shall include--on a separate page(s)--a 
detailed cost break-out of each line item on Budget Form 424A. 
Assurances and Certifications (Appendix B) shall also be included in 
this part.
    Part II shall contain the application narrative that demonstrates 
the applicant's plan and capabilities in accordance with the Statement 
of Work in Section C. No cost data or reference to price shall be 
included in this part of the application. In order to assist applicants 
in the preparation of their applications and to facilitate the 
expeditious evaluation by the panel, applicants should describe their 
proposed plan in light of each of the Selection Criteria in Section E 
of this notice.
    The Departments strongly request that applicants limit the 
application narrative to no more than 40 double-spaced pages, on one 
side only.

3. Late Applications

    Any application received after the exact time specified for receipt 
at the office designated in this notice will not be considered, unless 
it is received before awards are made and it--
    (a) Was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of 
applications (e.g., an application submitted in response to a 
solicitation requiring receipt of applications by the 20th of the month 
must have been mailed/post marked by the 15th of that month); or
    (b) Was sent by the U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service to addressee not later than 5 p.m. at the place of mailing two 
working days prior to the date specified for receipt of applications. 
The term ``working days'' excludes weekends and Federal holidays.
    The term ``post marked'' means a printed, stamped, or otherwise 
placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) 
that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been 
supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. 
Postal Service.

4. Hand-Delivered Applications

    It is preferred that applications be mailed at least five days 
prior to the closing date. To be considered for funding, hand-delivered 
applications must be received by 2 p.m., Eastern Time, on the closing 
date. Telegraphed and/or faxed applications will not be honored. 
Failure to adhere to the above instructions will be a basis for a 
determination of nonresponsiveness. Overnight express mail from 
carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service will be considered hand-
delivered applications and MUST BE RECEIVED by the above specified date 
and time.

5. Period of Performance

    The period of performance shall be twelve (12) months from the date 
of award by the Department of Labor.

6. Option To Extend

    These Local Partnership Grants may be extended at the discretion of 
the Government, based upon the availability of funds. Additional funds 
may be added if the State in which the local partnership is located has 
not begun the second year of a School-to-Work Opportunities State 
Implementation Grant.
    The amount of Federal funds, if any, that are added to a grant 
awarded under this notice will decrease in any subsequent year.

7. Definitions

    As used in this notice--
    ``All aspects of the industry'' includes, with respect to a 
particular industry that a student is preparing to enter, planning, 
management, finances, technical and production skills, underlying 
principles of technology, labor and community issues, health and safety 
issues, and environmental issues related to that industry;
    ``All students'' means students from the broad range of backgrounds 
and circumstances, including disadvantaged students, students of 
diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, students with 
disabilities, students with limited-English proficiency, students who 
have dropped out of school, and academically talented students; 
``Career major'' means a coherent sequence of courses or field of study 
that prepares a student for a first job and that--
    (a) Integrates occupational and academic learning, integrates work-
based and school-based learning, and establishes linkages between 
secondary and post-secondary education;
    (b) Prepares the student for employment in broad occupational 
clusters or industry sectors;
    (c) Typically includes at least two years of secondary school and 
one or two years of postsecondary education;
    (d) Results in the award of a high school diploma or its 
equivalent, a certificate or diploma recognizing successful completion 
of one or two years of postsecondary education (if appropriate), and a 
skill certificate; and
    (e) May lead to further training, such as entry into a registered 
apprenticeship program, or admission into a degree-granting college or 
university.
    ``Employer'' includes both public and private employers;
    ``Partnership'' means a local entity that is responsible for local 
School-to-Work Opportunities programs and that consists of employers, 
public secondary and postsecondary educational institutions or 
agencies, and labor organizations or non-managerial employee 
representatives, and may include other entities, such as non-profit or 
community-based organizations, rehabilitation agencies and 
organizations, registered apprenticeship agencies, local vocational 
education entities, local government agencies, parent organizations and 
teacher organizations, Private Industry Councils established under the 
Job Training Partnership Act, national trade associations working at 
the local levels, proprietary institutions of higher education (as 
defined in section 481(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1088(b)) that continue to meet the eligibility and certification 
requirements under section 498 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
vocational student organizations, and Federally recognized Indian 
tribes and Alaska Native villages;
    ``Postsecondary education institution'' means a public or private 
nonprofit institution that is authorized within a State to provide a 
program of education beyond secondary education, and includes a 
community college, a technical college, a postsecondary vocational 
institution, or a tribally controlled community college;
    ``Registered apprenticeship agency'' means either the Bureau of 
Apprenticeship and Training in the U.S. Department of Labor or a State 
apprenticeship agency recognized and approved by the Bureau of 
Apprenticeship and Training as the appropriate body for State 
registration or approval of local apprenticeship programs and 
agreements for Federal purposes;
    ``Registered apprenticeship program'' means a program registered by 
a registered apprenticeship agency;
    ``Skill certificate'' means a portable, industry-recognized 
credential issued by a School-to-Work Opportunities program under a 
statewide School-to-Work Opportunities plan submitted by a State and 
approved by the Secretaries of Education and Labor, that certifies that 
a student has mastered skills that are benchmarked to high-quality 
standards, such as the skill standards envisioned in the proposed Goals 
2000: Educate America Act. Until such plan is approved and until such 
skill standards are developed under the Act, the term ``skill 
certificate'' means a credential certifying that a student has mastered 
skills that are benchmarked to high-quality standards, issued under a 
process described in a Local Partnership's approved grant;
    ``State'' means each of the several States, the District of 
Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
    ``Workplace mentor'' means an employee at the workplace, or another 
individual approved by the employer, who possesses the skills and 
knowledge to be mastered by a student, and who instructs the student, 
critiques the student's performance, challenges the student to perform 
well, and works in consultation with classroom teachers and the 
employer.

Section C. Statement of Work

Part I. Background

    The United States is the only industrialized nation that lacks a 
comprehensive and coherent system to help its youth acquire the 
knowledge, skills, abilities, and information about the labor market 
necessary to make an effective transition from school to career-
oriented work. Three-fourths of America's high school students enter 
the workforce without four-year college degrees. Many of them do not 
possess the basic academic and occupational skills necessary for the 
changing workplace or to pursue further education.
    In order to create a national framework for high-quality, statewide 
school-to-work transition systems that enable young Americans to 
identify and navigate paths to productive and progressively more 
rewarding roles in the workplace, the Secretaries of Education and 
Labor have developed the School-to-Work Opportunities initiative. Under 
this initiative, which is based on the Administration's proposed 
``School-to-Work Opportunities Act'' currently pending in Congress, the 
Departments of Education and Labor are using current legislative 
authority in fiscal year 1994 to begin the development and 
implementation of statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems in 
every State. In addition, the Departments are conducting the 
competition announced in this notice to award grants to local 
partnerships to operate local School-to-Work Opportunities programs 
that meet the requirements established in the notice.
    The overall purpose of the initiative is to support the development 
and initial stages of implementation of statewide School-to-Work 
Opportunities systems within which local partnerships will apply for 
funds to develop local programs. However, through this competition, a 
local partnership may apply directly to the Federal Government. These 
grants may be renewed on an annual basis until the State in which the 
partnership is located is in its second year of a School-to-Work 
Opportunities State Implementation Grant. Each State that receives one 
of these State Implementation Grants will be required to have a plan 
for expanding the State's system over time to cover all geographic 
areas in the State, including those with high concentrations of poor 
and disadvantaged youth, and will be making direct subgrants to local 
partnerships.
    It is expected that the States will benefit from the experiences of 
the local partnerships and may incorporate successful elements of local 
initiatives into their statewide systems. Local and State programs may 
be developed by enhancing existing programs such as tech-prep 
education, career academies, youth apprenticeship, cooperative 
education, school-to-apprenticeship, and business-education compacts. 
However, the purpose of funding under the School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiative is not simply to augment existing programs, but rather to 
build statewide systems that provide opportunities for students to 
achieve the benefits and outcomes of the School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiative.
Grant Program Schedule
    The School-to-Work Opportunities initiative is proceeding on two 
funding tracks--(1) during fiscal year 1994, the initiative is being 
funded under current legislative authority in the Job Training 
Partnership Act and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied 
Technology Education Act; and (2) for fiscal year 1995 and beyond, it 
will be funded under the proposed ``School-to-Work Opportunities Act,'' 
when that legislation is enacted. The funds will be made available 
through a grants program administered cooperatively by the Department 
of Education and the Department of Labor that consists of--
    (a) State Development Grants, awarded to each State for developing 
a statewide School-to-Work Opportunities plan;
    (b) State Implementation Grants, awarded competitively to States 
that can demonstrate substantial ability to begin full-scale operation 
and implement the Statewide plan;
    (c) Local Partnership Grants, as announced in this notice, awarded 
competitively to localities that are prepared to implement School-to-
Work Opportunities initiatives;
    (d) High Poverty Grants, awarded competitively to local 
partnerships to support the development and implementation of School-
to-Work Opportunities programs in urban and rural areas of high 
poverty; and
    (e) Grants for Territories and Native American programs, to support 
School-to-Work Opportunities programs in the territories and for Indian 
youth, respectively.
    The competition for Local Partnership Grants will run concurrently 
with the State Implementation Grant competition, for which the 
application announcement was published in the Federal Register on 
February 3, 1994. Thus, both States and local partnerships prepared to 
implement School-to-Work Opportunities programs will be eligible for 
direct Federal funding, through separate competitions, in the current 
program year. The intent of this funding strategy is to allow ``leading 
edge'' communities to begin implementation of local School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiatives, even if their States are still in the 
program development phase. This parallel funding will allow States in 
the development phase to learn from innovative local partnerships and 
will build incentives for States and localities to work together to 
maximize funding within the State.
    To permit a smooth transition from Federal to State funding, a 
local partnership applying for a grant under this competition should 
consult with the State at the earliest possible time. These 
consultations will permit local initiatives to be designed so that they 
are, or will be, consistent with State plans for a comprehensive 
statewide School-to-Work Opportunities system. This is particularly 
important because, beginning in the second year that a State receives 
as Implementation Grant, the only source of funding for a local 
partnership initiative will be through the State.
    Since no State has yet received a School-to-Work Opportunities 
Implementation Grant, local partnerships in all States are eligible to 
apply for Local Partnership Grants this first year. This could result 
in a State and one or more of its local partnerships each receiving a 
competitive implementation grant award in 1994.

Part II. Program Description

a. Objectives
    The School-to-Work Opportunities initiative provides for a 
substantial degree of State and local flexibility and experimentation, 
but all State systems and individual local programs will share several 
common features and basic program components. (Although there may be 
certain differences between requirements under the legislation as 
eventually enacted and grant requirements under this notice, these 
differences are not expected to be fundamental.) A local School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiative under this competition must include the 
following common features and basic program components:
    1. The basis of the School-to-Work Opportunities system is--
    (a) The integration of work-based learning and school-based 
learning, that provides students, to the extent practicable, with broad 
instruction in all aspects of the industries students are preparing to 
enter;
    (b) The integration of occupational and academic learning; and
    (c) The linking of secondary and postsecondary education.
    2. School-to-Work Opportunities programs will result in students 
attaining--
    (a) A high school diploma, or its equivalent;
    (b) A certificate or diploma recognizing successful completion of 
one or two years of postsecondary education, if appropriate; and
    (c) A skill certificate.
    3. School-to-Work Opportunities programs must incorporate three 
basic program components;
    (a) Work-Based Learning, that includes--
     A planned program of job training and work experiences, 
including pre-employment and employment skills to be mastered at 
progressively higher levels, that are relevant to a student's career 
major and lead to the award of a skill certificate;
     Paid work experience;
     Workplace mentoring; and
     Instruction in general workplace competencies.
    (b) School-Based Learning, that includes--
     Career awareness and career exploration and counseling 
(beginning at the earliest possible age) in order to help students who 
may be interested to identify, and select or reconsider, their 
interests, goals, and career majors including those options that may 
not be traditional for their gender, race, or ethnicity;
     Initial selection by interested students of a career major 
not later than the beginning of the 11th grade;
     A program of study designed to meet the same challenging 
academic standards developed by the State for all students including, 
where applicable, standards established under the Goals 2000: Educate 
America Act, and to meet the requirements necessary for a student to 
earn a skill certificate; and
     Regularly scheduled evaluations to identify academic 
strengths and weaknesses, academic progress, workplace knowledge and 
goals of students and the need for additional learning opportunities to 
master core academic and vocational skills.
    (c) Connecting Activities, that include--
     Matching students with employers' work-based learning 
opportunities;
     Serving as a liaison among the employer, school, teacher, 
parent, and student and, if appropriate, other community partners;
     Providing technical assistance and services to employers, 
including small and medium-sized businesses, and others in designing 
work-based learning components and counseling and case management 
services, and in training teachers, workplace mentors, and counselors;
     Providing assistance to students who have completed the 
program in finding an appropriate job, continuing their education, or 
entering into an additional training program;
     Providing assistance to schools and employers to integrate 
school-based and work-based learning and integrate academic and 
occupational learning;
     Collecting and analyzing information regarding post-
program outcomes of students who participate in the School-to-Work 
Opportunities program which may include information on gender, race, 
ethnicity, socio-economic background, limited-English proficiency, and 
disability; and
     Linking youth development activities under the School-to-
Work Opportunities program with employer and industry strategies for 
upgrading the skills of their workers.
b. Scope
    As noted above in Section B. 1., ``Eligible Applicants,'' a local 
partnership must demonstrate that a sound planning and development base 
for School-to-Work Opportunities programs has been built and that 
implementation is ready to begin. The Departments encourage only 
applications for high quality, comprehensive School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs that--
    1. Will deliver the common features and basic program components 
defined above in Part II. a., ``Objectives;''
    2. Have the potential to serve significant numbers of students 
during the grant period, in accordance with the size and type (i.e., 
urban, suburban, or rural) of the targeted geographic area;
    3. Include plans to ensure opportunities for all students to 
participate.
    4. Show strong evidence of employer involvement.
    5. Demonstrate strong potential for achieving the local 
partnership's planned goals and outcomes.
c. Examples of allowable activities
    Funds awarded to a local partnership that receives a grant under 
this competition may be used only for activities undertaken to 
implement the local partnership's plan that will provide opportunities 
for students to participate successfully in a School-to-Work 
Opportunities program. Among the activities that may be conducted with 
funds awarded under a Local Partnership Grant are--
    1. Recruiting and providing assistance to employers, including 
small and medium-sized businesses, to provide the work-based learning 
components in the School-to-Work Opportunities program;
    2. Establishing consortia of employers to support the School-to-
Work Opportunities program and provide access to jobs related to the 
students' career majors;
    3. Supporting or establishing intermediaries to perform the 
connecting activities described above in Part II. a., ``Objectives'' 
and to provide assistance to students in obtaining jobs and further 
education and training;
    4. Designing or adapting school curricula that can be used to 
integrate academic and vocational learning, school-based and work-based 
learning, and secondary and postsecondary education;
    5. Providing training to work-based and school-based staff on new 
curricula, student assessments, student guidance, and feedback to the 
school regarding student performance;
    6. Providing career exploration and awareness services, beginning 
at the earliest possible age, including counseling and mentoring 
services, college awareness, and other services to prepare students for 
the transition from school to work;
    7. Establishing in schools participating in a School-to-Work 
Opportunities program a graduation assistance program to assist at-
risk, disabled, and low-achieving students in graduating from high 
school, enrolling in postsecondary education or training, and finding, 
maintaining, or advancing in jobs;
    8. Conducting or obtaining an in-depth analysis of the local labor 
market and the generic and specific skill needs of employers to 
identify high-demand, high-wage careers to target;
    9. Integrating work-based and school-based learning into existing 
job training programs for youth who have dropped out of school;
    10. Establishing or expanding school-to-apprenticeship programs in 
cooperation with registered apprenticeship agencies and apprenticeship 
sponsors;
    11. Assisting participating employers, including small and medium-
sized businesses, to identify and train workplace mentors and to 
develop work-based learning components;
    12. Designing local strategies to provide adequate planning time 
and staff development activities for teachers, school counselors, and 
related services personnel;
    13. Enhancing linkages between after-school, weekend, and summer 
jobs, and opportunities for career exploration and school-based 
learning; and
    14. Conducting outreach to all students in a manner that most 
appropriately meets their needs and the needs of their communities.

Part III. Application Contents

    An eligible applicant must submit an application that includes the 
following:
    a. The State's comments on the application. The local partnership 
must submit its application to the State for review and comment before 
submitting the application to the Department. Many States have 
designated a State School-to-Work Opportunities contact. Applicants 
should call the office of their Governor for the name of the School-to-
Work Opportunities contact. The Departments expect that all State 
School-to-Work Opportunities team members (i.e., the Governor; the 
State educational agency; the State agency officials responsible for 
job training and employment, economic development, and postsecondary 
education; and other appropriate officials on the State team) will be 
provided an opportunity to review and comment on the local 
partnership's application. Of particular importance to the Departments 
are the State's comments on the consistency of the partnership's 
planned activities with the State's plans for a comprehensive statewide 
School-to-Work Opportunities system.
    The State's comments must be included in the local partnership's 
application; however, the local partnership may submit the application 
without State comment if proof of receipt by the State office is 
provided that the State was given the opportunity to comment, but did 
not do so within ten (10) days of receiving the request. A State's 
written comments received by the Department after this time will still 
be given consideration, if received within ten (10) days of the closing 
date for receipt of applications in order to be considered, although 
the local partnership will no longer be responsible for the submission 
of the State's comments.
    b. A description of the composition of the local partnership. The 
application must identify the members of the local partnership, which 
must include employers, public secondary and postsecondary educational 
institutions or agencies, and labor organizations or non-managerial 
employee representatives, and may include others appropriate to 
effective implementation of the proposed School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiative; the respective roles of each member; and how the 
partnership is organized to successfully implement the planned local 
School-to-Work Opportunities initiative.
    c. A description of the geographic area to be covered, which shall, 
to the extent feasible, reflect local labor market areas. The 
application must describe the relationship of the geographic area to be 
covered under the proposed Local Partnership Grant to the local labor 
market. It should include information on specific employer needs; 
industry and occupational growth projections; and high-demand, high-
wage careers to be targeted. A partnership is encouraged to be 
comprehensive in scope and in geographic area and should describe any 
collaboration among school districts, employers, labor organizations, 
and other entities that are, or will be, a part of the local School-to-
Work initiative in the same labor market area.
    d. A plan for implementing a local School-to-Work Opportunities 
program. This plan must:
    1. Show how the local School-to-Work Opportunities initiative will 
include the basic features and program components outlined above in 
Part II. a., ``Objectives;''
    2. Describe the manner in which the local partnership has obtained 
and will continue to obtain the active and continued involvement in 
local School-to-Work Opportunities programs of employers and other 
interested parties such as locally elected officials, secondary and 
postsecondary educational institutions or agencies, business 
associations, employees, labor organizations or associations thereof, 
teachers, related services personnel, students, parents, community-
based organizations, rehabilitation agencies and organizations, 
registered apprenticeship agencies, human service agencies, language 
minority communities, Private Industry Councils established under the 
Job Training Partnership Act, vocational student organizations, State 
or regional cooperative education associations, and local vocational 
educational agencies;
    3. Describe the manner in which the local partnership will 
coordinate with or integrate its School-to-Work Opportunities 
program(s) with programs financed from State and private sources and 
from funds available from related Federal programs such as the Adult 
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.), the Carl D. Perkins Vocational 
and Applied Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.), the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), Part F of Title IV of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 681 et seq.) (authorizing the Job 
Opportunity Basic Skills Training Program), the Goals 2000: Educate 
America Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
1400 et seq.), the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501 et 
seq.), the National Apprenticeship Act (29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.); and the National 
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.);
    4. Describe the local partnership's strategy for providing training 
for teachers, employers, mentors, counselors, and other parties 
involved in the local partnership's initiative;
    5. Describe the resources, including private sector resources, the 
local partnership intends to employ in maintaining local School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs when Federal School-to-Work Opportunities funds, 
including Federal funds awarded for State Development Grants and State 
Implementation Grants, are no longer available;
    6. Describe how the local partnership will ensure effective and 
meaningful opportunities for all students, as defined in this notice, 
to participate in School-to-Work Opportunities programs;
    7. Describe the goals of the local partnership and the methods the 
local partnership will use, such as awareness and outreach, to ensure 
opportunities for young women to participate in School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs in a manner that leads to employment in high-
performance, high-paying jobs, including non-traditional employment;
    8. Describe how the local partnership will ensure opportunities for 
low-achieving students, students with disabilities, and former students 
who have dropped out of school to participate in School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs in a manner that leads to employment in high-
performance, high-paying jobs; and
    9. Describe the local partnership's process for assessing the 
skills and knowledge required in career majors, and awarding skill 
certificates that is consistent with the work of the proposed National 
Skill Standards Board and the criteria established under the Goals 
2000: Educate America Act. (See Appendix C for a summary of Goals 2000: 
Educate America Act)
    e. A description of the local partnership's plans for integrating 
existing school-to-work-related activities with local School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiatives planned for implementation under this 
announcement. Existing programs and projects related to school-to-work 
transition in the geographic area should be briefly described. The 
local partnership should describe its long-range plans to integrate 
these programs and projects with local School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiatives so that all students will be provided an opportunity to 
participate successfully in School-to-Work Opportunities systems.
    f. A description of the short- and long-term goals and performance 
outcomes that the partnership has established and how the partnership 
will measure its progress in meeting these goals.
    In addition to describing its own goals and outcomes, each local 
partnership awarded a grant under this notice must commit to assisting 
the Federal Government in the conduct of a national evaluation that 
will track and assess the progress and effectiveness of statewide 
School-to-Work Opportunities systems and the progress and outcomes of 
local programs.
    g. A description of the current and planned coordination between 
the local partnership's initiative and the State's plans for a 
comprehensive statewide School-to-Work Opportunities system.
    In order to ensure consistency with the State's developing School-
to-Work Opportunities system, the local partnership should describe any 
current or planned coordination activities with expected statewide-
building efforts in such areas as: the development of skill standards 
and processes for awarding skill certificates; the establishment of a 
State evaluation system; the identification of emerging occupations 
appropriate for career majors; the development of new curricula; 
strategies for recruiting employers; and plans for providing 
professional staff development. Should the State not have a plan for 
developing skill standards and awarding skill certificates, the 
application should describe the local partnership's investigation and 
adaptation of existing industry-recognized standards or existing 
processes for awarding industry-recognized certificates to incorporate 
the criteria established in the proposed Goals 2000: Educate America 
Act.
    h. A timeline outlining the specific tasks, with expected 
completion dates, that will be undertaken to implement the proposed 
plan, enroll significant numbers of students, and achieve the stated 
outcomes.

Section D. Safeguards

    The Departments apply the following safeguards to School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs funded under this competition:
    1. No student shall displace any currently employed worker 
(including a partial displacement, such as a reduction in the hours of 
non-overtime work, wages, or employment benefits).
    2. No School-to-Work Opportunities program shall impair existing 
contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements, except that 
no program under this competition that would be inconsistent with the 
terms of a collective bargaining agreement shall be undertaken without 
the written concurrence of the labor organization and employer 
concerned.
    3. No student shall be employed or job opening filled--
    a. When any other individual is on temporary layoff from the 
participating employer, with the clear possibility of recall, from the 
same or any substantially equivalent job; or
    b. When the employer has terminated the employment of any regular 
employee or otherwise reduced its workforce with the intention of 
filling the vacancy so created with a student.
    4. Students shall be provided with adequate and safe equipment and 
a safe and healthful workplace in conformity with all health, safety, 
and labor standards of Federal, State, and local law.
    5. Nothing in this notice shall be construed so as to modify or 
affect any Federal or State law prohibiting discrimination on the basis 
of race, religion, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, or 
disability.
    6. Funds awarded under this competition shall not be expended for 
wages of students.
    The grantee shall implement and maintain such other safeguards as 
the Departments may deem appropriate in order to ensure that School-to-
Work Opportunities participants are afforded adequate supervision by 
skilled adult workers, or, otherwise, to further the purposes of this 
program.
    An applicant must provide an assurance, in the application, that 
the foregoing safeguards will be implemented and maintained throughout 
all program activities.

Section E. Selection Criteria

    Under the fiscal year 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Local 
Partnership Grant competition, a careful evaluation of applications 
will be made by a panel of (a) peer reviewers and/or (b) specialists 
within the Departments of Labor and Education. Each panelist will 
evaluate the applications against the criteria listed below, with 
emphasis on the scope and quality of the proposed plan and with careful 
consideration to the effectiveness, rather than the presence, of each 
program component. The panel results are advisory in nature and not 
binding on the Government. Final funding decisions will be made based 
on the results of the panel review process and such other factors as: 
geographic balance, diversity of programmatic approaches, 
replicability, sustainability, and innovation.
    The Government will use the following selection criteria in 
evaluating applications:
    1. Scope and Quality of Local School-to-Work Opportunities 
Initiative (25 points) Is there an effective strategy for implementing 
a School-to-Work Opportunities initiative that integrates occupational 
and academic learning, integrates work-based learning and school-based 
learning, establishes linkages between secondary and postsecondary 
education, and results in the award of a high school diploma or its 
equivalent, a certificate or diploma recognizing successful completion 
of one or two years of postsecondary education (if appropriate), and a 
skill certificate? Does the application demonstrate an effective 
strategy for targeting high-demand, high-wage jobs? How effectively are 
the common features and basic program components described in Part 
II.a. of the Statement of Work included in the local School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiative? Have promising existing programs been 
considered for adaptation? Have new directions and approaches been 
planned to ensure that these programs include the common features and 
basic program components? Is there an effective long-range plan for 
integrating existing promising school-to-work programs with the 
proposed School-to-Work Opportunities initiative?
    2. Scope and Effectiveness of Local Partnerships (25 points) Does 
the application demonstrate the strong commitment and support of 
employers, public secondary and postsecondary educational institutions 
or agencies, and labor organizations or non-managerial employee 
representatives and provide for their sustained and specific 
involvement? Given the scope of the proposed School-to-Work 
Opportunities initiative, does the partnership include other members 
appropriate to effective implementation? Are the roles and 
responsibilities of the members of the partnership appropriate and 
likely to produce the desired changes in the way students are prepared 
for the future? Does the partnership's plan include an effective and 
convincing strategy for obtaining the active and continued involvement 
of employers and other interested parties such as locally elected 
officials, secondary and postsecondary educational institutions or 
agencies, business associations, employees, labor organizations or 
associations thereof, teachers, students, parents, community-based 
organizations, rehabilitation agencies and organizations, registered 
apprenticeship agencies, and local vocational educational agencies in 
the implementation of the local program(s)?
    3. Student Participation (20 points) Does the plan propose 
realistic strategies to ensure that ``all students,'' including young 
women, minorities, low-achieving students, students with disabilities, 
students with limited-English proficiency, academically talented 
students, and former students who have dropped out of school, have 
opportunities to participate in School-to-Work Opportunities programs? 
Does the strategy recognize barriers to their participation and propose 
effective ways of overcoming them so that these students are prepared 
for high-skill, high-wage jobs, including--for young women and 
minorities--nontraditional employment? Does the plan provide for the 
direct delivery of services to significant numbers of students?
    4. Comprehensiveness (10 points) To what extent does the 
geographical area to be served by the partnership reflect the needs of 
the local labor market area? Is the strategy for implementing the 
School-to-Work Opportunities initiative likely to produce systemic 
change that will have substantial impact on the preparation of youth 
for a first job in a high-skill, high-wage career and in increasing 
their opportunities for further education? Is there existing or planned 
collaboration among other school districts, employers, labor 
organizations, and community groups that will lead to an increasingly 
comprehensive local School-to-Work Opportunities system?
    5. Collaboration with State (10 points) To the extent practicable, 
has the partnership effectively consulted with the State in which it is 
located and established realistic methods for ensuring consistency of 
its program(s) with the statewide School-to-Work Opportunities system 
being developed by the State? Has the local partnership developed a 
sound strategy for adapting its plans, as necessary, to coincide with 
the State plan for a School-to-Work Opportunities system?
    6. Management plan (10 points) Does the entity submitting the 
application on the part of the partnership have the capacity to manage 
the implementation of the local School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiative? Does the management plan anticipate barriers to 
implementation and include a system for addressing them as they arise? 
Does the applicant limit administrative costs in order to maximize the 
amounts spent on delivery of services to students enrolled in its 
School-to-Work Opportunities programs? Does the plan include methods 
for sustaining and expanding the partnership, as the program expands in 
scope and size? Is there an effective strategy for identifying and 
utilizing other resources, including private sector resources to 
maintain and expand School-to-Work Opportunities programs? Does the 
management plan reflect continuous improvement methodologies by 
building in specific, outcome-based, evaluative checkpoints and the 
mechanisms necessary to carry out improvements, redesigns, or mid-
course corrections along the way? Are key personnel under the plan 
qualified to perform the required activities, including maintaining the 
essential partnership?

Section F. Reporting Requirements/Deliverables

    The local partnership will be required to provide the following:
1. Quarterly and Final Reports
     Quarterly financial reports as required by the grant award 
documents;
     Quarterly narrative reports on progress made and problems 
encountered in implementing the proposed plan and that indicate, where 
relevant, the corrective action(s) proposed to address implementation 
problems; and
     A final report at year-end on the activities and 
accomplishments of the local partnership's School-to-Work Opportunities 
initiative.
2. Deliverables
     At a minimum, preparing an assessment of accomplishments 
and results at program year-end suitable for dissemination to other 
local partnerships still in the development phase; and
     Acting as a host to outside visitors who are interested in 
developing and implementing School-to-Work Opportunities initiatives of 
their own and to State visitors interested in the replication and 
adaption of successful program elements.

    Signed at Washington DC this 3rd day of March 1994.
Doug Ross,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Department of Labor.
Augusta Kappner,
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, Department of 
Education.

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Appendix C--Goals 2000: Educate America Act

Supporting Systemic Education Reform Nationwide

Overview

     Goals 2000 provides resources to States and communities to 
develop and implement systemic education reforms aimed at helping all 
students reach challenging academic and occupational standards.

Legislative Update

     A unique bipartisan consensus among Governors, Members of 
Congress, business leaders, and educators has emerged in support of the 
systemic education reform reflected in the ``Goals 2000: Educate 
America Act.''
     On October 13, the House of Representatives voted 307-118 
in support of Goals 2000.
     On February 8, the Senate voted 71-25 in support of Goals 
2000.
     It is anticipated the President will sign the bill by late 
March.

Components of The ``Goals 2000: Educate America Act''

Title I: National Education Goals

     Codifies in law the original six National Education Goals 
and adds two new goals related to parental participation and 
professional development.

Title II: National Education Reform Leadership, Standards, and 
Assessments

     Establishes in law the National Education Goals Panel and 
adds new responsibilities to build public support for reform and 
approve criteria for certifying voluntary national content and student 
performance standards and voluntary opportunity-to-learn standards.
     Creates a National Education Standards and Improvement 
Council (NESIC) to examine and certify national and State content 
standards, opportunity-to-learn standards, and assessment systems 
submitted on a voluntary basis. The establishment of NESIC was 
recommended by a bipartisan task force, the National Council on 
Education Standards and Testing, chaired by Governors Roy Romer and 
Carroll Campbell.
     Provides grants to support the development of voluntary 
model opportunity-to-learn standards as well as assessment systems 
aligned to State content standards.

Title III: State and Local Education Systemic Improvement

    Title III is a State grant program to support, accelerate, and 
sustain State and local improvement efforts aimed at helping all 
students reach challenging academic standards.
State Planning Panel
     The Governor and the Chief State School Officer will 
appoint a broad-based panel comprised of policymakers, teachers, 
principals, administrators, representatives of business and labor, and 
members of the public.
     The Governor and the Chief State School Officer will each 
appoint half the members of the State panel.
     States that already have a broad-based panel in place can 
request that the Secretary of Education recognize the existing panel.
Comprehensive Improvement Plan
     The State Planning Panel has responsibility for developing 
a comprehensive reform plan.
     States with reform plans already in place that meet the 
Act's requirements will not have to develop new plans for Goals 2000. 
The Secretary can approve plans, or portions of plans, already adopted 
by the State.
     In order to receive funds after the first year, a State 
has to have an approved plan or have made substantial progress in 
developing it.
     A peer review process will be used to review the State 
plans and offer guidance to the State Planning Panel. The Department of 
Education will also offer other technical assistance and support.
    In general, the plans are to address:
     Strategies for the development of content standards, 
student performance standards, student assessment, and plans of teacher 
training.
     Strategies for providing all students an opportunity to 
learn to challenging academic standards.
     Management and governance strategies that promote 
accountability for results, flexibility, site-based management, and 
other principles of high-performance management.
     Strategies to involve parents and the community in helping 
all students meet the challenging State standards and for promoting 
grass roots, bottom-up involvement in reform.
     Strategies for bringing education reform to scale and 
ensuring that all local educational agencies and schools in the State 
are involved in developing and implementing needed improvements.
    Funds will also be available to States to support the development 
of a technology plan, which will be coordinated with the overall reform 
plan. This plan is to describe how States will use technology to 
support systemic reform and the achievement of high standards.

Title IV: National Skill Standards Board

     This title creates a National Skill Standards Board to 
serve as a catalyst in stimulating the development and adoption of a 
voluntary national system of occupational skill standards and 
certification that will serve as a cornerstone of the national strategy 
to enhance workforce skills. The Board would be responsible for 
identifying broad clusters of major occupations in the U.S. and 
facilitating the establishment of voluntary partnerships to develop 
skill standards for each cluster. The Board would endorse those skill 
standards submitted by the partnerships that meet certain statutorily 
prescribed criteria.

Timetable and Funding

     Congress has appropriated $105 million for Goals 2000 for 
fiscal year 1994. First-year funds will be available to the States on 
July 1, 1994. The President has asked for $700 million in his 1995 
budget proposal for the Department of Education's portions of the Act 
and $12 million for the Department of Labor's portion of the Act, which 
is the National Skill Standards Board.
     For first-year funding, States will be asked to submit an 
application that will describe the process by which the State will 
develop a school improvement plan and how the SEA will use the funds 
received.
     In year 1, it remains unclear how much of the funds will 
stay at the State level and what will be distributed, through a 
competitive process, to local educational agencies. The House-Senate 
conference will resolve this.
     In succeeding years, either 85 percent or 90 percent of 
each State's funds are to be used to make subgrants for the 
implementation of the State and local improvement plans and to support 
educator preservice and professional development.
     LEAs that receive funding must use 75 percent to fund 
individual school improvement initiatives. After year one, LEA's must 
pass through 85 percent of the funds to schools.

Waivers

     SEAs can apply to the Secretary of Education for waivers 
of certain programmatic requirements that impede the implementation of 
the State or local implementation plans.
     The Act will not allow the Secretary to waive civil rights 
regulations or requirements in such areas as parental involvement.

The Relationship of Goals 2000 to Other Federal Education Programs

     State participation in all aspects of Goals 2000 is 
voluntary, and is not a precondition for participation in other Federal 
programs.
     Goals 2000 is the first step toward making the Federal 
Government a supportive partner in State and local systemic reforms 
aimed at helping all children reach high standards.
     Other new and existing education and training programs 
will fit within the Goals 2000 framework of challenging academic and 
occupational standards, systemic reform, and flexibility at the State 
and local levels. The aim is to promote greater coherence among Federal 
programs and between Federal programs and State and local education 
reforms.
     For example, the pending School-to-Work Opportunities Act 
will support State and local efforts to build a school-to-work 
transition system that will help youth acquire the knowledge, skills, 
abilities and labor market information they need to make a smooth 
transition from school to career-oriented work and to further education 
and training. Students in these programs will be expected to meet the 
same academic standards States establish under Goals 2000 and will earn 
portable, industry-recognized skill certificates that are benchmarked 
to high quality standards such as the skill standards that will be 
established under Goals 2000.
     Similarly, the Administration's proposed reauthorization 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) allows 
States that have developed standards and assessments under Goals 2000 
to use them for ESEA, thereby providing a single set of standards and 
assessments for States to use for their reform needs and to meet 
Federal requirements.
     In the future, the Administration's proposals for the 
reauthorization of education programs will also fit within the same 
framework of challenging standards and systemic reform.

[FR Doc. 94-5426 Filed 3-8-94; 8:45 am]
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