[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-10483]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 3, 1994]


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Part III





Department of Education





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Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and Science 
Education; Three Final Priorities for Fiscal Year 1994; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and Science 
Education--Model Professional Development in the Use of Technology for 
Mathematics and Science Instruction; Model Projects in Encouraging 
Female and Minority Students in Mathematics and Science; and Model 
Science-Based Professional Development Projects in Environmental 
Education

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priorities for fiscal year 1994.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces three priorities for fiscal year 1994 
under the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and 
Science Education: model professional development projects in the use 
of technology for mathematics and science education, model projects in 
encouraging female and minority students in mathematics and science, 
and model science-based professional development projects in 
environmental education.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take effect either 45 days after 
publication in the Federal Register or later if the Congress takes 
certain adjournments. For information about the effective date of these 
priorities, call or write the Department of Education contact person.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz Barnes or Annora Dorsey, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20208-5673. Telephone: (202) 219-2210. 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: The goal of the Eisenhower National Program 
is to support projects of national significance in elementary and 
secondary schools in mathematics and science education designed to 
improve the skills of teachers and the quality of instruction in these 
areas and to increase the access of all students to that instruction. 
The program is authorized under Title II, Part A, Subpart 1, section 
2012 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended.
    The Secretary may subsequently conduct an external study or studies 
of the effectiveness and lessons learned from projects funded under 
this program. If he does so, projects will be required to cooperate 
with the conduct of the study, by sharing their experiences, project 
evaluations, and data.
    Regarding priority 1, the Secretary believes that technology can be 
used to improve instruction and assessment in mathematics and science 
and provide all students with greater opportunity to learn in 
accordance with state content and student performance standards. The 
Secretary believes that developments in technology have great promise 
for helping to attain National Education Goal Five, that by the Year 
2000, United States students will be first in the world in mathematics 
and science achievement; however, he sees ample evidence that many 
teachers are not confident about using these resources in the 
classroom. The scope of these projects may include professional 
development in the use of technology for assessment of student 
learning. For purposes of substantiating that two or more schools 
assisted under this priority serve underachieving students, the 
applicant may cite test scores, drop-out rates, Chapter I eligibility, 
or similar indices.
    Regarding priority 2, the Secretary is concerned that the Nation's 
schools encourage too few minority and female students to study and 
pursue careers in the fields of mathematics and science. The Secretary 
believes that the well-documented underrepresentation of minorities and 
women in these disciplines represents a waste of human talent that the 
Nation can ill afford. This priority will therefore support, and learn 
from, projects that seek to stimulate and sustain the interest and 
attainments of female and minority children in mathematics and science.
    Regarding priority 3, the Secretary believes that environmental 
education can stimulate students' interest in scientific fields and 
enhance their understanding of these disciplines. The Secretary also 
believes that environmental issues are important in their own right and 
are, therefore, eminently worthy of study. The Secretary finds, 
however, that environmental education programs of high quality are 
available in too few of the Nation's schools, in part because American 
teachers have very limited opportunities to increase their knowledge of 
environmental issues and to learn the most successful means of 
providing environmental education. The Secretary proposes, therefore, 
to support and learn from projects in professional development for 
teachers in environmental education.
    The Secretary draws to the attention of potential applicants 
responding to priority 3 the National Consortium for Environmental 
Education and Training (NCEET) at the University of Michigan, an 
undertaking funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under Section 
5 of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990. NCEET's primary 
emphasis is professional development for teachers in environmental 
education. Potential applicants should consult with NCEET to ensure 
that their projects are not duplicative of the National Consortium's 
efforts.
    On November 12, 1993, the Secretary announced in the Federal 
Register (58 FR 60007) a proposed priority for the Eisenhower National 
Program in model professional development in the use of technology for 
mathematics and science instruction. After considering the intent of 
the Senate Report that accompanied the Fiscal Year 1994 Department of 
Education Appropriations Act, the Secretary proposed two additional 
priorities. These proposed priorities were announced on February 28, 
1994 in the Federal Register (59 FR 9610).

    Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition 
is published in a separate notice in this issue of the Federal 
Register.

Analysis of the Comments and Changes

    In response to the Secretary's invitation in the notices of 
proposed priorities several parties submitted comments. An analysis of 
the comments and of the changes in the priorities since publication of 
the notices of proposed priorities follows.

Notice of Proposed Priority Published on November 12, 1993

    Comment: One commenter pointed out that technology projects are 
hardware intensive. The commenter therefore suggested that the portion 
of grant funding available for purchase or lease of appropriate 
hardware, software, and communications services or tariffs for use in 
these projects be greater than is traditionally available in many 
grants. Another commenter urged that the Department allow up to 50% of 
the total Federal portion of the project budget, rather than the 20% 
stipulated in the priority, to be used for purchase of items such as 
hardware. This commenter believed that this change would result in 
greater numbers of applications from districts that have relatively few 
resources for the purchase of technology.
    Discussion: In this priority the Secretary wishes to emphasize 
professional development, rather than equipment purchase, and thus does 
not wish to reduce the proportion of Federal funds available for 
inservice education. The Secretary notes that, in their efforts to 
obtain additional funds to be used for purchase of hardware, software, 
and other such items, applicants should have available the joint 
resources of the partnerships that are to be formed under this 
priority. The Secretary acknowledges, however, that the type of 
projects to be supported under this priority may require a significant 
initial investment in technology-related resources.
    Changes: The priority has been revised to state that up to one-
third of the total Federal funds approved for year one and up to 15 
percent of the Federal funds approved in years two and three may be 
expended to purchase or lease hardware, software, and communications 
services or tariffs.
    Comment: One commenter urged that a portion of funds made available 
through this priority be used for preservice programs, such as those 
that would help faculty in schools of education to provide exemplary 
models of the use of technology in teaching.
    Discussion: The Secretary agrees that preservice programs can play 
a critical role in preparing teachers to use technology effectively in 
the classroom. The current priority, however, was designed for 
inservice professional development, where ample need for improvement 
exists. Given the relatively limited amount of funding available for 
these priorities, the Secretary does not wish to dilute the purpose or 
effectiveness of the priority by broadening it to encompass preservice 
programs. The Secretary will, however, examine possible opportunities 
to support preservice programs in future technology-related grant 
priorities.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that partnerships formed to 
develop and implement project activities include representatives of the 
Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI) program funded by the National 
Science Foundation.
    Discussion: The Secretary believes that, insofar as the SSI program 
involves professional development, this comment is already addressed in 
the priority's requirement that projects coordinate their work with 
other professional development efforts in mathematics and science 
education.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter urged that principals be allowed to 
designate persons knowledgeable in technology to serve in the 
principal's stead on the advisory committees that will guide the 
projects.
    Discussion: The Secretary points out that the priority does not 
preclude participation on the advisory committees by persons who have 
been chosen by principals and who are particularly knowledgeable in 
technology. The Secretary believes that the presence of a principal 
himself or herself on an advisory committee represents a personal 
commitment that could be vital to the undertaking's success. In 
addition, in light of the many-faceted professional development 
activities envisioned in the priority, the Secretary believes that the 
advisory committee needs the breadth of knowledge and management 
perspectives that principals can bring.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that the priority require the 
participation of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) to 
enhance the effectiveness of the program in schools serving 
underachieving students whose native language is not English.
    Discussion: The Secretary notes that the priority allows for 
inclusion of ESL teachers in project activities. The priority requires 
the involvement of two or more schools serving underachieving students 
and the inclusion of the majority of, if not all, the mathematics and 
science teachers in participating schools. ESL teachers who provide 
instruction in mathematics and science at project site schools are thus 
likely to participate in the professional development activities that 
are part of the project. In the interest of allowing the greatest 
amount of flexibility and variety in the projects that are funded, the 
Secretary does not wish to add further requirements concerning 
inclusion of teachers.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that, in addition to requiring 
integration of academic content and pedagogical components, the 
priority should provide a focus on the interdisciplinary nature of 
mathematics and science education.
    Discussion: The Secretary observes that the priority would not 
preclude such a focus. The Secretary wishes to allow potential 
applicants flexibility to design projects that respond to local and 
State needs, and thus does not desire to restrict applicants' choice of 
emphases.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter pointed out that technology provides the 
teacher with an opportunity to assess each student's learning on a 
near-continuous basis, thus enabling the teacher to adjust instruction 
to fit the needs of both individual learners and groups of students 
throughout the course of a learning sequence. Technology can thus 
maximize the usefulness of assessment by making it an integral part of 
learning, the commenter argued. The commenter urged that the priority 
be expanded to include attention to the use of technology for student 
assessment aimed at continuous monitoring and improvement of learning.
    Discussion: The Secretary recognizes that technology can provide 
improved methods of assessing student progress and thus can contribute 
to student learning. The Secretary does not exclude teacher 
professional development in the use of technology for student 
assessment.
    Changes: None.

Notice of Proposed Priorities Published on February 28, 1994

    Comment: One commenter strongly supported the emphasis on women and 
minorities, as well as the emphasis on environmental education. The 
commenter also suggested adding a priority, or mentioning the 
possibility of, the development and incorporation of service learning 
in projects.
    Discussion: The Secretary observes that the priorities would not 
necessarily preclude such a focus. The Secretary wishes to allow 
potential applicants flexibility to design projects that respond to 
local and State needs, and thus does not desire to restrict applicants' 
choice of emphases.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: Two commenters strongly argued against limiting one 
priority to environmental education. They felt that it is unnecessary 
and unwise to focus limited funding for professional development on a 
particular field of science. One commenter stated that most teachers 
teach more than one science and therefore need reinforcement in more 
than one field.
    Discussion: The Secretary believes that environmental education is 
one way to stimulate students' interest in scientific fields. The 
Secretary also believes that environmental education involves several 
different scientific fields and will therefore enhance teachers' 
ability to teach science generally.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter supported the encouragement of women and 
minorities in mathematics and science. However, the commenter urged 
that the priority provide opportunities and funds for selected projects 
to do controlled studies, with longer term follow up of their impact.
    Discussion: The Secretary requires these projects to evaluate 
lessons learned about promoting the interest and attainment of women 
and minorities in mathematics and science and expects the findings to 
be widely disseminated. This requirement does not preclude the use of 
controlled evaluation studies for these purposes. However, projects 
funded under this priority must be ``model'' projects designed 
themselves to stimulate and sustain the interest and attainments of 
females and minority children in mathematics and science. The Secretary 
will not support projects under this priority which are solely for the 
purpose of conducting research and evaluation in this area.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter strongly supported programs attracting 
females and minorities to careers in mathematics and science. However, 
referencing the Senate report language cited in the February 28, 1994, 
Notice of Proposed Priority issued by the Eisenhower National Program, 
the commenter questioned the Secretary's intent to fund the priority on 
environmental education because it would dilute Congressional intent to 
respond to the needs of women and minorities in mathematics and 
science, and in any event mathematics and science high schools would be 
teaching environmental education.
    Discussion: The Secretary believes the commenter overlooked a 
provision of the Senate report directing the Department of Education to 
support work in environmental education.
    Changes: None.

Absolute Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet one of the following 
priorities. Each application shall respond to only one of the three 
priorities, although an applicant could submit more than one 
application to respond to more than one priority. The Secretary funds 
under this competition only applications that meet one of these 
absolute priorities:

Absolute Priority 1--Teacher Professional Development in the Use of 
Technology for Mathematics and Science Education

    The Secretary will support model projects that demonstrate 
effective ways of strengthening teachers' abilities to use technology 
in the classroom for the improvement of teaching and learning in 
mathematics and science at the elementary or secondary school levels, 
or both.
    Required Activities: Each project must:
    (a) Form a partnership to develop and implement project activities. 
Partnerships must include one or more of each of the following parties: 
local educational agency or private school(s), State educational 
agency, institution of higher education, and private sector party with 
expertise in technology. Partners must contribute resources to the 
operation of the project. Programming must be designed in consultation 
with professionals who are experts in the applicable subject matter, 
educational levels, and technologies to be used in the project. 
Projects must be coordinated with other professional development 
efforts in mathematics and science education, particularly with the 
Eisenhower State Grant Program.
    (b) Establish an advisory committee to guide the project. The 
advisory committee must include representation from each of the 
partners to the application, plus principals of project site schools 
and classroom teachers participating in the project.
    (c) Involve two or more schools serving underachieving students in 
the project.
    (d) Involve the majority of, if not all, teachers of mathematics 
and science in the participating schools in project activities. 
Participating teachers must implement the use of technology in their 
teaching of mathematics and science.
    (e) Provide participating teachers with sustained, intensive, high-
quality professional development activities that focus on the use of 
technology to improve classroom instruction in mathematics and science. 
Project activities must reflect relevant research on teaching and 
learning, as well as the experiences of the partners and participating 
teachers. Activities must integrate academic content and pedagogical 
components, and be delivered largely on-site (i.e., in schools or 
districts) for groups of teachers working cooperatively.
    (f) Provide participating teachers with forums for interaction and 
with access to sources of technical assistance outside their schools. 
Projects must require that participating teachers collaborate with each 
other and that they participate in electronic networking with other 
teachers, including teachers participating in other projects funded 
under this program, to share experiences and knowledge about how to 
improve student learning through the use of technology in instruction.
    Projects may use up to one-third of the total Federal portion of 
the project budget for year one and no more than 15 percent in years 
two and three to purchase or lease appropriate hardware, software, and 
communications services or tariffs for use in these projects. In 
addition, projects must provide, using non-Federal funds, some of the 
hardware, software, and other requirements of the technology to be used 
in these projects.
    (g) Evaluate lessons learned about effective teacher professional 
development in the use of technology to improve mathematics and science 
teaching and learning, and use the information to improve the project 
on a continuing basis. Evaluations must address the characteristics of 
participating teachers and students, the technologies used and their 
relative effectiveness, and the effects on teaching and learning of the 
use of technology in instruction in mathematics and science. 
Evaluations must include a mid-course, on-site review by an outside 
panel, including experts in the use of technology in instruction and 
classroom teachers with successful experience in using technology to 
improve instruction.
    (h) Disseminate lessons learned to other schools participating in 
the program, and to others such as schools with similar needs in the 
project site State, institutions and organizations providing pre-
service and in-service teacher development programs in the project site 
State, and other interested parties that could benefit from this 
information. Dissemination must begin while the project is in progress 
and use electronic as well as other forms of communication. Applicants 
may request Federal funding to support dissemination activities, 
including travel for dissemination, in amounts not to exceed 20% of the 
total Federal portion of the project budget. Projects must participate 
in meetings of the Eisenhower Program held annually in Washington, DC.

Absolute Priority 2--Encouraging Female and Minority Students in 
Mathematics and Science

    The Secretary will support model projects designed to stimulate and 
sustain the interest and attainments of female and minority children in 
mathematics and science.
    Each project must: (a) Make use of research and the experience of 
projects that have achieved success in the area of the priority.
    (b) Collaborate in the planning and operation of the project with 
the State science teachers' association and/or the State mathematics 
teachers' association and with at least one other party such as a 
school, another educational institution, a local or state educational 
agency, a national education organization, a science-technology center, 
or private sector parties; and with these other parties, develop plans 
for continuing project activities after Federal support has ended.
    (c) Evaluate lessons learned from the project and use them to 
improve activities on a continuing basis.
    (d) Disseminate lessons learned to interested parties. 
Dissemination must begin while the project is in progress and use 
electronic as well as other forms of communication.
    (e) In the case of projects serving elementary and middle schools, 
increase teachers' own mastery of mathematics and science in order to 
increase their confidence and skill in teaching these subjects 
(including skills in providing hands-on learning).
    (f) Involve parents and community members as role models and/or 
mentors for female and minority children.

Absolute Priority 3--Science-Based Teacher Professional Development in 
Environmental Education

    The Secretary will support model science-based professional 
development projects designed to improve student achievement in 
environmental education.
    Each project must: (a) Make use of research and the experience of 
projects that have achieved success in the area of the priority.
    (b) Collaborate in the planning and operation of the project with 
at least two other parties such as schools, other educational 
institutions, local or state educational agencies, national education 
organizations, science-technology centers, or private sector parties; 
with these other parties, develop plans for continuing project 
activities after Federal support has ended.
    (c) Use environmental education as a means to enhance students' 
interest, literacy, and achievement in science.
    (d) Increase teachers' own mastery of environmental issues, 
including related scientific issues.
    (e) Train teachers to develop varied learning experiences for 
students in environmental education that include field components and 
the study of individual themes, such as ecosystems (e.g., wetlands), 
the water cycle, and global climate change; and enable teachers to 
pilot-test these varied learning experiences with students.
    (f) Evaluate lessons learned from the project and use them to 
improve activities on a continuing basis.
    (g) Disseminate lessons learned to interested parties. 
Dissemination must begin while the project is in progress and use 
electronic as well as other forms of communication.

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 
final notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 755.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2992.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.168, Dwight D. 
Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and Science Education)

    Dated: April 26, 1994.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 94-10483 Filed 5-2-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P