[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 169 (Thursday, September 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-21385]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 1, 1994]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

 

Institute for Czech Secondary School Administrators

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
announces an open competition for an assistance award program. Public 
or private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 501(c)(3) may apply to conduct a four-week institute in 
February 1995 for eight secondary school administrators from the Czech 
Republic on school administration in a pluralistic, democratic society. 
The purpose of the institute is to expose participants to secondary 
school governance in the U.S. (public and private); in particular, the 
way democratic practices affect school administration, school 
philosophy, school activities, and school/community relationships. The 
institute should demonstrate how democratic practices in schools can 
support curricular reform, particularly in social studies and civic 
education. Participants will be nominated by the United States 
Information Service (USIS) post in the Czech Republic, will be fluent 
in English, and will be involved in implementing reform in secondary 
school education, including civic education, in the Czech Republic. 
USIA solicits detailed proposals from U.S. educational institutions and 
public and private non-profit organizations. Proposals demonstrating 
both expertise in training secondary school administrators and an 
understanding of the issues facing Czech educators will be more 
competitive.
    The funding authority for the program cited above is provided 
through the Support for Eastern European Democracies Act (SEED).
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Application Package. USIA projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/AS-94-01.

DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, October 
14, 1994. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked on October 14, but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of Academic Programs, Advising, Teaching and Specialized 
Programs Division, E/AS (Room 252), U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone number: 202/619-4557, fax 
number: 202/619-6970, e-mail: [email protected], to request an Application 
Package, which includes more detailed award criteria; all application 
forms; and guidelines for preparing proposals, including specific 
criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Please specify the 
USIA Program Specialist Sally Kux on all inquiries and correspondences. 
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register 
announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office of Academic 
Programs or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP deadline has 
passed, the Office of Academic Programs may not discuss this 
competition in any way with applicants until after the Bureau proposal 
review process has been completed.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Application Package and send only complete applications to: U.S. 
Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS-94-01, Office of Grants Management, E/
XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing 
legislation, programs must maintain a non-political character and 
should be balanced and representative of the diversity of American 
political, social, and cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be 
interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including 
but not limited to race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.

Overview

    The goal of the Institute for Czech Secondary School Administrators 
is to assist Czech secondary school administrators to develop 
strategies for restructuring secondary schools in the Czech Republic. 
If the substantive reform of secondary school curricula is to take 
hold, it must be accompanied by reforms in the structure of school 
administration. Although the Czech educational system has been and will 
remain very different from the U.S. system, exposure to a variety of 
administrative methods utilized in U.S. schools will enable Czech 
administrators to consider ways to respond to their increasing 
autonomy. The Institute should address such topics as: Strategies for 
school administrators to use in their relations with government 
officials, particularly with regard to proposals for reform; the 
involvement of faculty in administrative decision-making; ways to 
motivate faculty to develop and teach new curricula; and the 
participation of students and parents in school-related issues. These 
are among the new concerns of educators in the Czech Republic, who have 
a growing opportunity to influence educational policy and school 
management. As a result of this program, participants will be better 
equipped to initiate reforms in their own schools and to advocate 
reform effectively with administrators and colleagues both at the Czech 
Ministry of Education and at schools throughout the Czech Republic.

Participants

    The program should be designed for a group of eight secondary 
school administrators. The participants will all be involved in 
education reform and will be fluent in English. They will be chosen by 
USIA and the USIS post in Prague, in consultation with the Institute 
for Educational Development at Charles University, Prague, according to 
such criteria as the candidate's potential to implement reforms in 
administrative practice and the candidate's ability to influence other 
secondary school administrators in the Czech Republic.

Program Description

    The program should consist primarily of seminars and workshops on 
topics in secondary school administration that have relevance to Czech 
educators. Topics might include: Decision-making, conflict resolution, 
negotiation and compromise, the budgeting of time and money, curricular 
development, school-government relations (at both the local and 
national levels), faculty-administration relations, student- and 
parent-administration relations, parent-teacher relations, and such co-
curricular activities as student government, school newspapers, etc. 
The program should emphasize the practical application of skills and 
techniques by balancing the presentations of seminar leaders with 
sessions in which participants explore ways to adapt these skills and 
techniques to their institutional contexts at home. A general 
introduction to the U.S. educational system would provide useful 
background to the seminars and workshops on specific topics.
    While selected observations and meetings would be critical to this 
institute, they should be limited in number and should be organized to 
complement and reinforce the academic program and its emphasis on 
practical knowledge. Relevant visits might be made to local schools, 
schools in another locale (to demonstrate the diversity of approaches 
within the American system), school board meetings, faculty meetings, 
parent-teacher conferences, student government sessions, etc. 
Consultations with appropriate professional organizations may also be 
integrated into the program and money should be allocated for relevant 
subscriptions and memberships.
    The program should incorporate a Washington component, perhaps as 
the final portion, to include substantive meetings with national 
professional and educational associations, as well as cultural 
activities.
    Proposals should elaborate a detailed daily schedule for the entire 
program.

Orientation/Debriefing

    To prepare participants for this project, the office strongly 
encourages the recipient to develop and/or procure material to be sent 
via USIS Prague for distribution to participants prior to their 
departure for the U.S. This material might include a project schedule 
and outline with suggested goals and objectives, relevant background 
information, details about U.S. institutions and individuals involved 
in the program, as well as introductory readings. Upon arrival, it is 
strongly recommended that participants attend an orientation session 
which would address administrative details, in addition to providing 
general information about U.S. society and culture to facilitate 
participants' understanding of and adjustment to daily life in the U.S.
    The schedule should include time for summation and evaluation by 
participants at the program's conclusion. In addition to written 
reports, it would be useful to organize an activity such as a round-
table, where participants could review the program and discuss plans to 
use the ideas and materials resulting from this institute.

Program Administration

    All programming, administrative logistics, travel (international 
and domestic), management of the academic program, as well as any 
cultural component, will be the responsibility of the project director. 
A project assistant should be assigned to carry out administrative and 
clerical duties necessary for the program, from the planning stages to 
the completion of a final report to USIA. Staff escorts traveling under 
USIA cooperative agreement support must be U.S. citizens with 
demonstrated qualifications for this service.
    The proposal must clearly demonstrate the capability of program 
staff to manage the residential and travel components of the program. 
Proposals incorporating participant site visits will be more 
competitive if letters committing prospective host institutions to 
support these efforts are provided.
    USIA will be responsible for all communications with USIS Prague 
regarding participant selection.

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements

    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations; program 
participants must carry the requisite level of health and accident 
insurance. The recipient organization should budget for insurance 
expenses and is responsible for ensuring that participants have 
adequate insurance coverage. Please refer to program-specific 
guidelines in the Application Package for further details. 
Administration of the program must be in compliance with reporting and 
withholding regulations for federal, state, and local taxes as 
applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax regulation 
adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.

Proposed Budget

    Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget for which 
specific details and guidelines are available in the Application 
Package. Total program and administrative costs funded by USIA may not 
exceed $85,000 for eight participants; within the assistance award, 
total institutional administrative costs funded by USIA may not exceed 
$17,000.

Review Process

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they 
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the 
Application Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be 
reviewed by the budget and contracts offices, as well as the USIS 
Office of East European and NIS Affairs and USIS Prague. Proposals may 
also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other 
Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA 
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final 
technical authority for grant awards resides with the USIA grants 
officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the following criteria:
    1. Overall quality:
    a. The content, significance, definition, organization and academic 
rigor of the proposed program and its appropriateness to program 
objectives and guidelines;
    b. Evidence of careful planning in all substantive and logistical 
aspects of the program;
    c. Demonstrated knowledge of the Czech cultural, educational, and 
political context.
    2. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    3. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    4. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate the 
experience of the institution and designated staff with foreign 
educators and international exchange programs, including responsible 
fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting requirements 
for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of Contracts. The 
Agency will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the 
demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    5. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposal should demonstrate the 
program's efforts to expose participants to pertinent subject matter 
and innovative tools which may be applied to administrative problems 
and to encourage participants to share the experience and insights 
gained on this program with other Czech colleagues.
    6. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan for an 
evaluation at the conclusion of the institute and will be more 
competitive if they also incorporate an evaluative component in weekly 
program activities to enable timely response to participants' 
suggestions. Recipient will submit a final report to USIA.
    7. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide for follow-on 
activity (without USIA support), such as continued contact with 
participants and facilitation of participants' access to U.S. scholarly 
organizations, publications, and other appropriate resources to 
encourage the sharing of information and the development of long-term 
institutional and invidual relations.
    8. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity throughout the program. This can be accomplished throughout 
documentation (such as a written statement of account) summarizing past 
and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of 
diversity within both the organization and the program activities.
    9. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    11. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects 
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and 
overseas officers of program need, potential impact, and significance 
in the partner country.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on 
the part of the Government. The needs of the program may require the 
award to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made 
until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed 
through internal USIA procedures.

Notification

    All applicants will be notified of the results of the review 
process on or about November 28, 1994. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: August 24, 1994.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-21385 Filed 8-31-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M