[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2574-2576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1290]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Russian Civic Education: Curriculum Development and Teacher 
Training

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 up to two assistance awards. Public 
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described 
in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to cooperate in the 
planning and implementation of up to two curriculum development and 
teacher training projects for civic education in Russia. The recipient 
organization(s) will work with Russian partner organizations to be 
selected by USIS Moscow to assist Russian educators to draft, review, 
and field-test new teacher and student materials for secondary-level 
civic education. The grant(s), to be carried out over approximately 
eighteen months, will consist of three stages: (1) preliminary 
assessment and preparation, (2) a U.S.-based curriculum development 
workshop for a Russian materials development team, and (3) post-
workshop review and field-testing of materials. The cooperation with 
USIA will include regular consultation with USIA officers in Russia 
with regard to program development, implementation, and assessment. 
Applicant organizations may propose to cooperate with USIA on either 
one or both of these projects. Proposals should demonstrate expert 
knowledge of Russia and Russian education, as well as significant 
experience in civic education and curriculum development as practiced 
in the U.S.
    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of 
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the 
people of other countries* * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us 
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural 
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United 
States and other nations* * * and thus to assist in the development of 
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States 
and the other countries of the world.''
    The funding authority for the program cited above is provided 
through the Freedom Support Act legislation (FSA). Programs and 
projects must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines outlined 
in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and programs are subject to 
the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/AS-96-04.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, April 1, 
1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked April 1 but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline. Proposals should plan for grant activities to 
begin approximately by June 1996 and to be completed approximately by 
December 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFROMATION, CONTACT: The Advising, Teaching, and 
Specialized Programs Division, E/AS Room 256, U.S. Information Agency, 
301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone number 202/619-
6038, fax 

[[Page 2575]]
number 202/619-6790, Internet address ``[email protected]'', to request a 
Solicitation Package containing more detailed award criteria, required 
application forms, and standard guidelines for preparing proposals, 
including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation 
Package may also be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/ or from the Internet Gopher at gopher.usia.gov, under 
``New RFPs on Educational and Cultural Exchanges.''
    Please specify USIA Program Specialist Sally Kux on all inquiries 
and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the complete 
Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or submitting 
proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff may not 
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau 
proposal review process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and 10 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS-96-04, Office of 
grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, 
D.C. 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.4'' diskette, 
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit 
these files electronically to USIS Moscow for review, in order to 
reduce the time of the Agency's grants review process.

DIVERSITY GUIDELINES: 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 to encompass differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, 
race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and 
physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to 
the advancement of this principle both in program administration and in 
program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the `Support 
for Diversity' section for specific suggestions on incorporating 
diversity into the total proposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The goal of theses projects is to build on current Russian efforts 
to develop appropriate and up-to-date citizenship education programs 
for use in Russian secondary schools. The project will assist educators 
with the development and implementation of new civics materials in 
Russian regions in which education officials have demonstrated a 
commitment to civic education. The project's rationale is that 
improving citizenship education at the secondary school level will 
better prepare Russian students to participate actively in building a 
pluralistic, democratic society, and will promote democratic relations 
among members of the school community, including students, teachers, 
school administrators, and parents. The recipient organization(s) will 
work in partnership with the selected Russian organization(s) and must 
be willing and able to respond to the needs of the Russian partner(s).

Program Description

Phase I

    Representatives of the U.S. grantee organization(s) will make a 
preliminary assessment visit to Russia. This trip will enable the U.S. 
partner(s) to consult with their Russian counterpart(s) to identify 
project objectives and the scope and themes of materials to be 
developed. This visit will also enable them to become acquainted with 
the local educational system through site visits to schools and 
appointments with education officials. The Russian partner 
organization(s) will select a curriculum development team of 
approximately five practitioners (e.g., classroom teachers, curriculum 
specialists, and/or educational officials) in consultation with the 
recipient organization and USIS Moscow, and will undertake preliminary 
work in Russia over a period of 3-6 months. During this time members of 
the curriculum development team(s) will familiarize themselves with 
issues and materials relevant to the project and will finalize the 
choice of topics to be explored in the draft materials.

Phase II

    Members of the curriculum development team(s) will spend 
approximately two months in a highly structured U.S.-based workshop 
sponsored and organized by the U.S. grantee organization(s). During the 
workshop(s) the Russian team(s) will complete draft teacher and student 
materials. Within the framework of the workshop, the grantee 
organization(s) will be responsible for allowing adequate time for 
participants to work individually and collectively on the materials. 
The Russian team(s) should be provided access to leading U.S. civic 
educators and a broad range of relevant resources to stimulate the work 
of the team(s) on materials oriented toward the Russian situation. The 
workshop(s) should include focused seminars on topics related to the 
teaching of civics and such relevant field experiences as visits to 
schools and professional associations.

Phase III

    Upon completion, the draft materials will be reviewed by Russian 
and American experts. In Russia, the curriculum development team(s) 
will work with local teachers and, as appropriate, with U.S. 
specialists to provide training for a group of practitioners in methods 
for implementing and reviewing the draft materials on a pilot basis in 
selected schools in each region.
Guidelines
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
program specific guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation Package for 
further details.
Budget
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive as well as a summary budget 
for each project. The award for each of the two projects will not 
exceed $225,000. Budget submissions should delineate separately 
administrative and program costs. For further clarification, applicants 
may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, 
location, or activity. Budgets should be presented in a multi-column 
format that clearly identifies the following categories: line item, 
amount of USIA support, and amount of cost-shared support. Any relevant 
calculations or explanations that do not appear in the budget should be 
included in budgetary notes. USIA is committed to containment of 
administrative expenses consistent with overall program objectives and 
sound management principles; total USIA-funded administrative expenses 
for this project should not exceed 25% of the total USIA-funded budget. 
Additional budget guidelines are provided in the Solicitation Package.
    Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years 
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000. Please refer to the Solicitation Package for 
complete 

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budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
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 
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Office of 
EEN and USIS Moscow. For the review of a proposal to be successful, it 
will need to receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic desk 
officers and overseas officers. Proposals may also be reviewed by the 
Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Final 
funding decisions rest with the USIA Associate Director for Educational 
and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards 
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with an Agency grants 
officer.
Review Criteria
    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below.
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, relevance to Agency mission, and 
responsiveness to the objectives and guidelines stated in this 
solicitation. Proposals should demonstrate geographic and substantive 
expertise.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity and should 
adhere to the program overview and guidelines described above. 
Proposals should include a plan for continuous and summative 
evaluations.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet program objectives and how 
continuous evaluation will be used to adjust program plans.
    4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate a commitment 
to promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity with regard 
to both program content and program administration.
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institutional's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful 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.
    8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which ensures that 
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
    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.

    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 
Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal 
budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the 
availability of funds. Awards made will be subject to periodic 
reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Notification: Final awards cannot be made until funds have been 
appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA 
procedures.

    Dated: January 19, 1996.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-1290 Filed 1-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M