[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8690-8692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4770]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.304A]


International Education Exchange Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997

    Purpose of Program: To support international education exchange 
activities between the United States and eligible countries in civics 
and government education and economic education.
    Eligible Applicants: Independent nonprofit educational 
organizations that--
    (a) Have expertise in international achievement comparisons, and 
are experienced in--
    (1) The development and national implementation of curricular 
programs in civics and government education and economic education for 
students from grades kindergarten through 12 in local, intermediate, 
and State educational agencies, in schools funded by the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, and in private schools throughout the Nation with the 
cooperation and assistance of national professional educational 
organizations, colleges and universities and private sector 
organizations;
    (2) The development and implementation of cooperative university 
and school-based inservice training programs for teachers of grades 
kindergarten through 12 using scholars from such relevant disciplines 
as political science, political philosophy, history, law, and 
economics;
    (3) The development of model curricular frameworks in civics and 
government education and economic education;

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    (4) The administration of international seminars on the goals and 
objectives of civics and government education or economic education in 
constitutional democracies (including the sharing of curricular 
materials) for educational leaders, teacher trainers, scholars in 
related disciplines, and educational policymakers; and
    (5) The evaluation of civics and government education or economic 
education programs; and
    (b) Have the authority to subcontract with other organizations to 
carry out these provisions.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 5, 1997.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 7, 1997.
    Applications Available: March 5, 1997.
    Available Funds: $4,980,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $2,290,000 to $2,690,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,490,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 2.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Maximum award: In no case does the Secretary make an award greater 
than $2,690,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Secretary 
does not consider an application that proposes a budget exceeding this 
maximum amount.
    Budget period: 12 months.
    Project Period: Up to 48 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86; and (b) the regulations in 34 CFR parts 98, 99, and 
700.

PRIORITIES

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and 20 U.S.C. 5951(c)(2)(B) the Secretary 
gives an absolute preference to applications that meet one of the 
priorities in the next two paragraphs. The Secretary funds under this 
competition only applications that meet one of these absolute 
priorities.

Absolute Priority 1--International Education Exchange Program in Civics 
and Government Education.
Absolute Priority 2--International Education Exchange Program in 
Economic Education.

    To meet one of these two priorities, each applicant must propose to 
carry out the following activities, in either civics and government 
education or economic education:
    (a) Provide eligible countries with--
    (1) Seminars on the basic principles of the United States 
constitutional democracy and economics, including seminars on the major 
governmental and economic institutions and systems in the United 
States, and visits to such institutions;
    (2) Visits to school systems, institutions of higher learning, and 
nonprofit organizations conducting exemplary programs in civics and 
government education and economic education in the United States;
    (3) Home stays in United States communities;
    (4) Translations and adaptations regarding the United States civics 
and government education and economic education curricular programs for 
students and teachers, and in the case of training programs for 
teachers translations and adaptations into forms useful in schools in 
eligible countries, and joint research projects in such areas;
    (5) Translation of basic documents of United States constitutional 
government for use in eligible countries, such as The Federalist 
Papers, selected writings of Presidents Adams and Jefferson, and the 
Anti-Federalists, and more recent works on political theory, 
constitutional law and economics;
    (6) Research and evaluation assistance to determine--
    (i) The effects of educational programs on students' development of 
the knowledge, skills and traits of character essential for the 
preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy; and
    (ii) Effective participation in and the preservation and 
improvement of an efficient market economy;
    (b) Provide United States participants with--
    (1) Seminars on the histories, economies, and governments of 
eligible countries;
    (2) Visits to school systems, institutions of higher learning, and 
organizations conducting exemplary programs in civics and government 
education and economic education located in eligible countries;
    (3) Home stays in eligible countries;
    (4) Assistance from educators and scholars in eligible countries in 
the development of curricular materials on the history, government, and 
economies of such countries that are useful in United States 
classrooms;
    (5) Opportunities to provide on-site demonstrations of United 
States curricula and pedagogy for educational leaders in eligible 
countries; and
    (6) Research and evaluation assistance to determine--
    (i) The effects of educational programs on students' development of 
the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential for the 
preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy; and
    (ii) Effective participation in and improvement of an efficient 
market economy; and
    (7) Educational programs which draw upon the experiences of 
emerging constitutional democracies that are created and implemented 
for United States students; and
    (c) Assist participants from eligible countries and the United 
States in participating in international conferences on civics and 
government education and economic education. The primary participants 
in these conferences shall be leading educators in the areas of civics 
and government education and economic education, including curriculum 
and teacher training specialists, scholars in relevant disciplines, and 
educational policymakers, from the United States and eligible 
countries. Also, provide a means for the exchange of ideas and 
experiences in civics and government education and economic education 
among political, educational, and private sector leaders of 
participating eligible countries.

    Note: For this program, the term ``eligible country'' means a 
Central European country, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, 
Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, 
and any country that formerly was a republic of the Soviet Union 
whose political independence is recognized in the United States.

    Selection Criteria: The Secretary selects from the criteria in 34 
CFR 700.30(e) to evaluate applications for new grants under this 
competition. Under 34 CFR 700.30(a), the Secretary will announce in the 
application package the evaluation criteria selected for this 
competition and the maximum weight assigned to each criterion.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Dr. Ram N. Singh or Ms. 
Rita Foy, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Room 
610, Washington, DC 20208-5573. Telephone: (202)-219-2079. 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.
    Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including 
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can 
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), 
telephone (202) 260-9950; on the Internet Gopher Server (at gopher://
gcs.ed.gov); or on the World Wide Web (at http://gcs.ed.gov). However, 
the official application notice

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for a discretionary grant competition is the notice published in the 
Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 5951.

    Dated: February 21, 1997.
Marshall Smith,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 97-4770 Filed 2-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P