[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65735-65737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32587]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


English Teaching Fellow Program

ACTION: Request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: the English Teaching Program Division of the Agency's Bureau 
of Education and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an 
assistance award. Public and private non-profit organizations meeting 
the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to 
manage and administer the English Teaching Fellow Program, which is 
designed to provide universities, binational centers teacher-training 
colleges and other language institutions worldwide with professionally 
trained American expertise in English as a foreign language (EFL), and 
to give recent M.A. graduates in TEFL/TESL additional teaching 
experience overseas. The Program increases the American academic 
presence in foreign institutions, enhances the American cultural 
component, and improves academic standards. An introduction to American 
English, methodology and materials opens the door for advanced study in 
the U.S., and establishes an ongoing relationship that will bear fruit 
in trade and commerce as well.
    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 Fulbright-Hayes Act.
    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 RFP should refer to the announcement's title and 
reference number E/AL-98-01.
    Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, January 
30, 1998. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents 
postmarked by the due date but received at a later date will not be 
accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Academic Programs, 
English Language Programs Division, E/AL, Room 304, U.S. Information 
Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone: 202-
619-5869; fax: 202-401-1250, e-mail address: [email protected] to 
request a Solicitation Package containing more details. Please request 
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 entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before 
downloading.
    To Receive a Solicitation Package via Fax on demand: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be received via the Bureau's ``Grants 
Information Fax on Demand System'', which is accessed by calling 202/
401-7616. Please request a ``Catalog'' of available documents and order 
numbers when first entering the system.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Catherine Williamson 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 ten copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AL-98-01, Office of 
Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20547.
    Diversity, Freedom and Democracy 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''

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should be interpreted in the broadest sense and 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. Public Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out 
programs of educational and cultural exchange in countries whose people 
do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy'', USIA ``shall take 
appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in such 
programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such countries.'' 
Proposals should account for advancement of this goal in their program 
contents, to the full extend deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The United States Information Agency (USIA) is soliciting proposals 
from U.S. non-profit educational institutions/organizations to manage 
and administer the English Teaching Fellow Exchange Program. The 
program provides to English language teaching professionals with recent 
M.A. degrees in TEFL/TESL the opportunity to teach abroad at 
universities, teacher-training colleges, binational centers, or other 
host country institutions. Fellows must be U.S. citizens. Fellows will 
serve as full-time teachers of English as a Foreign Language in 
selected countries to be determined at a later date by USIA. In 
addition, they may be asked to work in materials/test development or 
teacher-training activities. The program is for twelve months beginning 
with academic year 1998-99. The program occasionally grants an 
extension up to one additional year. In the past three years, the 
English Teaching Fellow program has placed over 125 U.S. teachers 
worldwide, promoting English teaching as a response to the dramatic 
increase in the demand for English caused by political or economic 
changes.

Guidelines

    The grantee organization is responsible for the management and 
administrative aspects of the program which include the following:

--Recruitment and placement of approximately 35 English teachers;
--Arrangement of a 4-5 day pre-departure orientation program which will 
provide the English Teaching Fellows with tools and skills through a 
cross-cultural training segment designed to facilitate adaptation to 
the participant's host country environment and their host institutional 
context; provide techniques and approaches to special areas in the EFL 
field such as teacher training and curriculum and materials 
development; acquaint the participants with the parameters, 
expectations and administrative workings of the English Teaching Fellow 
program; and make known the professional resources available to the 
participants through USIA and other NGOs in the English teaching field.
--Fiscal management and logistics;
--Travel management (itinerary schedules, airline ticket purchases; 
drafts of telegrams to USIS overseas posts with flight information, 
etc.);
--Enrollment of medical insurance;
--Development of promotional materials in support of the program;
--Extensive monitoring, review, follow up and evaluation of English 
Teaching Fellows reports. Fellows are required to submit a mid-year and 
final year-end report.

    The period of the program is from March 1, 1998 through September 
30, 1999. Recruitment and selection process will begin at the 1998 
TESOL Convention in Seattle, Washington, March 17-21, 1998; pre-
departure orientation, first or second week of August, 1998; and 
Fellows' travel to overseas assignment first and second week of 
September, 1998. The grantee organization is to provide a proposed time 
line for the activities. The Fellows will receive a basic stipend, 
round trip ticket, living and housing allowance, book allowance, 
miscellaneous expense, and $50,000 health insurance coverage.

Proposed Budget

    Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the specific guidance 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.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown 
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. For 
further clarification, applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for 
each program component, phase, location, or activity in order to 
facilitate USIA decisions on funding.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:

(1) Fellow remuneration--$17,000 per Fellow
(2) Round trip international travel--3,500 per Fellow
(3) Pre-departure (per diem)--800 per Fellow
(4) Pre-departure allowance--500 per Fellow
(5) Educational materials--100 per Fellow
(6) Excess Baggage/Shipping Allowance--400 per Fellow

    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete 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 program office, as well as the USIA Office of African 
Affairs, Office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Office of Inter-
American Affairs, Office of East European and NIS Affairs, Office of 
West European and Canadian Affairs, Office of North African, Near 
Eastern, and South Asian Affairs, and USIS overseas posts, where 
appropriate. Proposals may 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 assistance awards (grants or 
cooperative agreements) resides with the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible.

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Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet the 
program's objectives and plan.
    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 substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of 
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content 
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials 
and follow-up activities).
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution'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. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will be 
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component is 
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
    10. 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.
    11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    12. 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(ies).

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 proposed 
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: December 8, 1997.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-32587 Filed 12-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M