[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3314-3315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1549]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Awards Program for Model Professional Development; 
Notice of New Application Deadline for Certain Applicants for Fiscal 
Year (FY) 1998

SUMMARY: The Secretary establishes a new deadline for the submission of 
applications under the National Awards Program for Model Professional 
Development for FY 1998 by those schools and school districts in areas 
of Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont that the President or the 
governors of those States have declared disaster areas because of the 
severe ice storms that occurred during the week of January 5, 1998, as 
well as to schools and the school district on the Island of Guam.

NEW DEADLINE FOR TRANSMITTAL OF APPLICATIONS: The new deadline for the 
Department's receipt of applications from these schools and school 
districts is January 26, 1998. In addition, the Secretary will 
consider, on a case-by-case basis, a written request received by 
January 26, 1998, for a further extension of the application deadline 
for any school or school district in these affected areas that confirm 
an inability to meet this new application deadline because of continued 
storm-related disruptions.

SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS OR EXTENSION REQUESTS: Application to the 
National Awards Program or written requests for an extension of the 
application deadline beyond January 26, 1998, must be sent to Sharon 
Horn, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department 
of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Room 506E, Washington, DC 
20208-5644. Telephone: 202-219-2203.
    To obtain information on the program, call or write Sharon Horn at 
the address and telephone number identified above. Inquiries also may 
be sent by e-mail to [email protected] or by FAX at (202) 219-2198. 
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.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format 
the standard forms included in the application package.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 30, 1997, the Secretary announced 
in the Fedeal Register (62 FR 58874) the National Awards Program For 
Model Professional Development for FY 1998. This program recognizes a 
variety of schools and school districts with model professional 
development activities in the pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade 
levels that have led to increases in student achievement. The notice 
inviting applications for the program (62 FR 58874), which accompanied 
the notice of eligibility and selection criteria for the program, 
identified the deadline for transmittal of applications as January 15, 
1998. During the week of January 5, 1998, portions of the States of 
Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont experienced extraordinarily 
severe ice storms that extinguished electric service and caused major 
disruptions to school communities in these areas. In addition, the 
Secretary has learned that the school community on the Island of Guam 
is only now reopening on a part-time basis as a result of a severe 
typhoon that struck, the island on December 16, 1997.
    The Secretary is concerned that because of these circumstances 
schools and school districts in these affected areas that wish to apply 
for recognition under the National Awards Program may be prevented from 
doing so by the previously announced application deadline. For this 
reason, the Secretary extends the deadline for transmittal of 
applications under the National Awards Program until January 26, 1998, 
for those schools and school districts in the States of Maine, New 
Hampshire, New York and Vermont that the President or

[[Page 3315]]

the governors of those States have declared to be disaster areas, as 
well as for schools and the school district on Guam. Since it is 
impossible to predict whether continued disruptions in utility service 
will preclude the submission of applications by January 26, 1998, the 
Secretary also will consider, on a case-by-case basis, a written 
request received by January 26, 1998, for a further extension of the 
application deadline for any school or school district in these 
affected areas that confirms its inability to meet the January 26 
application deadline because of continued storm-related disruptions.

ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO THIS DOCUMENT: Anyone may view this document, as 
well as all other Department of Education documents published in the 
Fedeal Register, in text or portable document format (pdf) on the World 
Wide Web at either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 
G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

    Note: The official version of a document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. 

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8001.

    Dated: January 16, 1998.
Ricky T. Takai,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 98-1549 Filed 1-16-98; 5:03 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M