[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 86 (Tuesday, May 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24908-24910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11992]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.297A]


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; The Native Hawaiian 
Curriculum Development, Teacher Training and Recruitment Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 1998.

Purpose of Program:

    To award grants to Native Hawaiian educational organizations or 
educational entities with experience in developing or operating Native 
Hawaiian programs or programs of instruction conducted in the Native 
Hawaiian language for: (1) The development of curricula to address the 
needs of Native Hawaiian elementary and secondary students, which may 
include programs of instruction conducted in the Native Hawaiian 
language and mathematics and science curricula incorporating the 
relevant application of Native Hawaiian culture and traditions; (2) 
preservice teacher

[[Page 24909]]

training to ensure that student teachers within the State, particularly 
those who are likely to be employed in schools with a high 
concentration of Native Hawaiian students, are prepared to better 
address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students within the context 
of Native Hawaiian culture, language, and traditions; (3) inservice 
teacher training to ensure that teachers, particularly those employed 
in schools with a high concentration of Native Hawaiian students, are 
prepared to better address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students 
within the context of Native Hawaiian culture, language, and 
traditions; and (4) teacher recruitment programs to enhance teacher 
recruitment within communities with a high concentration of Native 
Hawaiian students and to increase the numbers of teachers who are of 
Native Hawaiian ancestry. Consistent with this statutory purpose, the 
Secretary has established absolute priorities that will govern the 
distribution of funds under this program.
    Eligible Applicants: Native Hawaiian educational organizations or 
educational entities with experience in developing or operating Native 
Hawaiian programs or programs of instruction conducted in the Native 
Hawaiian language.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 18, 1998.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 18, 1998.
    Applications Available: May 5, 1998.
    Available Funds: $2 million.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2 awards in each of the three 
priority categories.
    Estimated Size of Awards: $660,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $330,000 to $660,000.

    Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of 
potential applicants. The Department is not bound by any estimates 
in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Applicable Regulations. The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, and 85.
    Absolute Priorities. The Secretary has published elsewhere in this 
issue of the Federal Register a notice of final priorities, which 
establishes absolute priorities in the following areas: (1) waste 
management innovation; (2) Native Hawaiian language revitalization 
curricula and teacher training and recruitment activities;, and (3) 
prisoner education programs. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary 
will fund under this competition only applicants that meet one of the 
absolute priorities.
    Statutory Priorities. In accordance with section 9209(b) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Secretary gives priority to 
awarding grants for activities that --
    (1) Focus on the needs of at-risk youth; or
    (2) Employ a program of instruction conducted in the Native 
Hawaiian language.
    These statutory priorities are included in the selection criteria 
for this competition.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Applications will be reviewed on the basis 
of the absolute priorities and the selection criteria included in this 
notice. All funded projects must meet one of the absolute priorities. 
While applicants have discretion in determining how best to address the 
absolute priorities, the Secretary is particularly interested in 
receiving quality proposals that include the components described 
below. Funded proposals may lack some of these specific components, but 
address the absolute priorities in other effective ways.

(1) Waste management treatment programs

    The Secretary believes that quality waste management treatment 
programs should investigate, describe, and document traditional 
Hawaiian practices of sustainable waste management. A successful 
applicant should have specific knowledge of the capacities of Native 
Hawaiian plants and animals to contribute to the management of modern 
waste materials. The applicant should have experience in educational 
programming, especially for elementary and secondary school grades, so 
that knowledge about traditional Hawaiian methods of sustainable waste 
management can be developed and used. The applicant should develop 
curricular materials based on the demonstration and use of Native 
Hawaiian plants and animals for waste treatment and environmental 
remediation, and have the capacity to develop operational demonstration 
projects that would show how traditional Hawaiian sustainable 
environmental methods can be adapted to modern waste treatment needs.

(2) Native Hawaiian language revitalization curricula, teacher 
recruitment, and training programs

    The Secretary believes that applicants seeking funding for 
activities relating to Native Hawaiian language revitalization 
curricula, teacher recruitment, and training should coordinate these 
activities statewide to provide access to materials, training, and 
appropriate lexical development throughout the State. Applicants should 
provide evidence of demonstrated expertise in the production, 
illustration, field testing, proofreading, publishing, and distribution 
of quality printed, audio, video, and computerized Hawaiian language 
materials. Funded applicants should employ innovative strategies, 
including the modeling of total immersion in the Native Hawaiian 
language.

(3) Prisoner education programs

    In Hawaii, the number of incarcerated Native Hawaiians, including 
Native Hawaiian juveniles, far exceeds their relative percentage in the 
State's population. The Secretary believes that a successful prisoner 
education program would target Native Hawaiian youth in districts with 
a high percentage and number of school dropouts and youth offenders. A 
funded applicant should have experience in working with and in 
encouraging the re-integration of youth offenders into the community in 
a culturally sensitive manner. To help ensure success of the program, 
funded applicants should work in partnership with the Hawaii State 
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Office of Youth 
Services, and other appropriate agencies. A strong prisoner education 
program should focus on activities that will help re-integrate Native 
Hawaiian juvenile offenders and those at risk of becoming juvenile 
offenders into a school setting or into a career path.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary will use the following selection criteria in 34 CFR 
75.210 to evaluate applications under this competition. Under the 
criterion ``Quality of the project design'', the factors are weighed in 
accordance with the points indicated. With respect to the other 
criteria, the factors under each criterion are weighed equally. The 
maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion, and the factors within each 
criterion, are as follows:
    (a) Significance (15 points). (1) The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The significance of the problem or issue to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    (ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.

[[Page 24910]]

    (b) Quality of the project design (35 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach for meeting statutory purposes and requirements. 
(10 points)
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach to the priorities established for the competition. 
(10 points)
    (iii) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. 
(10 points)
    (iv) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs. (5 points)
    (c) Quality of project personnel (10 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project.
    (2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of key project personnel.
    (iii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (d) Adequacy of resources (5 points). (1) The Secretary considers 
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the 
lead applicant organization.
    (ii) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    (e) Quality of the management plan (15 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and 
continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (iii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (f) Quality of the project evaluation (20 points). (1) The 
Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of 
the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for 
examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.
    (ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.

FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Beth Baggett, U.S. Department 
of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Portals 4500, Washington, 
D.C. 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 260-2502. 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.
    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.

Electronic Access to This Document

    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal 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. 7909.

    Dated: May 1, 1998.
Gerald N. Tirozzi,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 98-11992 Filed 5-4-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P