[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 245 (Tuesday, December 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70978-70979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-33828]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Technology Innovation Challenge Grants; Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year 1999; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 245 / Tuesday, December 22, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 70978]]



DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.303A]


Technology Innovation Challenge Grants; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999

    Purpose of Program: The Technology Innovation Challenge Grant 
Program provides grants to consortia that are working to improve and 
expand new applications of technology to strengthen school reform 
efforts, improve student achievement, and provide for sustained 
professional development of teachers, administrators, and school 
library media personnel.
    Eligible Applicants: Only consortia may receive grants under this 
program. A consortium must include at least one local educational 
agency (LEA) with a high percentage or number of children living below 
the poverty line. A consortium may also include other LEAs, private 
schools, State educational agencies, institutions of higher education, 
businesses, academic content experts, software designers, museums, 
libraries, and other appropriate entities.

    Note: In each consortium a participating LEA shall submit the 
application on behalf of the consortium and serve as a fiscal agent 
for the grant.

    Applications Available: January 12, 1999.
    Deadline for Receipt of Applications: March 12, 1999.

    Note: All applications must be received on or before the 
deadline date unless one of the mailing conditions noted in the 
notice of final selection criteria, selection procedures, and 
application procedures for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants 
published in the Federal Register on May 12, 1997 (62 FR 26175) 
applies. This requirement takes exception to the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR 
75.102. In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the Secretary to offer interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations. However, 
this amendment to EDGAR makes procedural changes only and does not 
establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(A), proposed rulemaking is not required.

    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 12, 1999.
    Estimated Available Funds: $22,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$2,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,000,000 per year.
    Maximum Award: The Secretary will not consider an application that 
proposes a budget exceeding $2,000,000 for any one of the 12-month 
budget periods.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 22.
    Project Period: 5 years. Please note that all applicants for multi-
year awards are required to provide detailed budget information for the 
total grant period requested. The Department will negotiate at the time 
of the initial award the funding levels for each year of the grant 
award.

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

    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 part 299.

Other Requirements

    In prior fiscal years, applications for awards under this program 
were evaluated and selected in accordance with procedures established 
in the notice of final selection criteria, selection procedures, and 
application procedures for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants 
published in the Federal Register on May 12, 1997 (62 FR 26175). This 
year, however, these procedures for ``evaluation and selection of 
applications'' will not apply to this program. Instead, the Department 
will, except as indicated above, follow the procedures in 34 CFR part 
75.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary uses two of the selection criteria in the notice of 
final selection criteria, selection procedures, and applications 
procedures published in the Federal Register on May 12, 1997 (62 FR 
26176) and other selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate 
applications for new grants under this program. Under 75.201 (a) and 
(b), the Secretary announces in the application package the selection 
criteria selected for this competition and the maximum weight assigned 
to each criterion.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Technology Innovation Challenge Grant 
Program is authorized under Title III, section 3136, of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 6846). The 
statute authorizes the use of funds for activities similar to the 
following activities:
    (a) Developing, adapting, or expanding existing and new 
applications of technology to support the schools reform effort.
    (b) Providing ongoing professional development in the integration 
of quality educational technologies into school curriculum and long-
term planning for implementing educational technologies.
    (c) Funding projects of sufficient size and scope to improve 
student learning and, as appropriate, support professional development, 
and provide administrative support.
    (d) Acquiring connectivity linkages, resources, and services, 
including the acquisition of hardware and software, for use by 
teachers, students, and school library media personnel in the classroom 
or in school library media centers, in order to improve student 
learning by supporting the instructional program offered and to ensure 
that students in schools will have meaningful access on a regular basis 
to such linkages, resources, and services.
    (e) Acquiring connectivity with wide area networks for purposes of 
accessing information and educational programming sources, particularly 
with institutions of higher education and public libraries.
    (f) Providing educational services for adults and families.

    Note: Section 14503 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 8893), is applicable to the 
Technology Innovation Challenge Grant Program. Section 14503 
requires that an LEA, SEA, or educational service agency receiving 
financial assistance under this program must provide private school 
children and teachers, on an equitable basis, special educational 
services or other program benefits under this program. The section 
further requires SEAs, LEAs, and educational service agencies to 
consult with private school officials during the design and 
development of the Technology Innovation Challenge Grant projects. 
Each application must describe the ways in which the proposed 
project will address the needs of private school children and 
teachers.

    For Applications or Information Contact: For applications, 
telephone 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) or fax requests to (202) 
208-4042. The application package is also available from the Technology 
Innovation Challenge Grant web site at: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/
chalgrnt.html. For information contact Elizabeth Payer, Technology 
Innovation Challenge Grants, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, 
DC 20208-5544. Telephone: (202) 208-3882. E-mail__address is: 
[email protected]. 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 identified in this notice.

[[Page 70979]]

    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) via the Internet 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 at (202) 512-1530 or, 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. 
6846.

    Dated: December 17, 1998.
C. Kent McGuire,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 98-33828 Filed 12-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U