[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71626-71628]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34331]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

(CFDA Nos.: 84.297A and 84.209A)


Native Hawaiian Curriculum Development, Teacher Training and 
Recruitment Program and Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers 
Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed funding priorities for fiscal year (FY) 
1999.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education proposes to establish absolute 
priorities for the FY 1999 grant competitions under the Native Hawaiian 
Curriculum Development, Teacher Training and Recruitment Program and 
the Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers Program. Under the 
priorities, funds under the Native Hawaiian Curriculum Development, 
Teacher Training and Recruitment Program would be used to support 
activities in the areas of (1) computer literacy and technology 
education, (2) agriculture education partnerships, (3) astronomy, (4) 
indigenous health, (5) waste management, and (6) prisoner education. 
Funds under the Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers Program 
would be used to support preschool education.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 28, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Madeline Baggett, Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E228, Washington, D.C. 20202-6410,

[[Page 71627]]

Telephone: (202) 260-2502, FAX: (202) 205-0302. Comments may also be 
sent through the Internet: at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Baggett, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E228, Washington, DC 20202. 
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 a copy of this notice in 
an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There is available for distribution to 
eligible grantees under the Native Hawaiian Curriculum Development, 
Teacher Training and Recruitment Program (20 U.S.C. 7909) a total of 
$4,800,000 of FY 1999 funds. Congress has encouraged the U.S. 
Department of Education to use funds appropriated for this program to 
support curriculum development and teacher training activities in the 
areas of (1) computer literacy and technology education, (2) 
agriculture education partnerships, (3) astronomy, (4) indigenous 
health, (5) waste management, and (6) prisoner education. The Secretary 
believes that limiting newly funded projects in this way will help 
address the needs of Native Hawaiian students in these significant 
areas of Native Hawaiian culture and traditions. Therefore, the 
Secretary is proposing absolute funding priorities and intends to use 
$1,500,000 of the FY 1999 funds available under the program for a 
competition to fund one or two projects in each of the six categories. 
In funding these activities, the Secretary intends to allocate 
approximately $250,000 among each of the six categories and estimates 
that the average size of the FY 1999 awards for these new projects will 
range from $125,000 to $250,000. The Secretary will use the remaining 
$3,300,000 of FY 1999 funds for continuation awards for previously 
funded projects in the areas of waste management innovation, Native 
Hawaiian language revitalization curricula and teacher training and 
recruitment activities, and prisoner education.
    There is available for distribution under the Native Hawaiian 
Family-Based Education Centers Program (20 U.S.C. 7905) a total of 
$7,200,000 of FY 1999 funds. Congress has encouraged the Department to 
use funds under the program to support activities in preschool 
education, and the Secretary is proposing an absolute priority to 
accomplish this objective. The Secretary intends to use a total of 
$2,000,000 of the FY 1999 funds available under the program for a 
competition to fund one or two projects in preschool education. It is 
estimated that these projects will range from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000. 
The Secretary will use the remaining $5,200,000 to fund continuation 
awards for previously funded family-based education centers projects.
    The Secretary will announce final priorities for these competitions 
in a notice in the Federal Register. The final priorities will be 
determined by responses to this notice, available funds, and other 
considerations of the Department. Funding of a particular project 
depends on the final priority, the availability of funds, and the 
quality of the applications received. The publication of these proposed 
priorities does not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional 
priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary to funding only these 
priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under the competitions 
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or 
following the notice of final priorities.

    Proposed Absolute Priorities: Under the Native Hawaiian Curriculum 
Development, Teacher Training and Recruitment Program, the Secretary 
proposes to give an absolute preference to applications that focus 
entirely on activities in one of the following areas:
    (1) Computer literacy and technology education--to support K-12 
curricula development, teacher training and model programs designed to 
increase computer literacy and access for Native Hawaiian students;
    (2) Agriculture education partnerships--to support the integration 
of agricultural and businesses practices into high school curriculum 
through the expansion of partnerships between community-based 
agricultural businesses and high schools with high concentrations of 
Native Hawaiian students;
    (3) Astronomy--to support the development of educational programs 
to encourage Native Hawaiians to enter the field of astronomy, with 
emphasis on astronomy as a profession, operation of astronomical and 
observatory equipment, or scientific and cultural expertise in 
astronomy;
    (4) Indigenous health--to support teacher training, curriculum 
development, and instruction activities that will foster a better 
understanding and knowledge of Native Hawaiian traditional medicine 
among Native Hawaiian elementary and secondary students;
    (5) Waste management--to study and document traditional Hawaiian 
practices of sustainable waste management and to prepare teaching 
materials for educational purposes and for demonstration of the use of 
native Hawaiian plants and animals for waste treatment and 
environmental remediation; and
    (6) Prisoner education--to support programs that target juvenile 
offenders and/or youth at risk of becoming juvenile offenders and that 
involve comprehensive and culturally sensitive strategies that include 
family counseling, basic education/jobs skills training, and the 
involvement of community elders as mentors.
    Under the Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers Program, 
the Secretary proposes to give an absolute preference to applications 
that focus entirely on preschool education. The programs must provide 
coordinated and integrated services to preschool children, especially 
children from birth through age three, and may involve consortia that 
include educational entities and health care organizations.

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 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.

    Invitation to Comment: Interested persons are invited to submit 
comments

[[Page 71628]]

and recommendations regarding these proposed priorities. All comments 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection during and after the comment period, in Room 3E228, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., 
Monday through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
    Program Authority: Sections 9205 and 9209 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 7905 and 7909).

    Dated: December 22, 1998.
Gerald N. Tirozzi,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 98-34331 Filed 12-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P