[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 25 (Monday, February 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6140-6147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2720]



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Part II





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________



Office of Postsecondary Education; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards and Final Procedures and Requirements for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 
Competitions Under the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 25 / Monday, February 8, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA NO: 84.336]


Office of Postsecondary Education; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards and Final Procedures and Requirements for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 1999 Competitions Under the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant 
Programs

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education (Assistant 
Secretary) invites applications for new awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 
1999 for the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs for States and 
Partnerships authorized by sections 201-205 of the Higher Education Act 
(HEA), as amended by the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. The 
Assistant Secretary also announces final procedures and requirements to 
govern the competitions and FY 1999 awards.

PURPOSE OF PROGRAM: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
notice for a description of the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant 
Programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Louis J. Venuto, Higher Education 
Programs, Office of Postsecondary Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW., 
Portals Building, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20202-5131: Telephone: 
(202) 708-8596. Inquiries also may be sent by e-mail to: 
Louis__V[email protected] or by FAX to: (202) 260-9272.
    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) upon request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative 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.
    Eligible Applicants: The Secretary invites applications from States 
and from eligible partnerships comprised, at minimum, of an institution 
of higher education with an eligible teacher preparation program, a 
school of arts and sciences, and a high-need local educational agency 
(LEA). These terms are defined in section 203 of the HEA.
    Applicability of Regulations: The following provisions of EDGAR 
contained Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) apply to 
the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs: 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 
77, 79, 80, 82, 85, and 86. However, section 75.590, regarding a 
project evaluation to be submitted at the end of the final year of the 
grant, does not apply to recipients of State Program grants.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), 
it is the practice of the Department of Education to offer interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed rulemaking documents. 
However, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education 
Provisions Act, the Secretary has determined that because it is not 
possible to offer the public an opportunity for comment on proposed 
rulemaking under the Teacher Quality grant programs and still make 
awards by September 30, 1999, as required by law, it is desirable to 
waive public comment for the first year competition of this new 
discretionary grant program. This waiver will apply only to the 
criteria, procedures, and requirements included in this notice for 
awarding FY 1999 Teacher Quality Enhancement Program grants. Any 
criteria and procedures that the Department establishes for the award 
of grants under these programs in future years will be based on 
experiences with this FY 1999 award process, and will be published in 
proposed form in the Federal Register with an opportunity for 
interested parties to comment.
    Applications Available: On or before February 11, 1999. The 
Department also expects that application packages will be available 
electronically through the internet on February 11, 1999, at the 
Department's website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/heatqp/index.html

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08FE99.000



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    Note: Information about six regional workshops the Department 
has scheduled between February 17 and March 2, 1999, to answer 
questions about the Teacher Quality Programs and to provide general 
assistance in preparing applications for each of the programs, is 
included in an appendix to this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 8, 1998, the President signed 
into law the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. Title II of this law 
addresses the Nation's need to ensure that new teachers enter the 
classroom prepared to teach all students to high standards by 
authorizing, as Title II of the Higher Education Act, Teacher Quality 
Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships. The new Teacher Quality 
programs provide an historic opportunity to effect positive change in 
the recruitment, preparation, licensing, and on-going support of 
teachers in America. The programs are designed to increase student 
achievement by implementing comprehensive approaches to improving 
teacher quality.
    More specifically, the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs 
include three new competitive grant programs:
    State Grants Program: Competitive grants to States will support the 
implementation of comprehensive statewide reforms to improve the 
quality of a State's teaching force. By law, State activities must 
include one or more of the following activities: reforming teacher 
certification or licensure standards; implementing reforms to hold 
institutions of higher education accountable for preparing teachers who 
are highly competent in their subject areas; providing prospective 
teachers with alternative pathways into teaching; implementing programs 
of support for teachers during their initial periods of teaching and 
establishing, expanding, or improving alternative routes to State 
certification; developing effective methods of recruiting and rewarding 
highly competent teachers and removing incompetent or unqualified 
teachers; recruiting teachers for high-poverty urban and rural areas; 
and developing ways teachers can address the problem of social 
promotion.
    Partnership Grants For Improving Teacher Preparation Program: The 
purpose of the Partnership program is to bring teacher preparation 
programs, schools of arts and sciences, and high-need school districts 
and schools together (as appropriate with other stakeholders) to create 
fundamental change and improvement in traditional teacher education 
programs--thereby increasing teachers' capacity to help all students 
learn to high standards. Designed to support highly committed 
partnerships that will accelerate the change process in teacher 
education, the program will (1) strengthen the vital role of K-12 
educators in the design and implementation of effective teacher 
education programs, and (2) increase collaboration between departments 
of arts and sciences and schools of education.
    The program is designed to make an important impact on teacher 
education and thereby to increase significantly the number of new 
teachers emerging from programs that have been redesigned to ensure 
that new teachers have the content knowledge and teaching skills to be 
effective.
    Teacher Recruitment Grants Program: In addition, there is a great 
need, especially in high-poverty communities, to recruit and prepare 
more people to become teachers. The Teacher Recruitment Grants--awarded 
either to States or to partnerships among high-need LEAs, teacher 
preparation institutions, and schools of arts and sciences--are 
designed to reduce shortages of highly qualified teachers in high-need 
school districts.
    Local partnerships between school districts and teacher preparation 
institutions have been found to be very effective at providing teachers 
for communities where they are most needed. The ``grow your own'' 
approach is also effective for these communities because individuals 
who are already members of a community are likely to remain there after 
they become teachers. The recruitment grants will allow individual 
communities to determine their needs for teachers and to recruit and 
prepare teachers who meet those needs. States can also play an 
important role in ensuring that high-need school districts are able to 
recruit highly qualified teachers, and they can use the recruitment 
grants to develop and implement effective mechanisms to do so.

Rules Applicable to These Programs for FY 1999 Competitions

    In order to administer the program fairly and properly, the 
following rules apply to these competitions:

State Grants Program

    The Department will use provisions contained in 34 CFR 75.209-
75.210 to establish selection criteria that reviewers will use to make 
recommendations on which applicants to recommend for award. However, 
rather than include ``Quality of project personnel'' (75.210(e)) as a 
separate criterion, the Department will use, as an additional element 
under the criterion ``Quality of the management plan'' (section 
75.210(g)), the following: The qualifications, including training and 
experience, of key project personnel (including consultants, if any) 
that are relevant to implementing the proposed project.
    In addition, consistent with section 205(b)(2) of the HEA, which 
established priorities for projects awarded grants under the State 
Grants program, the Secretary includes in the selection criteria the 
following competitive preference:
    Competitive Preference: The Secretary reviews each application to 
determine the extent to which the State's proposed activities in any 
one or more of the following statutory priorities are likely to yield 
successful and sustained results.
    1. Projects that propose initiatives to reform State teacher 
certification requirements that are designed to ensure that current and 
future teachers possess the necessary teaching skills and academic 
content knowledge in the subject areas in which the teachers are 
certified or licensed to teach.
    2. Projects that proposes innovative reforms to hold institutions 
of higher education with teacher preparation programs accountable for 
preparing teachers who are highly competent in academic content area in 
which the teachers plan to teach and have strong teaching skills.
    3. Projects that propose the development of innovative efforts 
aimed at reducing the shortage of highly qualified teachers in high 
poverty urban and rural areas.
    The Secretary awards up to ten (10) additional points on the basis 
of how well the application addresses this preference.

    Note: Evaluation. In view of the public accountability required 
by section 206(a) of the HEA, States receiving grant awards under 
this program will not need to submit the end-of-project evaluation 
report otherwise required by 34 CFR 75.590 of the Education 
Department's General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR).

Partnership Grants Program

    Pre-Application Process: So that all applicants have as much time 
as possible to design activities and develop new relationships that are 
needed for applications that will address these challenges, the 
Department will use a two-phase peer review process to select 
applicants for awards. All applicants must submit pre-applications by 
April 2, 1999 that include a narrative of no more than 10 double-spaced 
pages.
    Peer reviewers will rate each application on its response to these 
topics:

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    1. What is the partnership's vision to produce significant and 
sustainable improvements in teacher education?
    2. Explain what your partnership can accomplish by working together 
that could not be accomplished by working separately.
    3. Describe key components of the change process to realize your 
vision. What are the components? How do they reflect best research and 
practice? What will the partnership do to implement these components of 
change?
    4. Discuss the specific outcomes of the proposed project. What will 
change? How will you know that the project is successful?
    Each of these topics (i.e., the pre-application selection criteria) 
is critical to the design and implementation of high-quality 
partnership grants for improving teacher education. Peer reviewers will 
rate each pre-application by assigning up to 25 points for each of 
these four responses. Only those applicants whose pre-applications are 
rated very highly in this competitive peer review process will be 
invited and eligible to submit full Partnership Grant applications.
    Other Pre-Application Requirements: Pre-applications also will need 
to contain the following information:
    1. Application face sheet, as well as information on whether key 
LEAs are in urban/rural areas and in either Empowerment Zones or 
Enterprise Communities.
    2. An Addendum that includes--
    a. The identity of each of the application's partners, and 
sufficient information to permit the Department to determine that the 
partnership meets the minimum eligibility definitions included in the 
``General Program Information'' (Part C) of the application package; 
and
    b. Relevant Budgetary Information: For the pre-application, this 
information is limited to--
    i. An estimated budget that includes--for each year of the 
project--the total amount of Title II, HEA funds projected to be 
requested, and the projected amount or of cash or in-kind contribution 
from each contributing partner; and
    ii. A budget narrative of no more than two double-spaced pages that 
addresses generally, for each year of the project, how federal grant 
funds and the non-federal contribution will be used.
    Peer reviewers will use this budget information to gauge the scale 
and scope of the proposed project, and to help clarify information 
contained in the application narrative. Those invited to submit a full 
application may modify this projected budget to reflect the plan of 
work in the full proposal. They also will be required to submit more 
complete budget information in the full application.
    Full Partnership Application: The Secretary will select for funding 
under the Partnership Program those applications that are of highest 
overall quality. In determining which applications to recommend for 
award as having the highest overall quality, reviewers will assign each 
application up to 110 points using the following selection criteria and 
competitive preference. The relative weights for each criterion are 
indicated in parentheses. Applicants are free to respond to these 
criteria in any way they choose.
    These selection criteria have been designed to ensure that those 
partnership applications selected for funding have addressed elements 
that the Secretary believes are key to a successful teacher preparation 
partnership, and have the greatest promise of meeting the broad 
purposes of the program.
    Each of these three broad criteria includes one or more key 
questions that peer reviewers will consider as they examine an 
application, as well as a number of key elements that are critical to a 
well-developed response to these questions and to the partnership's 
overall success. Peer reviewers will consider what the partnership will 
accomplish--from whatever point the partners are in implementing 
reform--to enable teachers to have the knowledge and teaching skills 
they need to teach all of their students to high standards.
    To be recommended for award, peer reviewers must either--
    1. Find that the application satisfactorily addresses each of the 
key elements that follow each question, or
    2. Be satisfied that an inadequate response to an element would 
prevent an award to an applicant that otherwise addressed, in 
outstanding ways, all Selection Criteria. (Reviewers will still need to 
find that the applicant submitted all information required by section 
203 of the HEA.

    Note: Section 203(b)(1) of the HEA requires that all 
partnerships include at least one high-need LEA (which by definition 
must have one or more high-need school). The definitions of a high-
need LEA (and of a high-need school) are contained in the section of 
this notice entitled ``Program Requirements Applicable to More Than 
One Program''.

    These definitions present a minimum standard that any partnership 
application must meet to be eligible to be considered. (As noted in 
``Other Important Application Information'' in the application package, 
all applications must include information that confirms that the 
partnerships are comprised of the required components--including one or 
more school district that is a ``high-need'' LEA.) However, while the 
Partnership Program needs to have the greatest possible benefit for all 
participating LEAs and schools, the Nation faces a particular need to 
address the needs of those LEAs and schools whose students are most at-
risk of failure. Given the particular challenges faced by these 
districts and schools, the highest-quality applications are likely to 
be those that not only are able to provide outstanding responses to the 
three selection criteria, but also focus on LEAs and schools that 
greatly exceed the definitions of high need.

Selection Criteria and Competitive Preference

a. Significance of Project Activities: (34 points)

    In assessing how well the application meets this criterion, 
reviewers will determine how well it responds to the following 
question:
    How does the partnership plan to meet its objectives and ensure 
that, once they begin work in the classroom, new teachers have the 
content knowledge and teaching skills they need to enable their 
students to succeed?
    In responding to this question, applicants should be sure to 
address the following key elements:
     The existence of institution-wide commitments to high-
quality teacher preparation programs that integrate pedagogy and 
subject-area content, and that include--
    1. Strong connections between teacher preparation program(s) and 
the school(s) of arts and sciences;
    2. Permanent institutional mechanisms that reward effective 
collaboration with the teacher preparation programs; and
    3. Significant involvement of tenured and tenure-track faculty of 
the teacher preparation program(s) and the school(s) of arts and 
sciences.
     The responsiveness of teacher preparation programs to the 
needs of K-12 educators in high-need LEAs through, among other things:
    1. Joint activities with high-need LEAs that increase the 
involvement of classroom teachers and school administrators in the 
design, improvement, and implementation of the teacher preparation and 
induction programs;
    2. Demonstrable evidence of an increased presence of university 
faculty and preservice students in participating LEA schools;

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    3. Revamped teacher preparation curriculum and related 
organizational changes within the institution for higher education; and
    4. Strong organizational linkages between each participating 
institution of higher education and the participating LEA's.
     The partnership's commitment to using evidence of how well 
graduates of the teacher preparation program(s) are teaching (including 
evidence of how well their students are achieving) to make regular 
adjustments and improvements in those programs.
     The partners' commitment to share effective practices and 
provide technical assistance about ways to improve teacher education at 
each teacher preparation institution that participates in the 
partnership.
     The quality of the partnership activities which--
    1. Must include the following mandatory activities--
    a. Carrying out reform of teacher preparation programs to hold 
those programs accountable for producing highly competent teachers, 
including teachers competent to use technology effectively in their 
classrooms;
    b. Providing good clinical experiences and mentoring for new 
teachers and substantially increasing the interaction between teachers, 
principals, and administrators and an higher education faculty; and
    c. Creating opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional 
development that improves the academic content knowledge of teachers in 
fields they are or will be certified to teach.
    2. And may also include activities such as--
    a. Activities to prepare teachers to work with diverse populations 
and parents;
    b. Broad dissemination of information on effective practices used 
by the partnership, and coordination of partnership activities with 
State governors, boards of education and State agencies;
    c. Developing and implementing proven methods for enhancing the 
managerial and leadership skills of superintendents and principals 
(including those of master teachers and teacher-mentors); and
    d. Teacher recruitment activities that may be conducted under the 
Teacher Recruitment Grant Program (see section 204 of the HEA).

    Note: See section 203(d) and (e) of the HEA, which identifies 
with greater detail the three mandatory and four permissive 
activities, included in Part G of the Partnership Program's 
application package.

     A well-considered statement, for each year of the grant, 
of annual goals, benchmarks, and time lines that the partnership will 
use to determine whether project activities are effective in meeting 
the partnership's objectives.
     The commitment and ability of the partnership to:
    (1) Integrate its activities with other educational reform 
activities underway in the State(s) and communities in which the 
partners are located; and (2) coordinate its activities with other 
local, State, or federally-supported teacher training or professional 
development programs and with appropriate activities of the Governor, 
State board of education and State educational agency and agency for 
higher education.

b. Extent to Which the Partnership's Objectives Are Built Around the 
Needs of High-Need LEAs and Their High-Need Schools. (33 Points)

    1. Does the application demonstrate that the partnership has 
developed strong measurable objectives, including measurable objectives 
for--
     Improving teacher preparation programs in the partnership; 
and
     Improving the quality and number of teacher education 
program graduates who (1) meet the teacher preparation needs of high-
need school districts in the partnership, and (2) take teaching 
positions in high-need schools in those districts?
    2. Does the application demonstrate that the partnership's 
objectives build upon a clear and thorough needs assessment performed 
by and of all K-12 and higher education partners that--
     Was developed with the active participation of school and 
district administrators and classroom teachers of all types of 
students?
     Focuses on what all new teachers must know and be able to 
do once they begin teaching in the classroom--particularly in teaching 
reading, mathematics, science and other core subjects?
     Includes an assessment performed by the partner 
institution(s) of higher education that--
    Examines the state of collaboration on the campus between arts and 
sciences faculty and the education faculty in teacher preparation 
activities, and between higher education faculty and K-12 teachers and 
administrators;
    Examines the adequacy of the clinical experiences afforded to 
preservice students;
    Examines the adequacy of content preparation for prospective 
teachers; and
    Explains the need to improve the overall quality of teacher 
preparation to better respond to the needs of LEAs, and in particular 
of high-need LEAs?
    c. Feasibility of Achieving Project Objectives: Quality of Project 
Management, Governance Structure, and the Availability and Use of 
Resources: (33 Points)
    In assessing how well the application meets this criterion, 
reviewers will determine how well it responds to the following 
question:
    How well does the application demonstrate that the partnership will 
be able to achieve its objectives, and that all members of the 
partnership will work collaboratively to sustain, improve, and enhance 
project activities during and beyond the period of the project?
    In addressing this question, applicants should be sure to address 
the following elements:
     The extent to which the partnership has an effective, 
inclusive, and responsive governance and decision-making structure--
    1. That will permit all members of the partnership (including 
teachers of the high-need LEA(s)) to plan, implement, and assess the 
adequacy of partnership activities; and
    2. Through which the fiscal agent will provide project funds, as 
appropriate, to other partners to permit them to implement program 
activities.
     The extent to which the application demonstrates that the 
partnership will sustain itself during and beyond the period of the 
grant (which may include evidence that members of the partnership have 
succeeded--with each other or other entities--in other significant and 
sustained partnering efforts).
     The extent to which members of the partnership will 
provide technical assistance to each other to further project 
objectives.
     A resource assessment that describes--
    1. The (federal and non-federal) resources available to the 
partnership;
    2. The intended uses of grant funds (including financial support, 
faculty participation, and time commitments), whether awarded by the 
Department or provided by the partners, including how grant funds will 
be fairly distributed among the partners with no partner retaining more 
than 50 percent of grant funds that the Secretary awards; and
    3. The commitment of the partnership's own resources to project 
activities, including non-federal financial support, faculty 
participation, time commitments, and other in-kind services, as well as 
continuation of activities when the grant ends.

    Note: As required by 34 CFR 75.117, all applications must 
include, among other

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things, a multi-year budget reflecting Federal and non-Federal 
resources.

     The qualifications and relevant experience of the overall 
project director and key personnel of each partner who have 
responsibility for implementing project activities.
     How well the application describes how the partnership 
Will--
    1. Regularly assess whether it is meeting its program objectives;
    2. Take steps to modify project plans and activities if the 
partnership finds that it is not meeting its objectives; and
    3. Prepare the evaluation and annual progress report that include 
strong performance objectives, and measures and reporting information 
as required by section 206(b) and (c) of the HEA.
    Competitive Preference: Consistent with section 205(b)(2)(B) of the 
HEA, the Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to 
which the partnership proposes to meet the following statutory 
priority: a significant role for private business in the design and 
implementation of the partnership. The Secretary awards up to ten (10) 
additional points for applications that address this preference.

Teacher Recruitment Grants Program

    The Department will use provisions contained in 34 CFR 75.209-
75.210 to establish selection criteria that reviewers will use to make 
recommendations on which applicants to recommend for award. However, 
rather than include ``Quality of project personnel'' (34 CFR 75.210(e)) 
as a separate criterion, the Department will use, as an additional 
element under the criterion ``Quality of the management plan ``(34 CFR 
75.210(g)), the following: The qualifications, including training and 
experience, of key project personnel (including consultants, if any) 
that are relevant to implementing the proposed project.
    Finally, section 204 of the HEA requires partnership and State 
grant recipients under the Teacher Recruitment Program to work with 
high-need LEAs to recruit and prepare teachers who will work in those 
districts and thereby help to address their teacher shortages. To 
ensure that program funds are used to meet the purposes of this 
program, States and partnerships receiving grant awards under this 
program (as well as any high-need LEAs participating in their projects) 
must ensure that teachers who have received scholarship assistance and 
other services under the Teacher Recruitment Program are placed, to the 
extent possible, in high-need schools within the high-need LEAs that 
participate in the partnership or State project.
    Invitational Priorities: The Secretary is particularly interested 
in receiving applications from States and partnerships that propose to 
focus their efforts on recruiting members of minority or historically 
disadvantaged groups to become teachers in high-need LEAs and schools 
because of the growing gap between the diveristy of the student 
population and the composition of the teaching force.
    In addition, in order to recruit highly competent individuals to 
become teachers in high-need LEAs and schools, section 204(d)(1) 
permits States and partnerships to use grant funds for the costs of 
scholarship assistance that teaching candidates need to enable them to 
pay the costs of completing a teacher preparation program in addition 
to other support services and follow-up services after they begin 
teaching. Alternatively, section 204(d)(2) permits States and 
partnerships, more generally, to use grant funds to design and 
implement effective mechanisms to ensure that high-need LEAs and 
schools are able to effectively recruit highly qualified teachers. The 
availability of scholarship assistance is likely to be a very useful 
tool in attracting well-qualified individuals to become teachers in 
these high-need LEAs and schools. For this reason, regardless of which 
approach States and partnerships take in designing their projects, the 
Secretary is particularly interested in receiving proposals that would 
provide scholarship support for prospective teachers.

Program Requirements Applicable to More Than One Program

    The Department is establishing a number of requirements that, in 
addition to the statutory requirements in the HEA, govern two or more 
of the Teacher Quality Programs. These include the following:
    1. Section 201(a)(2) provides a definition of ``high-need'' LEA as 
a public school district that serves an elementary or secondary school 
located in an area in which there is--
    a. A high percentage of individuals from families with incomes 
below the poverty line;
    b. A high percentage of secondary school teachers not teaching in 
the content area in which the teachers were trained to teach; or
    c. A high teacher turnover rate.
    None of the three alternative meanings can be applied equally and 
fairly to all applicants without further definition. Therefore, for 
purposes of these Teacher Quality Enhancements Grant Programs--
    1. An LEA with at least one school located in an area in which 
there is ``a high percentage of individuals from families with incomes 
below the poverty line'' is a ``high-need LEA'' if--the LEA has at 
least one school in which 40 percent or more of the enrolled students 
are eligible for free (not ``free and reduced'') lunch subsidies.
    2. An LEA that has one school with a ``high percentage of secondary 
school teachers not teaching in the content area in which the teachers 
were trained to teach'' is a ``high-need LEA'' if either of the 
following conditions holds true:
     More than 34 percent of academic classroom teachers 
overall (across all academic subjects) do not have a major, minor, or 
significant course work in their main assignment field; or
     More than 34 percent of the main assignment faculty in two 
of the academic departments do not have a major, minor, or significant 
work in their main assigned field.
    For purposes of the definition above--
    ``Main assignment field'' means--the academic field in which 
teachers have the largest percentage of their classes.
    ``Significant course work'' means--four or more college-or 
graduate-level courses in the content area.
    3. An LEA that serves an elementary or secondary school located in 
an area in which there is a high turnover rate is a ``high-need LEA'' 
if the LEA has an elementary or secondary school whose attrition rate 
is 15 percent or more in the last three school years.

    Note: The Department believes that use of the percentage of 
teachers in high-poverty schools who do not return in the following 
year is a better source of data than the percentage of teachers in 
schools with high percentages of minority students who do not return 
to teach the following year--a factor proposed in the draft 
application package. In addition, for this third definition of high-
need LEA, data is not readily available on the teacher turnover rate 
in schools in which the students are eligible for free lunch 
subsidies. Therefore, the data source for this definition and the 
first definition of high-need LEA (high-poverty) cannot be the same.

    4. Section 205(c)(1) requires that any State that receives either a 
State Grant or a Teacher Recruitment Grant provide, from non-Federal 
sources, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the grant (in 
cash or in kind) to carry out grant activities. This 50 percent match 
must be made annually, with respect to each grant award of the project 
period.
    5. For purposes of indirect costs that may be charged to the 
Teacher Recruitment Program and to the Partnership Program, all funded 
projects

[[Page 6146]]

are treated as ``educational training grants.'' Therefore, consistent 
with 34 CFR 75.562, except for costs that may be incurred by State 
agencies or LEAs, a recipient's indirect cost rate is limited to the 
maximum of eight percent or the amount permitted by its negotiated 
indirect cost rate agreement, whichever is less. In addition, this same 
eight percent maximum indirect cost rate applies for any funds that 
institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations may receive 
from States under the State Program.
    6. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) 
requires all Federal programs to use performance indicators to measure 
their quality and effectiveness. GPRA further requires that the 
Department provide Annual Performance Plans to Congress that provide 
data on how all of the programs are performing with respect to the 
program performance indicators. Therefore, the Department submits an 
Annual Plan to Congress that provides the most recent data on the 
Department's five-year Strategic Plan, as well as the latest data on 
the performance of each program with respect to the program indicators.
    7. In the event that the peer reviewers' use of these selection 
criteria results in an equal ranking among two or more applicants for 
the last available award under any of the three Teacher Quality 
Programs, the Department will select the applicant whose activities 
will focus (or have most impact) on LEAs and schools located in one (or 
more) of the Nation's Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities.
    8. In the case of any application or pre-application whose 
narrative exceeds the 50-page double-spaced limitation for all Teacher 
Quality Program applications and ten-page double-spaced limitation for 
Partnership Program pre-applications, the Department will provide to 
the peer reviewers only the first 50 pages of narrative and ten pages 
of narrative, respectively.
    9. The Title II Teacher Quality programs have a set of draft 
performance objectives and indicators that appear in Part G, 
``Supplementary Information,'' in the application package. Although 
these performance objectives and indicators are still draft, the 
objectives and indicators will be finalized by February of 1999 and 
will look much like the draft performance indicators. All State and 
partnership grantees must collect data and report to the Department on 
their progress with respect to each of the performance indicators on 
all of the final performance indicators.
    In addition, there may be a few indicators for which data will be 
collected by the contractor hired to conduct the national evaluation of 
the Title II programs. All grantees also are required to cooperate with 
the contractor for the national evaluation as the contractor collects 
data from grantees related to these indicators.

Paperwork Reduction Act Considerations

    The procedures and requirements contained in this notice relate to 
application packages that the Department has developed under the three 
Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs. The public may obtain 
copies of these packages by calling or writing the individuals 
identified at the beginning of this notice as the Department's contact, 
or through the Department's website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/
heatqp/index.html
    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Office of 
Management and Budget has approved the use of these application 
packages under the following OMB control number 1840-0007, expires 
February, 2002. As noted earlier in this notice, these application 
packages will be available on or before February 11, 1999.

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 at (202) 512-1530 or, 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 located under Option G--Files/
Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases.

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

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.

    Dated: February 1, 1999.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.

Appendix

Technical Assistance Workshops on Implementation of Teacher Quality 
Enhancement Grant Programs

    The Department of Education has scheduled six regional technical 
assistance workshops between February 17 and March 2, 1999, to help 
prospective applicants to better understand the Department's 
approach to implementing the competitive grant competitions to be 
held this spring under the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant 
Programs, authorized by sections 201-204 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965, as amended. Under the Teacher Quality Programs, States must 
submit applications for the State Program by April 16, 1999, 
eligible partnerships must submit pre-applications for the 
Partnership Program for Improving Teacher Education by April 2, 
1999, and States and eligible partnerships must submit applications 
for the Teacher Recruitment Program by April 16, 1999. At these 
workshops, the public will be able to learn more about the purposes 
and requirements of these programs, how to apply for funds, program 
eligibility requirements, the application selection process, and 
considerations that might help them to improve the quality of their 
grant applications. Department of Education staff with expertise on 
these and other issues related to the Teacher Quality Programs will 
be available to answer any questions on these topics.
    The locations and dates of these workshops are: February 17 B 
Washington, DC; February 19 B San Diego, California; February 22 B 
Seattle, Washington; February 25 B St. Louis, Missouri; February 26 
B Dallas, Texas; and March 2, Atlanta, Georgia. Any interested 
parties are invited to attend these workshops.
    The Department of Education has reserved a limited number of 
hotel rooms, at a special government per diem room rate, at each of 
the following hotels that will host the workshops. To reserve these 
rates, be certain to inform the hotel that you are attending the 
workshops with the Department of Education.
    The meeting sites are accessible to individuals with 
disabilities. The Department will provide a sign language 
interpreter at each of the scheduled workshops. An individual with a 
disability who will need an auxiliary aid or service other than an 
interpreter to participate in the meeting (e.g., assistive listening 
device, or materials in an alternative format) should notify the 
contact person listed in this notice at least two weeks before the 
scheduled meeting date. Although the Department will attempt to meet 
a request received after that date, the requested auxiliary aid or 
service may not be available because of insufficient time to arrange 
it.

Dates, Times, and Locations of Technical Assistance Workshops

    Workshop #1: Wednesday, February 17, 1999, Washington, DC, 
Washington Hilton

[[Page 6147]]

Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005; Phone: 
(202) 483-3000. Rate: $115.00 plus tax.
    Workshop #2: Friday, February 19, 1999, San Diego, California, 
Marriott Hotel--Mission Valley, 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, 
CA 92108, Phone: (619) 692-3800. Rate: $93.00 plus tax.
    Workshop #3: Monday, February 22, 1999, Seattle, Washington, 
Renaissance Madison Hotel, 515 Madison & Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 
98104, Phone: 1-800-278-4159. Rate: $104.00 plus tax.
    Workshop #4: Thursday, February 25, 1999, St. Louis, Missouri, 
Radisson Hotel & Suites, 600 North Fourth Street, St. Louis, MO 
63102, Phone: (314) 621-8200. Rate: $66.00 plus tax.
    Workshop #5: Friday, February 26, 1999, Dallas, Texas, Wyndham 
Garden Hotel/Dallas, Park Central, 8051 LB. Johnson Freeway, Dallas, 
TX 75251, Phone: (972) 680-3000. Rate: $89.00 plus tax.
    Workshop #6: Tuesday, March 2, 1999, Atlanta, Georgia, Sheraton 
Gateway Hotel, 1900 Sullivan Road, College Park, GA 30337, Phone: 
(770) 997-1100. Rate: $90.00 plus tax.
    For further information about these workshops, please call or 
write the Department contact identified at the beginning of this 
notice.

[FR Doc. 99-2720 Filed 2-5-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P