[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 33 (Friday, February 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8336-8337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4031]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


The International Research and Studies Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Publication of the 1998 annual report.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Section 605 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(HEA), authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide assistance to 
conduct research, studies, and surveys and develop specialized 
instructional materials that further the purposes of Part A of Title VI 
of the HEA.
    The activities conducted under section 605 of the HEA correspond in 
large part to the foreign language and area studies research activities 
previously supported under section 602 of Title VI of the National 
Defense Education Act.

Purpose

    Under the International Research and Studies Program, the Secretary 
of Education awards grants and contracts for--
    (a) Studies and surveys to determine the needs for increased or 
improved instruction in foreign language, area studies, or other 
international fields, including the demand for foreign language, area, 
and other international specialists in government, education, and the 
private sector;
    (b) Studies and surveys to assess the utilization of graduates of 
programs supported under this title by governmental, educational, and 
private sector organizations and other studies assessing the outcomes 
and effectiveness of programs so supported;
    (c) Evaluation of the extent to which programs assisted under Title 
VI that address national needs would not otherwise be offered;
    (d) Comparative studies of the effectiveness of strategies to 
provide international capabilities at institutions of higher education;
    (e) Research on more effective methods of providing instruction and 
achieving competency in foreign languages, area studies, or other 
international fields;
    (f) The development and publication of specialized materials for 
use in foreign language, area studies, and other international fields, 
or for training foreign language, area, and other international 
specialists;
    (g) Studies and surveys of the uses of technology in foreign 
language, area studies, and international studies programs;
    (h) Studies and evaluations of effective practices in the 
dissemination of international information, materials, research, 
teaching strategies, and testing techniques throughout the education 
community, including elementary and secondary schools; and
    (i) The application of performance tests and standards across all 
areas of foreign language instruction and classroom use.

1998 Program Activities

    In fiscal year 1998, 9 new grants ($958,266) and 22 continuation 
grants ($1,931,090) were awarded under the International Research and 
Studies Program. These grants are active currently and will be 
monitored through progress reports submitted by grantees. Grantees have 
90 days after the expiration of the grant to submit the products 
resulting from their research to the Department of Education for review 
and acceptance.

[[Page 8337]]

Completed Research

    A number of completed research projects resulting from grants made 
during prior fiscal years have been received during the past year. 
These are listed below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Title                           Author/location
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf Arabic-English Dictionary.........  University of Arizona,
                                          Department of Near Eastern
                                          Studies, Tucson, AZ 85721,
                                          Hamdi A. Qafisheh.
A Textbook of Spoken Albanian..........  University of California,
                                          Center for Research in
                                          Language Acquisition 9500
                                          Gilman Drive--UCSD, La Jolla,
                                          CA 92093-0526, Leonard
                                          Newmark.
Subarashii: Automatic Speech             Entropic Research Laboratory,
 Recognition for Computer-based           1040 Noel Drive, Menlo Park,
 Exercises in the Japanese Language for   CA 94025, Jared Bernstein,
 Beginning High School Students.          Farzad Ehsani.
A Reference Grammar of Pashto..........  Center for Applied Linguistics,
                                          4646 40th Street, NW,
                                          Washington, DC 20016-1859,
                                          Barbara Robson, Habibullah
                                          Tegey.
Improved Beginners' Instructional        University of Florida, Center
 Materials for Akan.                      for African Studies, 427
                                          Grinter Hall, Gainesville, FL
                                          32611, Paul A. Kotey.
The ABC Alphabetically-based             University of Hawaii, Spalding
 Computerized Chinese-English             Room, 2540 Maile Way,
 Dictionary Project.                      Honolulu, HI 96822, Cynthia
                                          Ning.
Teaching Materials for Russian Language  Friends School, Center for
 Instruction at the Secondary School      Russian, Language and Culture,
 Level.                                   5114 North Charles Street,
                                          Baltimore, MD 21210, Zita D.
                                          Dabars.
An Electronic Network for Secondary-     Massachusetts Institute of
 level Teachers of Japanese.              Technology, Foreign Languages
                                          and Literatures, Room 14N-305,
                                          Cambridge, MA 02139, Shigeru
                                          Miyagawa.
A Comprehensive Tibetan-English          Case Western Reserve
 Dictionary of Modern Tibetan.            University, Department of
                                          Anthropology, 11220
                                          Bellflower, Cleveland, OH
                                          44106-7125, Melvyn C.
                                          Goldstein.
Malayalam Textbook: Hard Copy Braille    University of Texas, Department
 Materials for Languages Using non-       of Oriental Languages, 2601
 Roman Script.                            University Avenue, Austin, TX
                                          78712, Rodney F. Moag.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To obtain a copy of a completed study, contact the author at the 
given address.

FURTHER INFORMATION: For a copy of the 1998 annual report and further 
information regarding the International Research and Studies Program, 
write to Jose L. Martinez, Program Officer, International Education and 
Graduate Programs Service, United States Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-5247. Telephone number: 
(202) 401-9784.
    Individuals who use a telecommunication 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 or 
the 1998 annual report referred to in this notice in an alternative 
format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by 
contacting the Department as listed above.

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 of 
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 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.

    Dated: February 12, 1999.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 99-4031 Filed 2-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P