[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 92 (Thursday, May 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25958-25961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-11975]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Teaching Excellence Awards Program

NOTICE: Request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Division for the NIS Secondary School Initiative, Office 
of Citizen Exchanges, of the United States Information Agency's Bureau 
of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for 
the Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA) program. Public and private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions

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described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals for 
the fourth year of a program of recognition for excellence in the 
fields of English and American studies at the primary and secondary 
levels of education in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and 
Uzbekistan. The total amount of funding available for this program is 
$2,250,000.

Program Information

    Overview: The objective of the program is to select exemplary 
teachers in the five target countries through a merit-based competition 
and provide modest awards to them and their schools. The top national 
winners participate in a summer enrichment program in the U.S. The 
goals are to: give recognition to excellence in the teaching of English 
and American studies; promote innovation in teaching methodology in the 
New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union; and promote 
mutual understanding about the societies and educational systems of the 
U.S. and the five target NIS countries.
    Background: The program was established in 1996 and has been 
administered for the past three years by the American Councils for 
International Education (ACIE). For the 1996-1997 program year, the 
teacher competition was conducted in Russia and Ukraine, and 900 
educators were nominated, for which their schools received plaques. The 
competition culminated in the selection of 225 Russian and 75 Ukrainian 
regional winners of awards--$200 worth of education materials for the 
teachers and $2,000 worth of education equipment for the schools. 
Thirty Russian and 15 Ukrainian educators were selected as national 
winners and participated in a seven-week enrichment program in the U.S. 
Twenty American teachers were also selected from national excellence 
competitions who interacted with the NIS teachers and traveled to their 
countries for two-week programs. The program was repeated in 1997-1998 
and expanded in 1998-1999 to include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and 
Uzbekistan.
    Guidelines: The organization that is awarded the grant to 
administer this program must have an infrastructure of offices in the 
five countries with staff in place year-round under the direct 
supervision of an American national. The organization must have the 
ability to work closely with ministries of education and local 
educational and governmental authorities. The competition must be 
conducted as a high-profile, merit-based process that encompasses all 
oblasts (regions) where it is feasible to elicit nominations. The 
competition should be broadly advertised to ensure that the maximum 
number possible of teachers and schools are made aware of it. In Russia 
nominations will be made primarily by committees of oblast ministry of 
education officials operating under detailed instructions from the 
grantee organization in conjunction with USIS Moscow. In the other four 
countries, applications will be submitted directly to the grantee, 
which will assemble screening committees of specialists. The awards for 
regional winners should include a range of educational materials and 
equipment such as copiers, fax machines and computers, which will be 
for use by the winner's school. The grantee should arrange for a six-
to-seven week enrichment program in the U.S. for the national winners 
designed to enhance teaching methodologies in English as a foreign 
language and American studies. The grantee must recruit American 
educators from state and national teaching excellence competitions to 
participate in aspects of the summer enrichment program and travel to 
the NIS for two-to-three week programs based in the schools of the NIS 
national winners. Close collaboration with USIS and American Embassy 
officers and American English teaching specialists is required. The 
competition should be conducted in the fall of 1999; awards should be 
made in the spring of 2000; the enrichment program should take place in 
the summer of 2000; the American participants should travel to the NIS 
in the fall of 2000. Grant activities may begin on August 1, 1999. The 
grantee is responsible for conducting all activities directly or under 
sub-contracts. Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please 
refer to Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    One grant will be awarded for the whole program. Organizations with 
less than four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
and/or training programs with the NIS are not eligible for this 
competition.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns 
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. The itemized budget 
should clearly show costs for each program component, phase, location, 
or activity.
    Proposals should obey these specific maximum limits for each 
country: Kazakhstan, $300,000; Kyrgyzstan, $150,000; Russia, 
$1,000,000; Ukraine, $500,000; Uzbekistan, $300,000.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following: the 
competition itself, awards of material or equipment (valued at $200 per 
regional winner, $2,000 per school), the summer enrichment program, the 
US teachers to the NIS, and reasonable administrative costs. Please 
refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and 
formatting instructions.
    Announcement Title and Number. All correspondence with USIA 
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number E/PY-
99-48.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Persiko, the NIS Secondary 
School Initiative (E/PY), Room 568, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone 202-619-6299, fax 202-619-
[email protected] request a Solicitation Package. The 
Solicitation Package contains detailed award criteria, required 
application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard 
guidelines for proposal preparation.
    Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has 
passed, Agency staff may not discuss this competition with applicants 
until the proposal review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet

    The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's 
website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all 
information before downloading.

To Receive a Solicitation Package Via FAX on Demand

    The entire Solicitation Package may be requested from the Bureau's 
Grants Information Fax on Demand System, which is accessed by calling 
202/401-7616. The Table of Contents listing available documents and 
order numbers should be the first order when entering the system.
    Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the 
U.S. Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on June 14, 1999. 
Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked 
the due date but received on a later date will not be accepted. Each 
applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the above 
deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and ten copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S.

[[Page 25960]]

Information Agency, Ref.: E/PY-99-48, Office of Grants Management, E/
XE, Room 568, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette, 
formatted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit 
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review, 
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for 
the Agency's grants review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

    Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs mut 
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and 
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and 
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest 
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to 
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic 
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to 
adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program 
administration and in program content. Please refer to the review 
criteria under the `Support for Diversity' section for specific 
suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Pub. L. 
104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and 
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom 
and democracy,'' USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide 
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and 
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should reflect 
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent 
deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)

    The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting 
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing 
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific 
requirements including data exchange with USIA. The inability to 
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could 
result in grantees' being required to return funds that have not been 
accounted for properly.
    USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K complaint systems 
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately 
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both 
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust 
for leap years.
    Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the 
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology 
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

Review Process

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they 
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the 
Solicitation Package. All eligible proposals will be reviewed by the 
program office, as well as the USIA Office of East European and NIS 
Affairs and the USIS posts in the five countries. Eligible proposals 
will be forwarded to panels of USIA officers for advisory review. 
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or 
by other Agency elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion 
of USIA's Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. 
Final technical authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative 
agreements) resides with the USIA Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Agency's goals 
as outlined above.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
expressed in terms that are quantifiable, measurable, and achievable. 
Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet the 
program's stated objectives.
    4. Multiplier effect/impact: The proposed program should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of 
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content 
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program activities, resources 
materials and follow-up activities).
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to implement the program 
efficiently and effectively.
    7. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposal should demonstrate an 
institutional record of relevant successful exchange activities with 
the NIS, as well as responsible fiscal management and full compliance 
with all reporting requirements for past Agency grants as determined by 
USIA's Office of Contracts. The Agency will consider the past 
performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new 
applicants.
    8. Follow-on Activities: Proposal should provide a plan for 
maintaining contact with program alumni, as well as facilitating their 
ongoing interaction with each other.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success in terms of achieving the stated objectives, 
both as the activities unfold and at the end of the program. A draft 
survey questionnaire or other technique plus description of a 
methodology to use to link outcomes to original project objectives is 
recommended. Successful applicants will be expected to submit quarterly 
program and financial reports.
    10. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support, as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposals will be 
assessed by USIA's geographic area office and officers and USIS 
missions in the five countries in terms of the adequacy of program plan 
and the organization's NIS infrastructure to achieve TEA's objectives.

Authority

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Pub. L. 87-256, 
as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of the 
Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between

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the people of the United States and the people of other countries * * 
*; to strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by 
demonstrating the educational and cultural interests, developments, and 
achievements of the people of the United States and other nations * * * 
and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and 
peaceful relations between the United States and the other countries of 
the world.'' The funding authority for the program above is provided 
through legislation. Funds for this program are made available under 
the Foreign Operations appropriation for fiscal year 1999.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on 
the part of the Government. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of 
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject 
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Notification

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.

    Dated: May 3, 1999.
Judith S. Siegel,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-11975 Filed 5-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M