[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 194 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54622-54624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-26165]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Executive Order 13096, American Indian and Alaska Native 
Education

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting self-nominations for comprehensive Federal 
technical assistance service for school year 1999-2000.

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    Purpose: To invite nominations for public schools and schools 
funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to serve as models of effective 
education for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The selected 
schools will work with a special team of technical assistance 
providers, including Federal staff, to develop, pilot and implement a 
comprehensive service delivery model that coordinates and uses diverse 
Federal agency resources. The team will disseminate effective and 
promising practices of the school pilot sites to other local 
educational agencies. This activity is required by Executive Order 
13096 on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

    Note: There is no award of funds to selected school pilot sites. 
The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

    Eligible Entities: Elementary and secondary schools providing a 
free public education to preschool through secondary age students that 
serve American Indian or Alaska Native students. In addition, 
elementary and secondary schools funded by the Bureau

[[Page 54623]]

of Indian Affairs are eligible as nominees.
    Deadline for Receipt of Self-Nominations: November 8, 1999.
    Estimated Number of Pilot Sites To Be Selected: 7-9.
    Estimated Length of Technical Assistance Period: 12 Months.
    Definitions: For the purposes of this notice, the following 
definitions apply:
    (1) Free Public Education. The term ``free public education'' means 
education that is--
    (A) Provided at public expense, under public supervision and 
direction, and without tuition charge; and
    (B) Provided as elementary or secondary education in the applicable 
State or to preschool children.
    (2) Inidan.--The term ``Indian'' means an individual who is--
    (A) A member of an Indian tribe or band, as membership is defined 
by the tribe or band, including--
    (i) Any tribe or band terminated since 1940; and
    (ii) Any tribe or band recognized by the State in which the tribe 
or band resides;
    (B) A descendant, in the first or second degree, of an individual 
described in subparagraph (A);
    (C) Considered by the Secretary of the Interior to be an Indian for 
any purpose;
    (D) An Eskimo, Aleut, or other Alaska Native; or
    (E) A member of an organized Indian group that received a grant 
under the Indian Education Act of 1988 as it was in effect October 19, 
1994.

ADDRESSES: Submit written nominations to the Office of Indian 
Education, Pilot Site Nominations, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Mail Stop--
Room 3W111, Washington, DC 20202-6335.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Executive Order (E.O.)13096, signed on August 6, 1998 by President 
Clinton, recognizes the unique educational and culturally related 
academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students, and the 
Federal Government's special, historic responsibility for the education 
of these students through its unique political and legal relationship 
with tribal governments. In recognition of the unique educational and 
culturally related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native 
students, improving educational achievement and academic progress for 
these students is vital to the national goal of preparing every student 
for responsible citizenship, continued learning, and productive 
employment. The Federal government is committed to improving the 
academic performance and reducing the dropout rate of American Indian 
and Alaska Native students. To help fulfill this commitment in a manner 
consistent with tribal traditions and cultures, the Executive Order 
requires Federal agencies to focus special attention on six goals:
    (1) Improving reading and mathematics;
    (2) Increasing high school completion and postsecondary attendance 
rates;
    (3) Reducing the influence of long-standing factors that impede 
educational performance, such as poverty and substance abuse;
    (4) Creating strong, safe, and drug-free school environments;
    (5) Improving science education; and
    (6) Expanding the use of educational technology.
    To accomplish these goals, Federal agencies are to develop a long-
term comprehensive Federal Indian education policy that addresses the 
fragmentation of government services available to American Indian and 
Alaska Native students.

II. School Pilot Sites

    E.O. 13096 requires he Departments of Education and the Interior to 
identify a reasonable number of schools funded by the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) and public schools that can serve as models for schools 
with American Indian and Alaska Native students.
    A special team of technical assistance providers, including Federal 
staff, must provide assistance to the model schools. Special attention 
must be given, where appropriate, to assistance in implementing 
comprehensive school reform demonstration programs that meet the 
criteria for those programs established by the Departments of Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 1998 (Pub. L. 105-78), and to providing 
comprehensive service delivery that connects and uses diverse Federal 
agency resources.

III. Pilot Site Selections

    Nominations will be evaluated by a team of representatives 
appointed by the Departments of Education and the Interior. The 
evaluation team will select a total of seven to nine school pilot sites 
from among those nominated. The criteria to be considered in the 
selection of the pilot sites include:

A. Geographic Distribution

    School pilot sites will be geographically distributed. At least one 
school pilot site will be selected from the geographic region specified 
as follows:
    1. Alaska.
    2. Eastern Area--AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, 
NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV.
    3. Upper Midwest--IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI.
    4. Lower Midwest--AR, KS, MO, OK.
    5. Northwest/Plains--ID, MT, ND, NE, OR, SD, WA, WY.
    6. Southwest--AZ, NM, TX, CO.
    7. West--CA, NV, UT.

B. Other Characteristics

    To obtain a wide diversity of pilot school sites, consideration 
will be given to other characteristics of the nominated schools within 
each geographic region. The following other characteristics will be 
considered:
    1. School Type--
    a. Public.
    b. BIA-operated.
    c. BIA contract or grant.
    2. Type of Community--
    a. Rural.
    b. Urban.
    3. Grade Level--
    a. Elementary School (grade range: K-3; K-5; K-6; K-8; K-12; 
including schools with and without preschool programs).
    b. Middle School or Junior High.
    c. High School.
    4. School/LEA Population--
    a. Number of Indian students.
    b. Total student population in LEA.
    c. Percentage of Indian students in nominated school.

IV. Nomination Submission and Deadline

    All nominations must be sent to the Office of Indian Education, 
Pilot Site Nominations, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3W111, 
Washington, DC 20202-6335. No specific forms are required for 
submission of a nomination.
    Nominations shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they are 
received on or before the deadline date.

    Note: There is no award of funds to selected school pilot sites.

V. Announcement of School Pilot Site Selections

    Schools selected to receive technical assistance through the School 
Pilot Site process will be contacted directly by the Office of Indian 
Education. A listing of the schools selected will be available upon 
written request after the pilot site selection process has been 
completed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorraine Edmo, Office of Indian 
Education, Room 3W111, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-
6335, 202-401-1200, FAX 202-260-7779, or e-mail

[[Page 54624]]

``Lorraine__E[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.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request of the person listed in the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document (PDF) on 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 sites. If you have 
questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office 
toll free at 1-888-293-6498 or in the Washington, D.C., area at (202) 
512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

    Dated: October 1, 1999.
Judith A. Johnson,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 99-26165 Filed 10-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P