[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3948-3950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1726]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities Grants 
Program

AGENCY:  Department of Education

ACTION:  Notice of proposed priority and selection criteria for fiscal 
year 2000 and subsequent years.

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SUMMARY:  The Secretary announces a proposed priority, eligible 
applicants, and selection criteria for fiscal year (FY) 2000 and, at 
the discretion of the Secretary, for subsequent years under the Safe 
and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) National Programs--
Federal Activities Grants Program. The Secretary takes this action to 
focus Federal financial assistance on an identified national need--the 
development and dissemination of a newsletter with information about 
effective practices to prevent drug use and violent behavior among 
youth. The Challenge newsletter will provide a communication link on 
current and future program directions, research-based activities, and 
other information related to effective drug and violence prevention 
strategies between the U.S. Department of Education and State and local 
education agencies and other public and private organizations involved 
with safe and drug-free schools programs.
    Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants under this competition are 
public and private nonprofit organizations and individuals.
    Invitation to Comment: Interested persons are invited to submit 
comments and recommendations regarding this proposed priority. All 
comments submitted in response to this notice will be available for 
public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 3E310, 
400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. 
and 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except 
Federal holidays. On request, the Department supplies an appropriate 
aid, such as a reader or print magnifier, to an individual with a 
disability who

[[Page 3949]]

needs assistance to review the comments. An individual with a 
disability who wants to schedule an appointment for this type of aid 
may call (202) 205-8113 or (202) 260-9895. An individual who uses a TDD 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339.

DATES: Comments must be received by the Department on or before 
February 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be 
addressed to Gail Beaumont, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E310, 
Washington, DC 20202-6123. Comments may be sent through the Internet: 
[email protected]. You must include the term ``Federal Activities Grants 
Program'' in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Gail Beaumont, Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools Programs, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW, Room 3E310, Washington, DC 20202-6123, (202) 260-3954. Fax: (202) 
260-7767. Internet: http//www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS.
    Individuals who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. 
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate 
format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer diskette) 
on request to the contact person listed above.

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


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  This notice contains one proposed priority 
for fiscal year 2000, and related selection criteria. Under the 
absolute priority, the Secretary intends to award one cooperative 
agreement for up to 36 months; this cooperative agreement will support 
a means of communicating with the field on current and future program 
directions, research-based activities, and other information related to 
effective drug and violence prevention practices through The Challenge 
newsletter. The primary audience for The Challenge is classroom 
teachers.
    Applicants must demonstrate extensive knowledge of elements of 
effective drug and violence prevention programs and current research in 
the area of drug and violence prevention programs and current research 
in the area of drug and violence prevention. Funds under the Safe and 
Drug-Free Schools Program reach 97 percent of the nation's school 
districts. While most school districts have implemented drug and 
violence prevention activities in some form, too often these activities 
are narrow in scope and are not based on science. Many school districts 
lack data on the effects of their drug and violence prevention programs 
on student behavior. They need information about programs that have 
proven to be effective or promising that they can adopt for their 
students. Although research exists on drug and violence prevention 
strategies that have positive results, too often this research is not 
known to school personnel, and does not get translated into practice. 
The Challenge will provide classroom teachers and other professionals 
with information about effective or promising drug and violence 
prevention programs and strategies, articles by experts in the 
prevention field, and other timely information covering a broad range 
of topics that comprise the expanding knowledge base on drug and 
violence prevention.
    With regard to content, the following information describes 
examples of topics and types of articles that have been featured in 
past issues of The Challenge:
     Information about principles of effective drug and 
violence prevention programs.
     Key elements or characteristics of successful drug and 
violence prevention programs.
     Research studies and data related to drug and violence 
prevention.
     Articles by recognized experts in fields related to safe 
and drug-free schools.
     Articles describing model programs.
     Information that describes discretionary grant activities 
funded under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, National Programs, 
including resources and products resulting from the activities.
     Timely information on special topics such as emerging 
trends in use of specific drugs, or early warning signs of violent 
behavior.
     Resources and helplines for obtaining information and 
materials on drug and violence prevention.

While applicants are expected to address in their applications the 
topics and types of articles described in the above list, the list is 
by no means comprehensive. Applicants are encouraged to offer 
suggestions on ways to communicate with the field on key issues.
    Frequency of past publication of The Challenge has ranged from 6-10 
times per year, and the number of pages has ranged from 4-26 pages per 
issue. The number of copies has been 50,000 per issue. These numbers 
are offered as guides based on past practice, and are not requirements 
of the current competition. Applicants are encouraged to offer 
suggestions regarding the length and frequency of publication, as well 
as number of copies per issue and dissemination plan.
    The applicant funded under the absolute priority in this notice 
will have the responsibility to design, develop, publish, disseminate, 
and manage all aspects of The Challenge consistent with the specific 
requirements in the absolute priority below. In submitting their 
proposals for funding, applicants are encouraged to offer suggestions 
and ideas for The Challenge in addition to those specified in the 
absolute priority.
    Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-
Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary gives an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary funds under this competition only applications that meet 
this absolute priority. Under the absolute funding priority for this 
competition, applicants must propose projects that:
    (1) Design, develop, publish, and disseminate The Challenge, a 
newsletter for educators, prevention specialists, and other 
professionals in fields related to education and drug and violence 
prevention to provide information above effective practices to prevent 
drug use and violent behavior among youth.
    (2) Manage all aspects of The Challenge, including developing 
contents of each issue, writing or soliciting articles for each issue, 
preparing artwork, handling all design and pre-production tasks, and 
printing and mailing.
    (3) Create, maintain, and expand a subscriber data base for ED.
    (4) Evaluate on an ongoing basis the impact of The Challenge on the 
intended audience, and use evaluation results for continuous 
improvement of the newsletter.
    (5) Develop, create, and maintain a Web site to post each issue and 
receive reader comments and suggestions.
    (6) Agree to have content of the newsletter reviewed and approved 
by the Department of Education prior to publication.

Selection Criteria

    The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate 
applications for one cooperative agreement under this competition. The 
maximum score for all these criteria is 100 points. The

[[Page 3950]]

maximum score for each criterion or factor under that criterion is 
indicated in parentheses.

(1) Significance. (10 points)

    In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
following factor is considered: The potential contribution of the 
proposed project to increased knowledge or understanding of educational 
problems, issues, or effective strategies.

(2) Quality of the project design. (30 points)

    In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, 
the following factors are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. 
(10)
    (b) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs. (5)
    (c) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach to the priority or priorities established for the 
competition. (15)

(3) Adequacy of resources. (10 points)

    In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, 
the following factor is considered: The extent to which the costs are 
reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential 
significance of the proposed project.

(4) Quality of management plan. (25 points)

    In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the following factors are considered.
    (a) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks. (5)
    (b) The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-quality products 
and services from the proposed project, including qualifications and 
experience of key personnel in writing and editing newsletters for 
education, prevention and related fields. (10)
    (c) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project. (5)
    (d) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives 
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including 
those of students, faculty, parents, the business community, a variety 
of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of 
services, or others, as appropriate. (5)

(5) Quality of project evaluation. (25 points)

    In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors 
are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the evaluation plan provides for an ongoing 
evaluation of the effectiveness of The Challenge newsletter, and its 
impact on the intended audience. (10)
    (b) The extent to which the evaluation results will be used for 
continuous improvement of The Challenge. (5)
    (c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are appropriate 
to the context within which the project operates. (5)
    (d) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assignment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes. (5)

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The objective of the 
executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a 
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and 
local government for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    In accordance with this order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.

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 Format (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 previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO), 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.



    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184P Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--The Challenge 
Newsletter)

    Dated: January 19, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-1726 Filed 1-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M