[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15139-15140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6946]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--School Improvement 
Programs--Native Hawaiian Curriculum Development, Teacher Training and 
Recruitment Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities for fiscal Year (FY) 2000.

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

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces absolute priorities for the FY 2000 
grant competition under the Native Hawaiian Curriculum Development, 
Teacher Training and recruitment Program. After funding continuation 
awards, the Secretary would use the remaining FY 2000 funds available 
under the program to award new grants to support activities in one or 
more of the following areas: (1) Computer literacy and and technology 
education, (2) agriculture education partnerships, (3) astronomy, (4) 
indigenous health, (5) waste management innovation, (6) prisoner 
education, and (7) marine resource management.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 20, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to Lynn 
Thomas, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3C124, Washington, DC 
20202-6410, Telephone: (202) 260-7779. If you prefer to send your 
comments through the Internet, use the following address: 
[email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Thomas, (202) 260-1541. If you 
use a telecommunications device for deaf (TDD), you 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 to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  
    Invitation To Comment: Interested persons are invited to submit 
comments and recommendations regarding these proposed priorities. All 
comments submitted in response to this notice will be available for 
public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 3C124, 
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.
    Assistance to Individual With Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request, the Department supplies an appropriate 
aid, such as a reader or print magnifier, to an individual with a 
disability that needs assistance to review the comments. If you want to 
schedule an appointment for this type of aid, you may call (202) 205-
8113 or (202) 260-9895. If you use a TDD, you may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    General: There is available for distribution under the Native 
Hawaiian Curriculum Development, Teacher Training and Recruitment 
Program (20 USC 7909) a total of $5,500,000 of FY 2000 funds. Of this 
amount, approximately $3,300,000 will be used to award continuation 
awards to successful applicants in the FY 1999 competition. The 
remaining $2,200,000 of FY 2000 funds will be used to support 
curriculum development and teacher training activities in one or more 
of the following areas: (1) Computer literacy and technology education, 
(2) agriculture education partnerships, (3) astronomy, (4) indigenous 
health, (5) waste management innovation, (6) prisoner education, and 
(7) marine resource management. Except for marine resource management, 
these are the same areas that were funded under the FY 1999 
competition. Congress has urged the Secretary to support activities in 
these seven areas and the Secretary believes that limiting newly funded 
projects in this way will help address the needs of Native Hawaiian 
students in these significant areas of Native Hawaiian culture and 
traditions. Therefore, the Secretary is announcing absolute funding 
priorities and intends to use available FY 2000 funds under the program 
for a competition to support projects in one or more of the seven 
categories.
    The Secretary will announce final priorities for these competitions 
in a notice in the Federal Register. The final priorities will be 
determined by responses to this notice, available funds, and other 
considerations of the Department. Funding of a particular project 
depends on the final priority, the availability of funds, and the 
quality of the applications received. The publication of these proposed 
priorities does not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional 
priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary to funding only these 
priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

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


[[Page 15140]]


    Absolute Priorities: Under the Native Hawaiian Curriculum 
Development, Teacher Training and Recruitment Program, the Secretary 
announces absolute preference to applications that focus entirely on 
activities in one of the following areas:
    (1) Computer literacy and technology education--to support 
curriculum development, teacher training and model programs designed to 
increase computer literacy and access for Native Hawaiian elementary 
and secondary school students;
    (2) Agriculture education partnerships--to support the integration 
of agricultural and businesses practices into high school curriculum 
through the expansion of partnerships between community-based 
agricultural businesses and high schools with high concentrations of 
Native Hawaiian students;
    (3) Astronomy--to support the development of educational programs 
in astronomy for Native Hawaiian elementary and secondary school 
students to assist them in reaching challenging science and mathematics 
standards and to encourage them to enter the field of astronomy;
    (4) Indigenous health--to support curriculum development, teacher 
training, and instruction activities that will foster a better 
understanding and knowledge of Native Hawaiian traditional medicine, 
particularly among Native Hawaiian elementary and secondary students;
    (5) Waste management innovation--to study and document traditional 
Hawaiian practices of sustainable waste management and to prepare 
teaching materials for educational purpose and for demonstration on the 
use of native Hawaiian plants and animals for waste treatment and 
environmental remediation;
    (6) Prisoner education--to support programs that target juvenile 
offenders and/or youth at risk of becoming juvenile offenders. 
Comprehensive and culturally sensitive strategies for reaching the 
target population will include family counseling, basic education/jobs 
skills training, and the involvement of community elders as mentors; 
and
    (7) Marine resource management--to support programs designed to 
teach Native Hawaiian elementary and secondary students about 
traditional fishery management techniques used in the Native Hawaiian 
culture.
    Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. one of the 
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental 
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.

Program Authority: Sections 9209 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 7909) CFDA 84.297A.

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may review 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://www.ed.gov/fedreg.htm or http://ocfo.ed.gov/news.html.
    To use the PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the preceding sites. If 
you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC 
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 
Domestic Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Dated: March 16, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-6946 Filed 3-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M