[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 73 (Friday, April 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20316-20318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9355]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the 
Improvement of Education--Comprehensive School Reform Capacity Building 
Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2000; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 65 , No. 73 / Friday, April 14, 2000 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.215C]


Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the 
Improvement of Education--Comprehensive School Reform Capacity Building 
Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2000

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Fund for the Improvement of 
Education (FIE) is to support nationally significant programs to 
improve the quality of education, assist all students to meet 
challenging State content standards, and contribute to the achievement 
of the National Education Goals. The purpose of this competition is to 
develop the long-term capacity of comprehensive school reform models to 
better serve schools as described in the Priorities section of this 
application notice.
    Eligible Applicants: State and local educational agencies, 
institutions of higher education, and other public and private 
agencies, organizations, and institutions.
    Applications Available: April 21, 2000.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 9, 2000.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 8, 2000.
    Estimated Available Funds: $15,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000--$1,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $750,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,000,000 in any budget period.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 20.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Budget Period: 12 months.
    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria reviewers will use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative to the equivalent 
of no more than 25 double-spaced pages using the following standards:
     A page is 8.5" x 11", with printing on one side only.
     Double-space all text in the application narrative (no 
more than three lines in a vertical inch)..
    We strongly encourage applicants to use a font that is 12-point or 
larger with one-inch margins.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the 
bibliography, or the letters of support.
    If the narrative section is more than the equivalent of the 25 
double-spaced page limit, or if to meet the page limit, you use more 
than one side of the page or you use a larger page, our reviewers will 
not evaluate the portion of your application that goes beyond the 
equivalent of the specified page limit.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 
299.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Fund for the Improvement 
of Education (FIE) is to support nationally significant programs to 
improve the quality of education, assist all students to meet 
challenging State content standards, and contribute to the achievement 
of the National Education Goals. The purpose of this competition is to 
develop the long-term capacity of comprehensive school reform models to 
better serve schools as described in the Priorities section of this 
notice.
    The Conference Report for the Department's fiscal year 2000 
appropriation directs the Secretary to make awards to providers of 
comprehensive school reform models. A comprehensive school reform model 
is one in which all systems within a school--organization, instruction, 
professional development and management--and all of the school's 
classrooms are actively engaged in and accountable for the 
implementation of a common, articulated strategy to improve teaching 
and learning for all students in the school.
    The Secretary believes that the purpose of the Comprehensive School 
Reform program is to substantially improve student achievement. These 
programs are intended to stimulate school-wide change covering 
virtually all aspects of school operations, rather than a piecemeal, 
fragmented approach to reform. In order to enhance the long-term 
capacity of models to provide higher quality services to greater 
numbers of schools, the Secretary believes that the model developers 
must engage in a process of continuous improvement based on careful 
analysis of their work.
    In shaping these priorities, the Secretary has consulted widely 
with the field and drawn on the Department's experiences over the past 
three years with the Comprehensive School Reform and Demonstration 
Program (CSRDP). Recent reports on comprehensive school reform indicate 
that issues surrounding the implementation of models are very important 
to their success with teachers and students. Such issues as the 
district's role in supporting schools undertaking comprehensive school 
reform, the role of school leadership, community support, teacher 
capacity and availability of time, the relationship of the model to the 
existing curriculum in the school, the relationship of the model to the 
State and local standards and performance measures, among others, have 
a significant impact on the successful implementation of models in 
multiple sites throughout the nation. Most models have not developed a 
systematic way of collecting and analyzing information on 
implementation of their approach in schools. The Secretary believes 
that developing such systems will greatly enhance the long-term 
capacity of models to improve their work and have a positive impact on 
schools.
    To determine the capacity and needs of model developer 
organizations for funding under this competition, the Secretary 
requires that the applicants provide a thorough description of their 
evidence of effectiveness, particularly their student outcome data. He 
also requires that applicants demonstrate that their models are 
operating successfully in at least 15 schools to qualify as a national 
model, and that the model developers demonstrate that there is a 
significant unmet demand from schools and/or school districts for the 
model.
    The Secretary has determined that the following activities are most 
likely to improve the long-term ability of models to provide high 
quality services to larger numbers of schools.
    The Secretary believes that more attention needs to be given to 
activities that support the continuous improvement of models as they 
scale up and reach larger numbers of schools. Most comprehensive school 
reform models need to develop and implement data collection and 
feedback systems that track and provide timely feedback on such 
activities as: (a) the effectiveness of the professional development 
provided by the model; (b) the usefulness of materials and technical 
assistance provided by the model; (c) the model's effectiveness in 
schools with special populations; (d) the on-going support of staff for 
the model; and, (e) the model's success in achieving high fidelity 
implementation in multiple sites. The Secretary believes that providers 
of comprehensive school

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reform models will benefit from developing and implementing data 
collection and feedback systems that track implementation in all 
schools adopting their approach. Further, these systems should include 
data to permit analysis of the role of the district in supporting 
implementation. Through these efforts the providers of comprehensive 
school reform models will increase their ability to serve more schools 
well. The Secretary believes that the assistance of a third-party 
evaluator will strengthen the effectiveness of some or all of the 
activities of this part of the priority.
    There is research that suggests that the most effective way to 
increase student learning is to improve the curriculum and associated 
teaching strategies in the core subject areas and align them with state 
and local content standards and performance measures. The Secretary 
believes that the impact of some comprehensive school reform models 
would be improved by strengthening the teaching and learning that is a 
part of the model's design.
    There is evidence that some comprehensive school reform models do 
not have the capacity to work effectively with the lowest performing 
schools. Yet, students in these schools are most often most at risk of 
failure. Therefore, the Secretary believes that some models would 
improve their capacity by developing materials and processes that 
specifically address the needs of the lowest performing schools which 
will allow them to expand their services into more of these schools.
    There is evidence that some of the comprehensive school reform 
models do not address the concerns of special populations as 
successfully as they could. English language learners or children with 
disabilities or both often need specialized materials and support. 
Therefore, the Secretary believes developers should augment their 
models to better serve special populations of students.
    The Secretary understands that developers of national comprehensive 
school reform models are finding that it is difficult to meet the 
demands of an increasing number of schools seeking assistance. 
Therefore, the Secretary asks the applicants to articulate their 
specific needs for increasing their capacity in order to scale-up their 
operation, and to describe the activities that will expand their 
ability to work more effectively with larger numbers of schools.
    Finally, the Secretary believes that the projects funded under this 
program will benefit from collaboration with other projects, both to 
improve their individual efforts as well as to contribute to the 
overall knowledge on comprehensive school reform. Projects will be 
expected to collaborate with Department of Education staff and expert 
consultants in the design of a core set of data collection instruments 
and analytic measures. It is expected that these will be used to 
provide continuous feedback on the quality of implementation across the 
designs and provide the public with data about the effectiveness of the 
designs in improving student achievement. Projects are required to set 
aside a minimum of ten (10) percent of their budget for this purpose.

Priorities

Absolute Priority

    The Secretary gives absolute preference to applications that meet 
the absolute priority in the next paragraph. The Secretary funds under 
this priority only applications that meet this absolute priority. (34 
CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Absolute Priority--Comprehensive School Reform Models
    An applicant must propose a set of activities that are designed to 
improve the quality of the services provided by a comprehensive school 
reform model and increase the number of schools served by the model. To 
be considered for funding, the comprehensive school reform model 
developer must provide evidence of the model's effectiveness in 
improving student achievement in high-poverty schools, particularly by 
providing information on the impact on student achievement. The model 
must also be operating successfully in at least fifteen (15) schools to 
be considered for funding under this program and demonstrate that there 
is a demand from schools interested in adopting the model. The 
applicant must explain the analytic process and the subsequent results 
of that process that led to their proposed activities for improving the 
quality and quantity of services to schools.
    (a) Each application must propose one or more of the following 
activities. We will not consider other activities for funding:
    (1) Designing and using continuous improvement processes to track 
and provide timely feedback on the model's services to adopting 
schools. [Participation of a third-party evaluator strengthens this 
effort. See Competitive Priority 1.]
    (2) Strengthening the curriculum and instruction provided by the 
model, particularly in reading and mathematics, and aligning it with 
state and local content standards and performance measures.
    (3) Developing processes and materials to better support the lowest 
performing and most troubled schools.
    (4) Developing processes and materials to enhance the model's 
ability to serve special population of students (e.g., English language 
learners and students with disabilities.)
    (5) Supporting other activities that the applicant demonstrates 
will allow them to serve a larger number of schools with high-quality 
services.
    (b) In addition to the above menu of activities, the applicant must 
participate in the collaborative design and use of a core set of data 
collection instruments and analytic measures to carry out the formative 
and outcome evaluation activities. Department of Education staff will 
facilitate a process of bringing together project staff funded through 
this effort and expert consultants to collaborate on the design of the 
formative and outcome evaluation activities. Each project must set 
aside a minimum of 10 percent of its budget for this purpose.

Competitive Priorities

    The Secretary will give competitive preference, as indicated under 
each priority, to applications that meet one or both of the following 
competitive priorities.
Competitive Priority 1
    Priority will be given to projects that include a comprehensive 
formative evaluation plan, including a third-party evaluator.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award an additional five (5) points 
to an application, depending on how well the application meets the 
priority.
Competitive Priority 2
    Priority will be given to projects that serve a school or schools 
located in rural or isolated areas.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii) we give preference to an application 
that meets the priority over an application of comparable merit that 
does not meet the priority.

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 governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance. In accordance with the order,

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this document is intended to provide early notification of the 
Department's specific plans and actions for this purpose.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), 
it is the practice of the Department of Education to offer interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities that are not 
taken directly from statute. Ordinarily, this practice would have 
applied to the priorities in this notice. Section 437(d)(1) of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), however, exempts rules that 
apply to the first grant competition under a new program or 
substantially revised program from this requirement. The Conference 
Report for the Department's FY 2000 appropriation directs the Secretary 
to make awards ``to providers of comprehensive school models.'' This 
will be the first grant competition conducted under the authority of 
the Fund for Improvement of Education program, 20 U.S.C. 8001, that 
concerns comprehensive school reform. The Secretary, in accordance with 
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, to ensure timely awards, has decided to 
forego public comment with respect to the priorities. The priorities 
will apply only to the FY 2000 grant competition.
    For Applications Contact: Julie Coplin, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502J, Washington, DC 20202-
5645 Telephone: (202) 219-2089; e-mail [email protected]. If you use 
a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the 
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    For Further Information Contact: Cheryl Kane, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 604B Washington, DC 20202-
5530. Telephone: (202) 208-2991; e-mail: [email protected]. If you 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the 
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Alternative Formats

    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under For 
Applications Contact.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting the person listed under 
For Applications Contact. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the 
application package.

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, 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 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8001.

    Dated: April 10, 2000.
C. Kent McGuire,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 00-9355 Filed 4-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U