[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 102 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33855-33858]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12939]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3317]


Civic Education Curriculum Development and Teacher Training 
Program for Romania

NOTICE: Request for Proposals.
SUMMARY: The Humphrey Fellowships and Institutional Linkages Branch of 
the Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the Civic 
Education Curriculum Development and Teacher Training Project for 
Romania. Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the 
provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501c may submit 
proposals to cooperate with the Bureau in the administration of a two-
year project to support the development and implementation of new 
curriculum units for an eleventh grade civic education and comparative 
government course in Romania. The grant will award up to $194,000 to 
facilitate the project. The U.S. organization will work in coordination 
with the Ministry of Education and its appointees in Romania; the 
public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest; and an 
advisory group of Romanian civic educators. The program will comprise 
two phases of activity: (1) Selection of an eight-member curriculum 
development team of Romanian educators and preliminary consultations in 
Bucharest; (2) an eight- to ten-week U.S.-based curriculum development 
workshop in which the team will produce draft curriculum units and a 
teacher's manual for an eleventh-grade comparative government course.
    In addition to the activity described in this solicitation, 
additional program activities may be undertaken during a third phase. 
Contingent upon successful completion of Phases I and II, the grantee 
may be invited to continue program activities with additional funding 
that may be provided by the Bureau. These activities would include 
follow-up consultations in Romania to assist in the further 
development, review, and field-testing of the draft curricular 
materials and in the training of a larger group of Romanian 
practitioners in their utilization.
    The Bureau solicits detailed proposals from U.S. educational 
institutions and public and private non-profit organizations to develop 
and administer this project. Grantee organizations will consult 
regularly with the Bureau and with the public affairs section at the 
U.S. Embassy in Bucharest with regard to participant selection, program 
implementation, direction, and assessment. Proposals should demonstrate 
an understanding of the issues confronting education in Romania as well 
as expertise in civic education, political science, and curriculum 
development. The Bureau encourages applicants who can draw on the 
contributions of political scientists to civic education and 
comparative government curricula in the United

[[Page 33856]]

States while adapting this experience to address Romanian educational 
needs.
    The funding authority for the program cited above is provided 
through the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act. Programs 
and projects must conform with Bureau requirements and guidelines 
outlined in the Solicitation Package. The programs and projects of the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs are subject to availability 
of funds.

Program Information

    Overview: The goals of the project are to assist a team of Romanian 
educators to develop up-to-date curriculum units for a course in civic 
education and comparative government to be taught at the eleventh grade 
level, and to assist in training teachers to use these units in 
Romanian classrooms. The rationale for this project is that improving 
citizenship education at the high school level will better prepare 
Romanian students to participate actively in building a pluralistic, 
democratic society and will promote democratic relations among members 
of the school community, including students, teachers, school 
administrators, and parents while training teachers to assist in 
supporting these relationships. Applicants may suggest topics to be 
developed by the curriculum team; however, final determination of 
appropriate topics will be made by the curriculum development team in 
cooperation with the grantee organization and an advisory group of 
local curriculum development specialists in Romania during the first 
phase of the project.

Guidelines

Program Planning and Implementation

    Grants should begin on or around September 1, 2000, with Phase I of 
the project, in which a curriculum development team of eight 
practitioners (e.g., classroom teachers and curriculum specialists) 
will be chosen by a selection committee in Romania comprised of local 
civic education specialists, representatives of the U.S. grantee 
organization, and the public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in 
Bucharest. A Ministry of Education official will be invited to provide 
liaison between the U.S. project director(s) and the Romanian 
government. In Phase I, the team will undertake preliminary work in 
Romania over a period of 3-6 months. Members of the curriculum 
development team, in consultation with specialists from the grantee 
organization and local Romanian civic education and political science 
specialists, will familiarize themselves with civic education curricula 
and teaching materials used in Romania, with materials used in the U.S. 
and with the needs of students in Romania, in order to select the 
topics to be covered in the curriculum units that will be drafted.
    In Phase II, members of the curriculum development team will spend 
approximately eight to ten weeks in a highly structured U.S.-based 
workshop to be sponsored and organized by the U.S. grantee 
organization, and will attend focused curriculum seminars; observe 
relevant aspects of the U.S. educational system; and begin drafting 
teacher and student materials for the curriculum units in consultation 
with U.S. specialists. The grantee organization will be responsible for 
introducing the Romanian team to leading U.S. political science 
practitioners and civic educators with expertise that is pertinent to 
the topics to be explored, and to a broad range of relevant resources. 
The team should be familiarized with methods for effectively utilizing 
civic education and political science resources from various levels in 
a classroom setting. The workshop schedule should incorporate 
significant time for both individual and group work on drafting 
materials as well as intensive training on specific approaches to the 
teaching, development, and revision of civic education and comparative 
government topics. In addition, the workshop should include field 
experiences which are relevant to the materials being produced (such as 
visits to schools, matching the Romanian educators with U.S. teachers, 
and mentored attendance at professional association meetings). The 
grantee organization will cooperate with the curriculum development 
team, Romanian educators, and the Ministry of Education in Romania to 
design a pilot-test program for selected schools in Romania.
    Possible future activities include work by the curriculum 
development team in centers throughout Romania with teacher trainers, 
local civic education specialists, political science specialists from 
Romanian universities, U.S. specialists from the grantee organization, 
and other Romanian specialists to provide introductory training for a 
larger group of practitioners in methods for testing and utilizing the 
draft curriculum units in civic education/comparative government 
classrooms. Revision of the draft curricular materials based on the 
results of field testing may be completed by the grantee organization 
and the Romanian curriculum development team during future phases of 
activity.
    During these phases the Romanian Ministry of Education will provide 
the following assistance to the participants:
    (1) Provide a contract for paid leave time for the curriculum 
development team during their stays in the U.S. and the subsequent in-
service training work;
    (2) Facilitate the logistics of in-service training sessions for 
teachers by providing appropriate space at regional teacher training 
centers (Casa Corpului Didactic).

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements

    U.S. lecturers and consultants participating in the project must be 
U.S. citizens. Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please 
refer to Program Specific Guidelines POGI) in the Solicitation Package 
for further information. Administration of the program must be in 
compliance with reporting and withholding regulations for federal, 
state, and local taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should 
demonstrate tax regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and 
budget.

Budget Guidelines

    Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years 
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. Awards may not exceed $194,000. There must be a summary budget 
as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program 
budgets. Applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program 
component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification. The 
summary and detailed program and administrative budgets should be 
accompanied by a narrative which provides a brief rationale for each 
line item. The total administrative costs funded by the Bureau must be 
limited and reasonable.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:
    (1) Administrative Costs, including salaries and benefits, of 
grantee organization.
    (2) Program Costs, including general program costs and program 
costs for each Romanian participant in the U.S.-based curriculum 
development seminar.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFP should 
reference

[[Page 33857]]

the above title and number ECA/A/S/U-00-11.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Humphrey Fellowships and 
Institutional Linkages Branch, ECA/A/S/U, Room 349, U.S. Department of 
State, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547, telephone 202 619-5289 
and fax 202 401-1433, or [email protected] to request a 
Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award 
criteria, required application forms, specific budget instructions, and 
standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify Bureau 
Program Officer Paul Hiemstra on all other inquiries and 
correspondence.
    Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has 
passed, Bureau 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 the Bureau's 
website at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfps. Please read all 
information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

    All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, June 23, 
2000. 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 8 copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/U-00-11, Office of Grants Management, ECA/EX/PM, 
Room 336, 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. The Bureau will 
transmit these files electronically to the public affairs section at 
the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest for its review, with the goal of reducing 
the time it takes to get Embassy comments for the Bureau's grants 
review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

    Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must 
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. Public 
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and 
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom 
and democracy, `the Bureau' 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 the Bureau. 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.
    The Bureau therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant 
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

    The Bureau 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 U.S. Department of State 
Office of East European Assistance, where appropriate. Eligible 
proposals will be forwarded to panels of Bureau officers for advisory 
review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Department of State, 
Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Bureau elements. Final funding 
decisions are at the discretion of the Department of State Under 
Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final technical 
authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) 
resides with the Bureau's 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 Bureau's 
mission, and responsiveness to the objectives and guidelines stated in 
this solicitation. Proposals should demonstrate substantive expertise 
in civic education, political science, and comparative government 
course development.
    2. Creativity and feasibility of program plan: A detailed agenda 
and relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings, 
logistical capacity, and a creative utilization of resources and 
relevant professional development opportunities. The agenda and work 
plan should be consistent with the program overview and guidelines 
described in this solicitation.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Broad significance and long-term impact: Proposed programs 
should strengthen long-term mutual understanding, including maximum 
sharing of information and establishment of long-term institutional and 
individual linkages. Project objectives should have significant but 
realistically anticipated on-going consequences for the participants 
and for their surrounding societies and communities as well as for the 
growth and encouragement of freedom and democracy, and cooperation.
    5. Support of diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support

[[Page 33858]]

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 meetings, resource materials 
and follow-up activities). The proposal should demonstrate an 
understanding of the specific diversity needs in Romania and strategies 
for addressing these needs as relevant to achieve program goals.
    6. Institutional capacity and record: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the program or project's goals. Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by the grants staff. 
The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior recipients and 
the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    7. Project evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the project's success, 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 are recommended. Successful applicants will be 
expected to submit intermediate program and financial reports after 
each project component is concluded or quarterly, whichever is less 
frequent.
    8. Cost-effectiveness/Cost-sharing: 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 and should reflect a commitment to pursuing project 
objectives. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other 
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.

Authority

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 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 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 the Support for East European 
Democracy (SEED) Act.
    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau 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 Department of State 
procedures.

    Dated: May 16, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 00-12939 Filed 5-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-11-P