[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63573-63574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27304]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.215V]


Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the 
Improvement of Education--Partnerships in Character Education Pilot 
Projects; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2001

    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 
support pilot projects that design and implement character education 
programs as a way to address the broader FIE objectives.
    Eligible Applicants: Only State educational agencies that have not 
already received a grant or grants that total $1,000,000 under the 
Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Projects Program, in 
partnership with one or more local educational agencies, may apply. 
Please note that 19 States (list of States is provided in the last 
paragraph of the ``Supplementary Information'' section) have already 
received the maximum amount of $1,000,000 and are, therefore, no longer 
eligible to apply. Eighteen additional States have received grants 
close to the $1,000,000 allowed by law. If you are not sure if your 
State is eligible, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    The term ``State educational agency'' means the agency primarily 
responsible for the State supervision of public elementary and 
secondary schools (20 U.S.C. 8011(28)).
    The term ``local educational agency'' means--
    (1) A public board of education or other public authority legally 
constituted within a State for either administrative control or 
direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary 
or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or 
other political subdivision of a State, or for such combination of 
school districts or counties as are recognized in a State as an 
administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools.
    (2) The term includes any other public institution or agency having 
administrative control and direction of a public elementary or 
secondary school.
    (3) The term includes an elementary or secondary school funded by 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs but only to the extent that the inclusion 
makes the school eligible for programs for which specific eligibility 
is not provided to the school in another provision of law and the 
school does not have a student population that is smaller than the 
student population of the local educational agency receiving assistance 
under this chapter with the smallest student population, except that 
the school shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of any State 
educational agency other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs (20 U.S.C. 
8011 (18)).
    Applications Available: October 30, 2000.
    The application package for this competition is also available on 
line at: http://ed.gov/GrantApps/
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 20, 2000.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 19, 2000.
    Estimated Available Funds: Up to $4,100,000. The Administration has 
requested funding for this program for FY 2001. The actual level of 
funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are 
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant 
process before the end of the fiscal year, if Congress appropriates 
funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$1,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $350,000
    Maximum Award: The authorizing legislation for this program 
specifies that no State education agency shall receive more than a 
total of $1,000,000 in grants under this program. Therefore, we will 
reject an application that proposes a budget exceeding a total of 
$1,000,000 in Federal funds for the entire project period.
    Estimated Number of Awards: Up to 10.

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


    Budget Period: 12 months.
    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    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. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 299.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The statute governing the Partnerships in 
Character Education Pilot Projects program limits the total amount 
awarded to any State to $1,000,000 and the funding period to five 
years, of which not more than one year may be used for planning and 
program design. Each applicant, operating within these parameters, may, 
in designing character education activities, determine the combination 
of funds and time that is most appropriate. For example, one applicant 
may request $500,000 per year for two years, another may request 
$100,000 for the first year, $400,000 for the second and third years, 
and $100,000 for the fourth year, and a third may request $200,000 per 
year for five years. In preparing your application, you should take 
special care to provide

[[Page 63574]]

a timeline and a narrative that explains the costs requested for each 
budget period. Under the Character Education program, State educational 
agencies provide technical and professional assistance to local 
educational agencies in the development and implementation of 
curriculum materials, teacher training, and other activities related to 
character education. You must propose projects designed to develop 
character education programs that incorporate the following elements of 
character:
    (a) Caring.
    (b) Civic virtue and citizenship.
    (c) Justice and fairness.
    (d) Respect.
    (e) Responsibility.
    (f) Trustworthiness.
    (g) Any other elements deemed appropriate by the members of the 
partnership. Other program requirements are described in the 
application package.
    Please note that the following States are no longer eligible to 
apply to this grant competition because the State has been awarded a 
grant for the total amount allowed by law: California, Connecticut, 
Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New 
Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, 
Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
    For Applications Contact: Judy Collins, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502, Washington, DC 20202-
5645. Telephone: (202) 219-2116; FAX: (202) 219-2053; or via Internet: 
[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: Beverly Farrar, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502J, Washington, DC 20208-
5645. Telephone: (202) 219-1301; or via Internet at: 
[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.
    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 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting that person. 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 PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free 
at either of the previous 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 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8003.

    Dated: October 19, 2000.
C. Kent McGuire,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 00-27304 Filed 10-23-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U