[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 56 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16079-16081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7161]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3613]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Civic Education Curriculum Development and Teacher Training 
Project for Kyrgyzstan

SUMMARY: The Office of Global Educational Programs, Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of 
State announces an open competition for the Civic Education Curriculum 
Development and Teacher Training Project for Kyrgyzstan. Public and 
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to cooperate with 
the Bureau in the administration of a two-year project to support the 
development and implementation of a new curriculum unit for a ninth 
grade civic education course in Kyrgyzstan. The Bureau will award up to 
$300,000 to facilitate the project. The U.S. organization will work in 
coordination with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in 
Bishkek; the Ministry of Education and its appointees in Kyrgyzstan; 
and an advisory group of civic educators from the Institute for 
Regional Studies, an NGO in Bishkek. The project will comprise three 
phases of activity:
    (1) Recruitment and selection of a six-member curriculum 
development team of Kyrgyz educators and preliminary consultations in 
Bishkek, followed by the identification by the U.S. grantee 
organization of a reference collection of civic education and teacher 
training materials for delivery to the curriculum development team in 
Kyrgyzstan, (see the POGI for details of the recruitment and selection 
process);
    (2) A 10 to 12 week U.S.-based curriculum development and teacher 
training workshop, coordinated by the U.S. grantee organization, in 
which the team will produce a draft curriculum unit which includes a 
teacher's guide and student handbook for the ninth grade civics course;
    (3) Coordination by the U.S. grantee, in collaboration with the 
Ministry of Education and the local NGO partner, of testing of the 
draft curriculum unit in no fewer than twelve pilot-test schools in 
Kyrgyzstan; specialized training seminars for in-service and pre-
service teachers in Kyrgyzstan; and revision and publication of a 
completed curriculum unit for use in follow-on activities.
    Applicants may suggest, in their proposals, topics to be developed 
by the curriculum team; however, final determination of appropriate 
topics will be made in consultation with the curriculum development 
team from Kyrgyzstan before the start of the U.S.-based curriculum-
training workshop in Phase II.
    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 of the 
U.S. Embassy in Bishkek with regard to participant selection, program 
implementation, direction and assessment. Proposals should demonstrate 
an understanding of the issues confronting education in Kyrgyzstan as 
well as expertise in civic education, curriculum development and 
teacher training.

Program Information

    Overview: The goals of the project are to assist a team of 
educators in Kyrgyzstan to develop an up-to-date curriculum unit for a 
ninth grade course in civic education and to assist in training 
teachers and teacher-trainers to use this unit in classrooms in 
Kyrgyzstan. The rationale for this project is that improving 
citizenship education at the high school level will better prepare 
students in Kyrgyzstan to participate actively in building a 
pluralistic, democratic society. Additionally, the Bureau expects that 
the project 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.

Guidelines

    Program Planning and Implementation: Grant activities should begin 
on or around September 1, 2001, with Phase I of the project, in which 
the grantee will collaborate with the Institute of Regional Studies to 
coordinate recruitment and selection of a six-member curriculum 
development team comprised of local practitioners (classroom teachers, 
teacher trainers, and curriculum specialists), and conduct a one to two 
week preliminary planning trip to Bishkek for consultations. 
Recruitment and selection activities should be finalized before the 
Phase I consultation visit. Proposals should suggest a tentative 
recruitment strategy and selection criteria for implementation by the 
Institute of Regional Studies. The recruitment strategy and selection 
criteria may be revised and confirmed by the U.S. grantee organization 
in cooperation with the Institute and in consultation with the Public 
Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy after the grant is issued.
    A committee in Kyrgyzstan, which will be responsible to the 
Institute of Regional Studies and the grantee organization, will 
conduct final selection of the curriculum development team. The 
committee will be comprised of local civic education specialists, 
representatives of the U.S. grantee organization, representatives of 
the local NGO partner and a representative from the Public Affairs 
Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek.
    During Phase I, the U.S. grantee organization will be responsible 
for the collection and mailing of a reference collection of civic 
education materials to the curriculum development team in advance of 
the U.S.-based curriculum development workshop.
    In Phase II, members of the curriculum development team will spend 
approximately 10 to 12 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 development and teaching methodology 
seminars; observe relevant aspects of the U.S. educational system;

[[Page 16080]]

and begin drafting teacher and student materials for the ninth grade 
curriculum unit in consultation with the U.S. specialists. The grantee 
organization will be responsible for introducing the Kyrgyz team to 
leading U.S. civic educators with expertise 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 resources 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 definition of civic education topics.
    In addition, the workshop should include field experiences, which 
are relevant to the materials being produced (such as visits to 
schools, matching the Kyrgyz educators with U.S. teachers, and mentored 
attendance at professional meetings). Mentoring of the educators from 
Kyrgyzstan by U.S. peer practitioners should also be a prominent 
feature of the workshop.
    In Phase III, the grantee organization will collaborate with the 
curriculum development team, the Ministry of Education and the local 
NGO partner to plan and implement a program for pilot-testing, revision 
and publication of curriculum materials, and coordination of 
specialized training seminars for in-service and pre-service teachers 
on the use of the new curriculum unit.
    During the three project phases, the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of 
Education is expected to provide the following assistance to the 
participants: (1) Paid leave time for the curriculum development team 
during their stay in the U.S. and the subsequent in-service training 
work; (2) Facilitation of the logistics of in-service training sessions 
for teachers by providing appropriate space at regional teacher 
training centers.

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements

    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations and the grantee 
organization will need to have authority to provide J-1 visa 
sponsorship by the time grant activities begin. Please refer to 
Solicitation Package for further information. Administration of the 
project 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

    The Bureau anticipates making one award in an amount not to exceed 
$300,000, to support program and administrative costs required to 
implement this program. The Bureau encourages applicants to provide 
maximum levels of cost sharing and funding from private sources in 
support of its programs. Because the Bureau's grants to eligible 
organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs are limited to $60,000, these 
organizations are not encouraged to apply under this competition. 
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire program. 
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 project 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 participant from Kyrgyzstan in the U.S. based curriculum 
development seminar and the Kyrgyzstan-based pilot-testing activities. 
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines 
and formatting instructions.
    Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau 
concerning this RFGP should reference the above title and number ECA/A/
S/U-01-11.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Humphrey Fellowships and 
Institutional Linkages Branch, Office of Global Educational Programs, 
U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 
telephone: 202-619-5289; 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 Marie A. Westbrook on all other 
inquiries and correspondence.
    Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 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/RFGPs. Please read all 
information before downloading.
    Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received by the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC 
time on Friday May 11, 2001. 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 eight copies of the application should be 
sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/U-01-11, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, 
Room 534, 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 US Embassy 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

[[Page 16081]]

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.''
    Public Law 106-113 requires that the governments of the countries 
described above do not have inappropriate influence in the selection 
process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these goals in their 
program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.

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. The program office, as well as the 
Public Affairs Section overseas, where appropriate will review all 
eligible proposals. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
Bureau officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by 
the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department elements. Final 
funding decisions are at the discretion of the Department of State's 
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural 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 and curriculum development.
    2. Creativity and feasibility of program plan: A detailed agenda 
and relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive undertaking, 
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 project objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support 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 Kyrgyzstan and 
strategies for addressing these needs in terms of the project goals.
    5. Institutional capacity and record: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the goals of the project. 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.
    6. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity'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.
    7. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support), which ensures 
that Bureau supported programs are not isolated events.
    8. Cost-effectiveness: 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 Freedom for Russia and Emerging 
Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1993 (Freedom 
Support Act). Programs and projects must conform to Bureau requirements 
and guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. Bureau projects 
and programs are subject to the availability of funds.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP 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 RFGP 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 Bureau procedures.

    Dated: March 16, 2001.
Helena Kane Finn,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 01-7161 Filed 3-21-01; 8:45 am]
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