[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 62 (Monday, April 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15374-15376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7810]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.356A]


Alaska Native Education Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 2002.

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

    Purpose of Program: To meet the unique educational needs of Alaska 
Natives and to support the development of supplemental educational 
programs to benefit Alaska Natives.
    Permissible Activities: Activities may include the following: (1) 
The development and implementation of plans, methods, and strategies to 
improve the education of Alaska Natives; (2) the development of 
curricula and educational programs that address the educational needs 
of Alaska Native students; (3) professional development activities for 
prospective or current educators of Alaska Native students; (4) the 
development and operation of home instruction programs for Alaska 
Native preschool children, to ensure the active involvement of parents 
in their children's education from the earliest ages; (5) family 
literacy services; (6) the development and operation of student 
enrichment programs in science and mathematics; (7) research and data 
collection activities to determine the educational status and needs of 
Alaska Native children and adults; (8) other research and evaluation 
activities related to the purposes of this program; (9) remedial and 
enrichment programs to assist Alaska Native students in performing at a 
high level on standardized tests; (10) education and training of Alaska 
Native students enrolled in a degree program that will lead to 
certification or licensing as teachers; (11) parenting education for 
parents and caregivers of Alaska Native children to improve parenting 
and caregiving skills (including skills relating to discipline and 
cognitive development), including parenting education provided through 
in-home visitation of new mothers; (12) activities carried out through 
Even Start programs carried out under subpart 3 of part B of title I of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, and 
Head Start programs carried out under the Head Start Act, including the 
training of teachers; (13) other early learning and preschool programs; 
(14) dropout prevention programs such as the Cook Inlet Tribal 
Council's Partners for Success program; (15) career preparation 
activities to enable Alaska Native children and adults to prepare for 
meaningful employment, including programs providing tech-prep,

[[Page 15375]]

mentoring, training, and apprenticeship activities; (16) provision of 
operational support and purchasing of equipment to develop regional 
vocational schools in rural areas of Alaska, including boarding schools 
for Alaska Native students in grades 9 through 12, or at higher levels 
of education, to provide the students with necessary resources to 
prepare for skilled employment opportunities; and (17) other 
activities, consistent with the purposes of the Alaska Native Education 
Programs, to meet the educational needs of Alaska Native children and 
adults.
    Eligible Applicants: Alaska Native organizations, educational 
entities with experience in developing or operating Alaska Native 
programs or programs of instruction conducted in Alaska Native 
languages, cultural and community-based organizations with experience 
in developing or operating programs to benefit Alaska Natives, and 
consortia of organizations and entities described in this paragraph to 
carry out programs that meet the purposes of the program. A State 
educational agency or local educational agency may apply for an award 
under this program only as part of a consortium involving an Alaska 
Native organization. The consortium may include other eligible 
applicants.
    Applications Available: April 1, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 2002.
    Estimated Available Funds: $10.2 million, including not less than 
$1 million for parenting education programs and not less than $2 
million for dropout prevention programs (see PRIORITIES section in this 
notice).
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000--$2,000,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 16.

    Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of 
potential applicants. The Department is not bound by any estimates 
in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Applicable Regulations and Statute: The Education Department 
General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 
79, 80, 81, 82, 86, 97, 98, and 99. Title VII, Part C of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left 
Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use the following selection 
criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications under this 
competition (the specific selection criteria and factors that will be 
used in evaluating applications are detailed in the application 
package). The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 
points. The maximum points for each criterion is as follows:
    (a) Need for Project--5 points.
    (b) Significance--5 points.
    (c) Quality of Project Design--25 points.
    (d) Adequacy of Project Services--25 points.
    (e) Quality of Project Personnel--15 points.
    (f) Adequacy of Resources--5 points.
    (g) Quality of Management Plan--10 points.
    (h) Quality of Project Evaluation--10 points.

Priorities

    (a) Competitive Preference. Except for activities listed in section 
7304(d)(2) of the authorizing statute, which have statutory minimum 
funding levels, the Secretary will award up to 5 bonus points to 
applications from Alaska Native regional nonprofit organizations and up 
to 5 bonus points to applications from consortia that include at least 
one Alaska Native regional nonprofit organization. These priorities are 
specified in the authorizing statute for this program. The bonus points 
are in addition to any points the applicant earns under the selection 
criteria listed above. The Secretary may select an application that 
meets a priority over an application of comparable merit that does not 
meet the priority.
    (b) Absolute Preferences. In accordance with statutory 
requirements, the Secretary is establishing two separate priorities for 
proposals to use grant funds to support (1) dropout prevention 
programs; and (2) parenting education programs for parents and 
caregivers of Alaska Native children to improve parenting and 
caregiving skills (including skills relating to discipline and 
cognitive development), including parenting education provided through 
in-home visitation of new mothers. To implement the priority for 
dropout prevention programs, the Secretary is establishing a separate 
competition for applications that meet this priority and reserves $2 
million solely for this competition. To implement the priority for 
parenting education programs, the Secretary is establishing a separate 
competition for applications that meet this priority and reserves $1 
million solely for this competition. The Secretary may adjust the 
amount reserved for these separate competitions after determining the 
number of high-quality applications received.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In Fiscal Year 2002, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing 
to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to 
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary 
grant competitions. The Alaska Native Education Program, CFDA 84.356A 
is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an 
applicant under the Alaska Native Education Program, you may submit 
your application to us in either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the 
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your 
participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for improvement. If you participate in 
this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     You will not receive any additional point value or penalty 
because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
     You can submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     Within three working days of submitting your electronic 
application fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Assistance 
(ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.
    2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative 
signs this form.
    3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via 
the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic 
acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying 
number unique to your application).

[[Page 15376]]

    4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 
424.
    5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 260-1349.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Alaska 
Native Education Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) in the application package.
    For Applications and Information Contact: Mrs. Lynn Thomas, (202) 
260-1541, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., FOB6, 
Room 3C126, Mail Stop 6140, Washington, DC 20202. The e-mail address 
for Mrs. Thomas is: [email protected].
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed above.
    Individuals with disabilities may also obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternate format on request to the contact 
person listed above. However, the Department is not able to reproduce 
in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application 
package.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as other Department of Education documents published in the 
Federal Register, in text or 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 preceding sites. If you have questions about 
using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office, 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 are available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: Pub. L. No. 107-110.

    Dated: March 26, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-7810 Filed 3-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P