[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 129 (Friday, July 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44812-44815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-16888]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.083A]


Women's Educational Equity Program (WEEA); Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

    Summary: The Secretary invites applications for new grant awards 
for FY 2002 for the Women's Educational Equity Program. These grants 
are authorized by subpart 21, part D, title V, of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind 
Act, Public Law 107-110.
    Purpose of Program: To provide financial assistance: to promote 
gender

[[Page 44813]]

equity in education; to enable educational agencies to meet the 
requirements of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and to 
promote equity in education for women and girls who suffer from 
multiple forms of discrimination based on sex and race, ethnic origin, 
limited English proficiency, disability or age.
    Eligible Applicants: Public agencies, private nonprofit agencies, 
organizations, institutions, student groups, community groups, and 
individuals.
    Applications Available: July 5, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 19, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 18, 2002.
    Available Funds: $842,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $95,000-$200,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $145,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4-7 (The Department is not bound by any 
estimates in this notice).

    Note: In order to ensure the equitable distribution of grants, 
the Secretary, to the extent feasible, will award a slate of grants 
that address:
     A variety of levels of education, including preschool, 
elementary and secondary education, higher education, vocational 
education and adult education;
     Different regions of the United States; and
     A diversity of urban, rural, and suburban entities.

    Project Period: Up to 48 months. Fiscal year 2002 funds available 
under this competition would be used for the first 12 months of a 
project.
    E-Mail Notification of Intent to Apply for Funding: The Department 
will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant 
applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities 
that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the 
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant for the Women's 
Educational Equity program to notify the Department by e-mail that it 
intends to submit an application for funding. The Secretary requests 
that this e-mail notification be sent no later than August 5, 2002. The 
e-mail notification should be sent to Diane Austin at 
[email protected]. Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail 
notification may still apply for funding.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will award grants for the 
implementation of gender equity programs in schools. Examples of 
statutory activities under the program include--
    (a) Assisting educational agencies and institutions to implement 
policies and practices to comply with title IX of the Education 
Amendments of 1972;
    (b) Training for teachers, counselors, administrators, and other 
school personnel, especially preschool and elementary school personnel, 
in gender-equitable teaching and learning practices;
    (c) Leadership training for women and girls to develop professional 
and marketable skills to compete in the global marketplace, improve 
self-esteem, and benefit from exposure to positive role models;
    (d) School-to-work transition programs, guidance and counseling 
activities, and other programs to increase opportunities for women and 
girls to enter a technologically demanding workplace and, in 
particular, to enter highly skilled, high-paying careers in which women 
and girls have been underrepresented;
    (e) Enhancing educational and career opportunities for those women 
and girls who suffer multiple forms of discrimination, based on sex and 
on race, ethnic origin, limited English proficiency, disability, 
socioeconomic status, or age;
    (f) Assisting pregnant students and students rearing children to 
remain in or to return to secondary school, graduate, and prepare their 
preschool children to start school;
    (g) Evaluating exemplary model programs to assess the ability of 
such programs to advance educational equity for women and girls;
    (h) Introduction into the classroom of textbooks, curricula, and 
other materials designed to achieve equity for women and girls;
    (i) Programs and policies to address sexual harassment and violence 
against women and girls and to ensure that educational institutions are 
free from threats to the safety of students and personnel;
    (j) Nondiscriminatory tests of aptitude and achievement and of 
alternative assessments that eliminate biased assessment instruments 
from use;
    (k) Programs to increase educational opportunities, including 
higher education, vocational training, and other educational programs 
for low-income women, including underemployed and unemployed women, and 
women receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits;
    (l) Programs to improve representation of women in educational 
administration at all levels; and
    (m) Planning, development, and initial implementation of:
     Comprehensive institution- or districtwide evaluatio to 
assess the presence or absence of gender equity in educational 
settings;
     Comprehensive plans for implementation of equity programs 
in State and local educational agencies and institutions of higher 
education, including community colleges; and
     Innovative approaches to school-community partnerships for 
educational equity.

    Note: Due to a limited budget, the Department is not inviting 
applications under CFDA 84.083B (research and development 
grants) for FY 2002.

    Invitational Priority for Implementation Grants: The Secretary 
invites and encourages applications that meet one or more of the 
following three invitational priorities for implementation grants:
    (1) Projects that replicate or expand, and evaluate exemplary model 
programs that advance educational equity and contribute to improving 
teaching and learning for girls and women with disabilities. The 
Secretary is particularly interested in projects that include one of 
the following:
    (a) Programs involving disabled girls and women who are likely to 
experience, or have experienced, multiple forms of discrimination based 
on sex, race, ethnic origin, limited English proficiency, disability, 
socioeconomic status or age;
    (b) Mentoring programs and leadership training for disabled girls 
and women; and
    (c) Identification of curricula and other materials designed to 
achieve equity for girls and women with disabilities and the effective 
implementation of these materials in the classroom.
    (2) Projects that assist pregnant students and students with 
children to:
    (a) Remain in or return to secondary school and graduate;
    (b) Prepare their preschool children for school with an emphasis on 
reading;
    (c) Explore postsecondary training and education.
    (3) Projects that increase the role of parents in working in 
partnership with educational institutions to develop programs to 
encourage the full educational development of girls and women
    (4) Projects that seek to increase opportunities for girls and 
women to enter a technologically demanding

[[Page 44814]]

workplace and, in particular, to enter highly skilled careers in which 
women have been underrepresented, particularly in mathematics, 
scientific and information technology fields.

    Note: An application that meets this invitational priority does 
not receive competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications.

    Selection Criteria for Implementation Grants: The Secretary 
evaluates applications for implementation grants on the basis of the 
following criteria. The maximum possible score for each criterion is 
indicated in parentheses with the criterion. The Secretary awards up to 
100 points for all of the criteria.
    (1) Effectively achieving the purposes of WEEA. (10 points)
    The Secretary reviews each application to determine how well the 
project will effectively achieve the purposes of the WEEA Program.

    Note: Applicants should consider the following statutory 
provisions when responding to this criterion. Under 20 U.S.C. 7283a, 
the purpose of the WEEA program is: (a) To promote gender equity in 
education in the United States; (b) to provide financial assistance 
to enable educational agencies and institutions to meet the 
requirements of title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; and 
(c) to promote equity in education for women and girls who suffer 
from multiple forms of discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic 
origin, limited-English proficiency, disability, or age. Under 20 
U.S.C. 7283d(e) nothing in this subpart shall be construed as 
prohibiting men and boys from participating in any program or 
activity assisted with funds under this subpart.

    (2) Project as a component of a comprehensive plan. (10 points)
    The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to 
which the project is a significant component of a comprehensive plan 
for educational equity and compliance with title IX of the Educational 
Amendments of 1972 in the particular school district, institution of 
higher education, vocational-technical institution, or other 
educational agency or institution.
    (3) Implementing an institutional change strategy. (5 points)
    The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to 
which the project implements an institutional change strategy with 
long-term impact that will continue as a central activity of the 
applicant after the WEEA grant has been terminated.
    (4) Need for project. (10 points)
    The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In 
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    a. The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or the 
activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    b. The extent to which the proposed project will promote equity in 
educational and career opportunities for those women and girls who 
suffer multiple forms of discrimination, based on sex and race, ethnic 
origin, limited English proficiency, disability, or age.
    (5) Quality of the project design. (20 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    a. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    b. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs.
    c. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
    d. The extent to which the project promotes the involvement of 
parents.
    (6) Quality of Project Personnel. (10 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry 
out the proposed project. In determining the quality of project 
personnel, the Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant 
encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of 
groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, 
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    a. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director or principal investigator.
    b. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    c. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (7) Adequacy of resources. (5 points)
    The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project. In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    a. The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the 
lead applicant organization.
    b. The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    (8) Quality of the management plan. (15 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    a. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of 
the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    b. The extent to which the time commitments of the project director 
and principal investigator and other key project personnel are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project.
    c. How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives 
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including 
those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of 
disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of 
services, or others, as appropriate.
    (9) Quality of the project evaluation. (15 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be 
conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the 
evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    a. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    b. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of 
objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended 
outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative 
data to the extent possible.
    c. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    d. The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.

    Note: Applicants should consider the following statutory 
provision when responding to this criterion. Under 20 U.S.C. 
7283c(1), applicants for WEEA funds are required to describe 
policies and procedures that will ensure a comprehensive evaluation 
of the grant activities, including an evaluation of the practices, 
policies, and materials used by the applicant and an evaluation or 
estimate of the continued significance of the work of the project 
following completion of the award period.

    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. Box

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1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. 
FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp
    Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected]
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.363A.
    For Content Information and Technical Assistance Contact: Diane 
Austin, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 
3E124, Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone: (202) 260-1393 or via 
Internet: [email protected]
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request using the contact information provided under For 
Applications Contact.

Electronic Access to This Document

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    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 FPO access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6651(b).

    Dated: July 1, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-16888 Filed 7-3-02; 8:45 am]
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