[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 249 (Friday, December 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79066-79068]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32714]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA Nos. 84.116A, 84.116B]


Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education-Comprehensive 
Program (Preapplications and Applications); Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

    Purpose of Program: To provide grants or enter into cooperative 
agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education or 
combinations of those institutions and other public and private 
nonprofit institutions and agencies.
    Applications Available: December 26, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Preapplications: February 13, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Final Applications: May 8, 2003.

    Note: All applicants must submit a preapplication to be eligible 
to submit a final application.

    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 23, 2003.
    Estimated Available Funds: $9,000,000 for new awards.
    The Administration has requested $31 million for this program for 
FY 2003. 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 if Congress appropriates 
funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000--$275,000 or more per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $156,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 53-56.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
    Invitational Priorities: While applicants may propose any project 
within the scope of 20 U.S.C. 1138, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) the 
Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet one or 
more of the following invitational priorities. However, an application 
that meets one or more of these invitational priorities does not 
receive competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

Invitational Priority 1

    Projects to improve the quality of K-12 teaching through new models 
of teacher preparation and through new kinds of partnerships between 
schools and colleges and universities that enhance students' 
preparation for, access to, and success in college.

Invitational Priority 2

    Projects to promote innovative reforms in the curriculum and 
instruction of various subjects at the college preparation, 
undergraduate, and graduate/professional levels, especially through 
student-centered or technology-mediated strategies, and including the 
area of civic education.

Invitational Priority 3

    Projects designing more cost-effective ways of improving 
postsecondary instruction and operations, i.e., to promote more student 
learning relative to institutional resources expended.

Invitational Priority 4

    Projects to support new ways of ensuring equal access to 
postsecondary education, and to improve rates of retention and program 
completion, especially for underrepresented students whose retention 
and completion rates continue to lag behind those of other groups, and 
especially encouraging wider adoption of proven approaches to this 
problem.

Methods for Applying Selection Criteria

    For preapplications (preliminary applications) and final 
applications, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the selection 
criteria. Within each of these criteria, the Secretary gives equal 
weight to each of the factors.

Selection Criteria

    In evaluating preapplications and final applications for grants 
under this program competition, the Secretary uses the following 
selection criteria chosen from those listed in 34 CFR 75.210.
    Preapplications. In evaluating preapplications, the Secretary uses 
the following selection criteria:
    (a) Need for project. The Secretary reviews each proposed project 
for its need, as determined by the following factors:
    (1) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    (2) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or 
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    (a) Significance. The Secretary reviews each proposed project for 
its significance, as determined by the following factors:
    (1) The potential contribution of the proposed project to increase 
knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues, or 
effective strategies.
    (2) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies.
    (3) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.
    (4) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings.
    (c) Quality of the project design. The Secretary reviews each 
proposed project for the quality of its design, as determined by 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.
    (d) Quality of the project evaluation. The Secretary reviews each 
proposed project for the quality of its evaluation, as determined by 
the extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.
    Final Applications. In evaluating final applications, the Secretary 
uses the following selection criteria:
    (a) Need for project. The Secretary reviews each proposed project 
for its need, as determined by the following factors:
    (1) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    (2) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or 
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    (b) Significance. The Secretary reviews each proposed project for 
its significance, as determined by the following factors:
    (1) The potential contribution of the proposed project to increase 
knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues, or 
effective strategies.
    (2) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies.
    (3) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.
    (4) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings.

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    (c) Quality of the project design. The Secretary reviews each 
proposed project for the quality of its design, as determined by the 
following factors:
    (1) 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.
    (2) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (3) The extent to which the design for implementing and evaluating 
the proposed project will result in information to guide possible 
replication of project activities or strategies, including information 
about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the 
project.
    (d) Quality of the project evaluation. The Secretary reviews each 
proposed project for the quality of its evaluation, as determined by 
the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.
    (2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (3) 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.
    (e) Quality of the management plan. The Secretary reviews each 
proposed project for the quality of its management plan, as determined 
by the plan's adequacy to achieve the objectives of the proposed 
project on time and within budget, including clearly defined 
responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project 
tasks.
    (f) Quality of project personnel. The Secretary reviews each 
proposed project for the quality of project personnel who will carry 
out the proposed project, as determined by the following factors:
    (1) 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.
    (2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    (g) Adequacy of resources. The Secretary reviews each proposed 
project for the adequacy of its resources, as determined by the 
following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    (2) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.
    (3) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in 
the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project.
    (4) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the 
lead applicant organization.
    (5) The potential for continued support of the project after 
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In Fiscal Year 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing 
to expand its pilot project for electronic submission of applications 
to include additional formula grant programs and additional 
discretionary grant competitions. The Comprehensive Program--CFDA No. 
84.116A is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you 
are an applicant under the Comprehensive Program--CFDA No. 84.116A, you 
may submit your preapplication to us in either electronic or paper 
format. Please note that electronic submission is NOT an option for 
final applications in FY 2003.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application) portion of the Grant Administration 
and Payment System (GAPS). Users of e-Application will be entering data 
online while completing their applications. You may not e-mail a soft 
copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in this voluntary 
pilot project by submitting an application electronically, the data you 
enter online will be saved into a database. We invite your 
participation in e-Application. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application when submitting your 
preapplication, please note the following:
    [sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] You will not receive any additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format. When you enter the e-
Application system, you will find information about its hours of 
operation.
    [sbull] You may 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.
    [sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
    [sbull] Within three working days after 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) The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    (4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 260-1349.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Closing Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If 
you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot for the 
Comprehensive Program preapplication--CFDA No. 84.116A and you are 
prevented from submitting your application on the closing date because 
the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension 
of one business day in order to transmit your application 
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery.
    For us to grant this extension--
    (1) You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    (2) (a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes 
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of 
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the deadline date. 
The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension you must contact the e-GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the 
Comprehensive Program preapplication--CFDA No. 84.116A at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-Application 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic

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Applications) in the application package.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
PO Box 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): 1-877-567-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html. 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: CDFA number 84.116A.

    Note: Application text and forms are available on the FIPSE 
website (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fund for the Improvement of 
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7500. The 
application text and forms may be obtained from the Internet address: 
http://www.ed.gov/FIPSE/.
    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 contact listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative format. However, the Department 
is not able to reproduce in 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 the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free on this site. 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. 1138-1138d.

    Dated: December 20, 2002.
Jeffrey R. Andrade,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 02-32714 Filed 12-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4001-01-P