[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12146-12149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-5762]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4296]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Exchange Program

SUMMARY: The Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition to 
administer the Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Exchange Program. 
Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions 
described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may 
submit proposals.

Program Information

    Overview: The Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Program provides 
opportunities for elementary and secondary teachers, administrators, 
and other school or community college faculty to participate in direct 
exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for six 
weeks, a semester, or a full academic year.
    The program provides a rich professional growth opportunity while 
enhancing mutual understanding among foreign and U.S. teachers, 
administrators, their students, and host

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communities. The major program components include alumni relations, 
recruitment and outreach, participant matching, orientation of U.S. and 
foreign participants, administration of training and professional 
meeting programs of the Fall and Spring workshops, and monitoring and 
evaluation protocols. The cooperating agency must maintain a flexible 
approach in response to changing program needs and priorities. 
Effective and direct communications between the cooperating agency and 
ECA's Teacher Exchange Branch will be necessary at all times. 
Consequently, the cooperating agency is required to have a Washington, 
D.C.-based office to facilitate communication. A detailed listing of 
responsibilities is provided in the Project Objectives, Goals, and 
Implementation (POGI) document and should be consulted in preparing the 
proposal.

Alumni Development

    Alumni program initiatives should emphasize the development of the 
program's alumni groups throughout the United States. The cooperating 
agency will provide support to individual U.S. alumni and assist them 
in developing their respective alumni groups. Alumni groups may develop 
small projects funded through this grant to enhance the program, such 
as school-to-school partnerships, etc. In addition, data collection and 
operation of a database of grantees and alumni, with subject fields 
defined by the Branch, will be required, and must be compatible with 
the Bureau's Academic Exchange Information System dbase (AEIS).

Recruitment and Outreach

    The cooperating agency is responsible for recruitment of U.S. 
program participants (teachers and administrators) through a nation-
wide recruitment campaign. Selection is based on teachers' and 
administrators' professional background and leadership potential. 
Foreign exchange participants are recruited and nominated by U.S. 
embassies or overseas Fulbright Commissions. To qualify for the 
program, applicants must have a minimum of three years professional 
experience, hold an equivalent full-time teaching position and a 
Bachelor's degree or higher, and be fluent in English.
    The cooperating agency will submit a yearly recruitment and 
outreach plan to the Branch and will be responsible for all recruitment 
activities including attendance at conferences, mass mailings of 
promotional materials, responses to general inquires, web site 
development, and creating and updating handbooks.

Matching

    The cooperating agency forwards all U.S. candidates who are 
interviewed by volunteer peer review committees. After that step the 
U.S. applicants are matched with foreign partners whose professional 
and personal backgrounds are congruent with the backgrounds of their 
American partners. For example, elementary teachers are matched with 
elementary teachers and secondary school math teachers with like 
professional counterparts in an eligible foreign country. The 
cooperating agency simultaneously forwards candidate dossiers to over 
30 countries for consideration. The dossiers are evaluated and matched 
by overseas counterparts, such as the Fulbright Commission, the public 
affairs section of the U.S. Embassy, or an in-country hosting 
organization, depending upon the circumstances in country. All final 
matches must be mutually agreed upon by all U.S. and overseas 
counterparts. The Teacher Exchange Branch will play a coordinating role 
in this process and liaise between the U.S. cooperating agency and the 
overseas counterpart.

Professional Meeting Program

    Regional meetings for foreign teachers participating in the program 
are held at seven locations in the United States in the Fall of each 
academic year and are designed to stimulate the teachers to discuss and 
think through the challenges of adjusting to teaching and living in the 
United States In addition, Spring meetings are held in 12 to 15 
regional sites in the United States, to debrief the foreign teachers as 
well as prepare them for re-entry to their home countries. U.S. 
teachers selected for the upcoming program year will also attend the 
Spring meetings in preparation for their overseas exchange. The 
cooperating agency will be responsible for obtaining local 
administrative and program support for both Fall and Spring meetings 
and will assist in staffing a portion of the meetings.

Orientation

    Approximately 530 U.S. and foreign Fulbright Teacher Exchange 
Program participants and their family members attend an orientation 
program in Washington, DC in the Summer, prior to their exchange year. 
The orientation will provide the participants with opportunities to 
meet one-on-one prior to their reciprocal exchanges. The cooperating 
agency will organize the orientation; activities include formal 
presentations and workshops on educational and cross-cultural issues 
that will help prepare participants for their year or semester abroad.

Monitoring

    During the academic year, the cooperating agency monitors the 
professional and personal well-being of the foreign teachers. Staff 
members from the cooperating organization monitor the performance of 
participants and counsel foreign participants, if needed, at the Fall 
and Spring meetings. The cooperating agency will staff a full-time 
position solely for monitoring and supporting program participants. The 
cooperating agency consults with Branch staff and provides written 
reports on any issue that may adversely affect an exchange or the 
program in general.

Other Administrative Support

    The cooperating agency is expected to provide extensive support to 
the Teacher and Administrator Exchange Program. Bi-monthly meetings, 
and other meetings pertaining to the grant's core program components, 
will be held between the Branch and the cooperating agency on a regular 
basis. The cooperating agency will also be responsible for maintaining 
telephone, e-mail, and fax communications with appropriate Branch and 
ECA staff. Other administrative services to be provided by the 
cooperating agency include: paying stipends to and withholding taxes 
for selected foreign grantees; and supporting special projects.

Evaluation

    The cooperating agency will be responsible for developing, 
collecting, analyzing, and disseminating means of participant 
evaluation for workshops and the orientation, and developing a 
summative program evaluation at the end of each academic year. The 
evaluation of these activities will include, but not be limited to, an 
assessment of the effectiveness of each of the program components and 
may include suggestions for program improvement and innovation.

Guidelines

    Pending availability of funds, the grant will begin on October 1, 
2003 and will run through September 30, 2006. The administrative 
portion of the grant will only cover October 1, 2003 to September 30, 
2004. U.S. program participants will be recruited nationwide and from 
the full range of the teaching profession from primary to the community 
college level. The cooperating agency will also provide support for 
approximately 175 foreign

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teachers and administrators from approximately 30 countries. Contingent 
upon satisfactory performance based on annual reviews, the Bureau 
intends to renew the award each year for a period of not less than four 
additional years.
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to the 
Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant in the amount of $2.3 
million to support program and administrative costs required to 
implement this program. Bureau grant guidelines require that 
organizations with less than four years experience in conducting 
international exchanges be limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. 
Therefore, organizations that cannot demonstrate at least four years 
experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible to 
apply under this competition. The Bureau encourages applicants to 
provide maximum levels of cost-sharing and funding from private sources 
in support of its programs.
    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. 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/X-04-01.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Global Educational 
Programs, ECA/A/S/X, Room Number 349, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 202 619-4555 or fax 202 401-
1433, [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 Senior 
Program Officer Mary Lou Johnson-Pizarro 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 Web site at 
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/RFGPs. Please read all information 
before downloading.
    Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC 
time on May 2, 2003. 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/X-04-01, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, 
Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.

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 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.

Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa

    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is placing renewed 
emphasis on the secure and proper administration of Exchange Visitor (J 
visa) Programs and adherence by grantees and sponsors to all 
regulations governing the J visa. Therefore, proposals should 
demonstrate the applicant's capacity to meet all requirements governing 
the administration of Exchange Visitor Programs as set forth in 22 CFR 
6Z, including the oversight of Responsible Officers and Alternate 
Responsible Officers, screening and selection of program participants, 
provision of pre-arrival information and orientation to participants, 
monitoring of participants, proper maintenance and security of forms, 
record-keeping, reporting and other requirements. The Grantee will be 
responsible for issuing DS-2019 forms to participants in this program.
    A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of 
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is available at http://exchanges.state.gov or from: United States Department of State, Office 
of Exchange Coordination and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD--SA-44, Room 734, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: (202) 401-9810, 
FAX: (202) 401-9809.

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. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office and will be subject to compliance with 
Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and forwarded to Bureau 
grant panels 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 
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final 
technical authority for assistance awards cooperative agreement 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 and Clarity of the Program planning: Proposals should 
exhibit originality, substance, precision, and

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relevance to the Bureau's mission. Detailed agenda and relevant work 
plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical 
capacity. Agenda and plan should adhere to the program overview and 
guidelines described above.
    2. 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 evaluation) and program content 
(orientation, workshops and wrap-up sessions, resource materials and 
follow-up activities).
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals. Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record 
of successful program planning and implementation, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements.
    5. 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 reports after each project component is 
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
    6. Cost-effectiveness and Cost-sharing: 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. 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 legislation.

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 5, 2003.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 03-5762 Filed 3-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P