[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26432-26456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12119]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Office of Innovation and Improvement--Arts in Education Model 
Development and Dissemination Grant Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Grant Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 68 , No. 94 / Thursday, May 15, 2003 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.351D]


Office of Innovation and Improvement--Arts in Education Model 
Development and Dissemination Grant Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Grant Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

    Note to Applicants: This notice is a complete application 
package. Together with the statute authorizing these grants and the 
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 
this notice contains all of the information, application forms, and 
instructions needed to apply for an Arts in Education Model 
Development and Dissemination grant under this competition. This 
grant program is authorized by Title V, Part D, Subpart 15 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as reauthorized by the 
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).


    Purpose of Program: The Arts in Education Model Development and 
Dissemination Grant Program supports the development, documentation, 
evaluation and dissemination of innovative, cohesive models that have 
demonstrated their effectiveness in (1) integrating arts into the core 
elementary and middle school curricula, (2) strengthening arts 
instruction in these grades, and (3) improving students' academic 
performance, including their skills in creating, performing, and 
responding to the arts.
    The Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant 
Program provides resources that local educational agencies (LEAs) and 
other eligible applicants can use in pursuit of the objectives of the 
No Child Left Behind Act which aims for all elementary and secondary 
students to achieve high standards. This program provides an 
opportunity for eligible entities to develop programs in schools 
identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under 
Title I, Part A of the ESEA.
    Eligible Applicants: (1) One or more LEAs, including charter 
schools that are considered LEAs under State law and regulations, that 
may work in partnership with one or more of the following:
    [sbull] State or local non-profit or governmental arts 
organizations.
    [sbull] State educational agencies (SEAs) or regional educational 
service agencies.
    [sbull] Institutions of higher education.
    [sbull] Other public and private agencies, institutions, and 
organizations with expertise in the arts.
    (2) One or more State or local non-profit or governmental arts 
organizations that must work in partnership with one or more LEAs and 
may partner with one or more of the following:
    [sbull] SEAs or regional educational service agencies.
    [sbull] Institutions of higher education.
    [sbull] Other public and private agencies, institutions, and 
organizations with expertise in the arts.


    Note: If more than one LEA or arts organization wishes to form a 
consortium and jointly submit a single application, they must follow 
the procedures for group applications described in 34 CFR 75.127-
75.129 of EDGAR.

    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 an estimate of the number of entities that 
intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the 
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the 
Department with a short e-mail noting the intent to submit an 
application for funding. The e-mail need not include information 
regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant's 
intent to submit it. The Secretary requests that this e-mail 
notification be sent no later than June 16, 2003. The e-mail 
notification should be sent to [email protected]. Applicants that 
fail to provide this e-mail notification may still apply for funding.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: 7-10-03.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: 9-8-03.
    Estimated Available Funds: $8,360,300.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $293,000-$836,000 (total for the 3-year 
project period. Funding of continuation awards after the initial year 
of funding is contingent upon future Congressional appropriations for 
the program).
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: 750,000 total for the 3-year 
project period; equates to an average of $250,000 per year.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 33.


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


    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

    Note: Applicants for multi-year awards are required to provide 
detailed budget information for the total grant period requested. 
The Secretary will determine at the time of the initial award the 
funding levels for each year of the grant award.


    Project Directors Meeting. Applicants should budget for a two-day 
meeting for project directors in Washington, DC.
    Applicable Regulations and Statute: (a) Regulations. EDGAR in 34 
CFR Parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) Statute. 
Title V, Part D, Subpart 15, of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
    Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the ESEA, the 
Secretary requires that each entity funded under this program 
coordinate, to the extent practicable, each project or program carried 
out with such assistance with appropriate activities of public or 
private cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, including 
museums, arts education association, libraries and theaters.
    Supplement, Not Supplant, Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(2) of 
the authorizing statute, the Secretary requires that assistance 
provided under this program be used only to supplement, and not 
supplant, other assistance or funds made available from non-federal 
sources for the activities assisted under this subpart.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: While many schools and districts have moved 
swiftly in recent years to reform and enhance traditional core academic 
programs, most have not made similar efforts to integrate arts 
effectively into the regular curriculum, either as a vehicle by which 
to strengthen other core academic subjects or as an academic discipline 
in its own right. High-quality programs effectively integrating and 
improving arts instruction are increasingly important as students face 
the demands of the information age in the 21st century. Creating, 
performing, and responding to works of art builds creativity, self-
confidence, and critical thinking skills--qualities central to success 
in school, work, and life.
    For several reasons, high-quality arts and art education programs 
have implications for other areas of students' academic development. 
Studies have found that improving the quality of arts education has a 
particularly positive impact on students from low-income backgrounds. 
Unfortunately, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are almost 
twice as likely to attend arts-poor schools, while students from socio-
economically advantaged backgrounds are twice as likely to attend 
``arts-rich'' schools.
    The Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant 
Program seeks to address the lack of high quality, research-based 
models by encouraging partnerships of arts and education specialists to 
further develop and document effective models for improving arts 
education and student achievement--particularly for students

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from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds.
    Description of Program: The Arts in Education Model Development and 
Dissemination Grant program is authorized under section 5551, Part D, 
Subpart 15 of Title V of the ESEA. The Arts in Education Model 
Development and Dissemination Grant program furthers the development of 
promising comprehensive models for integrating arts into the school 
curriculum. In this case, ``integrating'' should be understood as both 
strengthening the use of high-quality arts within other academic 
instruction and strengthening the place of arts as a core academic 
subject in the regular school curriculum.
    This program seeks to provide more communities with solid 
information regarding innovative, research-based models for effectively 
strengthening arts instruction, improving students' skills in creating, 
performing, and responding to works of arts, and increasing student 
achievement in other academic subjects.
    These grants are designed to enable LEAs and organizations with 
arts expertise to further develop and create materials for the 
replication or adaptation of current comprehensive approaches for 
integrating a range of arts disciplines--such as music, dance, theater, 
and visual arts, including folk arts--into the elementary and middle 
school curriculum. Such development work should yield more systematic 
information about effective models that provide quality arts 
instruction and use the arts to enhance instruction in other core 
academic subjects.
    Use of funds may include, but are not limited to all of the 
following activities:
    [sbull] Field testing and evaluating nascent educational 
strategies;
    [sbull] Field testing and evaluating model in-service and pre-
service professional development programs for arts educators and other 
instructional staff;
    [sbull] Ensuring comprehensive coverage of the arts disciplines--
such as visual arts, dance, music, and theater, including the folk 
arts;
    [sbull] Developing partnerships among schools, arts organizations, 
and others with expertise in the arts to combine resources and enhance 
the quality and sustainability of effective programming;
    [sbull] Creating materials documenting the implementation and 
achievement of the model program for other educators and agencies; and
    [sbull] Obtaining the services of outside experts in the 
implementation and assessment of the model. (This might include 
assistance in such areas as curriculum development, implementation 
strategies, data collection, evaluation design, or other appropriate 
activities.)

Application Requirements

    To be eligible for Arts in Education Model Development and 
Dissemination funds, applicants must propose to--
    (1) Further the development of programs designed to improve or 
expand the integration of arts education in elementary or middle school 
curricula;
    (2) Develop materials designed to help replicate or adapt the 
program;
    (3) Document the program's outcomes and benefits; and
    (4) Develop products and services that can be used to replicate the 
program in other settings.
    Grant applications must describe an existing set of strategies for 
integrating the arts into the regular elementary and middle school 
curriculum. These strategies would then be successfully implemented, 
expanded, documented, evaluated, and disseminated. Taken together, 
these strategies and methods must comprise a research-based, 
comprehensive arts in education model that--
    [sbull] Is based, to the extent possible, on the most rigorous 
theory, research, and evaluation available, and is effective in 
improving student achievement and performance and other program 
objectives;
    [sbull] Is linked to State and national standards enabling all 
students to meet challenging expectations, and to improving student and 
school performance;
    [sbull] Has the potential to improve students' achievement both in 
creating, performing, and responding to works of art and in other core 
academic subjects;
    [sbull] Demonstrates the feasibility of further replication and 
dissemination;
    [sbull] Is applicable to a broad range of high-poverty and 
disadvantaged, rural and urban schools, including those that are 
chronically low-performing;
    [sbull] Makes effective use of technology to further the model's 
goals;
    [sbull] Describes methods by which the applicant will assess the 
model's outcomes; and
    [sbull] Describes activities that, to the extent possible, 
coordinate model development with relevant activities of public and 
private cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, such as 
museums, arts education associations, libraries, and theaters. (20 
U.S.C. 7271 (f)(1))
    In addition to any dissemination work in which the applicants 
choose to engage, the Department intends to take the products and 
information resulting from these demonstration grants and share them 
widely with other communities. Upon completion of the project, the 
Department requires that any materials or products developed as a part 
of model development activities be provided to the Department for 
further dissemination. Such activities will be carried out in full 
compliance with copyright requirements.
    Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications 
that meet the following absolute priority.
    Absolute Priority: The Secretary will only fund applications from 
eligible applicants that propose to work with at least one elementary 
and/or middle school with no less than 35 percent of its students from 
low-income families based on poverty criteria set out in Title I, 
section 1113(a)(5) of the ESEA, and that propose projects that meet all 
of the requirements described under APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.
    Competitive Priorities: This competition focuses on projects 
designed to meet the following priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 25 points depending on 
how well the application meets the priorities. These points are in 
addition to any points the application earns under the selection 
criteria.
    Competitive Priority 1--Projects in rural or inner-city 
communities: The Secretary will award five (5) points to projects 
proposing models that involve schools in rural or inner-city 
communities.
    Competitive Priority 2--Research-based evaluation: The project is 
designed to determine, through a rigorous evaluation, whether the 
implemented program produces meaningful effects on student achievement 
or teacher performance. Evaluations using an experimental design are 
best for determining program effectiveness. Thus, the project 
preferably uses an experimental design under which participants--that 
is, students, teachers, classrooms, or schools--are randomly assigned 
(a) to receive the program being evaluated or (b) to be in a control 
group that does not receive the program. Evaluations using an 
experimental design will receive up to 20 points in addition to any 
points the application earns under the selection criteria.
    If random assignment is not feasible, the project may use a quasi-
experimental design with carefully matched comparison conditions. This 
alternative design attempts to approximate a randomly assigned control 
group by matching program participants-that is, students, teachers, 
classrooms or schools--with non-participants having similar pre-program

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characteristics. Evaluations of this type will receive up to 15 points 
in addition to any points the application earns under the selection 
criteria.
    Proposed evaluations that use neither experimental designs with 
random assignment nor quasi-experimental designs using a matched 
comparison group will receive 0 points under this competitive 
preference priority.
    Before and after participation in the program or the comparison 
condition, the project evaluator should collect--before the program 
commences and after it ends--valid and reliable data that measure the 
impact of participation in the program or in the comparison group.
    We determine points under this priority by the quality of the 
proposed evaluation. We will consider the extent to which the applicant 
presents a feasible, credible plan that includes the following:
    [sbull] The type of design to be used (that is, random assignment 
or matched comparison).
    [sbull] Outcomes to be measured.
    [sbull] A discussion of how the applicant plans to assign students, 
teachers, classrooms, or schools to the program or match them for 
comparison with other students, teachers, classrooms, or schools.
    [sbull] A proposed evaluator, preferably independent, with the 
necessary background and technical expertise to carry out the proposed 
evaluation.
    Definitions: In addition to definitions in the statute and EDGAR, 
the following definitions apply:
    Inner-City Community, for the purpose of this program, is any place 
that fits code 1, 2 or 3 of the National Center for Educational 
Statistics (NCES) locale codes. The locale codes are:
    1. Central city of a Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area 
(CMSA) or Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with population of 
250,000 or more or a population.
    2. Central city of a CMSA or MSA but not designated as a large 
central city.
    3. Place within the CMSA or MSA of a large central city.
    4. Place within the CMSA or MSA of a mid-size central city.
    5. Place not within a CMSA or MSA but with population of 25,000 or 
more and defined as urban.
    6. Place not within a CMSA or MSA with a population of at least 
2,500 but less than 25,000.
    7. Place not within a CMSA or MSA and designated as rural.
    8. Place within a CMSA or MSA designated as rural (this code not 
available prior to 1998).
    Research-based, when used with respect to an activity or a program, 
means that, to the extent possible, the activity or program is based on 
the most rigorous theory, research, and evaluation available and is 
effective in improving student achievement and performance and other 
program objectives.
    Rural, for the purpose of this program, is any place that fits 6, 7 
or 8 of the NCES locale codes. Please see the list under the definition 
of Inner-City Community.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: In accordance with the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the 
Secretary to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on 
proposed rules. Section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions 
Act (GEPA), however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking 
requirements rules governing the first grant competition under a new or 
substantially revised program authority (20 U.S.C. section 1232(d)(1)). 
This program is the first Model Arts competition under the program as 
reauthorized by Public Law 107-100, the No Child Left Behind Act of 
2001, and therefore qualifies for this exemption. The Secretary, in 
accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA has decided to forego public 
comment in order to ensure timely grant awards. These rules will apply 
for the FY 2003 competition only.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary uses the following selection 
criteria to evaluate applications for grants under this competition. In 
all instances where the word ``project'' appears in the selection 
criteria, the reference to an Arts in Education Model Development and 
Dissemination grant program should be made.
    The maximum composite score for all of these criteria is 100 
points. The maximum score an applicant may receive is 125 if they fully 
meet both of the competitive priorities.
    The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. 
Within each criterion, the Secretary evaluates each factor equally.
    (a) Need for project. (10 points)
    In determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the model addresses specific needs of 
students at risk of educational failure.
    (ii) The extent to which specific gaps, weaknesses, or 
opportunities have been identified in effectively integrating arts into 
the core curricula, strengthening arts instruction and improving 
students' academic performance, including skills in creating, 
performing, and responding to the arts. Also, the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses and the degree to which they will be 
addressed by the proposed model.
    (b) Significance. (20 points)
    In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The potential contribution of the proposed project to increased 
knowledge or understanding of effective strategies for strengthening 
the use of high-quality arts in the course of other academic 
instruction and/or strengthening the place of arts as a core academic 
subject in the regular school curricula.
    (ii) The likely utility and replicability of the proposed model and 
the extent to which its products (including information, materials, 
processes, or techniques) will be effective in a variety of settings.
    (c) Quality of the project design. (30 points)
    In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, 
the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved over the proposed project period are clearly specified and 
measurable.
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed model is based on reliable 
research, effective practice, and/or coherent theory as a means for 
strengthening the use of high-quality arts in the course of other 
academic instruction and/or strengthening the place of arts as a core 
academic subject in the regular school curricula.
    (iii) The extent to which the proposed model aims to strengthen the 
academic performance of students in creating, performing, and 
responding to the arts, and in the rest of the core curriculum.
    (iv) The extent to which the project will document and evaluate the 
success of the model and disseminate relevant information.
    (d) Quality of the management plan. (15 points)
    In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, relevant contributions and commitment from 
partners, timelines, continuous improvement strategies, and milestones 
for accomplishing project tasks.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience 
of key project personnel, major partners,

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project consultants, and/or subcontractors.
    (e) Quality of the project evaluation. (25 points)
    In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are rigorous, 
thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 
outcomes of the proposed project.
    (ii) 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 on the results of the program.
    (iii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance 
about effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental 
Review of Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.
    One of the objectives of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism. The 
Executive order relies on processes developed by State and local 
governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal financial 
assistance.
    If you are an applicant, you must contact the appropriate State 
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about, and to comply with, 
the State's process under Executive Order 12372. If you propose to 
perform activities in more than one State, you should immediately 
contact the SPOC for each of those States and follow the procedure 
established in each State under the Executive order. If you want to 
know the name and address of any SPOC, see the latest official SPOC 
list on the Web site of the Office of Management and Budget at the 
following address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. In 
States that have not established a process or chosen a program for 
review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit 
comments directly to the Department.
    Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a 
SPOC and any comments from State, areawide, regional, and local 
entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in this 
application notice to the following address: The Secretary, E.O. 12372-
CFDA 84.351D, U.S. Department of Education, room 7E200, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-0125.
    We will determine proof of mailing under 34 CFR 75.102 (Deadline 
date for applications). Recommendations or comments may be hand-
delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the date indicated 
in this notice.
    Please note that this address is not the same address as the one to 
which an applicant submits its completed application. Do not send 
applications to the above address.

Application Instructions and Forms

    The Appendix to this notice contains forms and instructions, a 
statement regarding estimated public reporting burden, a notice to 
applicants regarding compliance with section 427 of the General 
Education Provisions Act, and various assurances and certifications. 
Please organize the parts and additional materials in the following 
order:
    [sbull] Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424 (Exp. 
11/30/2004)) and instructions and definitions.
    [sbull] Protection of Human Subjects in Research (Attachment to ED 
424).
    [sbull] Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED Form No. 
524) and instructions.
    [sbull] Application Narrative.
    [sbull] Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B) 
(Rev. 7-97).
    [sbull] Certifications regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, 
and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements 
(ED 80-0013, 12/98) and instructions.
    [sbull] Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, 
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions 
(ED 80-0014, 9/90) and instructions. (NOTE: ED 80-0014 is intended for 
the use of grantees and should not be transmitted to the Department.)
    [sbull] Certification of Eligibility for Federal Assistance in 
Certain Programs (ED 80-0016 9/92)).
    [sbull] Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL (Rev. 
7-97)) and instructions.
    [sbull] Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants and 
survey instructions.
    You may submit information on a photocopy of the application and 
budget forms, the assurances, and the certifications. However, the 
application form, the assurances, and the certifications must each have 
an original signature. We will not award a grant unless we have 
received a completed application form.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in this 
application notice.

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: 
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at 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.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Austin, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-6140. 
Telephone: (202) 260-1280 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Application Procedures

    The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998, (Pub. L. 
105-277) and the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement 
Act of 1999, (Pub. L. 106-107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to 
improve our grant processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and 
entities to conduct business with us electronically is a major part of 
our response to these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the 
Internet as our chief means of conducting transactions in order to 
improve services to our customers and to simplify and expedite our 
business processes.
    We are requiring that applications for grants for FY 2003 under the 
Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant program 
(CFDA 84.351D) be submitted electronically using e-Application 
available through the Department of Education's e-GRANTS system. The e-
GRANTS system is accessible through its portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

[[Page 26436]]

    Applicants who are unable to submit an application through the e-
GRANTS system may apply for a waiver to the electronic submission 
requirement. To apply for a waiver, applicants must explain the reason 
or reasons that prevent them from using the Internet to submit their 
applications. The reasons must be outlined in a letter addressed to: 
Diane Austin, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3C124, Washington, DC 20202-6140. We must receive your letter no 
later than two weeks before the deadline for transmittal of 
applications.
    Any application that receives a waiver to the electronic submission 
requirement will be given the same consideration in the review process 
as an electronic application.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In FY 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 Arts in Education Model Development and 
Dissemination Grant program (CFDA 84.351D) is one of the 
programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under 
the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant 
program, you must submit your application to us in electronic format or 
receive a waiver.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application) Users of e-Application will be 
entering data on-line while completing their applications. You may not 
e-mail a soft copy of a grant application to us. The data you enter on-
line will be saved into a database. We request your participation in e-
Application. We shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit 
suggestions for improvement.
    In submitting an electronic application, please note the following:
    [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. (Note: We accept your 
submission of an application in paper format only if we have granted 
you a waiver as described in the preceding section of this notice.)
    [sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation.
    [sbull] You must submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education 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 Education 
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 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 either (1) the person listed elsewhere in 
this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-GRANTS 
help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    We have included additional information about the e-Application 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) elsewhere in this notice.

Instructions for Transmitting Applications

    If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you 
must meet these deadline requirements:
    [sbull] If you apply for and we grant you a waiver from the 
electronic submission requirement, you must follow the transmittal 
instructions under (A) If You Send Your Application by Mail or (B) If 
You Deliver Your Application by Hand.
    [sbull] Otherwise, you must follow the transmittal instructions 
under (C) If You Submit Your Application Electronically.
    (A) If You Send Your Application by Mail: You must mail the 
original and two copies of the application on or before the deadline 
date. One copy of the application should be unbound and suitable for 
photocopying. To expedite our review of your application, we would 
appreciate you voluntarily including an additional three copies of your 
application. We will not penalize applicants who do not provide 
additional copies. Mail your application to: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA 
84.351D, 7th & D Streets, SW., Room 3671, Regional Office 
Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4725.
    You must show one of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.
    If you mail an application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    (B) If You Deliver Your Application by Hand: You or your courier 
must hand deliver the original and two copies of the application by 
4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on or before the deadline date. One 
copy of the application should be unbound and suitable for 
photocopying. To expedite our review of your application, we would 
appreciate you voluntarily including an additional three copies of your 
application. We will not penalize applicants who do not provide 
additional copies. Deliver your application to: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA 
84.351D, 7th & D Streets, SW., Room 3671, Regional Office 
Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4725.

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    The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time), except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays. The Center accepts application 
deliveries through the D Street entrance only. A person delivering an 
application must show identification to enter the building.
    (C) If You Submit Your Application Electronically: You must submit 
your grant application through the Internet using the software provided 
on the e-Grants Web site (http://e-grants.ed.gov) by 4:30 p.m. 
(Washington, DC time) on the deadline date.
    The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6 a.m. 
Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until midnight 
Saturday (Washington, DC time). The system is unavailable on Sunday and 
Federal holidays and is closed for maintenance at 7 p.m. (Washington, 
DC time) on Wednesday.

Notes

    (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.
    (2) If you send your application by mail or if you or your 
courier deliver it by hand, the Application Control Center will mail 
a Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgment to you. If you do not 
receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from 
the date of mailing the application, you should call the U.S. 
Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 708-
9493.
    (3) If your application is late, we will notify you that we will 
not consider the application.
    (4) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424 (exp. 11/30/2004)) the CFDA number--and suffix 
letter, if any--of the competition under which you are submitting 
your application.
    (5) If you submit your application through the Internet via the 
e-Grants Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when 
we receive your application.

Parity Guidelines Between Paper and Electronic Applications

    In FY 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to 
expand the pilot project that allows applicants to use an Internet-
based electronic system for submitting applications. This competition 
is among those that provide for the electronic submission of 
applications by all applicants. Under this system, called e-
APPLICATION, an applicant submits a grant application to us 
electronically, using a current version of the applicant's Internet 
browser. To see e-APPLICATION visit the following address: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    Users of e-APPLICATION, a data driven system, will be entering data 
on-line while completing their applications. This will be more 
interactive than just e-mailing a soft copy of a grant application to 
us. If you submit an application electronically, the data you enter on-
line will go into a database and ultimately will be accessible in 
electronic form to our reviewers.
    This pilot project continues the Department's transition to an 
electronic grant award process. In addition to e-APPLICATION, the 
Department plans to expand the number of discretionary programs using 
the electronic peer review (e-READER) system and to increase the 
participation of discretionary programs offering grantees the use of 
the electronic annual performance reporting (e-REPORTS) system.
    Because this competition mandates the filing of electronic 
applications, the following guidelines apply only if--as described 
elsewhere in this notice--we have granted you a waiver to submit an 
application in paper format.
    To help ensure parity and a similar look between electronic and 
paper copies of grant applications, we are asking each applicant that 
submits a paper application to adhere to the following guidelines:
    [sbull] Submit your application on 8\1/2\'' by 11'' paper.
    [sbull] Leave a 1-inch margin on all sides.
    [sbull] Use consistent font throughout your document. You may also 
use boldface type, underlining, and italics. However, please do not use 
colored text.
    [sbull] Please use black and white, also, for illustrations, 
including charts, tables, graphs and pictures.
    [sbull] For the narrative component, your application should 
consist of the number and text of each selection criterion followed by 
the narrative. The text of the selection criterion, if included, does 
not count against any page limitation.
    [sbull] Place a page number at the bottom right of each page 
beginning with 1, and number your pages consecutively throughout your 
document.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7271 et seq.

    Dated: May 9, 2003.
Nina S. Rees,
Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.

Appendix

Instructions for Estimated Public Reporting Burden

    According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, you are not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number 
for this collection of information is 1855-0006. Expiration date: 
May 31, 2004. We estimate the time required to complete this 
collection of information to average 60 hours per response, 
including the time to review instructions, search existing data 
sources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the 
collection of information. If you have any comments concerning the 
accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this 
form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4651.
    If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your 
submission of this form, write directly to: Diane Austin, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20202-6140.

Instructions for Application Narrative

    Before preparing the Application Narrative you should read 
carefully the description of the program, the information regarding 
priorities, and the selection criteria we use to evaluate 
applications.
    The narrative should--
    1. Begin with an abstract; that is, a summary of your proposed 
project;
    2. Describe your proposed project in light of each of the 
selection criteria in the order in which we list the criteria in 
this notice;
    3. List each function or activity for which you are requesting 
funds; and
    4. Include any other pertinent information that might assist us 
in reviewing your application. When applying for funds as a 
consortium, individual eligible applicants must enter into an 
agreement signed by all members. The consortium's agreement must 
detail the activities each member of the consortium plans to 
perform, and must bind each member to every statement and assurance 
made in the consortium's application. The designated applicant must 
submit the consortium's agreement with its application.

    Note: The section on PAGE LIMIT elsewhere in this application 
notice applies to your application.

Instructions for Budget Narrative

    The budget should reflect costs that are reasonable and 
necessary for administration, and for developing and implementing 
activities described in the narrative. Complete ED Form 524 Section 
A--Budget Summary U.S. Department of Education Funds to indicate 
funds requested for the 36-month project period. Complete ED Form 
Section B--Non-Federal Funds to indicate support from other public 
or private United States sources.
    Fill in columns (a) Project Year 1; (b) Project Year 2; Project 
Year 3; and (f) Total. In addition to ED Form 524, applicants must 
attach budget detail pages that itemize and explain the costs 
requested for each budget category for each year of the project. The 
budget forms and budget detail pages are not included in the page 
limit.

    Note: Successful applicants will be expected to report annually 
on the progress of each project or study included in the grant,

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including a description of preliminary or key findings and an 
explanation of any changes in goals, objectives, methodology, or 
planned products or publications.


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[FR Doc. 03-12119 Filed 5-14-03; 8:45 am]
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