[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26952-26954]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12284]



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Part VIII





Department of Education





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Office of Innovation and Improvement--Professional Development for Arts 
Educators; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2003; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 95 / Friday, May 16, 2003 / Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.351C]


Office of Innovation and Improvement--Professional Development 
for Arts Educators; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

    Purpose of Program: This program is authorized under Subpart 15 of 
Part D of Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), 
as amended by Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. 
Through this competition, the Secretary will make grants to eligible 
entities for the implementation of high-quality professional 
development programs in elementary and secondary education. This 
program will fund model professional development programs for music, 
dance, drama, and visual arts educators that use innovative 
instructional methods, especially those linked to scientifically-based 
research.
    The Professional Development for Arts Educators Program provides 
resources that LEAs 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. In particular, this program 
provides an opportunity for eligible entities to create new programs in 
schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring 
under Title I, Part A of the ESEA.
    Eligible Applicants: A local educational agency (LEA), including 
charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law and 
regulations, acting on behalf of an individual school or schools where 
75 percent or more of the children are from low-income families, based 
on the poverty criteria described in Title I, Section 1113(a)(5) of the 
ESEA, in collaboration with at least one of the following: (1) An 
institution of higher education; (2) a State educational agency; or (3) 
a public or private non-profit agency with a history of providing high-
quality professional development services to public schools. Only 
schools where 75 percent or more of the children served are from low-
income families may receive services under this program. Each school 
served through this program must submit evidence that it meets the 
poverty criteria. Applicants may submit records kept for the purpose of 
Title I of the ESEA that demonstrate proof of eligibility for each 
school to be served.

    Note: The LEA must serve as the fiscal agent for the program.

    Applications Available: 5-16-03.
    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 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 June 16, 2003 to the following Internet address: 
[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.
    Available Funds: Approximately $4.4 million.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000--$325,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $290,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14-17.
    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice. Funding for the second and third years is subject to the 
availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards (34 
CFR 75.253).

    Page Limit: The program narrative is limited to no more than 40 
pages. The page limit applies to the narrative section only. All of the 
application narrative must be included in the narrative section. If the 
narrative section of an application exceeds the page limitation, the 
application will not be reviewed. In addition, the following standards 
are required: (1) Each ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'' (on one side only) with 
one inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); (2) double space (no more 
than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application 
narrative including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, and 
captions as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs; 
and (3) use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller than 
10 pitch (characters per inch).
    Project Directors Meeting: Applicants are encouraged to budget for 
a two-day project directors meeting in Washington, DC.
    Applicable Regulations and Statute: (a) 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. (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.
    Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary 
considers only applications that meet the following absolute priority:
    Professional development programs designed for K-12 arts teachers 
that focus on--
    (1) The development, enhancement, or expansion of standards-based 
arts education programs; or
    (2) The integration of arts instruction into other subject area 
content.
    Funded projects must address all aspects of high-quality 
professional development programs as described under the PROGRAM GOALS 
section of this notice.
    Invitational Priority. The Secretary is particularly interested in 
applications that meet the following priority.
    Invitational Priority. A project that provides for alternative 
routes to teacher certification or licensure through comprehensive, 
high-quality training programs in order to place music, drama, dance, 
and visual arts teachers in the classroom as soon as possible.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), the Secretary does not give an 
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use the following selection 
criteria to evaluate applications under this competition. The maximum 
score for all selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for 
each criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the criterion. The 
criteria are as follows:
    (a) Significance (15 points). The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance 
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development of promising new strategies that build on, or are 
alternatives to, existing strategies.
    (ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.
    (b) Quality of the Project Design (15 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the project design of the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the project design, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach for meeting the priority established for the 
competition.

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    (ii) The quality of the methodology to be employed in the proposed 
project.
    (c) Quality of Project Services (10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of project services to be provided by the 
proposed project. In determining the quality of the services to be 
provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality 
and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment 
for eligible project participants without regard to race, color, 
national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective 
practices.
    (ii) The extent to which the professional development services to 
be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient quality, 
intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice among the 
recipients of those services.
    (d) Quality of Project Personnel (15 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 without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, 
or disability. In addition, the Secretary considers the following 
factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of subcontractors.
    (e) Adequacy of Resources (15 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:
    (i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the lead applicant organization.
    (ii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to 
the number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and 
benefits.
    (f) 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:
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring continuous feedback 
and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (iii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (g) Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the project evaluation. In determining the 
quality of the project evaluation, the Secretary considers the 
following factors:
    (i) 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.
    (ii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.
    Program Goals: This program supports the strengthening of 
standards-based arts education programs, which are an integral part of 
elementary and secondary school curricula. It also helps ensure that 
all students meet challenging State academic content standards and 
challenging State student academic achievement standards in the arts. 
Professional development activities that are developed, enhanced, or 
expanded through this program will assist music, dance, drama, and 
visual arts teachers in the implementation of arts education standards 
and will promote the integration of arts instruction into other subject 
areas.
    Arts content and achievement standards have been voluntarily 
adopted in many States throughout the country. These standards help 
school districts to establish student performance standards based upon 
the unique needs of, and desired outcomes for, the students in their 
communities. The development and implementation of standards-based arts 
programs enable arts educators to assess and document the effectiveness 
of teaching strategies and materials in addition to student 
achievement. However, teachers often need professional development on 
how to implement art education standards for both arts programs and for 
programs designed to integrate arts into other subject areas.
    High-quality professional development programs supported under this 
program must be linked to the implementation of arts standards and/or 
the integration of arts into other content areas and must include--
    (1) Strategies for addressing student achievement;
    (2) Strategies for meeting the needs of students who come from 
diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
    (3) The development of the intellectual and leadership potential of 
teachers;
    (4) Rigorous and sustained activities that result in increased 
content area knowledge and classroom effectiveness of music, dance, 
drama, and visual arts teachers;
    (5) Use of technological innovations relevant to arts instruction; 
and
    (6) Increased opportunities for teachers to share and discuss new 
methods or teaching strategies with their peers.
    The Department plans to disseminate information regarding promising 
teaching methods or practices that are developed or enhanced through 
this program to the arts education community and to the public in 
general.
    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 associations, libraries, and theaters.
    Supplement, Not Supplant, Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(2) of 
the ESEA, the Secretary requires that assistance provided under this 
program be used only to supplement, and not to supplant, other 
assistance or funds made available from non-Federal sources for the 
activities assisted under this subpart.
    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)(2) of the General Education Provisions 
Act (GEPA), however, exempts from rulemaking requirements rules where 
the Secretary determines that such requirements will cause extreme 
hardship to the intended beneficiaries of the program affected by the 
regulations. The requirements of rulemaking would cause extreme 
hardship in this case because there is insufficient time to publish 
rules for notice and comment and to conduct a timely competition for 
grant awards. The Secretary, in accordance with section 437(d)(2) of 
GEPA, to ensure

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timely and high-quality awards, has decided to forgo public comment on 
the rules in this notice. These rules will apply only to the FY 2003 
grant competition.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publication Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. 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): 1-877-576-7734. You may also 
contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pbs/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: CFDA number 84.351C.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynyetta Johnson, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E206 FB-6, Washington, DC 
20202-6140. Telephone: (202) 269-1990 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.
    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 person listed under FOR 
APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting that person. However, 
the Department is not able to reproduce in an 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 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.


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


    Dated: May 12, 2003.
Nina Rees,
Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 03-12284 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P