[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9174-9178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4298]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Excellence 
in Economic Education Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 38 / Thursday, February 26, 2004 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
Excellence in Economic Education Program; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215B.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: February 26, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 16, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 15, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: Any national nonprofit educational 
organization that has as its primary purpose the improvement of the 
quality of student understanding of personal finance and economics 
through effective teaching of economics in grades K-12 in the Nation's 
classrooms.
    Applicants are required to submit evidence of their organization's 
eligibility.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,481,150.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,481,150 for a single budget period of twelve (12) 
months. The Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement may 
change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.


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


    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Budget Period: 12 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program promotes economic and financial 
literacy among all students in kindergarten through grade 12 through 
the award of one grant to a national nonprofit educational organization 
that has as its primary purpose the improvement of the quality of 
student understanding of personal finance and economics.
    Priorities: This competition includes two absolute priorities and 
two invitational priorities that are explained in the following 
paragraphs.
    In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), these priorities are 
from sections 5533(b), 5534(b), and 5535(b) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7267b-
7267e).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2004 these priorities are absolute 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications 
that meet both of these priorities.
    These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1--Direct Activities

    A project must indicate how it would use 25 percent of the funds 
available each year to do all of the following activities:
    (a) Strengthen and expand the grantee's relationships with State 
and local personal finance, entrepreneurial, and economic education 
organizations.
    (b) Support and promote training of teachers who teach a grade from 
kindergarten through grade 12 regarding economics, including the 
dissemination of information on effective practices and research 
findings regarding the teaching of economics.
    (c) Support research on effective teaching practices and the 
development of assessment instruments to document student understanding 
of personal finance and economics.
    (d) Develop and disseminate appropriate materials to foster 
economic literacy.

Absolute Priority 2--Subgrant Activities

    A project must indicate how it would use 75 percent of the funds 
available each year to award subgrants both to (a) State educational 
agencies (SEAs) or local educational agencies (LEAs), and (b) State or 
local economic, personal finance, or entrepreneurial education 
organizations.
    (a) Allowable Subgrantee Activities. Applications must indicate 
that these subgrants are to be used to pay for the Federal share of the 
cost of enabling the subgrantees to work in partnership with one or 
more ``eligible partners'' as described elsewhere in this notice, for 
one or more of the following purposes:
    (1) Collaboratively establishing and conducting teacher training 
programs that use effective and innovative approaches to the teaching 
of economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship. The teacher 
training programs must--(i) train teachers who teach a grade from 
kindergarten through grade 12; and (ii) encourage teachers from 
disciplines other than economics and financial literacy to participate 
in such teacher training programs, if the training will promote the 
economic and financial literacy of those teachers' students.
    (2) Providing resources to school districts that desire to 
incorporate economics and personal finance into the curricula of the 
schools in those districts.
    (3) Conducting evaluations of the impact of economic and financial 
literacy education on students.
    (4) Conducting economic and financial literacy education research.
    (5) Creating and conducting school-based student activities to 
promote consumer, economic, and personal finance education (such as 
saving, investing, and entrepreneurial education) and to encourage 
awareness and student academic achievement in economics.
    (6) Encouraging replication of best practices to promote economic 
and financial literacy.
    (b) Eligible partners for subgrantees under Absolute Priority 2. 
Applications must indicate that subgrants will be made to an eligible 
subgrantee to work in partnership with one or more of the following 
entities:
    (1) A private-sector entity.
    (2) A State educational agency.
    (3) A local educational agency.
    (4) An institution of higher education.
    (5) An organization promoting economic development.
    (6) An organization promoting educational excellence.
    (7) An organization promoting personal finance or entrepreneurial 
education.
    (c) Subgrant application process under Absolute Priority 2. (1) 
Applications must describe the subgrant process the grantee will 
conduct prior to awarding subgrants.
    (2) Applications must provide that the grantee will invite the 
following types of individuals to review all applications for subgrants 
and to make recommendations to the grantee on the approval of the 
applications:
    (A) Leaders in the fields of economics and education.
    (B) Other individuals as the grantee determines to be necessary, 
especially members of the State and local business, banking, and 
finance communities.
    In addition to the two absolute priorities under this competition, 
we are particularly interested in applications that address the 
following priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2004 these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets one or both of these invitational priorities a 
competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:

Invitational Priority 1--Involvement of Business Community

    The grantee and subgrantees are strongly encouraged to--
    (a) Include interactions with the local business community to the 
fullest extent

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possible to reinforce the connection between economic and financial 
literacy and economic development; and
    (b) Work with private businesses to obtain matching contributions 
for Federal funds and assist subgrantees in working toward self-
sufficiency.

Invitational Priority 2--Scientifically Based Evaluation

    The grantee is strongly encouraged to propose an evaluation plan 
that is based on rigorous scientifically based research methods to 
assess the effectiveness of the project. The purpose of the priority is 
to allow program participants and the Department to determine whether 
the project produces meaningful effects on student achievement or 
teacher performance.
    Evaluation methods using an experimental design are best for 
determining project effectiveness. Thus, the project might use an 
experimental design under which participants--e.g., students, teachers, 
classrooms, or schools--are randomly assigned to participate in the 
project activities being evaluated or to a control group that does not 
participate in the project activities being evaluated.
    If random assignment is not feasible, the project might use a 
quasi-experimental design with carefully matched comparison conditions. 
This alternative design attempts to approximate a randomly assigned 
control group by matching participants--e.g., students, teachers, 
classrooms, or schools--with non-participants having similar pre-
program characteristics.
    In cases where random assignment is not possible and an extended 
series of observations of the outcome of interest precedes and follows 
the introduction of a new program or practice, regression discontinuity 
designs might be employed.
    For projects that are focused on special populations in which 
sufficient numbers of participants are not available to support random 
assignment or matched comparison group designs, single-subject designs 
such as multiple baseline or treatment-reversal or interrupted time 
series that are capable of demonstrating causal relationships might be 
employed.
    The proposed evaluation plan should describe how the project 
evaluator will collect--before the project intervention commences and 
after it ends--valid and reliable data that measure the impact of 
participation in the program or in the comparison group.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on selection criteria. Ordinarily, this 
practice would have applied to the selection criteria in this notice. 
Section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)), however, allows the Secretary to exempt from 
rulemaking requirements rules governing the first grant competition 
under a new or substantially revised program authority. This is the 
first Excellence in Economic Education program grant competition under 
the ESEA, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In order 
to make timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forego public 
comment on the proposed selection criteria under section 473(d)(1) of 
GEPA. These selection criteria will apply to the FY 2004 grant 
competition only.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7267.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grant.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,481,150.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,481,150 for a single budget period of twelve (12) 
months. The Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement may 
change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.


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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Budget Period: 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Any national nonprofit educational 
organization that has as its primary purpose the improvement of the 
quality of student understanding of personal finance and economics 
through effective teaching of economics in grades K-12 in the Nation's 
classrooms.
    Applicants are required to submit evidence of their organization's 
eligibility.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Subgrant Activities. The recipients of 
each subgrant are required to match the Federal grant funds with an 
equal amount of non-Federal funding. The Federal share of each subgrant 
will be fifty (50) percent of the funded activities. The recipient of 
the subgrant must pay the other fifty percent in cash or in kind. In 
kind payment, including plant, equipment, or services, must be fairly 
evaluated. (20 U.S.C. 7267e(a) and (b)).
    Supplement not supplant. Funds provided through this grant must be 
used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local 
funds expended to support activities that fulfill the purpose of this 
program. (20 U.S.C. 7267f).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Carolyn J. Warren, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502K, 
Washington, DC 20208-5645. Telephone: (202) 219-2206 or by e-mail: 
[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 a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition. Page 
Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address 
the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. 
It is strongly suggested that you limit the narrative of your 
application to the equivalent of no more than 25 pages, using the 
following standards:
    [sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    [sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    [sbull] Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the 
bibliography, the evidence of eligibility, or the letters of support. 
However, you must include all of the information addressing the 
selection criteria and the priorities in the narrative section of the 
application.

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    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 26, 2004. Deadline for Transmittal 
of Applications: April 16, 2004.

    Note: We are requiring that applications for grants under this 
program be submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application) available through the 
Department's e-GRANTS system. For information about how to access 
the e-GRANTS system or to request a waiver of the electronic 
submission requirement, please refer to Section IV, item 6, Other 
Submission Requirements, in this notice.


    The application package for this program specifies the hours of 
operation of the e-Application Web site. If you are requesting a waiver 
of the electronic submission requirement, the dates and times for the 
transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are also in the application package.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 15, 2004.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. 
Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under 
Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this 
competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: Twenty-five (25) percent of the grant 
funds must be used for Direct Activities as described in Absolute 
Priority 1. (20 U.S.C. 7267b(b)(1)).
    Seventy-five (75) percent of the grant funds must be used for 
Subgrant Activities as described in Absolute Priority 2. (20 U.S.C. 
7267b(b)(2)).
    The grantee and each subgrantee may use not more than five (5) 
percent of their grant funds for administrative costs. (20 U.S.C. 
7267d(a)).
    We reference regulations outlining other funding restrictions in 
the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for 
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this 
competition.
    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 under Excellence in 
Economic Education Program--CFDA Number 84.215B--be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-GRANTS system. The e-
GRANTS system is accessible through its portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    If you are unable to submit an application through the e-GRANTS 
system, you may submit a written request for a waiver of the electronic 
submission requirement. In your request, you should explain the reason 
or reasons that prevent you from using the Internet to submit your 
application. Address your request to: Carolyn J. Warren, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502K, 
Washington, DC 20208-5645. Please submit your request no later than two 
weeks before the application deadline date.
    If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, you are 
unable to submit an application electronically, you must submit a paper 
application by the application deadline date in accordance with the 
transmittal instructions in the application package. The paper 
application must include a written request for a waiver documenting the 
reasons that prevented you from using the Internet to submit your 
application.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    We are continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic 
submission of applications to include additional formula grant programs 
and additional discretionary grant competitions. The Excellence in 
Economic Education Program--CFDA Number 84.215B--is one of the programs 
included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under Excellence 
in Economic Education Program, you must submit your application to us 
in electronic format or receive a waiver.
    The pilot project involves the use of e-Application. If you use e-
Application, you will be entering data online while completing your 
application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant 
application to us. The data you enter online will be saved into a 
database. We shall continue to evaluate the success of e-Application 
and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
    [sbull] You will not receive 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.
    [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] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
    [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 e-Application.
    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 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from submitting your application 
on the application deadline 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. We will grant this extension if--
    1. You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or 
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC, 
time, on the application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time

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during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC, time) on the 
application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Excellence 
in Economic Education Program at http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
as follows:

1. Quality of the Project Design--20 Points

    In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, 
the Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project 
represents an exceptional approach to the priorities established for 
the competition.

2. Quality of Project Services--30 Points

    In determining the quality of the project services of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (a) The extent to which the training or 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.
    (b) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed 
project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as 
measured against rigorous academic standards.
    (c) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project involve the collaboration of appropriate partners for 
maximizing the effectiveness of project services.

3. Quality of the Management Plan--20 Points

    In determining the quality of the management plan of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers 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.

4. Quality of Project Personnel--10 Points

    In determining the quality of the project personnel of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the qualifications, including relevant 
training and experience, of the project director and key personnel.

5. Quality of Project Evaluation--20 Points

    In determining the quality of the evaluation plan of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (a) 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.
    (b) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.


    Note: The Department notes that the grantee can, as authorized 
by section 5533(a)(2)(C) of the ESEA, award subgrants to conduct 
evaluations and to collect the information needed for implementation 
of the performance measure discussed elsewhere in this notice.

    Factors Applicants May Wish To Consider in Developing an Evaluation 
Plan. A strong evaluation plan should be included in the application 
narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape the development 
of the project from the beginning of the grant period. The plan should 
include benchmarks to monitor progress toward specific project 
objectives and also outcome measures to assess the impact on teaching 
and learning or other important outcomes for project participants. More 
specifically, the plan should, where possible, identify the individual 
and/or organization that has agreed to serve as evaluator for the 
project and describe the qualifications of that evaluator. The plan 
should describe the evaluation design, indicating:
    (1) What types of data will be collected.
    (2) When various types of data will be collected.
    (3) What methods will be used.
    (4) What instruments will be developed and when.
    (5) How the data will be analyzed.
    (6) When reports of results and outcomes will be available.
    (7) How the applicant will use the information collected through 
the evaluation to monitor progress of the funded project and to provide 
accountability information both about success at the initial site and 
effective strategies for replication in other settings.
    Applicants are encouraged to devote an appropriate level of 
resources to project evaluation.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: The percentage of students of teachers 
trained under the grant project that demonstrate an improved 
understanding of personal finance and economics as compared to similar 
students whose teachers have not had the training provided by this 
project. The grantee under this program will be required to collect and 
report these data to the Department, and applicants are strongly 
encouraged to design their proposed project evaluations around this 
performance measure.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn J. Warren, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502K, Washington, DC 20208-
5645. Telephone: (202) 219-2206 or by e-mail: [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

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format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact person listed in this section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/news/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 www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: February 20, 2004.
Nina Shokraii Rees,
Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 04-4298 Filed 2-25-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P