[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21504-21507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9051]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Special Education--Research and Innovation To Improve 
Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--Initial Career 
Awards; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.324N.

DATES: Applications Available: April 22, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 26, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local 
educational agencies (LEAs); institutions of higher education (IHEs); 
other public agencies; nonprofit private organizations; outlying areas; 
freely associated States; and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $300,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $75,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $75,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: To produce, and advance the use of, knowledge 
to improve the results of education and early intervention for infants, 
toddlers, and children with disabilities.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 
661(e)(2) and 672 of IDEA).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    Background: There is a need to enable individuals in the initial 
phases of their careers to initiate and develop promising lines of 
research that would improve results for children with disabilities and 
their families through better early intervention services for infants 
and toddlers, and special education and related services for children 
with disabilities. Support for research activities among individuals in 
the initial phases of their careers is intended to develop the capacity 
of the early intervention and special education research community to 
more effectively meet the needs of children with disabilities and their 
families. The priority established in this notice also provides support 
for a broad range of field-initiated research projects--focusing on the 
special education and related services for children with disabilities 
and early intervention for infants and toddlers--consistent with the 
purpose of the program as described in section 672 of the Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
    Statement of Priority: This priority is:
    Grants to eligible applicants for the support of individuals in the 
initial phases of their careers to initiate and develop promising lines 
of research consistent with the purposes of the program. For purposes 
of this priority, the initial phase of an individual's career is 
considered to be the first three years after completing a doctoral 
program and graduating (i.e., for FY 2004 awards, projects may support 
individuals who completed a doctoral program and graduated no earlier 
than the 2000-2001 academic year).
    At least 50 percent of the initial career researcher's time must be 
devoted to the project.
    Projects must--
    (a) Pursue a line of research that is developed either from theory 
or a conceptual framework. The line of research must establish 
directions for designing future studies extending beyond the support of 
this award. The project is not intended to represent all inquiry 
related to the particular theory or conceptual framework; rather, it is 
expected to initiate a new line or advance an existing one;
    (b) Include, in design and conduct, sustained involvement with one 
or more nationally recognized experts. Such

[[Page 21505]]

experts must have substantive or methodological knowledge and expertise 
relevant to the proposed research. The experts do not have to be at the 
same institution or agency at which the project is located, but the 
interaction with the project must be sufficient to develop the capacity 
of the initial career researcher to effectively pursue the research 
into mid-career activities;
    (c) Prepare procedures, findings, and conclusions in a manner that 
advances professional practice by informing other interested 
researchers; and
    (d) Disseminate project procedures, findings, and conclusions to 
appropriate research institutes and technical assistance providers.
    (e) The projects funded under this priority must budget for a two-
day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year of 
the project.
    (f) The project's Web site, must include relevant information and 
documents in an accessible form.
    Within this absolute priority, we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following invitational priority.
    Invitational Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Projects that include, in the design and conduct of the research 
project, a practicing teacher or clinician, in addition to the required 
involvement of nationally recognized experts.

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 proposed priorities. However, section 661(e)(2) of IDEA 
makes the public comment requirements inapplicable to the absolute 
priority in this notice.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461 and 1472.

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $300,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $75,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $75,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs; IHEs; other public agencies; 
nonprofit private organizations; outlying areas; freely associated 
States; and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: General Requirements--
    (a) The projects funded under this notice must make positive 
efforts to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with 
disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must 
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with 
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects 
(see section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
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: www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.324N.
    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 person listed under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    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 (part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 30 pages using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, 
with 1'' margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     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.
     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 part I, the cover sheet; part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, the references, the letters of support, or 
the appendix. However, you must include all of the application 
narrative in part III.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page 
limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the 
equivalent of the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: April 22, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 26, 2004. The dates 
and times 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. The application package also 
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining 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.

[[Page 21506]]

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Governmentwide Grants.gov Project for Electronic Submission of 
Applications

    We have been accepting applications electronically through the 
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on 
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the new governmentwide Grants.gov Apply 
site in FY 2004. The Special Education--Research and Innovation To 
Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--Initial 
Career Awards competition--CFDA Number 84.324N is one of the 
competitions included in this project. If you are an applicant under 
the Special Education--Research and Innovation To Improve Services and 
Results for Children With Disabilities--Initial Career Awards 
competition, you may submit your application to us in either electronic 
or paper format.
    The project involves the use of the Grants.gov Apply site 
(Grants.gov). If you use Grants.gov, you will be able to download a 
copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload 
and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. You may not e-mail 
an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We request your 
participation in Grants.gov.
    If you participate in Grants.gov, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will 
find information about submitting an application electronically through 
the site, as well as the hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the 
application process through Grants.gov.
     To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must 
have a D-U-N-S Number and register in the Central Contractor Registry 
(CCR). You should allow a minimum of five days to complete the CCR 
registration.
     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.
     You may submit all documents electronically, 
including all information typically included on the Application for 
Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     Your application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your 
application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from 
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. The Department 
will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you a second 
confirmation, which will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number) unique to your application.
     We may request that you give us original 
signatures on forms at a later date.
     If you experience technical difficulties on the 
application deadline date and are unable to meet the 4:30 p.m. 
(Washington, DC time) deadline, print out your application and follow 
the instructions included in the application package for the 
transmittal of paper applications.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Research 
and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities--Initial Career Awards competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

    Note: Please note that you must search for the downloadable 
application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not 
include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
listed in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The specific selection criteria to be 
used for this competition are in the application package.

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: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the Department is currently developing indicators 
and measures that will yield information on various aspects of the 
quality of the Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results 
for Children with Disabilities program. Included in these indicators 
and measures will be those that assess the quality and relevance of 
newly funded research projects. Two indicators will address the quality 
of new projects. First, an external panel of eminent senior scientists 
will review the quality of a randomly selected sample of newly funded 
research applications, and the percentage of new projects that are 
deemed to be of high quality will be determined. Second, because much 
of the Department's work focuses on questions of effectiveness, newly 
funded applications will be evaluated to identify those that address 
causal questions and then to determine what percentage of those 
projects use randomized field trials to answer the causal questions. To 
evaluate the relevance of newly funded research projects, a panel of 
experienced education practitioners and administrators will review 
descriptions of a randomly selected sample of newly funded projects and 
rate the degree to which the projects are relevant to practice.
    Other indicators and measures are still under development in areas 
such as the quality of project products and long-term impact. Data on 
these measures will be collected from the projects funded under this 
notice. Grantees will also be required to report information on their 
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (EDGAR, 34 
CFR 75.590).

[[Page 21507]]

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Sturdivant, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3527, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 205-8038.
    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 Grants and Contracts Services Team 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: April 15, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-9051 Filed 4-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P