[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43568-43569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16591]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Regional Advisory Committees; Request for Nomination of Members

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department 
of Education.

What Is the Purpose of This Notice?

    The purpose of this notice is to give the public the opportunity to 
nominate candidates for positions on 10 regional advisory committees 
that will be chartered by the Secretary.

What Is the Role of the Regional Advisory Committees?

    Section 206 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 
(``the Act'') requires the establishment of the committees to advise 
the Secretary on the educational needs of each of 10 geographic 
regions. The committees will conduct educational needs assessments in 
their respective regions, and will submit reports on the assessment 
results to the Secretary. The educational needs identified by the 
committees will be considered by the Secretary in establishing 
priorities for a new program of comprehensive centers described in 
section 203 of the Act and for regional educational laboratories 
authorized in section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. 
The comprehensive centers and regional educational laboratories will 
provide technical assistance to State educational agencies, school 
districts and schools to help them implement the goals and programs of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as reauthorized by 
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, and use the best research and 
proven practices in their school improvement efforts.

How Will the Regional Advisory Committees Assess Educational Needs?

    Each regional advisory committee will conduct a variety of 
activities, including virtual meetings, to obtain information from 
individuals, agencies and organizations in the region regarding the 
region's educational needs and how those needs would be most 
effectively addressed. Governors, chief State school officers and State 
staff, school district educators, public and charter school 
administrators, teachers and parents, regional education service 
providers, researchers, and business representatives would be among 
those asked to participate in the assessment.

What Is the Composition of Each Regional Advisory Committee?

    Each committee will reflect a balanced representation of the States 
in the region and will not have more than one representative from each 
State educational agency in the region. In addition, the total number 
of local educational agency representatives, parents, and practicing 
educators will be greater than the total number of State educational 
agency representatives, higher education representatives, business 
representatives and researchers on the committee. The committees will 
vary in size but, on average, may have about 12 members.

[[Page 43569]]

What States Are Included in Each Region?

    The 10 regions are the same geographic regions served by the 
regional educational laboratories and include the following States and 
entities:
    Region 1: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, 
and South Carolina
    Region 2: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
    Region 3: Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah
    Region 4: Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia
    Region 5: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New 
York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands
    Region 6: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 
Washington, DC
    Region 7: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South 
Dakota, and Wyoming
    Region 8: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and 
Wisconsin
    Region 9: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington
    Region 10: Hawaii, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, 
Pohnpei, and Yap), Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 
Republic of Palau

Who Is Eligible To Be Nominated?

    You may nominate:
    1. State educational agency representatives
    2. Local educational agency (both rural and urban) representatives
    3. Representatives of institutions of higher education, including 
individuals representing university-based education research and 
university-based research in subjects other than education.
    4. Parents.
    5. Practicing educators, including classroom teachers, principals, 
administrators, school board members, and other local school officials.
    6. Business representatives.
    7. Researchers.

How Long Will Members of the Regional Advisory Committees Serve?

    Members will serve for up to six months. The Secretary will 
dissolve each committee after the committee submits its needs 
assessment report. The report is due to the Secretary not later than 6 
months after the committee is first convened.

How Can I Nominate Someone?

    The nominator must submit for each nominee the following 
information to the U.S. Department of Education:
    1. A resume of 5 pages or less that highlights relevant educational 
and professional experiences; and
    2. A cover page that lists (a) the nominee's name, position, 
organization or group affiliation, mailing address, phone number(s), 
fax number, e-mail address and the State represented, and (b) the name, 
position, organization or group affiliation, mailing address, phone 
number(s) fax number and e-mail address of the person making the 
nomination.
    Send the nomination materials electronically to 
[email protected] or by mail to Enid Simmons, US Department of 
Education, School Support and Technology Programs, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., Room 3E303, Washington, DC 20202-6400. Telephone: 202-708-9499.

When Must Nominations Be Received?

    All nominations must be received no later than 30 days from the 
date of the publication of this Notice, midnight Eastern Standard Time. 
If the 30th day falls on a weekend or a Federal holiday, the deadline 
will be the next working day.

How Can I Get Additional Information?

    If you have questions about the nomination process or about the 
regional advisory committees, please send them electronically to 
[email protected] or by mail to Enid Simmons, U.S. Department of 
Education, School Support and Technology Programs, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., Room 3E303, Washington, DC 20202-6400. Telephone: 202-708-9499.

    Dated: July 15, 2004.
Raymond Simon,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 04-16591 Filed 7-20-04; 8:45 am]
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