[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50258-50260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-18630]



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Part III





Department of Education





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Special Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstration Projects--Positive 
Psychology; Notices

  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 156 / Friday, August 13, 2004 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1820-ZA35


Special Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstration Projects--
Positive Psychology

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priority, definitions, and application 
requirements.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority, definitions, and 
application requirements under the Special Demonstration Programs. The 
Assistant Secretary may use this priority, definitions, and application 
requirements for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2004 and later years. 
We take this action to focus on an area of national need. We intend the 
priority to improve the quality of employment outcomes for vocational 
rehabilitation (VR) consumers through testing and measuring the effects 
of three specific positive psychology techniques for use within State 
VR agencies and American Indian VR Services (AIVRS) projects. The three 
specific techniques are--learned optimism, strengths and virtues versus 
talents for employment, and subjective well-being.

DATES: Effective Date: This priority, these definitions, and these 
application requirements are effective September 13, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfreda Reeves, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5040, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7485 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 FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The authority for these projects is title 
III, section 303(b) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act) 
(29 U.S.C. 773(b)) and 34 CFR part 373.
    Positive psychology is the study and practice of counseling 
techniques based on cognitive-behavioral therapy to assist individuals 
to develop an increased awareness of their own positive character 
strengths, emotional processing, and belief systems (Seligman & 
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). These techniques help consumers to build 
skills so that they can accurately assess beliefs about themselves that 
may create barriers to effectively coping with adversities that occur 
in their lives. These techniques may also expand their ability to 
challenge these beliefs in order to pursue flexible and appropriate 
responses to their adversities. Positive psychology techniques empower 
individuals to take control of their own lives, to increase their 
capacity for effective decisionmaking, and to persist in pursuing goal-
directed activities.
    Research in positive psychology has yielded a variety of approaches 
to assist individuals to identify their own beliefs and actions that 
are barriers to their ability to handle effectively life's adversities. 
These approaches are based on the techniques of cognitive-behavioral 
skills development and include models developed to change rigid and 
pessimistic beliefs and cognitive constructs to more flexible and 
positive ones. Major work in developing positive psychology approaches 
has been reported by Martin Seligman (1991), Barbara Fredrickson 
(2001), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1997), Reivich & Shatte (2002), and 
others. A review of the literature by the National Institute on 
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and use of the 
PsychArticles research database revealed one reported application of 
the principles of positive psychology to the employment outcomes of 
individuals with disabilities (Chapin & Kewin, 2001). However, no 
research literature was identified that applied these principles and 
techniques to individuals with disabilities in VR settings. The overall 
objective of the positive psychology priority is to develop and 
demonstrate the validity of counseling tools and techniques based on 
the principles of positive psychology with individuals with 
disabilities in the VR system. The priority supports section 303(b) by 
furthering the purposes of the Act, specifically empowering consumers 
of VR by implementing techniques that will increase the skills of 
individuals with disabilities, enabling them to achieve high quality 
employment outcomes.
    Successful projects under this model demonstration program would 
address three specific aspects of positive psychology and their 
application to rehabilitation--learned optimism, strengths and virtues 
versus talents for employment, and subjective well-being.
    We published a notice of proposed priority, definitions, and 
application requirements for this program in the Federal Register on 
May 26, 2004 (69 FR 30138). That notice included a discussion of the 
significant issues and analysis used in the determination of the 
priority, definitions, and application requirements.
    Except for minor editorial and technical revisions, there are two 
minor differences between the notice of proposed priority, definitions, 
and application requirements and this final notice. These changes were 
made to clarify the following:
    1. Consumers served by AIVRS projects may be included in the test 
population; and
    2. The applicant must address all three positive psychology 
techniques.

Analysis of Comments and Changes

    In response to our invitation in the notice of proposed priority, 
definitions, and application requirements, six parties submitted 
comments. An analysis of the comments and of any changes in the 
priority, definitions, and application requirements since publication 
of the notice of proposed priority, definitions, and application 
requirements follows.
    Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes--and 
suggested changes that we are not authorized to make under the 
applicable statutory authority.
    Comment: One commenter stated that the priority should require 
applicants to specify how they will ensure adequate sampling of VR 
consumers from minority backgrounds and underserved populations. The 
commenter suggested that projects collaborate with the AIVRS projects 
and community agencies that serve minority populations in order to 
obtain sufficiently representative samples from these populations.
    Discussion: The application selection criteria already require 
applicants to describe how they will adequately address the needs of 
individuals from minority backgrounds and underserved populations, if 
these populations reside within the applicant's proposed service area. 
The selection criteria specifically require the quality and sufficiency 
of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible 
project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally 
been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, 
age, or disability (34 CFR 75.210(d)(2)). In addition, we are 
clarifying the fact that consumers of the AIVRS projects are eligible 
participants in this priority.

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    Change: The General Requirements for Applicants section has been 
changed to reflect that consumers of AIVRS projects may be part of the 
test population.
    Comments: Three commenters suggested that the priority include the 
study of additional factors that create or reduce barriers to 
individuals with disabilities in obtaining employment, including 
environmental, community, peer, cultural, spiritual, and service 
provider characteristic factors.
    Discussion: We agree that a variety of factors have an impact on 
the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. However, this 
priority is intended only to demonstrate the effectiveness of the 
specific positive psychology factors defined within the notice.
    Change: None.
    Comments: Two commenters stated that the techniques of positive 
psychology are not distinct from other techniques used within the 
broader theoretical area of cognitive-behavioral psychology and that 
the priority should be expanded to include other techniques and 
interventions.
    Discussion: We agree that the specific intervention areas defined 
in the priority can be considered within the context of cognitive-
behavioral techniques. However, positive psychology focuses on 
developing consumers' positive attributes rather than on remediating 
areas of deficit. Not all cognitive-behavioral techniques have this 
focus. The American Psychological Association determined that positive 
psychology is a field of practice distinct enough to warrant its own 
division within the association. No research literature has been 
identified that applied these principles and techniques to individuals 
with disabilities in VR settings. Therefore, the purpose of the 
priority is to test these particular techniques in the VR settings.
    Change: None.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that the subjective well-being 
(SWB) topic area be dropped from the priority because SWB is an overall 
outcome of most positive psychology approaches rather than a distinct 
objective of its own.
    Discussion: We agree that SWB is an anticipated outcome of most 
positive psychology interventions. However, improvements in the area of 
SWB can be demonstrated as a part of outcome measurements for the other 
stipulated focus areas, i.e., learned optimism and strengths and 
virtues interventions. Nothing in the priority requires that SWB be a 
solitary outcome.
    Change: None.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that the priority include the 
option of using a research approach that would compare each individual 
intervention approach outcome to the outcomes resulting from combining 
approaches.
    Discussion: The selection of the research and demonstration method 
is determined by applicants and included in their applications 
submitted for review. The priority does not impose limitations on the 
proposed research other than requiring that proposed activities focus 
on the defined areas of learned optimism, strengths and virtues versus 
talents for employment, and SWB. Applicants may include a combined 
approach if desired.
    Change: None.
    Comment: One commenter stated that the priority should stipulate 
whether applicants can choose to focus on one subpopulation of 
individuals with disabilities or if participants must represent cross-
disability populations.
    Discussion: The priority does not stipulate the selection of 
participants for the project other than that participants must be 
individuals with disabilities served by the State VR agencies or AIVRS 
projects. Applicants may select their project participants as part of 
their overall project design.
    Change: None.
    Comment: One commenter stated that the priority should stipulate 
whether applicants must address all three aspects of positive 
psychology listed in the notice and suggested that the language in the 
General Requirements for Applicants section, concerning adapting, 
testing, and measuring the impact of the three positive psychology 
strategies, is unclear.
    Discussion: We agree that there should be clarity in whether the 
priority addresses all three techniques of positive psychology listed 
in the notice.
    Change: The General Requirements for Applicants section has been 
changed to reflect that projects must test and measure the effects of 
all three techniques identified in the priority.

    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use this priority, definitions, and application 
requirements, we invite applications through a notice in the Federal 
Register. When inviting applications we designate the priority, 
definitions, and application requirements as absolute, competitive 
preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of priority 
follows:

    Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority we consider only 
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
    Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference 
priority we give competitive preference to an application by either (1) 
awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent to 
which the application meets the competitive priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the 
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that does 
not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
    Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational 
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the 
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).

Priority

Priority, Definitions, and Application Requirements--Model 
Demonstration Projects--Positive Psychology

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v) and section 303(b)(1) of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act), this priority supports 
projects that test and measure the effects of three specific positive 
psychology techniques for vocational rehabilitation (VR) professionals 
for improving the quality of employment outcomes for individuals with 
disabilities. The three positive psychology techniques identified are--
learned optimism, strengths and virtues versus talents for employment, 
and subjective well-being (SWB). The models tested under this program 
must incorporate effective, research-based positive psychology methods.
A. Definitions
    Learned optimism teaches people to become more hopeful, realistic, 
and flexible in their identification of and disputation of internal 
beliefs that result in rigid, pessimistic, and negative outcome 
expectations.
    Strengths and virtues versus talents for employment is a 
theoretical concept that links the internal characteristics of 
individuals rather than specific functional skills or talents with 
employment success.
    Subjective well-being is a measurement of an individual's positive 
view of himself or herself across a number of dimensions, including 
optimism, life satisfaction, engagement, health, and sense of purpose.
B. General Requirements for Applicants
    These model demonstration projects must focus on research-based 
positive psychology principles that adapt appropriate techniques for VR 
professionals to use to assist VR

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consumers served by State VR agencies or American Indian Vocational 
Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) projects to obtain meaningful 
postsecondary education and employment outcomes. The projects must test 
and measure the effects of all three techniques identified in this 
priority on achieving meaningful postsecondary education and employment 
outcomes. The projects must measure outcomes associated with each 
required technique. An applicant must be specific about what data it 
will collect in order to measure project outcomes against the 
established goals.
    To meet the requirements an applicant must--
    (1) Describe the manner in which positive psychology strategies 
will increase participation in postsecondary education and employment 
outcomes for consumers served by State VR agencies or the AIVRS 
projects;
    (2) Adapt, test, and measure the impact of all three positive 
psychology strategies identified in this priority on increasing the 
level of optimism of consumers served by State VR agencies or the AIVRS 
projects and investigate the relationship between learned optimism and 
consumers' outcomes;
    (3) Adapt and develop positive psychology assessment tools to 
identify the strengths and virtues of individuals with disabilities, 
identify specific job environments that match specific strengths and 
virtues, pilot placement activities with individuals with disabilities 
based on the fit of their strengths and virtues, and investigate the 
relationship of consumers' strengths and virtues and meaningful 
postsecondary education and employment outcomes;
    (4) Develop positive psychology strategies to enhance SWB of people 
with disabilities in the VR setting. Projects must investigate the 
relationship between these strategies and meaningful postsecondary 
education and employment outcomes;
    (5) Design and implement an evaluation plan that--
    (a) assesses the validity of the models tested and developed under 
this project;
    (b) includes use of objective performance measures that are clearly 
related to the intended outcomes and goals of the project and will 
produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible; and
    (c) provides performance feedback and permits periodic assessment 
of progress toward achieving intended outcomes and goals; and
    (6) Disseminate these strategies, as appropriate, to State VR 
agencies and the AIVRS projects, their service providers, and 
independent living centers funded by the Rehabilitation Services 
Administration and other agencies and entities funded under the Act.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 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.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 373.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may review 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/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: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.235, Special 
Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstration Projects--Positive 
Psychology)

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b).

    Dated: August 11, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-18630 Filed 8-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P