[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 12, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60603-60604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-22951]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

45 CFR Chapter XXV


Notice Inviting Preliminary Informal Public Input in Advance of 
Learn and Serve America Program Changes

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Request for comments and notice of meetings.

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

SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service (the 
Corporation) invites the public to share its views during two scheduled 
conference calls and two scheduled public meetings on issues related to 
Learn and Serve America. In response to Executive Order 13331, the 
Corporation's Board of Directors Grants Management Task Force Report, 
and in preparation for the expected round of new funding in 2006, Learn 
and Serve America is considering combining grant guidelines, 
provisions, and regulations into a single, streamlined document. We are 
interested in public views about the future of Learn and Serve America 
programs and the ways in which those programs have an impact on 
students, communities, and the institutions that operate programs. Some 
issues under consideration include: Learn and Serve America grant 
selection criteria, intensity and duration of a participant's community 
service, the role of Learn and Serve America grantees within Unified 
State Plans, timing and substance of Learn and Serve America grant 
applications, and definitions of key terms. The Corporation is also 
interested in receiving input on allowable subgrant types, project 
expenditures, performance indicators and evaluation requirements, 
grantee reporting, intergenerational participation, and program 
sustainability and institutionalization.

DATES: Please submit written input to the Corporation as soon as 
possible. We will consider input as we begin consideration of possible 
revisions to the Learn and Serve America guidelines, provisions and 
regulations and during the drafting of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. 
In addition, the Corporation will hold two toll-free conference calls 
and two public input meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
conference call and input meeting information.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written input to the Corporation by any of 
the following methods:
    (1) Electronically through the Corporation's e-mail address system 
to [email protected].
    (2) By fax to (202) 565-2787, Attention Amy Cohen, Director, Learn 
and Serve America.
    (3) By mail sent to: Corporation for National and Community 
Service, Attn: Amy Cohen, Director, Learn and Serve America, 1201 New 
York Avenue NW., Room 9609, Washington, DC 20525.
    (4) By hand delivery or by courier to the Corporation's mailroom at 
Room 6010 at the mail address given in paragraph (3) above, between 9 
a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Due to continued delays in the Corporation's receipt of mail, we 
strongly encourage responses via e-mail or fax.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the 
substance of this notice or to request this notice in an alternative 
format for the visually impaired, contact Amy Cohen at (202) 606-5000, 
ext. 484; [email protected]. For further information about the conference 
calls, please refer to our National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Web 
site at http://www.servicelearning.org or call Pat Carpenter at (202) 
606-5000, ext. 209; [email protected]. The TDD/TTY number is (800) 
833-3722.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For more information on the Corporation, 
please visit our Web site at http://www.nationalservice.org. When 
providing oral or written input on the issues outlined above, please 
especially consider the following questions:
    Leveraging Corporation assistance: How can we ensure that as many 
educational institutions as possible realize the benefits of community 
service-learning through the programs and services of the Corporation, 
and in general improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of 
Corporation grants and technical assistance? Should we grant 
competitive preferences to organizations that have never before 
received Learn and Serve America funds? How should these questions 
apply to grantees that operate local programs directly and to grantees 
that provide subgrants to others to operate local programs?
    Sustainability and institutionalization: How can the Corporation 
ensure that appropriate steps are being taken to build service-learning 
into the fabric of the educational or community organization? How can 
we ensure that Learn and Serve America grantee and subgrantee programs 
can continue to be successful without Federal support? What are 
appropriate components of grantee ``sustainability plans?'' How should 
these questions apply to grantees that operate local programs directly; 
to grantees that provide subgrants to others to operate local programs?
    Focusing on community needs: How can the Corporation ensure that 
Federal funds are used most effectively to meet community needs and 
that all Learn and Serve America participants make a positive impact on 
community problems and needs?
    Duration and Intensity of service: What policies should be adopted 
concerning the intensity (i.e., service hours per time period) and 
duration of community service expected of Learn and Serve America 
participants?
    Selection Criteria: What criteria should the Corporation use in 
selecting grantees in its competitive Learn and Serve America programs? 
Should Learn and Serve America have two sets of grant application and 
selection criteria: one for consortia and grant intermediaries (State 
Education Agencies, Grant Making Entities, and Higher Education 
Consortia), and one for local programs? If so, what should such 
separate criteria include?
    Subgrants: What policies should govern sub-granting? Should there 
be limits on duration or on type of subgrant? How many levels of 
subgranting should be allowed?
    Grant application and process: For how many months before 
commencing or continuing a project does a grantee need to know that its 
application is approved? For how many months before commencing or 
continuing a project does a grantee need to know that its grant is 
awarded? What is a reasonable amount of time needed to prepare an 
application? In general, how can the Corporation simplify and 
streamline its grant application documents and processes? In 
particular, can we

[[Page 60604]]

simplify the application and process for the second and third year 
grant continuations?
    Definitions: How should we define ``community needs?'' How should 
we define a Learn and Serve America ``participant'' for elementary/
secondary education and for higher education programs? How should we 
define a ``service hour?'' How should we clarify the definition of 
``youth and adult volunteers'' who provide service along with Learn and 
Serve America program participants? How should we define a 
``subgrantee?'' Should Grant Making Entities (grantees that must serve 
multiple states in order to be eligible for funding) be defined as 
providing service in two or more states from the beginning of the 
grant, or prospectively at any point during the grant period? Should 
this definition be the same for School-based and Community-based 
grantee organizations?
    Teacher Education Grants: Should we require that Learn and Serve 
America grantee teacher education programs prepare prospective teachers 
to use service-learning in their classroom/teaching practices?
    Intergenerational Activities: How should the Corporation promote 
the use of service-learning practices and models that utilize multiple 
generations? For example, should we require that Learn and Serve 
America higher education programs serving children include a component 
in which children serve with higher education student participants?
    Adult and Youth Volunteers: How should the Corporation promote the 
recruitment of adult and youth volunteers who work with Learn and Serve 
America participant students in meeting community needs? How should we 
encourage the participation of adult volunteers who have particular 
expertise in meeting the community needs focused on by the Learn and 
Serve America projects? How should we encourage the participation of 
elementary/secondary student participants' family members?
    Community Organization Partnerships: What steps should the 
Corporation take to strengthen the role of community organizations as 
partners in Learn and Serve America projects? What steps should we take 
to promote greater participation of faith-based and small community 
organizations?
    Project Expenditures: Should Learn and Serve America grantees be 
required to include evaluation funding in their project budgets, along 
with stipulation of the scope and method of evaluations? Should we 
require that web conferencing capabilities be included in the grant 
budget?
    Performance measures and evaluation: How can the Corporation and 
its Learn and Serve America grantees ensure that all Learn and Serve 
America programs are setting and achieving appropriate, measurable 
performance outcome goals? Should we require that Learn and Serve 
America grantees and subgrantees establish and meet a common set of 
outcome measures? How can the Corporation ensure that its grantees 
regularly and effectively evaluate their service-learning programs?
    Unified State Plans: What role, if any, should Learn and Serve 
America grantees and subgrantees play within the Corporation's Unified 
State Plans? How should Learn and Serve America grantees and 
subgrantees be encouraged to participate in Unified State Plans and 
state-wide service conferences?

Conference Calls and Public Input Meetings

    The Corporation is planning two conference calls and two public 
input meetings in October. Please check our National Service-Learning 
Clearinghouse Web site at http://www.servicelearning.org for further 
information regarding these conference calls and public input meetings 
or contact Pat Carpenter at (202) 606-5000, ext. 209 
([email protected]).

Conference Calls

    October 14--10:30 a.m.
    October 15--3:30 p.m.
    To register for the calls, please contact Pat Carpenter at 
[email protected]. The time for both calls is eastern time.

Public Input Meetings

    October 13 from 2-4 p.m. Rabb Room, University College of 
Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
    October 14 from noon-2 p.m. One Dupont Circle, Conference Room C, 
Level 1B, Washington, DC.
    The time for both meetings is eastern time. We strongly encourage 
you to attend in person if you are in the Boston and DC areas, and ask 
that you RSVP to Pat Carpenter at [email protected].

    Dated: October 7, 2004.
Frank R. Trinity,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 04-22951 Filed 10-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050-$$-U