[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8573-8578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-694]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Innovation and Improvement


Overview Information; School Leadership Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.363A.

Dates

    Applications Available: February 22, 2005.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: March 24, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 15, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 14, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: High-need local educational agencies (LEAs), 
consortia of high-need LEAs, or partnerships that consist of at least 
one high-need LEA and at least one nonprofit organization (which may be 
a community- or faith-based organization) or institution of higher 
education. (See section III. Eligibility Information, 3. Other: 
Definition of ``High-Need LEA'' and other Eligibility Information) in 
this notice.
    Estimated Available Funds: $12 million.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 24.
    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: The School Leadership program is designed to 
assist high-need LEAs in the development, enhancement, or expansion of 
innovative programs to recruit, train, and mentor principals (including 
assistant principals) to serve in high-need schools through such 
activities as:
     Providing financial incentives to aspiring new principals;
     Providing stipends to principals who mentor new 
principals;
     Carrying out professional development programs in 
instructional leadership and management; and
     Providing incentives that are appropriate for teachers or 
individuals from other fields who want to become principals and that 
are effective in retaining new principals.
    Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly interested 
in applications that address the following priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority 1--Commitment from the LEA. To successfully 
meet the purpose of this program and to develop institutional capacity 
and sustainability, projects need the full support of each 
participating high-need LEA. Therefore, the Secretary strongly 
encourages applicants to develop strategies for maximizing the 
involvement of each participating LEA in the project's design, 
development and implementation. These strategies, for example, might 
focus on ensuring that--
     The proposed project is part of an already well-defined 
and articulated district-wide strategy for improving student 
achievement in each participating high-need LEA;
     Each participating LEA's superintendent and his or her 
staff play key roles in identifying the competencies that program 
participants need to know and demonstrate, and use those competencies 
to implement and build the training program;
     Each participating LEA has established procedures for 
placing participants in part-time or full-time leadership positions or 
residencies in high-need schools as part of their training and 
preparation; and
     Each participating LEA is firmly committed to hiring 
successful program completers.
    Invitational Priority 2--Innovative approaches to recruiting and 
preparing school leaders through alternative routes. Over the next five 
years the number of vacancies among principals and other school leaders 
is expected to grow by 20 percent; filling these positions will be 
particularly challenging for rural and urban districts, which tend to 
receive fewer applications for open positions.
    Studies show that there is no overall shortage of candidates with 
the credentials that States require for school principals. However, 
those same studies indicate that most of these candidates typically 
acquired their credentials in order to obtain salary increases or 
attain an advanced degree, and not necessarily because of a strong 
personal commitment to becoming leaders of their schools and school 
communities.
    The Department recognizes that some States have addressed the need 
to increase the pool of candidates who are committed to becoming school 
leaders in high-need LEAs and schools, in particular by making 
available alternative routes to meeting requirements for certification 
or licensure as a school principal or assistant principal. The 
Secretary strongly encourages eligible entities in States with these 
approved alternative routes to submit applications that propose to 
recruit individuals of diverse professional backgrounds who can take 
advantage of the alternative routes, and then create incentives for 
these individuals to participate in the program and to take leadership 
positions in high-need schools that face the greatest challenges.
    Applicants may choose to address one or more of these invitational 
priorities within their responses to the selection criteria.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6651(b).
    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.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $12 million.

[[Page 8574]]

    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 24.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: High-need LEAs, consortia of high-need 
LEAs, or partnerships that consist of at least one high-need LEA and at 
least one nonprofit organization (which may be a community- or faith-
based organization) or institution of higher education. Applicants are 
expected to identify and confirm in their applications that the 
participating LEA(s) meet the definition of ``high-need'' in section 
2102(3) of the ESEA, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act 0f 
2001. (See section III. Eligibility Information, 3. Other: Definition 
of ``High-Need LEA'' and other Eligibility Information of this notice 
for the definition of high-need LEA.)
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: Definition of ``High-Need LEA'' and other Eligibility 
Information. An eligible application must propose a project that 
benefits one or more ``high-need LEAs.'' As defined in section 2102(3) 
of the ESEA, the term ``high-need LEA'' is an LEA--
    (a)(1) That serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families 
with incomes below the poverty line, or (2) for which not less than 20 
percent of the children served by the LEA are from families with 
incomes below the poverty line; and
    (b) For which there is (1) a high percentage of teachers not 
teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels the teachers were 
trained to teach, or (2) a high percentage of teachers with emergency, 
provisional, or temporary certification or licensing.
    So that the Department may be able to confirm the eligibility of 
the LEAs that projects propose to serve, applicants are expected to 
include information in their applications that demonstrates that each 
participating LEA in the project is a high-need LEA, as defined in 
section 2102(3) of the ESEA. Generally, this information should be 
based on the most recent available data on the number of children from 
families with incomes below the poverty line that the LEA serves. In 
addition, when presenting evidence to support that each participating 
LEA meets the definition of a high-need LEA, an application should 
consider the following.
     The Department is not aware of any consistent available 
LEA data--other than data periodically gathered by the U.S. Census 
Bureau--that would show that an LEA serves the required number or 
percentage of children (individuals ages 5 through 17) from families 
below the poverty line (as defined in section 9101(33) of the ESEA).
    Note: The data that many LEAs collect on the number of children 
eligible for free- and reduced-priced meal subsidies may not be used to 
satisfy the requirements under component (a) of the statutory 
definition of high-need LEA. Those data do not reflect children from 
families with incomes below the poverty line, as defined in section 
9101(33) of the ESEA.
    Therefore, absent a showing of alternative LEA data that reliably 
show the number of children from families with incomes below the 
poverty line that are served by the LEA, the Department would expect 
that the eligibility of an LEA as a ``high-need LEA'' under component 
(a) Would be determined on the basis of the most recent U.S. Census 
Bureau data. U.S. Census Bureau data are available for all school 
districts with geographic boundaries that existed when the U.S. Census 
Bureau collected its information. The link to the census data is: 
http://www.census.gov/housing/saipe/sd02/. (Applicants are encouraged 
to review the README file at the directory level, which provides a 
description of how the files are organized.) The Department also makes 
these data available at its Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html. (Although the Department posted this listing 
specifically for the Improving Literacy through School Libraries 
program, these same data apply to the definition of a ``high-need LEA'' 
used for purposes of eligibility under the School Leadership program.)
     With regard to component (b)(1) of the definition of 
``high-need LEA,'' the Department interprets the phrase ``a high 
percentage of teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade 
levels that the teachers were trained to teach'' as being equivalent to 
``a high percentage of teachers teaching out of field.'' The Department 
expects that LEAs that rely on component (b)(1) of the definition will 
demonstrate that they have a high percentage of teachers teaching out 
of field. The Department is not aware of any specific data that would 
demonstrate a ``high percentage'' of teachers teaching out of field. 
Accordingly, the Department will review this aspect of an LEA's 
proposed eligibility on a case-by-case basis. To decrease the level of 
uncertainty, an applicant might choose instead to demonstrate that each 
participating LEA meets the eligibility test for a high-need LEA under 
component (b)(2) of the definition.
     For component (b)(2) of the definition of ``high-need 
LEA,'' the data that LEAs likely will find most readily available on 
the percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary 
certification or licensing are the data they provide to their States 
for inclusion in the reports on the quality of teacher preparation that 
the States provide to the Department in October of each year as 
required by section 207 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). In 
these reports, States provide the percentage of teachers in their LEAs 
teaching on waivers of State certification, both on a statewide basis 
and in high-poverty LEAs. As reflected in the State reports the 
Department most recently received in October 2004, the national average 
percentage of teachers on waivers in high-poverty LEAs is 3.5 percent. 
Consistent with the methodology the Department used in the FY 2004 
competition under the Transition to Teaching program, in which 
participating LEAs were required to be ``high-need LEAs'' (as defined 
in section 2102(3) of the ESEA), the Department would expect that an 
LEA with over 3.5 percent of its teachers having emergency, 
provisional, or temporary certification or licensing (i.e., teachers on 
waivers) has a ``high percentage'' of its teachers in this category. We 
expect that an LEA that is not relying on the data it provides to the 
State for purposes of reporting required by section 207 of the HEA will 
provide other evidence that demonstrates that it meets the eligibility 
requirement under component (b)(2) of the statutory definition of 
``high-need LEA.'' Moreover, should an LEA with a percentage of 
teachers on waivers of less than 3.5 percent believe it too has a 
``high percentage'' of its teachers with emergency, provisional, or 
temporary certification or licensing, the Department will determine 
whether that LEA meets element (b)(2) of the definition of high-need 
LEA on a case-by-case basis.

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.

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    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://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 84.363A.
    You may also obtain the application package for the program via the 
Internet at the following address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/leadership/applicant.html.
    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 notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (See 
section VII. Agency Contact).
    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 program.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a 
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a 
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for 
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly 
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending 
a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an 
application for funding. The e-mail need not include information 
regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant's 
intent to submit it. This e-mail notification should be sent to Peggi 
Zelinko at: [email protected].
    Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still 
apply for funding.
    Page Limit for Program Narrative: The program narrative (Part III 
of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection 
criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. Applicants 
are strongly encouraged to limit Part III to the equivalent of no more 
than 50 single-sided, double-spaced pages printed in 12-font type or 
larger.
    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, 
curriculum vitae, or bibliography of literature cited. However, you 
must include all of the program narrative in Part III.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 22, 2005.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: March 24, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 15, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 14, 2005.
    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: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically, unless you qualify for 
an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants 
under the School Leadership Program-CFDA Number 84.363A must be 
submitted electronically using e-Application available through the 
Department's e-Grants system, accessible through the e-Grants portal 
page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application 
for this program after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do 
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application 
process.
     The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site 
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until 
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is 
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on 
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to 
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     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.
     Any narrative sections of your application should be 
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 
(Portable Document) format.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement that will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.

[[Page 8576]]

    (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) 245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically 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 electronic 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 
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 section VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 
the e-Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and 
therefore the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent 
to all registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions 
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of the 
Department's e-Application system.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the e-Application system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Department's e-Application system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Peggi Zelinko, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W226, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260. FAX: (202) 401-8466.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail 
(through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your 
application to the Department. You must mail the original and two 
copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the applicable following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.363A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

or

    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.363A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service,
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark, or
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.
    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.
    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If you 
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you 
(or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the 
Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application, by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.363A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter, 
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The following selection criteria for this 
competition are from Sec.  75.210 of EDGAR. The maximum score for all 
the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each 
criterion is indicated in parentheses. Each criterion also includes the 
factors that the reviewers will consider in determining how well an 
application meets the criterion. The notes following each of the 
selection criteria are guidance to help applicants in preparing their 
applications and are not required by statute or regulations. The 
criteria are as follows:
    A. Need for project (20 points). The Secretary considers the need 
for the project. In determining the need for the project the Secretary 
considers the following factors:

[[Page 8577]]

    1. The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    2. The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses.
    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to address this criterion 
by discussing--
     The reasons the participating LEAs have need of the 
services proposed and why those needs are not met by current efforts, 
and
     Specific studies, surveys, or other sources that have 
yielded objective data to confirm the participating LEAs' needs.
    B. Quality of the project design (25 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design for the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the design of the project, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    1. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    2. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
    3. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs.
    4. The extent to which the proposed project is part of a 
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support 
rigorous academic standards for students. Note: The Secretary 
encourages applicants to address this criterion by discussing the 
overall project model, including such key elements as the project's--
     Research base;
     Proposed applicants;
     Recruitment and selection strategies;
     Plans for using incentives for teachers or individuals 
from other fields who want to become principals and assistant 
principals;
     Activities to prepare principals and assistant principals;
     Program delivery strategy(ies);
     Plans for implementing on-site or school-based work 
experiences;
     Activities for participant placement and follow-up 
support; and
     Retention strategies.
    C. Significance of the Project (20 points). The Secretary considers 
the significance of the proposed project. In determining the 
significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the 
following factors:
    1. The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies.
    2. The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population.
    3. The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to 
be attained by the proposed project.
    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to address this criterion 
by describing such key factors as how the project--
     Will help the participating LEAs to achieve important 
results during the project period that the LEAs could not otherwise 
achieve;
     Is part of a long-term response to the participating LEA's 
(or LEAs') school leadership needs, and one that will be part of the 
LEA's (or LEAs') overall school improvement plan; and
     How this project will build or stimulate the capacity of 
the participating LEAs to continue this project after the grant period 
ends, including how and when the LEAs will identify resources to 
support this endeavor.
    Moreover, in addressing ``[t]he extent to which the proposed 
project is likely to build local capacity to provide, improve, or 
expand services that address the needs of the target population,'' 
applicants also might consider including a letter of support or other 
information from each participating LEA that confirms both the LEA's 
interest in participating in this project and the results the LEA 
expects from it.
    D. Quality of the management plan (15 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project. 
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. 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.
    2. The extent to which the time commitments of the project director 
and principal investigator and other key project personnel are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project.
    3. The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to address this criterion 
by providing specific information such as--
     The name, title, and time commitment of each key person, 
and the responsibilities of each individual working to help implement 
the project's goals and objectives;
     A year-to-year timeline for undertaking important project 
activities, with benchmarks for determining whether the project is 
achieving its stated goals and objectives; and
     The strategies for monitoring whether or not the project 
is meeting its goals and objectives, and for making mid-course 
corrections, as appropriate.
    E. Quality of the project evaluation (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    1. 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.
    2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to consider how this 
criterion may affect both their annual performance reports and the 
final evaluation submitted under 34 CFR 75.590. In addition, the 
Secretary encourages applicants to address this criterion by including 
proposed benchmarks for assessing both short- and long-term progress 
toward the specific project objectives and outcome measures they would 
use to assess the project's impact on teaching and learning or other 
important outcomes for project participants. (Specific performance 
measures established for the overall School Leadership program are 
discussed in the Award Administration Information section of this 
notice (section VI, item 4, Performance Measures.)
    The Secretary also encourages applicants to identify the individual 
and/or organization that has agreed to serve as evaluator for the 
project and describe the qualifications of that evaluator as well as--
     The types of data that will be collected;

[[Page 8578]]

     When these various types of data will be collected;
     What methods of data collections will be used;
     What evaluation instruments will be developed and when;
     How the data will be analyzed;
     When reports of evaluation results and outcomes will be 
available; and
     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 the success at the 
initial site or sites and about 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: In response to the Government Performance 
and Results Act (GPRA), the Department has established two overall 
performance indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the School 
Leadership program. We will collect the data for these indicators from 
the grantees using the measures indicated.
    Performance Indicator 1: To recruit, prepare, and support teachers 
and individuals from other fields to become principals and assistant 
principals in high-need schools in high-need LEAs. We will track this 
indicator through the use of the following two performance measures:
    Measure One: The percentage of those enrolled in the training 
program who become certified as principals and assistant principals.
    Measure Two: The percentage of program completers earning 
certification as a principal or assistant principal and who are 
employed in those positions in high-need schools in high-need LEAs.
    Performance Indicator 2: To provide professional development, 
coaching, mentoring, and other support activities to current, 
practicing principals and assistant principals in high-need schools in 
high-need LEAs. We will track this indicator through the use of the 
following performance measure:
    Measure: The percentage of current, practicing principals and 
assistant principals serving in high-need schools in high-need LEAs and 
who participate in a structured, job-embedded program of professional 
development that includes mentoring, coaching, and other support 
activities.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peggi Zelinko, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5E114, Washington, DC 20202-
4260. Telephone: (202) 260-2614 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 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: http://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.


    Dated: February 16, 2005.
Michael J. Petrilli,
Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
 [FR Doc. E5-694 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P