[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15389-15392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4435]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Migrant Education Even Start Family Literacy Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Years (FY) 2005 
and 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.214A.

    Dates: Applications Available: March 28, 2006. Deadline for 
Transmittal of Applications: May 12, 2006. Deadline for 
Intergovernmental Review: July 11, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: Any entity is eligible to apply for a grant 
under the Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) Family Literacy Program. 
For example, the following types of entities are eligible to apply: 
State educational agencies (SEAs) that administer migrant education 
programs; local educational agencies (LEAs) that have a high percentage 
of migratory students; nonprofit community-based organizations that 
work with migratory agricultural or fishing families; and faith-based 
organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $3,450,000. This is the combined 
estimate from both FY 2005 and FY 2006 funds. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make 
additional awards in FY 2007 from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000-$500,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $345,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.

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


    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: MEES Family Literacy program grants are 
intended to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy of migratory 
agricultural or fishing families by improving the educational 
opportunities of these families through the integration of early 
childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, and 
parenting education into a unified family literacy program. This 
program is implemented through cooperative activities that build on 
high-quality existing community resources to create a new range of 
educational services for most-in-need migratory agricultural or fishing 
families; promote the academic achievement of migratory children and 
adults; assist migratory children and adults from low-income families 
in achieving challenging State content standards and challenging State 
student achievement standards; and use instructional programs based on 
scientifically based reading research on preventing and overcoming 
reading difficulties for children and adults. The application package 
contains a description of the 15 program elements that MEES projects 
must provide, as required under Title I, Part B, Section 1235 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA).
    Priorities: This notice includes one competitive preference 
priority and two invitational priorities.
    Competitive Preference Priority: For the FY 2006 competition and 
any subsequent year in which we make awards based on the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition, this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105, this 
priority is from the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations (EDGAR) that apply to this program (34 CFR 75.225). Under 
34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award an additional five points to an 
application that meets this competitive preference priority.

This Priority Is: Novice Applicant

    The applicant must be a ``novice applicant.'' Under 34 CFR 75.225 a 
novice applicant is an applicant that has never received a grant or 
subgrant under the MEES program; has never been a participant in a 
group application, submitted in accordance with Sec. Sec.  75.127 
through 75.129 of EDGAR, that received a grant under the MEES program; 
and has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal 
Government in the five years before the deadline date for applications 
under the MEES program.
    Invitational Priorities: For the FY 2006 competition and any 
subsequent year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded 
applicants from this competition, 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--Partnerships to Improve 
School Readiness

    The Secretary is especially interested in applications for projects 
that would develop collaborative efforts and partnerships that leverage 
Federal, State, and local funding in order to improve reading 
proficiency and advance English language acquisition so that migratory 
children enter elementary school with strong early reading skills.

Invitational Priority 2--Collaboration With Experienced MEES Projects

    The Secretary is especially interested in applications that would 
build networks among novice applicants and experienced MEES projects in 
order to eliminate disruptions in the education of participating 
families and engage migrant agricultural or fishing families wherever 
they move outside the area in which the project operates. Networks 
among experienced and novice projects increase the likelihood of 
maintaining the academic progress of migratory adults and children 
regardless of where migratory families travel to perform qualifying 
agricultural or fishing work.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6381a(a)(1)(A).

    Applicable 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: $3,450,000. This is the combined 
estimate from both FY 2005 and FY 2006 funds. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make 
additional awards in FY 2007 from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this competition.

[[Page 15390]]

    Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000--$500,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $345,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Any entity is eligible to apply for a grant 
under the MEES Family Literacy Program. For example, the following 
types of entities are eligible to apply: SEAs that administer migrant 
education programs; LEAs that have a high percentage of migratory 
students; nonprofit community-based organizations that work with 
migratory agricultural or fishing families; and faith-based 
organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: See ESEA section 1234(b). Matching 
requirements for the MEES program begin at 10 percent of the total cost 
of the project in the project's first year and increase incrementally 
as the project continues to receive Federal support. A project funded 
for a second cycle, years 5 through 8, must maintain a 50 percent cost 
share of the total cost of the project. A project funded for cycles 
beginning in year 9 must maintain a 65 percent cost share of the total 
cost of the project.
    3. Other: Eligible MEES participants consist of migratory children 
and their parents who meet the definitions of a migratory child, a 
migratory agricultural worker, or a migratory fisher in 34 CFR 200.81 
and who also meet the conditions specified in section 1236(a) of the 
ESEA.

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: 
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 84.214A.
    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 under 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 program.
    Page, Appendices, and Other Limits: (1) The application narrative 
(Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the 
selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. In 
addition, the budget narrative is where you provide an itemized budget 
breakdown, by project year, for each budget category listed in Sections 
A and B of Budget Form 524. You are encouraged to limit your 
application narrative (Part III of the application) to the equivalent 
of no more than 25 pages and limit the additional budget narrative to 
the equivalent of no more than 4 typed pages. Use the following 
standards for both the application and budget narratives:
     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) 
text in the application and budget narratives, including titles, 
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. However, you 
may single space information in tables, charts, or graphs in the 
application and budget narratives and appendices.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). You may use other point fonts for 
any tables, charts, and graphs, but those tables, charts, and graphs 
should be in a font size that is easily readable by the reviewers of 
your application.
     Any application or budget narrative, table, chart, or 
graph is included in the over-all narrative page limit. The appendices 
are not part of these page limits.
    (2) You are encouraged to limit the appendices, curriculum vitae, 
or position descriptions of no more than five people (including key 
contract personnel and consultants), and endnote citations to no more 
than two pages for the scientifically based reading research upon which 
your instructional programs are based.
    (3) Additionally, please limit other application materials to the 
specific materials indicated in the application package and do not 
include any video or other non-print materials.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: March 28, 
2006. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 12, 2006.
    Applications for grants under this program may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by 
mail or hand delivery, 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: July 11, 
2006.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program 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 program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: Recipients of a MEES Family Literacy 
program grant may not use funds awarded under this competition for the 
indirect costs of a project or claim indirect costs as part of the 
local project share. (ESEA section 1234(b)(3)) We reference regulations 
outlining additional funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations 
section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail 
or hand delivery.
    a. 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 
continuing to participate as a partner in the new governmentwide 
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2006. The MEES Family Literacy Program--
CFDA Number 84.214A is one of the programs included in this project. We 
request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through this 
site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, 
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You 
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the MEES Family 
Literacy Program at: 

[[Page 15391]]

http://www.grants.gov.  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.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov 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.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you 
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. 
You can also find the Education Submissions Procedures pertaining to 
Grants.gov at 
http://e-grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) Registering 
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR 
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the 
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must provide on 
your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. 
Please note that the registration process may take five or more 
business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration 
steps to allow you to submit an application successfully via 
Grants.gov.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your 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. If you choose to 
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative 
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich 
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type 
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password-
protected file, we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment 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 by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an 
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, 
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For 
Further Information Contact, and provide an explanation of the 
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your 
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with 
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to 
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a 
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. 
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to register fully 
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov system.

    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 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 
84.214A), 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 
84.214A), 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

[[Page 15392]]

relying on this method, you should check with your local post 
office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) 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 
84.214A), 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 selection criteria for this program are in 
34 CFR 75.210. The selection criteria are included 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: The Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the 
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, 
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program 
results against those goals. Program officials must develop performance 
measures for all of their grant programs in order to assess their 
performance and effectiveness. The Department has established a set of 
indicators to assess the effectiveness of the Even Start program. The 
MEES Family Literacy projects will use these indicators to measure 
increases in the (1) Percentage of adults showing significant learning 
gains on measures of reading; (2) percentage of limited English 
proficient (LEP) adults showing significant learning gains on measures 
of English language acquisition; (3) percentage of school-age adults 
who earn a high school diploma or GED; (4) percentage of non-school-age 
adults who earn a high school diploma or GED; (5) percentage of 
children entering kindergarten who are achieving significant learning 
gains on measures of language development; (6) the average number of 
letters children can identify as measured by the PALS Pre-K Uppercase 
Letter Naming Subtask; (7) percentage of school-age children who are 
reading on grade level; and (8) percentage of parents who show 
improvement on measures of parental support for children's learning in 
the home, school environment, and through interactive learning 
activities.
    All grantees will be expected to submit, as part of an annual 
performance report, information documenting their progress with regard 
to these performance measures.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: DonnaMarie Marlow, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E313, Washington, DC 
20202-6135. Telephone: (202) 260-2815 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: March 22, 2006.
Henry L. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-4435 Filed 3-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P