[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73012-73015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24954]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Models of Exemplary, Effective, and Promising Alcohol or Other 
Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College Campuses

AGENCY: Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and 
selection criteria.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools 
proposes a priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria 
under the Models of Exemplary, Effective, and Promising Alcohol or 
Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College Campuses grant 
competition. The Assistant Deputy Secretary may use the priority, 
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria for competitions in 
fiscal year (FY) 2008 and later years. The Assistant Deputy Secretary 
intends to use the priority, definitions, requirements, and selection 
criteria to identify exemplary, effective, and promising campus-based 
alcohol or other drug abuse prevention programs and to disseminate 
information about exemplary and effective programs to other colleges 
and universities where similar efforts may be adopted.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before January 25, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about the proposed priority, 
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria to Richard Lucey, 
Jr., U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 
3E335, Washington, DC 20202-6450. If you prefer to send your comments 
through the Internet, use the following address: [email protected]. 
    You must include the phrase ``Models of Exemplary, Effective, and 
Promising Alcohol or Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College 
Campuses--Comments on FY 2008 Proposed Priority'' in the subject line 
of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Lucey, Jr. (202) 205-5471 or 
via Internet: [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 contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Invitation To Comment

    We invite you to submit comments regarding the proposed priority, 
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria. To ensure that your 
comments have maximum effect in developing the notice of final 
priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria, we urge 
you to identify clearly the specific proposed priority, definitions,

[[Page 73013]]

requirements, or selection criterion your comment addresses.
    We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of 
reducing regulatory burden that might result from the proposed 
priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria. Please let 
us know of any further opportunities we should take to reduce potential 
costs or increase potential benefits while preserving the effective and 
efficient administration of the program.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about the proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and 
selection criteria in room 3E335, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 
DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday 
through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking 
Record

    On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or 
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs 
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public 
rulemaking record for this proposed priority, definitions, 
requirements, and selection criteria. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Proposed Priority, Definitions, Requirements, and Selection Criteria

    We will announce the final priority, definitions, requirements, and 
selection criteria in a notice in the Federal Register after 
considering responses to this notice and other information available to 
the Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or 
funding additional priorities, definitions, requirements, and selection 
criteria, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite 
applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting 
applications we designate the priority 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)).

Discussion of Proposed Priority

Proposed Priority--Exemplary, Effective, and Promising Alcohol or Other 
Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College Campuses

Background
    Alcohol and other drug abuse among college students contributes to 
a number of academic, social, and health-related problems. According to 
recent findings from the Monitoring the Future National Survey Results 
on Drug Use, 1975-2006, in 2006, approximately 40 percent of the 
Nation's college students engaged in heavy drinking (defined as five or 
more drinks in a row in the past two weeks). In addition, 34 percent of 
college students used an illicit drug in 2006.
    Survey data from the Core Institute, located at Southern Illinois 
University Carbondale, also illustrate the consequences of student 
drinking. For example, in 2006, as a result of drinking in the year 
prior to the survey, more than 32 percent of students reported that 
they had gotten into an argument or fight; 27 percent drove a car while 
under the influence; approximately 30 percent missed a class; and 
almost 16 percent were hurt or injured. Given these statistics, there 
is a national need to identify exemplary, effective, and promising 
programs that reduce alcohol and other drug abuse among college 
students.
    Proposed Priority: Under this proposed priority the Department 
would provide funding to institutions of higher education (IHEs) that 
have implemented an exemplary, effective, or promising alcohol or other 
drug abuse prevention program on their campus. In its application, an 
applicant must:
    1. Describe the program that has for at least two full years been 
implemented on its campus, including the structure and content of the 
program, the student population that is targeted by the program, and 
any unique features of the program;
    2. Provide a detailed theoretical basis for the program's 
effectiveness;
    3. Provide data to demonstrate the program's impact on the target 
student population, including evidence of cognitive or behavioral 
changes, or both, among the target population; and
    4. Consent to a site visit to clarify information in the 
application and verify evaluation data.
    Under this program, the Department selects an institution of higher 
education for recognition as having an exemplary, effective, or 
promising program based on the recommendation from the two peer 
reviewers who conduct the site visit. Therefore, note that selection 
for a site visit does not ensure recognition as an exemplary, 
effective, or promising program by the Department.
    Recognition Types: Contingent upon the quality of data provided by 
the applicant and the recommendation of site visitors, an applicant may 
earn one of three levels of recognition.
    Level 1 is recognition as an exemplary program. An IHE whose 
program is designated as exemplary must:
    1. Within 30 days of receiving an award, provide to the Department 
a plan to disseminate information about its program to other IHEs;
    2. Upon approval by the Department, implement its dissemination 
plan; and
    3. Enhance and further evaluate the exemplary program during the 
project period of the grant award.
    Level 2 is recognition as an effective program. An IHE whose 
program is designated as effective must:
    1. Within 30 days of receiving an award, provide to the Department 
a plan to disseminate information about its program to other IHEs;
    2. Upon approval by the Department, implement its dissemination 
plan; and
    3. Enhance and further evaluate the effective program during the 
project period of the grant award.
    Level 3 is designation as a promising program. An IHE whose program 
is recognized as promising must:
    1. Within 30 days of receiving an award submit to the Department a 
plan to enhance and further evaluate its program;
    2. Upon approval by the Department, implement its enhancement and 
evaluation plan; and
    3. Within 12 months of award provide to the Department a report 
detailing the results of its evaluation.

Discussion of Proposed Definitions

Proposed Definitions
    Three important terms associated with this competition are not 
defined in section 4121 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. We propose 
the following definitions:

[[Page 73014]]

    1. Exemplary program means a program that has a strong theoretical 
base and demonstrated effectiveness in reducing alcohol or other drug 
abuse among college students or reducing problems resulting from 
alcohol or other drug use among college students, using a research 
design of the highest quality. For the purpose of this grant 
competition, a research design of the highest quality means an 
experimental design in which students are randomly assigned to 
participate in a project being evaluated (treatment group) or not 
participate in the project (control group). The effect of the project 
is the difference in outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
    If strong, experimentally determined evidence of the effectiveness 
of a program already exists, and the program was implemented on the 
applicant's campus with fidelity to the research, then a quasi-
experimental evaluation of the program's implementation on the 
applicant's campus may be an acceptable research design. For the 
purpose of this grant competition, quasi-experimental designs include 
several designs that attempt to approximate a random assignment design.
    2. Effective program means a program that has a strong theoretical 
base and has been evaluated using either an experimental or quasi-
experimental research design, with the evaluation results suggesting 
effectiveness in reducing alcohol or other drug abuse among college 
students, reducing problems resulting from alcohol or other drug use 
among college students, reducing risk factors, enhancing protective 
factors, or resulting in some combination of those impacts.
    3. Promising program means a program that has a strong theoretical 
base and for which evidence has been obtained, using limited research 
methods, that the program may reduce alcohol or other drug abuse among 
college students, reduce problems resulting from alcohol or other drug 
use among college students, reduce risk factors, enhance protective 
factors, or result in some combination of those impacts. For the 
purpose of this grant competition, limited research methods are methods 
that include a pre- and post-treatment measurement of the effects of a 
treatment on a single subject or group of single subjects.

Discussion of Proposed Requirements

Background
    Applicants from prior competitions under this grant program and 
former grantees under this grant program have suggested that we clarify 
or modify certain application requirements. These include: Eligible 
applicants, limitations on eligibility, and funding limits for 
applicants.
    We have carefully considered this input, and propose several new or 
modified program requirements. First, because the purpose of this grant 
program is to identify models of exemplary, effective, and promising 
alcohol or other drug abuse prevention programs on college campuses, we 
propose to limit the pool of eligible applicants to IHEs that offer an 
associate or baccalaureate degree, which is consistent with the 
eligibility restriction under the former Alcohol and Other Drug 
Prevention Models on College Campuses grant program.
    We also propose to establish a limitation on eligibility for IHEs 
that are recognized for having an exemplary or effective program. Under 
the former Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses 
Grant Competition published in the Federal Register on February 5, 2007 
(72 FR 5279), IHEs that received an award were ineligible to apply for 
another award for a period of five fiscal years. We believe that a 
five-year prohibition on eligibility may contribute to an unnecessary 
decrease in the number of quality applications submitted for funding 
consideration. Therefore, we propose to shorten or eliminate this 
prohibition, depending on the category of program.
    Finally, we propose to limit the amount of funds available to an 
applicant that is recognized as having an exemplary, effective, or 
promising program. We believe that the identified maximum amounts are 
sufficient to cover project-related expenses during the grant period.
    Accordingly we propose the following requirements:
Proposed Requirement 1: Eligible Applicants
    Only IHEs that offer an associate or baccalaureate degree will be 
eligible under this program.
Proposed Requirement 2: Limitations on Eligibility
    (a) Exemplary or effective programs. The length of time an IHE is 
ineligible for a subsequent award after receiving recognition for an 
exemplary or effective program is three years.
    (b) Promising programs. Programs recognized as promising may be 
eligible for a new award when their current grant is no longer active. 
A grant is considered active until the end of the grant's project or 
funding period, including any extensions of those periods that extend 
the grantee's authority to obligate funds. A project that fails to 
achieve exemplary or effective status after a second designation as a 
promising program may not reapply for three years after its second 
project period is no longer active.
Proposed Requirement 3: Funding Limits for Applicants
    The maximum amount an applicant may receive for a project 
recognized as an exemplary or effective program may be no more than 
$150,000 plus indirect costs, and a project recognized as a promising 
program may receive no more than $100,000 plus indirect costs.

Discussion of Proposed Selection Criteria

Background

    Since the original Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on 
College Campuses Grant Competition in FY 1999, six additional 
competitions have been held (FY 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 
2007). Our experience with administering these competitions, including 
feedback from peer reviewers, applicants, and funded grantees, 
demonstrates the need to use program-specific selection criteria to 
better identify applications for funding and recognition as an 
exemplary, effective, or promising program. We believe these 
refinements will contribute to our ongoing efforts to improve this 
grant program.

Proposed Selection Criteria

    We propose the following selection criteria for this program:
1. Significance
    (a) The potential contribution of the program to the development 
and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the field of 
study.
    (b) The quality of the applicant's plan to disseminate the program 
in ways that will enable others to use the information or strategies, 
including evidence of the program's readiness for replication.
2. Project Design
    (a) The extent to which the design of the program reflects up-to-
date knowledge from research and effective practices.
    (b) The extent to which the plan to enhance the program reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practices.
    (c) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the enhancement to the program are clearly specified and 
measurable.

[[Page 73015]]

3. Project Evaluation
    (a) The extent to which the evaluation data provide evidence of the 
effectiveness of the program in reducing alcohol or other drug use, or 
both, reducing problems resulting from alcohol or other drug use, or 
both, reducing risk factors, enhancing protective factors, or some 
combination of those impacts.
    (b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation used during the 
implementation of the program will provide guidance about effective 
strategies suitable for replication or testing in other settings.
    (c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation used during the 
enhancement of the program will provide performance feedback and permit 
periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice of proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and 
selection criteria has been reviewed in accordance with Executive Order 
12866. Under the terms of the order, we have assessed the potential 
costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
    The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed 
priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria are those 
resulting from statutory requirements and those we have determined as 
necessary for administering this program effectively and efficiently.
    In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative 
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priority, definitions, 
requirements, and selection criteria, we have determined that the 
benefits of the proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and 
selection criteria justify the costs.

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.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You can 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.
    You can also view this document in text at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpcollege/applicant.html.

    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: 84.184N Office of 
Safe and Drug-Free Schools--Models of Effective and Promising 
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College 
Campuses)

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

    Dated: December 19, 2007.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E7-24954 Filed 12-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P