[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24404-24408]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09867]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Application for New Awards; National Research Center for the 
Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information

National Research Center for the Education of Gifted and Talented 
Children and Youth

    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2014.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.305C.

DATES: 
    Request for Applications Available: April 28, 2014.
    Applications Available: May 29, 2014.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 29, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2014.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the National Research Center for 
the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth is to conduct 
research on improving academic outcomes for underserved students with

[[Page 24405]]

high academic potential. These students (often low-income students, 
racial/ethnic minority students, English learners, students living in 
small towns or rural communities, and/or students with disabilities) 
are disproportionally underrepresented in programs for students with 
high academic potential in the United States. In its first two years, 
the Center will focus on studying the implementation of at least two or 
three academic programs established to serve these students and the 
ways in which students are identified, selected into, and participate 
in these academic programs. The Center will explore how these academic 
programs and their selection procedures relate to student academic 
outcomes (i.e., achievement in the core academic content areas). Also, 
in the second year, the Center will submit an impact evaluation plan to 
the Institute describing the programs and procedures to be evaluated 
from among those identified as promising during the Center's first two 
years, the evaluation designs to be used, and evidence of a willingness 
to collaborate in the evaluation by state and local education agencies.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Years of the Project

    If the evaluation plan is accepted, the Center will use the third 
to fifth years to evaluate the impact of programs and procedures, 
identified as promising by the exploratory research, on student 
academic outcomes. In deciding whether to continue funding the project 
for the third, fourth, and fifth years, the Director will consider:
    (a) The recommendation of a scientific peer review team that the 
Center's proposed impact evaluation plan be accepted by the Institute, 
and
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all existing 
requirements of the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are 
being met by the Center.

    Program Authority:  20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 77, 80, 81, 82, 
84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department debarment and 
suspension regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The EDGAR regulations in 
34 CFR part 75, except for 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 
75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217(a)-
(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1 million.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes an 
annual budget exceeding $1 million in any of the 5 potential years of 
the project period.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months based on performance and up to an 
additional 36 months based on performance and review of a follow-up 
evaluation plan.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Applicants that have the ability and 
capacity to conduct scientifically valid research are eligible to 
apply. Institutions of higher education and state education agencies 
that meet these criteria may apply individually, jointly, or in 
combination with any other organizations. Other public or private (non-
profit or for-profit) organizations may apply only in combination with 
at least one institution of higher education or at least one state 
education agency.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Request for Applications (RFA) and Other Information: 
Information regarding program and application requirements for the 
competition will be contained in the NCER RFA, which will be available 
on or before April 28, 2014, at the following Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/.
    The application package for this competition will be available on 
May 29, 2014.
    The selection criteria, requirements concerning the content of an 
application, and review procedures for the competition are contained in 
the RFA.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application are in the RFA for the 
specific competition. The forms that must be submitted are in the 
application package for the specific competition.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Request for Applications Available: April 28, 2014.
    Applications Available: May 29, 2014.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 29, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2014.
    The application package for this competition may be obtained from 
the Grants.gov Apply (www.Grants.gov) site and applications must be 
submitted electronically to that site. For information about how to 
submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or 
hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic 
submission requirement, please refer to section V. part 1.
    Electronic Submission of Applications in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline and electronic submission requirements in this notice.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VIII 
of this notice and the chart at the end of this notice. If the 
Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual 
with a disability in connection with the application process, the 
individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and 
limitations in this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the 
Department of Education, you must--
    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award 
Management (SAM)--the Government's primary registrant database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information 
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you 
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 
can be created within one-to-two business days.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or 
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. 
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal 
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a 
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.

[[Page 24406]]

    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by 
an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal 
financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, 
please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number 
and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note:  Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to 
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in 
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through 
Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make 
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with 
your DUNS number is correct. Also, note that you will need to update 
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at SAM.gov. To further assist 
you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or 
updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip 
Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, 
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with 
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the 
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

V. Other Submission Requirements

    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement 
in accordance with the instructions in this section.

1. Electronic Submission of Applications

    Applications for grants under the Education Research and 
Development Centers competition, CFDA Number 84.305C must be submitted 
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at 
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 email an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Education 
Research and Development Centers competition at www.Grants.gov. You 
must search for the downloadable application package for this 
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha 
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.305, not 84.305C).
    Please note the following:
     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 date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your 
application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does 
not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting 
your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system after 4:30:00 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 submission 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 competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5 
system home page at www.G5.gov.
     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 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 Research & Related (R&R)) 
and the other R&R forms including, Project Performance Site Locations, 
Other Project Information, Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded), 
Research and Related Budget (Total Federal and Non-Federal), and all 
necessary assurances and certifications.
     You must upload any narrative sections and all other 
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) 
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not attempt to attach and upload 
an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other 
than a read-only, non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected 
file, your application will be rejected with errors by Grants.gov and 
we will not review that material.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by email. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application 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 Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, you can email the Grants.gov 
Support Desk at [email protected] or call for support at toll-free at 
1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number 
and must keep a record of it.
    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 4:30:00 p.m.,

[[Page 24407]]

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 
described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VIII of this 
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number. 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 4:30:00 
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:  The extensions to which we refer 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 fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov 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 Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov 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: Ellie Pelaez, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW., Room 602e, 
Washington, DC 20208. FAX: (202) 219-1466.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

2. 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 following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number: 84.305C), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    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.
    (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.
    (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.

3. 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: 84.305C), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260. The Application Control Center 
accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 10 of the SF 424 (R&R) the CFDA number, 
including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you 
are submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification 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.

VI. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are provided in the RFA. Note, IES programs are exempt from rulemaking 
requirements, pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 9581.
    2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past 
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as 
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and 
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider 
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or 
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary 
may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is 
not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; 
has a financial or other management system that does not meet the 
standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not fulfilled 
the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

VII. 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

[[Page 24408]]

(GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an 
electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, also.
    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. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget to attend an 
annual three-day meeting for project directors to be held in 
Washington, DC, a two-day November 2014 meeting of grantees under the 
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education program to be 
held in either Baltimore or Washington, DC, and a one-day meeting in 
Washington, DC, in the second year of the grant to discuss the 
evaluation plan for the last three years of the project.
    4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under one of the 
competitions announced in this notice, you must ensure that you have in 
place the necessary processes and systems to comply with the reporting 
requirements in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive funding under the 
competition. This does not apply if you have an exception under 2 CFR 
170.110(b).
    (b) 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 directed by the Secretary under 34 
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    5. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its 
education research grant program, the Institute annually assesses the 
number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in 
improving student outcomes including school readiness, academic 
outcomes (reading, writing, mathematics, and science), high school 
graduation and dropout, postsecondary enrollment and completion, and in 
enhancing teacher characteristics that have been shown to have a 
positive effect on student outcomes.
    The data for these annual measures are based on What Works 
Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews of initial findings on interventions from 
Institute research grants, such as findings that will have been 
presented as papers at a convention or working papers provided to the 
Institute by its grantees. The WWC reviews these reports and rates them 
using the WWC published standards to determine whether the evidence 
from these research grants meets evidence standards of the WWC and 
demonstrates a statistically significant positive effect in improving 
the relevant outcome.
    6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award, the 
Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the extent to which a 
grantee has made ``substantial progress toward meeting the objectives 
in its approved application.'' This consideration includes the review 
of a grantee's progress in meeting the targets and projected outcomes 
in its approved application, and whether the grantee has expended funds 
in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and 
budget. In making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers 
whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in 
its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil 
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities 
receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

VIII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dr. Wai-Ying Chow at [email protected] or Dr. Corinne Alfeld at [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-
877-8339.

IX. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the RFA in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 
large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the appropriate 
program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 
section VIII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: April 25, 2014.
John Q. Easton,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2014-09867 Filed 4-29-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P