Bilingual Education: Teachers and Personnel Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 1997)]

[Notices]

[Pages 68112-68133]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 97-33952]

[[Page 68111]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part IX

Department of Education

_______________________________________________________________________

Bilingual Education: Teachers and Personnel Grants; Notice Inviting

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998

Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 1997 /

Notices

[[Page 68112]]

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.195A]

Bilingual Education: Teachers and Personnel Grants; Notice

Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998

Note to Applicants

This notice is a complete application package. Together with the

statute authorizing the program and the applicable regulations

governing this program, including the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), this notice contains all of the

information, application forms, and instructions needed to apply for an

award under this program. The statutory authorization for this program,

and the application requirements that apply to this competition, are

set out in sections 7143 and 7146-7149 of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving America's Schools

Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-382, enacted October 20, 1994) (the Act) (20

U.S.C. 7473 and 7476-7479).

Purpose of Program

This program provides grants for preservice and inservice

professional development for bilingual education teachers,

administrators, pupil services personnel, and other educational

personnel who are either involved in, or preparing to be involved in,

the provision of educational services for children and youth of limited

English proficiency.

Eligible Applicants

(1) One or more institutions of higher education (IHEs) which have

entered into consortia arrangements with local educational agencies

(LEAs) or State educational agencies (SEAs), to achieve the purposes of

those sections. (2) SEAs and LEAs for inservice professional

development programs.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 23, 1998.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 23, 1998.

Available Funds: $4.9 million.

Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000-$250,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates

in this notice.

Project Period: 60 months.

Applicable Regulations

(a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations

(EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86.

(b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 299, General Provisions,

Elementary and Secondary Education Act, published on May 22, 1997, in

the Federal Register (62 FR 2827)

Description of Program

Funds under this program are to provide for preservice and

inservice professional development for bilingual education teachers and

other educational personnel. Activities will assist educational

personnel in meeting State and local certification requirements for

bilingual education and, wherever possible, will lead to the awarding

of college or university credit.

Priorities

Competitive Priority 1

The Secretary, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 299.3(b),

gives preference to applications that meet the following competitive

priority. The Secretary awards up to 3 points for an application that

meets this competitive priority. These points are in addition to any

points the application earns under the selection criteria for the

program:

Projects that will contribute to a systemic educational reform in

an Empowerment Zone, including a Supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an

Enterprise Community designated by the United States Department of

Housing and Urban Development or the United States Department of

Agriculture, and are made an integral part of the Zone's or Community's

comprehensive community revitalization strategies.

Note: A list of areas that have been designated as Empowerment

Zones and Enterprise Communities is provided at the end of this

notice.

Competitive Priority 2

Under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(2)(ii) and section 7143(b) of the Act, the

Secretary gives a competitive preference to applications that meet the

following priority:

Institutions of higher education, in consortia with local or State

educational agencies, that offer degree programs that prepare new

bilingual education teachers in order to increase the availability of

educators to provide high-quality education to limited English

proficient students.

The Secretary selects applications that meet this priority over

applications of comparable merit that do not meet the priority.

Invitational Priorities

The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet

one of the following invitational priorities in the next paragraphs.

However, an application that meets these invitational priorities

receives no competitive or absolute preference over other applications

(34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).

Applicants that propose to provide special support for new

bilingual teachers during their initial teaching years.

Applicants that propose to improve teacher preparation programs in

institutions of higher education to better prepare all teachers to meet

the needs of LEP students.

Selection Criteria

(a)(1) The Secretary uses the following selection criteria in 34

CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications for new grants under this

competition.

(2) The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points.

(3) The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in

parentheses.

(a) Need for project. (10 points) (1) The Secretary considers the

need for the proposed project. (2) In determining the need for the

proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the

proposed project.

(ii) 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 the

magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210 (a)(2)(i) and (v))

(b) Quality of the project design. (50 points) (1) The Secretary

considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed

project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be

achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.

(ii) 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.

(iii) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build

capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of

Federal financial assistance.

(iv) The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a

coherent,

[[Page 68113]]

sustained program of training in the field.

(v) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects

up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.

(vi) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated

with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community,

State, and Federal resources.

(vii) 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.

(viii) The extent to which fellowship recipients or other project

participants are to be selected on the basis of academic excellence.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(c)(2)(i), (ii), (v), (xii), (xiii), (xvi),

(xviii), and (xxiii))

(c) Quality of project services. (15 points) (1) The Secretary

considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed

project.

(2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by

the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and

sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for

eligible project participants who are members of groups that have

traditionally been under represented based on race, color, national

origin, gender, age, or disability.

(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the training or professional development

services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient

quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice

among the recipients of those services.

(ii) The extent to which the training or professional development

services to be provided by the proposed project are likely to alleviate

the personnel shortages that have been identified or are the focus of

the proposed project.

(iii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the

proposed project are focused on those with greatest need.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(d)(2) and (3)(v), (vi), and (xi))

(d) Quality of project personnel. (5 points) (1) The Secretary

considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed

project.

(2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary

considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for

employment from persons who are members of groups that have

traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national

origin, gender, age, or disability.

(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factor: The

qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key

project personnel.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(e)(2) and (3)(ii)

(e) Quality of the management plan. (5 points) (1) The Secretary

considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the

proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factor: 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.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(g)(2)(i))

(f) Quality of the project evaluation. (15 points) (1) The

Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of

the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for

examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.

(ii) 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.

(iii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide

performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward

achieving intended outcomes.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(h)(2)(iii), (iv), and (vi)).

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order

12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the

regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.

The objective of the Executive Order is to foster an

intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying

on State and local processes for State and local government

coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of

Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process

under Executive Order 12372. Applicants proposing to perform activities

in more than one State should immediately contact the Single Point of

Contact for each of those States and follow the procedure established

in each State under the Executive Order. If you want to know the name

and address of any State Single Point of Contact, see the list

published in the Federal Register on October 7, 1997 (62 FR 52448).

In States that have not established a process or chosen a program

for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit

comments directly to the Department.

Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a

State Single Point of Contact and any comments from State, areawide,

regional, and local entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the

date indicated in this notice to the following address: The Secretary,

E.O. 12372--CFDA #84.195A, U.S. Department of Education, Room 6213, 600

Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, D.C. 20202-0124.

Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as

applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be

hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on the date

indicated in this notice.

Please note that the above address is not the same address as the

one to which the applicant submits its completed application. Do not

send applications to the above address.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for a grant, the applicant

shall--

(1) Mail the original and three copies of the application on or

before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application

Control Center, Attention: (CFDA# 84.195A), Washington, D.C. 20202-4725

or

(2) Hand-deliver the original and three copies of the application

by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the deadline date to:

U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:

(CFDA# 84.195A), Room #3633, Regional Office Building #3, Third and D

Streets, SW., Washington, D.C.

(b) An applicant must show one of the following as proof of

mailing:

(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.

[[Page 68114]]

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.

(c) If an application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service,

the Secretary does 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.

Notes: (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a

dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should

check with its local post office.

(2) The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application

Receipt Acknowledgment to each applicant. If an applicant fails to

receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from

the date of mailing the application, the applicant should call the

U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202)

708-9495.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the envelope and--if not

provided by the Department--in Item 10 of the Application for

Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424) the CFDA number and suffix

letter, if any, of the competition under which the application is

being submitted.

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this notice is divided into three parts containing

the following forms and instructions, plus a statement regarding

estimated public reporting burden, a notice to applicants regarding

compliance with section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act, a

checklist for applicants, various assurances, certifications, and

required documentation. These parts and additional materials are

organized in the same manner that the submitted application should be

organized. The parts and additional materials are as follows:

Part I: Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 (Rev.

4-88)) and instructions.

Part II: Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED Form No.

524) and instructions.

Part III: Application Narrative.

Additional Materials:

a. Estimated Public Reporting Burden.

b. Group Application Certification.

c. Participant Data.

d. Project Documentation.

e. Program Assurances.

f. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B) and

instructions.

g. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and

Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED

80-0013) and instructions.

h. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and

Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014, 9/90)

and instructions.

Note: This form is intended for the use of grantees and should

not be transmitted to the Department

i. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL) (if

applicable) and instructions. The document has been marked to reflect

statutory changes. See the notice published by the Office of Management

and Budget in the Federal Register (61 FR 1413) on (January 19, 1996).

An applicant may submit information on a photostatic copy of the

application and budget forms, the assurances, and the certifications.

However, the application form, the assurances, and the certifications

must each have an original signature. All applicants must submit one

original signed application and three copies of the application. Please

mark each application as ``original'' or ``copy''. No grant may be

awarded unless a completed application has been received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ryan (202) 205-8842 or

Petraine Johnson (202) 205-8766 (for applicants located in Western

States); Mahal May (202) 205-8727 or Steve Van Pelt (202) 205-8732 (for

applicants located in Eastern States); and Carol Manitaras (202) 205-

9729 (for applicants located in Midwestern States), U.S. Department of

Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 5090, Switzer Building,

Washington, D.C. 20202-6510. Individuals who use a telecommunications

device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay

Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern

time, Monday through Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an

alternate format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer

diskette) on request to the contact persons listed in the preceding

paragraph. Please note, however, that the Department is not able to

reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the

notice.

Electronic Access to This Document

Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or

portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the

following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov//news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free at either of the preceding sites. If

you have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government

Printing Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.

Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an

electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511

or, toll free 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option

G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

Note: The official version of this document is the document

published in the Federal Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7473.

Dated: December 23, 1997.

Delia Pompa,

Director, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs.

Instructions For Estimated Public Reporting Burden

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a

valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this

information collection is OMB No. 1885-0528, Exp. Date: 4/30/98. The

time required to complete this information collection is estimated to

average 80 hours per response, including the time to review

instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed,

and complete and review the information collection. If you have any

comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions

for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education,

Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. If you have any comments or concerns

regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write

directly to: Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages

Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, D.C. 20202-6510.

The following forms and other items must be included in the

application:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424)

2. Group Application Certification (if applicable)

3. Budget Information (ED Form No. 524)

4. Itemized Budget for each year

5. Participant Data

6. Project Documentation

Section A--Copy of Transmittal Letter to SEA requesting SEA to

comment on application

Section B--Documentation of Empowerment Zone or Enterprise

Community--if applicable

7. Program Assurances

8. Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B)

[[Page 68115]]

9. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and

Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED

80-0013)

10. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility

and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014)

11. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)

12. Table of Contents

13. Application Narrative (not to exceed 30 pages including

abstract, see instructions below)

14. One original and three copies of the application for

transmittal to the Department's Application Control Center.

Mandatory Page Limits for the Application Narrative

The application narrative must not exceed the equivalent of 30

pages, using the following standards: (1) These pages must be double-

spaced and printed on one side only. (2) A legible font size and

adequate margins should be used. (3) The narrative must be paginated.

(4) The narrative portion of the application package, including

abstract, charts, graphs, tables, position descriptions, illustrations,

and appendices, must not exceed the 30-page limit. The narrative

section should begin with an abstract that includes a short description

of the population to be served by the project, project objectives,

planned project activities, and priorities addressed. The page limit

applies only to item 13 (not including the abstract) and not to the

other items in the checklist. Applications with a narrative section

that exceeds the page limit will not be considered for funding.

Application Narrative

The narrative should address fully all aspects of the selection

criteria in the order listed and should give detailed information

regarding each criterion. Do not simply paraphrase the criteria.

Provide position descriptions, not resumes.

Budget

Budget line items must support the goals and objectives of the

proposed project and be directly applicable to the program design and

all other project components.

Final Application Preparation

Use the above checklist to verify that all items are addressed.

Prepare one original with an original signature, and include three

additional copies. Do not use elaborate bindings or covers. The

application package must be mailed to the Application Control Center

(ACC) and postmarked by the deadline date of February 23, l998.

Submission of Application to State Educational Agency

Section 7146(a)(4) of the Act (Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994,

Pub. L. 103-382) requires all applicants except schools funded by the

Bureau of Indian Affairs to submit a copy of their application to their

State educational agency (SEA) for review and comment (20 U.S.C.

7476(a)(4)). Section 75.156 of the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) requires these applicants to submit

their application to the SEA on or before the deadline date for

submitting their application to the Department of Education. This

section of EDGAR also requires applicants to attach to their

application a copy of their letter that requests the SEA to comment on

the application (34 CFR 75.156).

Notice To All Applicants

Thank you for your interest in this program. The purpose of this

enclosure is to inform you about a new provision in the Department of

Education's General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) that applies to

applicants for new grant awards under Department programs. This

provision is Section 427 of GEPA, enacted as part of the Improving

America's Schools Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-382).

To Whom Does This Provision Apply?

Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for new discretionary grant

awards under this program. All applicants for new awards must include

information in their applications to address this new provision in

order to receive funding under this program.

What Does This Provision Require?

Section 427 requires each applicant for funds (other than an

individual person) to include in its application a description of the

steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to, and

participation in, its Federally-assisted program for students,

teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs.

This section allows applicants discretion in developing the

required description. The statute highlights six types of barriers that

can impede equitable access or participation that you may address:

gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age. Based on

local circumstances, you can determine whether these or other barriers

may prevent your students, teachers, etc. from equitable access or

participation. Your description need not be lengthy; you may provide a

clear and succinct description of how you plan to address those

barriers that are applicable to your circumstances. In addition, the

information may be provided in a single narrative, or, if appropriate,

may be discussed in connection with related topics in the application.

Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the requirements of civil

rights statutes, but rather to ensure that, in designing their

projects, applicants for Federal funds address equity concerns that may

affect the ability of certain potential beneficiaries to fully

participate in the project and to achieve high standards. Consistent

with program requirements and its approved application, an applicant

may use the Federal funds awarded to it to eliminate barriers it

identifies.

What Are Examples of How an Applicant Might Satisfy the Requirements of

This Provision?

The following examples may help illustrate how an applicant may

comply with Section 427.

(1) An applicant that proposes to carry out an adult literacy

project serving, among others, adults with limited English proficiency,

might describe in its application how it intends to distribute a

brochure about the proposed project to such potential participants in

their native language.

(2) An applicant that proposes to develop instructional materials

for classroom use might describe how it will make the materials

available on audio tape or in braille for students who are blind.

(3) An applicant that proposes to carry out a model science program

for secondary students and is concerned that girls may be less likely

than boys to enroll in the course, might indicate how it intends to

conduct ``outreach'' efforts to girls, to encourage their enrollment.

We recognize that many applicants may already be implementing

effective steps to ensure equity of access and participation in their

grant programs, and we appreciate your cooperation in responding to the

requirements of this provision.

Estimated Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a

valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this

information collection is 1801-0004 (Exp. 8/31/98).

[[Page 68116]]

The time required to complete this information collection is estimated

to vary from 1 to 3 hours per response, with an average of 1.5 hours,

including the time to review instructions, search existing data

resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review

the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the

accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this

form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC

20202-4651.

Empowerment Zones And Enterprise Communities

Empowerment Zones (Listed Alphabetically by State) *

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

* Denotes rural designee.

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

California: Los Angeles

California: Oakland

Georgia: Atlanta

Illinois: Chicago

Kentucky: Kentucky Highlands*

Maryland: Baltimore

Massachusetts: Boston

Michigan: Detroit

Mississippi: Mid Delta*

Missouri/Kansas: Kansas City, Kansas City

New York: Harlem, Bronx

Ohio: Cleveland

Pennsylvania/New Jersey: Philadelphia, Camden

Texas: Houston

Texas: Rio Grande Valley

Enterprise Community (EC)

Alabama: Birmingham

Alabama: Chambers County*

Alabama: Greene, Sumter Counties*

Arizona: Phoenix

Arizona: Arizona Border*

Arkansas: East Central*

Arkansas: Mississippi County*

California: L.A., Huntington Park

California: San Diego

California: San Francisco, Bayview, Hunter's Point

California: Watsonville*

Colorado: Denver

Connecticut: Bridgeport

Connecticut: New Haven

Delaware: Wilmington

District of Columbia: Washington

Florida: Jackson County*

Florida: Tampa

Florida: Miami, Dade County

Georgia: Albany

Georgia: Central Savannah*

Georgia: Crisp, Dooley Counties*

Illinois: East St. Louis

Illinois: Springfield

Indiana: Indianapolis

Iowa: Des Moines

Kentucky: Louisville

Louisiana: Northeast Delta*

Louisiana: Macon Ridge*

Louisiana: New Orleans

Louisiana: Ouachita Parish

Massachusetts: Lowell

Massachusetts: Springfield

Michigan: Five Cap*

Michigan: Flint

Michigan: Muskegon

Minnesota: Minneapolis

Minnesota: St. Paul

Mississippi: Jackson

Mississippi: North Delta*

Missouri: East Prairie*

Missouri: St. Louis

Nebraska: Omaha

Nevada: Clarke County, Las Vegas

New Hampshire: Manchester

New Jersey: Newark

New Mexico: Albuquerque

New Mexico: Moro, Rio Arriba, Taos Counties*

New York: Albany, Schenectady, Troy

New York: Buffalo

New York: Newburgh, Kingston

New York: Rochester

North Carolina: Charlotte

North Carolina: Halifax, Edgecombe, Wilson Counties*

North Carolina: Robeson County*

Ohio: Akron

Ohio: Columbus

Ohio: Grater Portsmouth *

Oklahoma: Choctaw, McCurtain Counties*

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City

Oregon: Josephine*

Oregon: Portland

Pennsylvania: Harrisburg

Pennsylvania: Lock Haven*

Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh

Rhode Island: Providence

South Dakota: Deadle, Spink Counties*

South Carolina: Charleston

South Carolina: Williamsburg County*

Tennessee: Fayette, Haywood Counties*

Tennessee: Memphis

Tennessee: Nashville

Tennessee/Kentucky: Scott, McCreary Counties*

Texas: Dallas

Texas: El Paso

Texas: San Antonio

Texas: Waco

Utah: Ogden

Vermont: Burlington

Virginia: Accomack*

Virginia: Norfolk

Virginia: Lower Yakima*

Washington: Seattle

Washington: Tacoma

West Virginia: West Central*

West Virginia: Huntington

West Virginia: McDowell*

Wisconsin: Milwaukee

Questions and Answers

Does the Teachers and Personnel Grants Program have specific evaluation

requirements?

Yes, the evaluation requirements are described in Section 7149 of

Title VII of ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 7479.

What priorities exist for the Teachers and Personnel Grants?

Fiscal Year 1998, the Department has announced an invitational

priority for applicants proposing to improve teacher preparation

programs in institutions of higher education to better prepare all

teachers to meet the needs of LEP students. In addition, the department

has announced an invitational priority for applicants which propose to

provide special support for new bilingual teachers during their initial

teaching years. The competitive priorities for this program are (1) for

institutions of higher education, in consortia with local or State

educational agencies, that offer degree programs that prepare new

bilingual education teachers in order to increase the availability of

educators to provide high-quality education to limited English

proficient students, and, (2) for programs that will contribute to

systemic educational reform in an Empowerment Zone, including a

Supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an Enterprise Community, and are made

an integral part of the Zone's or Community's comprehensive

revitalization strategies.

Applicants proposing to address invitational or competitive

priorities may include in their abstracts a brief description of their

plans to address the priorities.

What requirements must grantees meet related to teacher certification?

The Title VII statute requires grantees to assist educational

personnel in meeting State and local certification requirements. 20

U.S.C. 7477. However, because certification requirements vary among

States, applicants are given flexibility in designing activities that

lead to meeting State and local certification requirements.

What activities are authorized under Teachers and Personnel Grants?

Authorized activities are those which support the purpose of the

program: providing preservice and inservice professional development

for teachers and other educational personnel. Such activities may

include, but are not limited to, the development of program curricula;

collaboration with local school districts in designing new teacher

training activities; reforming

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and improving teacher training programs to reflect high standards of

professionalism. Institutions of higher education, applying in

consortia arrangements with one or more local educational agencies or

State educational agencies are eligible to submit applications

proposing preservice and inservice programs. This means the institution

of higher education would be the lead agency and the fiscal agent for

the grant. State and local educational agencies may submit applications

and act as fiscal agents and lead agencies for projects that propose to

carry out inservice--but not preservice--professional development.

May program budgets include costs for items other than student tuition

and fees?

Project budgets should reflect the proposed program activities. In

addition to student support costs, budget items may include costs for

personnel, supplies or equipment, and other reasonable and necessary

costs to support developmental activities.

What information may be helpful in preparing the application narrative

for a Teachers and Personnel Grant?

In responding to the selection criteria applicants may wish to

consider the following questions as a guide for preparing application

narrative.

What are the specific responsibilities of districts,

schools, institutions of higher education and other partnership

organizations in planning, implementing and evaluating the proposed

program? How is the program linked to the school district's or school's

overall professional development plan? What resources and support will

each of the consortia members provide? How will resources be integrated

to ensure maximum effectiveness of the program and to promote capacity

building and long-range collaboration?

How does the training curricula reflect high standards for

pedagogy, content, and proficiency in English and a second language to

ensure that participants are effectively prepared to provide

instruction and support to LEP students?

How will the program assist in systemically reforming

policies and practices in the target schools and in the IHE related to

the preparation of new teachers, the induction of new bilingual

teachers, clinical experiences for new bilingual teachers and other

educational personnel, and professional development opportunities for

all teachers?

What special selection criteria will the applicant adopt

to ensure that individuals selected to participate in the program hold

promise for successfully completing program requirements? What special

support will be provided to new bilingual teachers by experienced

bilingual teachers, higher education faculty, and school administrators

to guide them during their period of induction or their period of

training?

How will the instructional responsibilities of new

teachers be balanced with appropriate professional development, support

and planning time?

How will clinical experiences for preservice participants

be structured to ensure that they are well-supervised, of sufficient

duration and in a setting which provides opportunities for participants

to experience a variety of effective bilingual education instructional

methods and approaches?

How is the training curriculum based on current research

related to effective teaching and learning? What evidence of

effectiveness supports the training model?

What performance indicators will the proposed program use

to support the effectiveness of the program related to, for example:

Improved teaching practices; participants' effectiveness in the

instructional setting; improved performance on National or State

benchmark tests; reduction in the number of new bilingual teachers

leaving the profession; improvement of graduation rates?

How will the program evaluation incorporate strategies for

assessing the progress and performance of participants; communicating

meaningful, regular and timely feedback to participants; improving the

quality of the training program; documenting and identifying exemplary

program features and successful strategies; and reporting on specific

data related to the number of participants completing the program and

the number of graduates placed in the instructional setting?

How will the proposed program improve course curricula and

the skills and knowledge of higher education faculty to better prepare

ALL teachers in content and pedagogy related to the needs of LEP

students?

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[FR Doc. 97-33952 Filed 12-24-97; 8:58 am]

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