Archived Information

**U.S. Department of Education**

#  Office of Educational Research and Improvement

**Washington, DC 20208**

**Application for the Field-Initiated Studies**

**Educational Research Grant Program**

**Supported by the National Research Institutes**

**CFDA Number 84.305T**

**Application [Receipt]{.underline} Date**

**March 26, 1999**

**Approved OMB Number 1850-0601**

**Expiration Date: 3/31/2000**

**Paperwork Burden Statement**

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are
required to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control
number for this information collection is 1850-0601. The time required
to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 hours
per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing
data sources, gather 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. **If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of
your individual submission of this form, write directly to:** Margo
Anderson, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Ave., NW,
Washington, DC 20208-5530.

#### Table of Contents

Dear Colleague Letter

National Research Institutes: Mission Statements

Selection Criteria

Who can apply for a Field-Initiated Studies Research Grant?

What are the size and duration of awards?

What are the applicable regulations?

How to Apply

Instructions for Completing the Title Page Form

Instructions for Completing the Budget Summary Form

Required Forms

Title Page Form

Protection of Human Subjects in Research (Attachment to Title Page Form)

Budget Summary Form

Assurances and Certifications

Submission of Applications

Contacts for the Field-Initiated Studies Program

Things to Check before You Mail Your Application

Important Notice to Prospective Participants in U.S. Department of
Education

Grant and Contract Programs

**UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY

FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY

Dear Colleague:

We are very pleased to announce the Field-Initiated Studies (FIS)
competition for 1999. The Field-Initiated Studies Education Research
Grant Program supports research proposals that come from researchers and
practitioners in universities, schools, and other institutions around
the country, reflecting their sense of what is important and
constructive to study. For 1999, approximately \$8 million is available
for these research grants.

This competition, always important to the education research community,
comes at a unique moment in American education. For much of this
century, schools have been asked to turn out a "normal distribution" of
achievement in their graduates, where only a relatively small proportion
reach truly high levels of performance. Our economy seemed to
accommodate a distribution of achievement where only a relatively small
proportion reached truly high levels of performance. Colleges got the
students they wanted. Employers could find workers across this
distribution of achievement as well. However, as this century comes to a
close, we are starting to realize that this system no longer fits our
needs. Both as a matter of equity and as a matter of economic and social
necessity, we need a system that pays more attention to the absolute
level of learning of each student and creates learning opportunities
over that person's lifetime.

In effect, two fundamental challenges face American education today:
raising overall achievement levels and making opportunities for
achievement more equitable. This is, perhaps, the first time in our
history that our prospects for general economic and social well being
have been so tightly linked to the skills and abilities of the
population.

In confronting these challenges, we must embrace new and remarkable
diversity in students, by age, gender, language, income, race, and
circumstance. Schools, and to a growing degree colleges and
universities, understand this and are under considerable pressure to
improve the quality of teaching and to demonstrate their effectiveness
in contributing to student learning and success. But we have not yet
fully faced how much we need to learn about how to help students reach
levels of understanding and ability to apply their knowledge that only a
few reached in the past. We will need to work harder and smarter if we
are to realize this goal because it suggests dramatic changes in
education policy and practice. There is no reason to believe that our
schools, colleges, and universities will be improved or reformed in the
ways required absent a deliberate, focused, and sustained research,
development, and capacity building effort.

We think this context speaks volumes about the importance of the FIS
competition, particularly when you consider that the FIS is a long-term
research initiative. What the nation needs are research efforts that
build on what we currently know and that are more cumulative in nature.
In no other way can we support the massive redesign effort that is
required if our education system is to realize quality and equity as a
single outcome. Given the purpose of the FIS \-- to encourage and
support ideas about new research from the field \-- it would not be
appropriate for OERI to specify the kinds of work it expects to be
proposed. Yet to place the competition in the context of the major
challenges we face is both appropriate and necessary. There is plenty of
work to be done. We need deeper understandings of how children learn to
read and compute. As new understanding of the development of subject
matter knowledge and skill is worked out, ways have to be found to
communicate this knowledge to teachers and the teachers of teachers. We
need to understand a great deal more about the role that new
technologies play, both as instructional resources and as tools in
assessment, administration, and management. There are, of course,
significant questions to be addressed related to how to organize, fund,
and govern schools and school systems to leverage this knowledge on
behalf of the vast majority of children.

In this regard, it is important to note that OERI's work unfolds in the
midst of a strong orientation toward results. Policy makers and
practitioners in and outside Washington, D.C., want solutions to
practical problems. There is growing frustration with research that does
not readily inform our understanding of a number of enduring problems of
practice. This frustration, it is important to add, fuels a continuing
debate about relevance and rigor of research in education, and the FIS
is necessarily caught up in this discourse.

My colleagues in the research institutes, the members of the National
Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board, and I all believe the
FIS is an essential component of OERI's complement of research,
development, and dissemination authorities. We have given considerable
attention this year to ways of improving the quality of submissions to
the FIS as well as to the process by which prospective research projects
are reviewed and funded. As you consider whether and how to respond to
this research announcement, let me offer the following:

-   We have been careful not to specify or predetermine a maximum grant
    size.

-   We will be open to proposals that focus on issues that span the
    themes of the institutes, particularly given that some of the most
    enduring questions do not fall neatly or uniquely into a single
    substantive domain.

-   We are also interested in investigations aimed at building new
    theories or testing and applying new methodologies. Indeed, we hope
    we can encourage greater attention to the theoretical perspectives
    associated with the proposed research. This is one useful way of
    balancing the need for solving problems with the need to advance our
    understanding of things that are not immediately useful to decision
    makers and opinion leaders.

-   We are hopeful that some of the proposed research efforts will
    include new collaborations and partnerships with the field, both to
    broaden the perspectives brought to bear on the research and to
    increase the odds that the knowledge gleaned from these research
    activities is valued and used.

-   Collaborations across disciplines are also encouraged, as we believe
    these interactions will pay dividends in terms of the contributions
    different research traditions and theoretical perspectives can make
    to investigation of specific questions.

-   New technologies and the world-wide web dramatically increase our
    capacity to collect, analyze, and share data. The prospects for
    developing and using very robust, distributed databases are great.
    We encourage the consideration of a wide range of data, as a great
    deal of it is now available at the state and local levels, given the
    enhanced capacity to collect such information and the relatively
    greater interest at these levels in data as a resource for program
    implementation. We sincerely hope that proposers will take maximum
    advantage of the power that new information and computer
    technologies offer as tools for research.

On behalf of the staff and the Board, let me extend in advance our
thanks for your thoughtful responses to this research announcement. We
are all optimistic that this will prove to be our strongest
field-initiated studies competition ever.

Sincerely,

C. Kent McGuire

##### National Research Institutes: Mission Statements

**National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and
Assessment**

The mission of the **National Institute on Student Achievement,
Curriculum, and Assessment** is to support research, development, and
evaluation activities to provide research-based leadership for improving
student achievement. The Institute supports work to identify, develop,
and evaluate innovative and exemplary methods to improve student
achievement at the kindergarten through grade 12 level. The Institute
also supports basic and applied research in the areas of cognition,
learning, and student achievement, including research on the educational
contexts that promote excellence in teaching and learning, and research
and development in the core content areas.

.

**National Institute for the Education of At-Risk Students**

The mission of the **National Institute for the Education of At-Risk
Students** is to expand research-based knowledge and strategies that
will promote excellence and equity in the education of children and
youth placed at risk of educational failure. The Institute supports
applied and basic research at the K12 level in key areas such as
teaching and learning in core academic areas, school and classroom
organization, student motivation, professional development, student
assessment, and coordinated school, family, and community approaches to
achieving the educational success of students placed at risk. The term
\"at-risk\" means a student who, because of limited English proficiency,
poverty, race, geographic location, or economic disadvantage, faces a
greater risk of low educational achievement or reduced academic
expectations.

National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education

The mission of the **National Institute on Early Childhood Development
and Education** is to identify, develop, and evaluate and assist others
to replicate methods and approaches that improve early childhood
development and education. The Institute is to carry out a program of
research and development for young children in areas such as social and
emotional development; topics relating to school readiness, including
prenatal care, health services, and nutrition; emergent and family
literacy; the role of parental involvement in their children\'s
learning; effective learning methods and curriculum for young children;
methods for integrating learning in settings other than the classroom;
the impact of outside influences, such as television, violence, and drug
abuse; and instruction that considers the cultural environment of
children.

**National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking,
and Management**

The mission of the **National Institute on Educational Governance,
Finance, Policymaking, and Management** is to develop and disseminate
research-based information that helps guide the design and
implementation of governance arrangements, finance systems, policy
approaches, and management strategies that will support high levels of
learning by all students. By law, the Institute supports work which
promises to improve education equity and excellence at the state, local,
tribal, school building and classroom levels of elementary and secondary
education in the United States.

**National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and**

**Lifelong Learning**

The mission of the **National Institute on Postsecondary Education,
Libraries, and Lifelong Learning** is to carry out a program of research
and development to help improve post-compulsory learning in all settings
(including postsecondary institutions, work-based and community-based
institutions) as well as in virtual settings. The research may focus on
such topics as methods of assessing and evaluating individual program
and institutional performance; uses and applications of new technologies
to improve program effectiveness and enhance student learning;
opportunities for adults to continue their education in the context of
lifelong learning and information-finding skills; and effective teaching
for the preparation and continuing education of teachers.

**Selection Criteria**

The following criteria are used to evaluate each proposal. Each
criterion is weighted equally.

(1) **The National Significance**.

> In determining the national significance of the proposed project, the
> Secretary considers the following factors:

-   The importance of the problem or issue to be addressed.

-   The potential contribution of the project to increased knowledge or
    understanding of educational problems, issues, or effective
    strategies.

    **(2) The Quality of the Project Design.**

    In determining the quality of the proposed project design, the
    Secretary considers the following factors:

-   Whether a specific research design has been proposed, and the
    quality and appropriateness of that design, including the scientific
    rigor of the studies involved.

-   The extent to which the research design includes a thorough,
    high-quality review of the relevant literature, a high-quality plan
    for research activities, and the use of appropriate theoretical and
    methodological tools, including those of a variety of disciplines,
    where appropriate.

(3) **The Quality and Potential Contributions of Personnel.**

> In determining the quality and potential contribution of the proposed
> personnel, the Secretary considers the following factors:

-   The qualifications, including training and experience of:

    a\) the project director;

    b\) key project personnel; and

    c\) any proposed consultants or subcontractors

####### Who Can Apply for a Field-Initiated Studies {#who-can-apply-for-a-field-initiated-studies .unnumbered}

####### Research Grant? {#research-grant .unnumbered}

Eligible applicants are: institutions of higher education; state and
local education agencies; public and private organizations,
institutions, and agencies; and individuals.

The Secretary encourages collaboration in the conduct of research. For
example, major research universities and institutions may collaborate
with historically underrepresented institutions, such as Historically
Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and
Tribal Colleges and Universities.

######  {#section .unnumbered}

###### **What are the size and duration of awards?** {#what-are-the-size-and-duration-of-awards .unnumbered}

The project period of the grant may be from one to three years. In the
past, the total amount of the grant for the entire project period has
ranged from \$450,000 to \$1,000,000. The length of projects and the
size of awards will be commensurate with the nature and scope of the
work proposed.

####### What are the applicable regulations? {#what-are-the-applicable-regulations .unnumbered}

The following regulations apply: (1) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 78, 80,
81, 82, 84 and 86, and (2) 34 CRF 700. (Note: Part 86 applies only to
Institutions of Higher Education.)

**How to Apply**

***Application Receipt Date in 1999:***

### March 26 {#march-26 .unnumbered}

Applications submitted under the Field-Initiated Studies Educational
Research Grant Program will compete under one general competition. When
the peer review process is completed, and grants are awarded, each grant
will be assigned to and monitored by one of the five National Research
Institutes.

Applicants should carefully review all the instructions in this
application and the selection criteria. **Applications are evaluated
solely on the basis of these criteria.** Experience shows that
high-scoring applications propose a strong research project of national
significance and that the applications themselves address each selection
criterion fully.

Strong applications make a reasoned and compelling case for the national
significance of the problem or issues that will be the subject of the
proposed research. The design of the work to be carried out is complete
and clearly delineated, incorporating sound research methods and
appropriate statistical techniques. The personnel descriptions included
in the application make apparent that the project director, principal
investigator and other key personnel possess training and experience
commensurate with their duties. The requested budget is also clearly
delineated and justified in terms of the proposed activities, and key
personnel's time commitment to the project.

## Application Format and Length {#application-format-and-length .unnumbered}

All applications must include: title page form, narrative, vitae for
principal investigators and other key personnel, GEPA 427 statement,
budget summary form, and budget narrative**.** ***Applicants must
include this information in order to receive funding under the FIS
program.***

Applicants may provide other relevant information, including pertinent
exhibits, but each application must be a self-contained document. **Only
the materials included in the application at the time of submission will
be sent to the review panel**.

**The application narrative must not exceed a total of 20 double-spaced
pages, with printing on only one side of the paper, on 8 1/2 x 11-inch
paper.** All pages in excess of the 20-page narrative maximum will be
removed unread and returned to the applicant.

**We strongly encourage applicants to use a 12 point or larger size
font, and one-inch margins.** We have found that reviewers are able to
conduct the highest quality review when applications are concise and
easy to read, with pages consecutively numbered.

**The application should not be bound or enclosed in a folder.** The
preferred method is to clip or staple the application. All sections of
the application and all appendices or attachments must be suitable for
photocopying in order to be included in the materials given to the
reviewers.

**Content of Each Section of the Application**

All applications for research grants must include:

• **Title Page Form**

Use the attached title page form as the cover for each copy of your
application. Follow the instructions for completing the form included in
this application package. Be sure to include an abstract of your
proposed research project in the space provided. If your application is
funded, this abstract may be sent to your congressional representatives
as a description of your project. It may also be the basis of a public
announcement about the grant awards.

**Be sure that the certifying representative of your institution signs
this Title Page Form**.

• **Narrative**

A narrative (not to exceed 20 double-spaced pages) that addresses the
following:

\- The research question and its significance;

\- A brief review of the pertinent literature that provides a rationale
for what is proposed;

\- Description of the methodology and analytical techniques; and

\- Importance of findings.

• **Personnel**

Be sure to include vitae of principal investigator(s) and other key
personnel. Provide descriptions of relevant qualifications of proposed
personnel commensurate with project responsibilities.

• **GEPA 427**

Provide a brief description separate from the narrative.

Section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) requires
applicants to include in their proposal a succinct 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. GEPA 427 highlights
six types of barriers that can impede equitable access or participation:
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, and other program beneficiaries from
such access or participation.

Your description need not be lengthy. However, you must identify
barriers to access or participation and provide a clear and succinct
description of how you plan to address those barriers that are
applicable to your circumstances. This information should be provided in
a statement separate from the research narrative.

GEPA 427 is not intended to duplicate the requirements of the 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. An applicant may use the federal
funds awarded to it to eliminate barriers it identifies.

• **Budget and Budget Narrative**

A complete budget for each year of the project must be included (use the
attached Budget Summary form or a suitable facsimile). Projects may be
funded for 1-3 years.

Each 12-month budget should be clearly delineated and justified in terms
of the proposed activities. A separate budget narrative must be provided
to justify each line item in the completed Budget Summary form. Please
include key personnel's time commitment to the project.

NOTE: Successful applicants may be asked to provide more detailed budget
information.

####### Number of Copies {#number-of-copies .unnumbered}

All applicants are *required* to submit one (1) signed original and two
(2) copies of the application. Applicants are *requested* to submit five
(5) additional copies of the entire application. The reviewers will use
these copies. Each copy of the application must include a Title Page
Form.

**Instructions for Completing**

**Title Page Form**

Do not forget to have the Title Page Form signed by the authorized
representative.

**ITEM 1. D-U-N-S NUMBER**: Enter the applicant\'s D-U-N-S number. If
your organization does not have a D-U-N-S Number, you can obtain the
number by calling 1-800-333-0505 or by completing a D-U-N-S Number
Request Form. The form can be obtained via the Internet at the following
URL: **http://www.dnd.com/dbis/aboutb/intlduns.htm**

**ITEM 2. LEGAL APPLICANT:** Enter the name and complete mailing address
of the organization, agency, or individual that will serve as the legal
applicant. When more than one organization or agency is involved, enter
the name of the one which will be responsible for budget control. NOTE:
Acknowledgments of grant awards are sent to this address. Remember to
complete this section fully.

**ITEM 3. PROJECT DIRECTOR:** Enter the name and complete mailing
address of the Project Director or Co-Directors. If no one has been
selected, so indicate and enter the name of the person who can be
contacted to discuss the programmatic aspects of the project. NOTE: The
name and address listed here will be used to mail notifications of
application status. Do not forget to include the telephone number. Both
this address and the Legal Applicant address should be detailed.
Remember to complete this section fully.

**ITEM 4. FEDERAL FUNDS REQUESTED:** Enter the amount of federal funds
being requested in each year of the project. Under \"TOTAL\" enter the
cumulative amount requested for the duration of the project.

**ITEM 5. DURATION OF THE PROJECT:** Enter appropriate starting and
ending dates.

**ITEM 6. APPLICATION TITLE:** Self-explanatory.

**ITEM 7. BRIEF ABSTRACT OF APPLICATION:** Keep concise and substantive.

**ITEM 8. Human Subjects.** Check "Yes" **[or]{.underline}** "No". If
research activities involving human subjects are **[not]{.underline}
planned [at any time]{.underline}** during the proposed project, check
**\"No.\"** **The remaining parts of item 8 are then not applicable**.

If research activities involving human subjects, whether or not exempt
from Federal regulations for the protection of human subjects,
**[are]{.underline}** planned **[at any time]{.underline}** during the
proposed project period, either at the applicant organization or at any
other performance site or collaborating institution, check **\"Yes.\"**
If **[all]{.underline}** the research activities are designated to be
exempt under the regulations, enter, in item 8a, the exemption number(s)
corresponding to one or more of the six exemption categories listed in
**\"PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH\"** attached to this form.
Provide sufficient information in the application to allow a
determination that the designated exemptions in item 8a, are
appropriate. **Provide this narrative information in an "Item
8/Protection of Human Subjects Attachment" and insert this attachment
immediately following the Title Page Form. Skip the remaining parts of
item 8**.

If **[some or all]{.underline}** of the planned research activities
involving human subjects are covered (not exempt), skip item 8a and
continue with the remaining parts of item 8 as noted below. In addition,
follow the instructions in **\"PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS IN
RESEARCH\"** attached to this form to prepare the six-point narrative
about the nonexempt activities. **Provide this six-point narrative in an
"item 8/Protection of Human Subjects Attachment" and insert this
attachment immediately following the Title Page Form.**

**If the applicant organization has an approved Multiple Project
Assurance of Complianc**e on file with the Grants Policy and Oversight
Staff (GPOS), U.S. Department of Education, or with the Office for
Protection from Research Risks (OPRR), National Institutes of Health,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that covers the specific
activity, enter the Assurance number in item 8b and the date of approval
by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the proposed activities in
item 8c. This date must be no earlier than one year before the receipt
date for which the application is submitted and must include the four
(4) digit year (e.g., 2000). Check the type of IRB review in the
appropriate box. An IRB may use an expedited review procedure if it
complies with the requirements of 34 CFR 97.110. If the IRB review is
delayed beyond the submission of the application, enter **\"Pending\"**
in item 8c. If your application is recommended/selected for funding, a
follow-up certification of IRB approval from an official signing for the
applicant organization must be sent to and received by the designated ED
official within 30 days of a specific formal request from the designated
ED official. **If the applicant organization does not have** on file
with GPOS or OPRR **an approved Assurance of Compliance** that covers
the proposed research activities, enter "**None**" in item 8b and skip
8c. In this case, the applicant organization, by the signature on the
application, is declaring that it will comply with 34 CFR 97 within 30
days of a specific formal request from the designated ED official for
the Assurance(s) and IRB certifications.

**ITEM 9. CERTIFICATION BY AUTHORIZING OFFICIAL:** Enter the name,
title, and telephone number of the official who has the authority both
to commit the legal applicant to accept federal funding and to execute
the proposed project. Submit the original ink-signed copy of the
authorizing official\'s signature.

**Instructions for Completing**

**Budget Summary Form**

A. **Direct Costs**

1\. Salaries (professional & clerical): Show salaries and wages to be
paid to personnel employed in the project. Fees and expenses for
consultants must be included in item A.6.

2\. Employee Benefits: Include contributions for Social Security,
employee insurance, pension plans, and the like. Leave blank if fringe
benefits applicable to direct salaries and wages are treated as part of
the indirect cost rate.

3\. Employee Travel: Indicate the amount requested for travel of
employees. **Please include round-trip travel to Washington, DC for a
project director\'s meeting each year.**

4\. Equipment (purchase): Indicate the cost of non-expendable personal
property which has a useful life of more than 2 years. Provide per unit
costs in the budget narrative.

5\. Materials and Supplies: Include the cost of consumable supplies and
materials to be used in the project.

6\. Consultants and Contracts: Show the amount to be used for---

\(a\) subgrants or payments for consultants and secondary recipient
organizations such as affiliates and cooperating institutions; and

\(b\) procurement contracts (except those which are included on the
lines for supplies and for equipment).

7\. Other (equipment rental, printing, etc.): Indicate all other direct
costs not covered in lines 1 through 6.

8\. Total Direct Costs: Show totals for lines 1 through 7.

**B. Indirect Costs:** Indicate the amount of indirect costs to be
charged to the program or project. Explain the indirect cost rate and
base in the budget narrative.

**C. Total:** Add lines A8 and B.

**Please note that these items should be completed for each year of the
budget request.**

**Required Forms**

The following forms are not included in this application. They are in a
separate attachment and are available at:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/FIS/fisapps.html

-   Title Page Form

-   Protection of Human Subjects in Research (Attachment to Title Page
    Form)

-   Budget Summary Form

######## Assurances and Certifications {#assurances-and-certifications .unnumbered}

Applicants selected for funding will be required to submit the following
**before** a grant is issued:

• A signed Form ED 80-0013 (\"Certifications Regarding Lobbying;
Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free
Workplace Requirements\");

• Standard Form SF 424B (\"Assurances---Non-Construction Programs\");
and

• Standard Form LLL (\"Disclosure of Lobbying Activities\").

**Grant awards cannot be made until these signed forms are received.**

**\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

**Submission of Applications**

**\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

**The deadline for receipt of applications is March 26, 1999**. All
applications must be received on or before that date. The closing date
and procedures for guaranteeing timely submission will be strictly
observed.

####### Mailing Address for Applications {#mailing-address-for-applications .unnumbered}

Mail applications to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Room 3633

ATTN: (Specify CFDA 84.305T)

Washington, DC 20202-4725

**Applications sent by mail must be RECEIVED no later than March 26,
1999.** Applications received after the deadline date will not be
considered for funding unless the applicant can show proof that the
application was (1) sent by registered or certified mail not later than
five days before the deadline date; or (2) sent by a commercial carrier
not later than two days before the deadline date. The following are
acceptable 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,
or (4) any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.

**Applications delivered by hand must be received before 4:30 p.m.,
March 26, 1999.** Applications delivered by hand before the deadline
date will be accepted daily between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Eastern Standard Time except Saturdays, Sundays, or federal
holidays at the Application Control Center, U.S. Department of
Education, Regional Office Building 3, Room 3633, 7th & D Streets, SW,
Washington, DC.

**\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

######## Contacts for the {#contacts-for-the .unnumbered}

**Field-Initiated Studies Research Grant Program**

**\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

If you have questions about this application, please contact any of the
following:

Clara Lawson-Holmes

\(202\) 219-2079, Clara_Lawson-Holmes@ed.gov

Beth Fine

\(202\) 219-1323, Beth_Fine@ed.gov

Veda Bright

\(202\) 219-1935, Veda_Bright@ed.gov

Norma Fleischman

\(202\) 208-3749, Norma_Fleischman@ed.gov

Delores Monroe

\(202\) 219-2229, Delores_Monroe@ed.gov

**Things to Check Before You Mail**

**Your Application**

**Make sure that:**

Title page form has been completed according to the instructions in this
package.

-   The human subjects (item #8 of the title page form) is complete.

    Title page form has been signed and dated by the certifying
    representative and the signed original has been included in your
    submission to the Department.

    **Your application package should include:**

    One original plus two copies. (Five additional copies are requested,
    but are not required.) Each copy should be organized as follows:

    --- the title page form (application cover page);

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-   the narrative;

-   vitae of principal investigator(s) and key personnel

-   GEPA 427 Statement

> --- the budget summary form and a detailed budget narrative;
>
> The application should be clipped or stapled, *not* bound or enclosed
> in a folder.
>
> Mail to: U.S. Department of Education; Application Control Center;
> Room 3633; ATTN: (Specify CFDA 84.305T); Washington, DC 20202-4725.
>
> **Important Notice to Prospective Participants**
>
> **in U.S. Department of Education**
>
> **Grant and Contract Programs**

Applicants for grants from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) have to
compete for limited funds.

Deadlines assure all applicants that they will be treated fairly and
equally, without last minute haste. For these reasons, ED must set
strict deadlines for grant applications. Prospective applicants can
avoid disappointment if they understand that.

**Failure to meet a deadline will mean that an application will be
rejected without any consideration**.

The rules, including the deadline, for applying for each grant are
published individually in the Federal Register. A one-year subscription
to the Register may be obtained by sending \$555.00 to Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9371.
(Send check or money order only, no cash or stamps.)

The instructions in the Federal Register must be followed exactly. Do
not accept any other advice you may receive. No ED employees are
authorized to extend any deadline published in the Federal Register.

Questions regarding submission of applications may be addressed to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Washington, DC 20202-4725

######### Contracts

Competitive procurement actions undertaken by the ED are governed by the
Federal Procurement Regulation and implementing ED Procurement
Regulation.

Generally, prospective competitive procurement actions are synopsized in
the Commerce Business Daily (CBD). Prospective offerors are therein
advised of the nature of the procurement and where to apply for copies
of the Request for Proposals (RFP).

Offerors are advised to be guided solely by the contents of the CBD
synopsis and the instructions contained in the RFP. Questions regarding
the submission of offers should be addressed to the Contracts Specialist
identified on the face page of the RFP.

Offers are judged in competition with others, and failure to conform
with any substantive requirements of the RFP will result in rejection of
the offer without any consideration whatever.

Do not accept any advice you receive that is contrary to instructions
contained in either the CBD synopsis or the RFP. No ED employee is
authorized to consider a proposal which is non-responsive to the RFP.

A subscription to the CBD is available for \$208.00 per year via second
class mailing or \$261.00 per year via first class mailing. Information
included in the Federal Acquisition Regulation is contained in Title 48,
Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1 (\$49.00). The foregoing
publication may be obtained by sending your check or money order only,
no cash or stamps, to: Superintendent of Documents, US Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 202402-9371.

In an effort to be certain this important information is widely
disseminated, this notice is being included in all ED mail to the
public. You may, therefore, receive more than one notice. If you do, we
apologize for any annoyance it may cause you.

ED Form 5348,8/92

######## GRANT APPLICATION RECEIPT ACKNOWLEDMENT

If you fail to receive the notification of application receipt within
fifteen (15) days from the closing date, call

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

\(202\) 708-9493

##### GRANT AND CONTRACT FUNDING INFORMATION

The Department of Education provides information about grant and
contract opportunities electronically in several ways:

ED Internet Home Page http://www.ed.gov/ (WWW address)

ED Grant Applications Page http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/ (WWW address)

OCFO Web Internet Page http://ocfo.ed.gov/ (WWW address)