April 2015

# Dear Prospective Reviewer:

We are pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Education’s (the Department) Office of Postsecondary Education, Higher Education Programs, is recruiting peer reviewers to evaluate applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2015 First in the World (FITW) Program grant competition.

**WHO:**  The Department is interested in peer reviewers from various backgrounds and professions including: college and university educators and administrators; educational evaluators; entrepreneurs, developers, and innovators in higher education; curriculum development specialists, and others with higher education expertise.  Peer reviewers must have expertise in one or more of the proposed priority areas listed below or in educational evaluation.  Additionally, the most qualified candidates will have expertise in: program or organizational innovation, higher education policy, and/or prior experience reviewing or approving grant applications for the Department.

**REQUIRED AREAS OF EXPERTISE:**Reviewers will be selected to serve in one of the two following categories (you may be considered for either or both).

1) **Priority Expertise**

Peer reviewers must have specific expertise in one or more of the nine FITW proposed priorities.  For a detailed explanation of each priority, see the descriptions included in the FY 2015 FITW Program Notice of Proposed Priorities for the FITW Program grant competition at:

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/02/23/2015-03502/proposed-priorities-requirements-selection-criterion-and-definitions-first-in-the-world-program

The nine proposed priorities are as follows:

· Improving Success in Developmental Education;

· Improving Teaching and Learning;

· Improving Student Support Services;

· Developing and Using Assessments of Learning;

· Facilitating Pathways to Credentials and Transfer;

· Increasing the Effectiveness of Financial Aid;

· Implementing Low-Cost, High-Impact Strategies to Improve Student Outcomes;

· Improving Postsecondary Student Outcomes at Minority Serving Institutions; and

· Systems and Consortia Focused on Large-Scale Impact.

**Note:**  Under the “Specialization” tab in G5, please select from the dropdown box any areas that are relevant to the proposed priorities. 

2) **Educational Evaluation**

The FITW Program is based on levels of evidence standards that are defined in the What Works Clearinghouse.  You can access the Work Works Clearinghouse procedures and handbook here:

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/DocumentSum.aspx?sid=19.

Evaluation peer reviewers must have experience in designing, conducting, and reviewing rigorous educational evaluations, including: 

· Expertise with randomized control trials and quasi-experimental research designs as defined in the What Works Clearinghouse;

· Understanding of education research and recent findings in the relevant literature;

· Knowledge of education data sources and measures of program implementation and outcomes;

· Fluency in reviewing organizational and project evaluation plans and evaluation results.

**Availability:**The peer review is tentatively scheduled for mid-July. Peer reviewers must be available for the three-week time period and will work remotely and via teleconference.  Each peer reviewer**must** have access to the Internet, a phone, a printer, and have the ability to interact within a Web-based environment. 

**Quality of Review:**Each peer reviewer **must**commit to providing detailed, objective, constructive, and timely written reviews for each assigned application. These reviews will be used to recommend applications for funding. They will also be shared with each applicant following the reviews. 

Peer reviewers will receive $1,000 for their time and effort, contingent upon satisfactory completion of the above requirements and consistent with the required schedule.

**IF INTERESTED:**  If you would like to be considered as a peer reviewer, please access  the Department of Education’s G5 System at www.G5.gov to register yourself (or to update your profile) in our online peer reviewer database. When accessing the “Reviewer Specialization Information” page in the G5 system, select the “Preferences” tab, and use the dropdown list to choose “**OPE-84.116F-First in the World.**”  This step helps us to identify peer reviewers interested in evaluating and scoring applications for the FITW Program. 

The online registration requires you to submit your resume; please ensure your resume (maximum of five pages) includes a brief list of career highlights and/or outlines your specific expertise either in evaluation or in any of the FITW priority areas for which you would like to be considered as a reviewer**.**  Please do not exceed the five-page limit for resumes.

Thank you for your prompt consideration regarding this matter.  Please contact Gary Thomas at 202-502-7767 or gary.thomas@ed.gov if you would like to participate in this peer review or if you have any follow-up questions. Your participation is highly critical to the success of the FY 2015 FITW Program peer review process.

Sincerely,

Ralph Hines 

Director

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education