34546 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.214A]

Migrant Education Even Start Program;

Notice Inviting Applications for New

Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000

AGENCY: Department of Education.

Note to Applicants

This notice is a complete application

package. Together with the statute

authorizing the program and the

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations, the notice

contains all of the information,

application forms, and instructions

needed to apply for a grant under this

competition.

Purpose of Program

The Migrant Education Even Start

(MEES) program is designed to help

break the cycle of poverty and improve

the literacy of participating migrant

families by integrating early childhood

education, adult literacy or adult basic

education (including English language

training, as appropriate), and parenting

education into a unified family literacy

program.

Eligible Applicants

While any entity is eligible to apply

for a grant under the MEES program, the

Secretary specifically invites

applications from State educational

agencies (SEAs) that administer migrant

education programs; local educational

agencies (LEAs) that have a high

percentage of migrant students; and

non-profit community-based

organizations that work with migrant

families.

Deadlines and Awards

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: July 14, 2000.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: September 12, 2000.

Available Funds: For FY 2000,

approximately $3,600,000 is available

for new grants under this program.

Estimated Range of Awards: $75,000–

$300,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$200,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 16–18.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 48 months.

Applicable Regulations

(a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations as follows:

(1) 34 CFR Part 74 (Administration of

Grants and Agreements with Institutions

of Higher Education, Hospitals, and

Nonprofit Organizations).

(2) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant

Programs).

(3) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that

Apply to Department Regulations).

(4) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental

Review of Department of Education

Programs and Activities).

(5) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State

and Local Governments).

(6) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education

Provisions Act—Enforcement).

(7) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions

on Lobbying).

(8) 34 CFR Part 85 (Governmentwide

Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement)) and Governmentwide

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

(Grants)).

(9) 34 CFR Part 97 (Protection of

Human Subjects).

(10) 34 CFR Part 98 (Student Rights in

Research, Experimental Programs, and

Testing).

(11) 34 CFR Part 99 (Family

Educational Rights and Privacy).

(b) The definitions of a migratory

child, a migratory agricultural worker

and a migratory fisher contained in 34

CFR 200.40.

Description of Program

Under the authority of section

1202(a)(1)(A) of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, as amended

(ESEA), the Assistant Secretary for

Elementary and Secondary Education

(Assistant Secretary) awards grants to

eligible applicants under the MEES

program for projects that—

(1) Improve the educational

opportunities of migrant families by

integrating early childhood education,

adult literacy or adult basic education

(including English language training, as

appropriate), and parenting education

into a unified program of family literacy

services.

Note: The term ‘‘family literacy

services’’ is defined in ESEA section

1202(e) as services provided to

participants on a voluntary basis that

are of sufficient intensity in terms of

hours, and of sufficient duration, to

make sustainable changes in a family,

and that integrate all of the following

activities:

(A) Interactive literacy activities

between parents and their children.

(B) Training for parents regarding how

to be the primary teacher for their

children and full partners in the

education of their children.

(C) Parent literacy training that leads

to economic self-sufficiency.

(D) An age-appropriate education to

prepare children for success in school

and life experiences.

(2) Implement cooperative activities

that build on existing community

resources to create a new range of

services to migrant families.

(3) Promote school readiness, early

reading acquisition, adult literacy and

lifelong learning, and parent

involvement and participation in their

child’s education.

(4) Where possible, use researchbased strategies for developing literacy

and reading proficiency and, where

applicable, second language acquisition.

(5) Assist children and adults from

migrant families to achieve challenging

State content standards and challenging

State student performance standards.

Program Requirements

(a) Eligible Participants

Eligible MEES participants consist of

migratory children and their parents as

defined in 34 CFR 200.30 and 200.40

who also meet the following conditions

specified in section 1206(a) of the ESEA:

(1) The parent or parents—

(i) Are eligible for participation in an

adult basic education program under the

Adult Education Act and Family

Literacy Act; or

(ii) Are within the State’s compulsory

school attendance age range, so long as

a local educational agency provides (or

ensures the availability of) the basic

education component required under

this part; and

(2) The child or children must be

younger than eight years of age.

Note: Family members of eligible

participants described in paragraphs

(a)(1) and (a)(2) may also participate in

MEES activities. These participants

include siblings, grandparents, and

other family members as long as one or

more eligible children and their parents

or guardian participate in the core

services. In addition, section 1206(b) of

the ESEA permits families to remain

eligible for MEES services until all

family members become ineligible to

participate. For example, in the case of

a family in which the parent or parents

lose eligibility because of their

educational advancement, the parent or

parents can still participate in MEES

activities until all children in the family

reach age eight. If all children in the

family have reached the age of eight, the

family continues to be eligible for Even

Start services for two more years (until

the youngest participating child turns

ten) or until the parents are no longer

eligible for adult basic education under

the Adult Education and Family

Literacy Act, whichever occurs first. In

addition, the Department interprets 34

CFR 200.30 together with section

1206(b) of ESEA to mean that MEES

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices 34547

services can continue to be provided to

a parent or child who is no longer

migratory, provided that the family has

at least one parent or child who is a

migratory worker or migratory child as

these terms are defined under 34 CFR

200.40.

(b) Required Program Elements

Any MEES project must, at a

minimum, incorporate the following

program elements specified in section

1205 of the ESEA:

• Identification and recruitment of

migrant families most in need of MEES

services, as indicated by a low level of

income, a low level of adult literacy or

English language proficiency of the

eligible parent or parents, and other

need-related indicators. (Note: MEES

program services may be provided in

communities where migratory families

have resided for extended periods of

time. 34 CFR 200.30 and 200.40 make

children eligible for MEES services up

to three years after they make a move

that makes the children eligible for the

Migrant Education Program (MEP).

However, in developing and using their

need-related indicators to identify and

recruit those migrant families most in

need of MEES program services, the

Secretary believes that the most

effective MEES projects are likely to

focus on families that are highly mobile

or who have only recently moved to the

communities that those projects serve.

In this regard, the MEP statute (section

1304(d) of the ESEA) provides that

migrant students whose education has

been interrupted and who are at most

risk of failing must be given a priority

in services that the program offers.

While this MEP priority is not an

explicit requirement of the MEES

program, one would assume, because of

the purpose of the MEES program, that

the highly mobile families whose

children receive a priority under the

MEP also have the greatest need for

MEES services.)

• Screening and preparation of

parents, including teenage parents, to

enable these parents to participate fully

in program activities and services,

including testing, referral to counseling,

other developmental and support

services, and related services.

• High-quality, intensive

instructional programs that promote

adult literacy and empower parents to

support the educational growth of their

children, developmentally appropriate

early childhood educational services,

and preparation of children for success

in the regular school programs.

• A design for service delivery that

accommodates the participants’ work

schedules and other responsibilities,

including the provision of support

services, when such services are

unavailable from other sources,

necessary for participation in project

activities, such as—

Scheduling and locating of services to

allow joint participation by parents and

children;

Child care for the period that parents

are involved in the project activities.

• Transportation for the purpose of

enabling parents and their children to

participate in project activities.

• Special training of staff, including

child care staff, to develop the skills

necessary to work with parents and

young children in the full range of

instructional services offered through

the Even Start Family Literacy program.

• Providing and monitoring

integrated instructional services to

participating parents and children

through home-based activities.

• Operation on a year-round basis,

including the provision of some

program services, instructional or

enrichment, during the summer months.

• Appropriate coordination with

other programs funded under the ESEA,

any relevant programs under the Adult

Education and Family Literacy Act, the

Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act, the Workforce Investment

(Employment Training) Act, Head Start,

volunteer literacy programs, and other

relevant programs. (Note: In addition, to

promote strong community

collaboration, sections 1202(e) and

1207(a) of the ESEA require applicants

for grants under the basic Even Start

Family Literacy program administered

by SEAs to be partnerships composed of

(1) a local educational agency (LEA),

and (2) a non-profit community-based

organization, a public agency other than

an LEA, an institution of higher

education, or a public or private

nonprofit organization of demonstrated

quality other than an LEA. While these

provisions are not requirements of the

MEES program, the Secretary believes

that the most effective MEES projects

are also likely to contain strong, ongoing collaborative relationships among

these kinds of local entities.)

• Ensure that the project will serve

families most in need of MEES family

literacy services.

• An independent local evaluation.

(Note: The Secretary encourages projects

to use local evaluators for MEES

projects who understand the family

literacy model, are able to work with the

project as a partner in designing the

evaluation, and will help the project use

its evaluation results in an on-going way

for continuous program improvement.)

(c) Federal and Local Funding

A MEES project’s funding is

comprised of both a Federal portion of

funds (Federal share) and a portion

contributed by the eligible applicant

(local share). However, the Federal

share of the program may not exceed—

• 90 percent of the total cost of the

project in the first year;

• 80 percent in the second year;

• 70 percent in the third year;

• 60 percent in the fourth year;

• 50 percent in the fifth, sixth,

seventh, and eighth years; and

• 35 percent in any following year.

The local share of the MEES project

may be provided in cash or in kind and

may be obtained from any source,

including other Federal programs

funded under the ESEA. Indirect costs

are not an allowable cost either for the

Federal share or the matching portion of

a MEES project.

Invitational Priority

The Secretary is especially interested

in receiving applications that include a

plan demonstrating that grant activities

will focus on one or more approaches

described in this section. However, an

application that meets one of more of

these invitational priorities does not

receive competitive or absolute

preference over other applications (34

CFR 75.105(c)(1)).

Coordination across SEAs and local

school districts is at the heart of migrant

education’s purpose: To mitigate

disruptions in the education of

qualifying migrant students. Short-term

MEES seasonal projects can provide

intensity of services to migratory

families, but those projects may not be

of sufficient duration to demonstrate

long-term gains for students or to

increase the level of economic selfsufficiency of migrant parents, and may

be another disruption in completing the

family’s educational goals.

Therefore, to promote opportunities

for continuous learning by migrant

families, the Secretary is particularly

interested in receiving applications that

propose to include one or more of the

following activities—

• Coordinate continuing family

literacy services across State and local

school district boundaries to meet the

needs of highly mobile migrant

agricultural families.

• Coordinate their activities with

State and local endeavors to improve

family literacy services; promote early

reading proficiency, employ Federal

Work-Study tutoring programs; create

partnerships for family involvement in

education; or other initiatives that foster

early school success.

34548 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices

• Support the unique needs of single

parent migrant families whose needs for

child care and instructional services do

not align with traditional schedules for

educational and family support services.

• Build networks with agricultural

employers to coordinate and integrate

resources that support English literacy

for migrant agricultural families with

limited English proficiency needs.

Selection Criteria

The Secretary uses the following

selection criteria to evaluate

applications for grants under this

competition.

(1) The maximum score for all of

these criteria is 100 points.

(2) The maximum score for each

criterion is indicated in parentheses.

(a) Meeting the Purposes of the

Authorizing Statute (5 Points)

The Secretary reviews each

application to determine how well the

project will—

(1) Improve the educational

opportunities of migrant families by

integrating early childhood education,

adult literacy or adult basic education

(including English language training, as

appropriate), and parenting education

into a unified family literacy program.

(2) Be implemented through

cooperative projects that build on

existing community resources to create

a new range of services to migrant

families.

(3) Promote the achievement of family

literacy goals (particularly the goals that

address school readiness, student

achievement, adult literacy, and parent

involvement and participation in their

child’s early education) through

research-based reading and Englishlanguage acquisition practices that meet

the diverse needs of the migrant

community of learners.

(4) Assist children and adults from

migrant families to achieve the

challenging State content standards and

challenging State student performance

standards.

(b) Need for Project (20 Points)

The Secretary considers the need for

the proposed project. In determining the

need for the proposed project, the

Secretary considers the following

factors:

(1) The magnitude of the need for the

services to be provided or the activities

to be carried out by the proposed

project.

(2) The extent to which the proposed

project will focus on serving or

otherwise addressing the needs of

disadvantaged individuals (i.e., eligible

migrant agricultural or fishing families).

(3) 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 magnitude of those gaps or

weaknesses.

Note: Applicants are free to address

criterion (b) in any way that they wish.

However, given the purpose of the

MEES program, the Secretary believes

that high-quality applications will likely

include a discussion of the following

key elements:

(i) How the project would be located

in an area or areas with high

percentages or large numbers of

migratory children and their parents,

guardians, or primary caretakers in need

of MEES services.

(ii) How the project will address the

lack of existing comprehensive family

literacy services for the migrant

population.

(iii) How community resources will

be used to benefit project participants

both during the participants’ period of

eligibility for migrant education

services, and in the event that

participating families lose their

eligibility for MEES services during the

project period.

(iv) How the project will integrate

child development, adult literacy, and

parenting activities.

(v) How the project will assist migrant

children and adults to achieve the State

content standards and student

performance standards.

In addition, some migrant families

may settle in a community during their

enrollment and therefore cease to meet

the eligibility requirements outlined in

the Program Requirements section of

this notice; therefore, the Secretary also

believes that high-quality applications

will likely include a plan for ensuring

that these families have ongoing access

to family literacy services when their

enrollment can no longer be supported

with basic MEP or MEES program

funds. In this regard, an applicant

might, for example, consider providing

a succinct description of how the

project will fill any gaps in services, or

how it will connect families with

existing resources or services as they

settle in the community.

(c) Quality of the Project Design (20

Points)

The Secretary considers the quality of

the design of the proposed project. In

determining the quality of the design of

the proposed project, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(1) 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.

(2) The extent to which the project is

designed to build capacity and yield

results that will extend beyond the

period of Federal financial assistance.

(3) The extent to which the proposed

project will establish linkages with

other appropriate agencies and

organizations providing services to the

target population.

Note: Applicants are free to address

criterion (c) in any way that they wish.

However, the Secretary believes that, in

designing their project, high-quality

applications likely will address each of

the required program elements in

section 1205 of the ESEA and listed in

the Program Requirements section of

this notice. In this regard, the Secretary

believes that a high-quality application

likely would explain how its proposed

design addresses each one of those

requirements in order to fully meet the

needs of its target population. For

example, given the mobility of the

migrant population to be served by the

MEES program, the Secretary believes

that high-quality applications will likely

include strategies that support family

education plans whether or not families

are resident in a community throughout

a given project year or its continuation

years.

In addressing the requirement that

projects conduct family literacy services

year-round, the Secretary acknowledges

that migrant families may reside in

communities for varying lengths of time.

Therefore, the Secretary interprets the

requirement that projects operate on a

year-round basis to mean that project

activities must be conducted not only

throughout the period in which

participating migrant families reside in

the project area, as well as times when

alternative activities or services, or both,

are offered. The Secretary strongly

encourages applicants to explore ways

to maintain contact and continue to

monitor the progress of highly mobile

families whether or not they are resident

in the applicant’s community.

Examples of strategies that address

the requirement for year-round

operations and ongoing family

participation when families do not

reside in the project area may include

distance learning; capacity building and

partnership efforts with sending and

receiving States and school districts;

self-paced learning packages; and other

materials, technologies, and activities

that make year-round literacy services

viable and family-friendly for migrant

workers.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices 34549

(d) Quality of Project Services (20

Points)

The Secretary considers the quality of

the services to be provided by the

proposed project. 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

underrepresented based on race, color,

national origin, gender, age, or

disability. In addition, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(1) 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.

(2) The extent to which the services

to be provided by the proposed project

reflect up-to-date knowledge from

research and effective practice.

(3) 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.

(4) The extent to which the services

provided by the proposed project are

focused on those with the greatest

needs.

(5) The likelihood that the services to

be provided by the proposed project

will lead to improvements in the

achievement of students as measured

against rigorous academic standards.

(e) Adequacy of Resources (15 Points)

The Secretary considers the adequacy

of resources for the proposed project. In

determining the adequacy of resources

for the proposed project, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(1) The relevance and demonstrated

commitment of each partner in the

proposed project to the implementation

and success of the project.

(2) The extent to which the costs are

reasonable in relation to the objectives,

design, and potential significance of the

proposed project.

(3) The potential for continued

support of the project after Federal

funding ends, including, as appropriate,

the demonstrated commitment of

appropriate entities to such support.

(4) The extent to which costs are

reasonable in relation to the number of

persons to be served and the anticipated

results and benefits.

(f) Quality of the Project Evaluation. (20

Points)

The Secretary considers the quality of

the evaluation to be conducted of the

proposed project.

In determining the quality of the

evaluation, the Secretary considers the

following factors:

(1) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation provide for examining the

effectiveness of project implementation

strategies.

(2) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation will provide performance

feedback and permit periodic

assessment of progress toward achieving

intended outcomes.

(3) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and

outcomes of the proposed project.

(4) The extent to which 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.

(5) The extent to which the evaluation

will provide guidance about effective

strategies suitable for replication or

testing in other settings.

Note: Applicants are free to address

criterion (f) in any way they wish.

However, Section 1205(10)of the ESEA

requires applicants must conduct an

independent evaluation of their project.

In addition, they must participate in the

national Even Start data collection

effort. Given these two requirements,

the Secretary believes that high-quality

applications are likely to address this

criterion by explaining how the project

will conduct an ongoing, independent,

local evaluation to ensure that the

quality of the proposed family literacy

services are validated and improved

over the course of the four-year project

period.

In addition, the Secretary believes

that high-quality applicants would

likely bear in mind the following

information in considering how they

intend to report the effectiveness of

their project. Funded projects are

required to complete an annual

performance report on their progress in

meeting the approved objectives of their

grant to ensure continued funding.

These reports and other evaluation

information provide local projects, the

Department, and the Congress with

objective data about the activities and

services provided by the project, the

participants served, the retention rates

of those participants, and the success of

the families in the project. The

Department has also developed a set of

performance indicators for the Even

Start Family Literacy Program in

accordance with the Government

Performance and Results Act (GPRA)

that relate to participant outcomes and

project management. These indicators

are appended to this application

package. The Secretary encourages

applicants to refer to these indicators

when developing their evaluation plans,

as the Department uses these indicators

in reporting to the Congress on the

overall effectiveness of the program.

The following items are not part of the

program’s selection criteria, but provide

additional information for applicants.

National Evaluation

The Department is conducting a

national evaluation of Even Start Family

Literacy projects. MEES program

grantees must cooperate with the

Department’s efforts by adopting an

evaluation plan that is consistent with

the national evaluation (as well as with

the grantee’s responsibilities under

section 1205(10) of the ESEA and 34

CFR 74.51, 75.118, 75.253, and 80.40).

The Secretary suggests that each

applicant budget for evaluation

activities as follows: in addition to the

costs of planning and conducting an

independent local evaluation, a project

with an estimated budget of up to

$120,000 should designate $5,000 for

this purpose; and a project with an

estimated cost of over $120,000 should

designate $10,000 for these activities.

These funds will be used for

expenditures related to the collection

and entry of data required for the

Department’s national evaluation. The

Secretary also recommends that

applicants budget for the cost of travel

to Washington, DC and three nights’

lodging for the project director and

project evaluator, for their participation

in annual technical assistance/

evaluation meetings.

Government Performance Results Act:

Even Start Performance Indicators

Even Start Family Literacy Program

Performance Plan: Objectives and

Indicators

Objective 1. The literacy of

participating families will improve.

1.1 Adult literacy achievement.

Increasing percentages of Even Start

adults will achieve significant learning

gains on measures of math and reading

skills.

1.2 Adult educational attainment.

Increasing percentages of adult

secondary education Even Start

participants will obtain their high

school diploma or equivalent.

1.3 Children’s language

development and reading readiness.

34550 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices

Increasing percentages of Even Start

children will achieve significant gains

on measures of language development

and reading readiness.

1.4 Parenting skills. Increasing

percentages of parents will show

significant improvement on measures of

parenting skills, home environment, and

expectations for their children.

Objective 2. Even Start projects will

reach their target population of families

who are most in need of services.

2.1 Recruitment of most in need.

The projects will continue to recruit

low-income, disadvantaged families

with low literacy levels.

Objective 3. Local Even Start projects

will provide high-quality,

comprehensive instructional and

support services to all families in a costeffective manner.

3.1 Service hours. Increasing

percentages of projects will offer at least

60 hours of adult education per month,

at least 20 hours of parenting education

per month, and at least 65 hours of early

childhood education per month.

3.2 Participation, retention and

continuity. Projects will increasingly

improve retention and continuity of

services.

Information by Project and Budget

Periods

Under 34 CFR 75.112 and 75.117, an

eligible applicant must propose a

project period, and provide budgetary

information for each budget period of

that proposed project period. The

Secretary requires that the budgetary

information include an amount for all

key project components with an

accompanying breakdown of any

subcomponents, along with a written

justification for all requested amounts.

(A form for reporting this information is

contained in the appendix of this

notice.)

Section 75.112(b) also requires that an

applicant describe how and when, in

each budget period of the project, it

plans to meet each objective of the

project.

(Note: The Department will use this

information, in conjunction with the

grantee’s annual performance report

required under 34 CFR 75.118(a), to

determine whether a continuation

award for the subsequent budget year

should be made. Under 34 CFR 75.253,

a grantee can receive a continuation

award only if it demonstrates that it

either has made substantial progress

toward meeting the objectives of the

approved project, or has received the

Assistant Secretary’s approval of

changes in the project to enable it to

meet the objectives in the succeeding

budget periods.)

As indicated in the Note to the

selection criterion (f) (Quality of project

evaluation), each project must conduct

an independent local evaluation. In

budgeting for the cost of this

independent local evaluation, you may

wish to contact potential local

evaluators, such as researchers or

teachers at local community colleges or

universities, to ascertain a typical

hourly rate.

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.

One of the objectives of the Executive

order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened

federalism. The Executive Order relies

on processes developed by State and

local governments for coordination and

review of proposed Federal financial

assistance.

If you are an applicant, you must

contact the appropriate State Single

Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out

about, and to comply with, the State’s

process under Executive Order 12372. If

you propose to perform activities in

more than one State, you should

immediately contact the SPOC for each

of those States and follow the procedure

established in each State under the

Executive order. You may view the

latest official SPOC list on the Web site

of the Office of Management and Budget

at the following address: http://

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants

In States that have not established a

process or chosen a program for review,

State, area-wide, regional, and local

entities may submit comments directly

to the Department.

Any State Process Recommendation

and other comments submitted by a

SPOC 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# 84.214A, U.S.

Department of Education, Room 7E200,

400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20202–0125.

We will determine proof of mailing 34

CFR 75.102 (Deadline date for

applications). Recommendations or

comments may be hand-delivered until

4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on

the date indicated in this notice.

Note: 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.

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this application is divided

into three parts plus a statement regarding

estimated public reporting burden and

various assurances and certifications. 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) and instructions.

Part II: Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED Form No. 524)

and instructions.

Part III: Application Narrative.

Additional Materials:

• Estimated Public Reporting Burden.

• Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B).

• Certifications regarding Lobbying;

Debarment, Suspension, and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (ED 80–0013, 12/

98).

• Certification regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions

(ED 80–0014, 9/90) and instructions. (Note:

ED 80–0014 is intended for the use of

grantees and should not be transmitted to the

Department.)

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable) and

instructions; and Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities Continuation Sheet (Standard

Form LLL–A).

You may submit information on a

photocopy 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. No grant may be

awarded unless a completed application form

has been received.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain

this document in an alternative format (e.g.,

Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer

diskette) on request to the contact person

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. However, the Department is not

able to reproduce in an alternative format the

standard forms included in the application

package.

For Further Information Contact

DonnaMarie Marlow, U.S. Department of

Education, Office of Elementary and

Secondary Education, Office of Migrant

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,

Room 3E313, Washington, DC 20202–6135.

Telephone: (202) 260–1164. The program

contact may also be reached via e-mail at

donnamarie_marlow@ed.gov. If you use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD), you may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for a

grant, an applicant must—

(1) Mail the original and two copies of the

application on or before the deadline date to:

U. S. Department of Education, Application

Control Center, Attention: (CFDA #84.214A),

Washington, DC 20202–4725.

(2) Hand deliver the original and two

copies of the application by 4:30 p.m.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices 34551

(Washington, DC time) on the deadline date

to: U.S. Department of Education,

Application Control Center, Attention:

(CFDA# 84.214A), Room #3633, Regional

Office Building #3, 7th and D Streets, SW.,

Washington, DC 20202.

(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.

(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)

708–9494.

(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.

Electronic Access to This Document

You 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 previous sites. If you have

questions about using the PDF, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office toll

free at 1–888–293–6498; or in the

Washington, DC area at (202) 512–1530.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register. Free Internet access to the official

edition of the Federal Register and the Code

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO

Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C.

6362(a)(1)(A).

Dated: May 24, 2000.

Michael Cohen,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and

Secondary Education.

Instructions for Part III—Application

Narrative

Before preparing the Application

Narrative, an applicant should read

carefully the description of the program

and the selection criteria the Secretary

uses to evaluate applications.

The narrative should encompass each

function or activity for which funds are

being requested and should—

1. Begin with an Abstract; that is, a

summary of the proposed project.

2. Describe the proposed project in

light of each of the selection criteria in

the order in which the criteria are listed

in this application package. (Note:

While applicants can address the

criteria in any way that is reasonable,

given the required emphasis of any

MEES project on an integrated program

of early childhood education, adult

literacy or adult basic education, and

parenting education, the Secretary

believes that a reasonable plan of

operation would likely address how the

proposed project will provide highquality instruction in these three areas

that, with interactive literacy activities

between parents and children (PACT), is

integrated into a unified family literacy

program. Moreover, consistent with 34

CFR 75.112(b), which requires that the

application describe how and when, in

each budget period, the applicant plans

to meet each project objective, the

Secretary believes that applicants would

want particularly to describe each goal

in terms of measurable objectives,

specific activities that are proposed to

meet each objective, time lines

associated with these activities, the

resources believed to be needed to

achieve each objective, and how each

objective will be evaluated.)

3. Provide the following information

in response to the attached NOTICE TO

ALL APPLICANTS: (1) A reference to

the portion of the application in which

the applicant has described the steps

that the applicant proposes to take to

remove barriers to equitable access to,

and equitable participation in, project

activities; or (2) a separate statement

that includes this information.

4. Include any other pertinent

information that might assist the

Secretary in reviewing the application.

Page Limit: The application narrative

(Part III of the application) is where the

applicant addresses the selection

criteria reviewers use to evaluate your

application. The recommended page

limit for this application is 50 pages

(appendices excepted), using the

following standards:

• A page is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom,

and both sides.

• Double space (no more than three

lines per vertical inch) all text in the

application narrative, including titles,

headings, footnotes, quotations,

references, and captions, as well as all

text in charts, tables, figures, and

graphs.

• Use a font that is either 12-point or

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch

(characters per inch).

The page limit does not apply to part

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget

section, including the narrative budget

justification; Part IV, the assurances and

certifications; or the one-page abstract,

the resumes, the bibliography, or the

letters of support. However, you must

include all of the application narrative

in Part III.

Instruction 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 1810–0541. (Expiration

date: 04/30/2003). The time required to

complete this information collection is

estimated to average 60 hours per

response including the time for

reviewing instructions, searching

existing data sources, gathering and

maintaining the data needed, and

completing and reviewing the collection

of information. If you have any

comments concerning the accuracy of

the time estimate(s) or suggestions for

improving this form, please write to: US

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: Office of Migrant

Education, US Department of Education,

400 Maryland Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20202–6135.

(Information collection approved under OMB

control number 1810—0541. Expiration date:

04/30/2003.)

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[FR Doc. 00–13429 Filed 5–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–C