13740 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 55 / Tuesday, March 23, 2010 / Notices 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: At the end of your 

project period, you must submit a final 

performance report, including financial 

information, as directed by the 

Secretary. If you receive a multi-year 

award, you must submit an annual 

performance report that provides the 

most current performance and financial 

expenditure information as directed by 

the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The 

Secretary may also require more 

frequent performance reports under 34 

CFR 75.720(c). For specific 

requirements on reporting, please go to 

http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: The goal of 

the CSP is to support the creation and 

development of a large number of highquality charter schools that are free from 

State or local rules that inhibit flexible 

operation, are held accountable for 

enabling students to reach challenging 

State performance standards, and are 

open to all students. The Secretary has 

set two performance indicators to 

measure progress toward this goal: (1) 

The number of charter schools in 

operation around the Nation, and (2) the 

percentage of fourth- and eighth-grade 

charter school students who are 

achieving at or above the proficient 

level on State examinations in 

mathematics and reading/language arts. 

Additionally, the Secretary has 

established the following measure to 

examine the efficiency of the CSP: 

Federal cost per student in 

implementing a successful school 

(defined as a school in operation for 

three or more years). 

All grantees will be expected to 

submit an annual performance report 

documenting their contribution in 

assisting the Department in meeting 

these performance measures. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Leslie Hankerson or Richard Payton, 

U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W249, 

Washington, DC 20202–5970. 

Telephone: (202) 205–8524 or (202) 

453–7698 or by e-mail: 

Leslie.Hankerson@ed.gov or 

Richard.Payton@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

on request to the program contact 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT of section VII in 

this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: March 17, 2010. 

James H. Shelton, III, 

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and 

Improvement. 

[FR Doc. 2010–6370 Filed 3–22–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Innovation and Improvement; 

Overview Information; Charter Schools 

Program (CSP) Grants for National 

Leadership Activities; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2010 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.282N 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 23, 

2010. 

Date of Pre-Application Meeting: 

April 8, 2010. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 14, 2010. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 12, 2010. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the CSP is to increase national 

understanding of the charter school 

model and to expand the number of 

high-quality charter schools available to 

students across the Nation by providing 

financial assistance for the planning, 

program design, and initial 

implementation of charter schools, and 

to evaluate the effects of charter schools, 

including their effects on students, 

student academic achievement, staff, 

and parents. Section 5205 of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7221d), 

authorizes the Secretary to award grants 

under the CSP to carry out national 

activities. 

For FY 2010, the Department is 

holding a grant competition for national 

activities projects listed in section 

5205(a) of the ESEA. Grants for national 

activities projects under the CSP are 

highly competitive. Applicants should 

make a well-reasoned and compelling 

case for the national significance of the 

problems or issues that will be the 

subject of the proposed project and of 

the approach the project would take to 

addressing those problems or issues. 

Priority: This notice includes one 

invitational priority. Under this 

competition we are particularly 

interested in applications that address 

the following priority. 

Invitational Priority: For FY 2010 this 

priority is an invitational priority. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not 

give an application that meets an 

invitational priority a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

This priority is: 

High-Quality Charter Schools in 

Urban or Rural Areas. 

The Secretary is particularly 

interested in projects designed to 

enhance and expand a State’s capacity 

to support high-quality charter schools 

in one or more geographic areas, 

particularly urban and rural areas, in 

which a large proportion or number of 

public schools have been identified for 

improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring under Title I, Part A of the 

ESEA. A project meeting this priority 

should be based on research evidence 

and demonstrate effective practices 

through one or more of the following 

types of activities: (1) The dissemination 

of information on the implementation of 

school turnaround and restart models 

(as described in the Notice of Final 

Requirements for the School 

Improvement Grants published in the 

Federal Register on December 10, 2009 

(74 FR 65618) (SIG Notice)) in charter 

schools and information on best 

practices for turning around a State’s 

persistently lowest-achieving schools 

under Title I (also as identified by the 

State under the SIG notice); (2) opening 

new charter schools in the vicinity of 

schools closed as a consequence of a 

local educational agency (LEA) 

implementing a restructuring plan 

under section 1116(b)(8) of the ESEA, or 

schools identified as persistently 

lowest-achieving, provided this is done 

in coordination with the local 

educational agency (LEA); (3) the 

identification and replication of highperforming charter schools in ‘‘highneed communities’’, as this term is 


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defined in section 2151(e)(9)(B) of the 

ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6651(e)(9)(B)); (4) the 

creation and dissemination of models 

for high-quality authorizing practices 

that hold charter schools accountable 

for increasing student achievement and 

that provide for their closure if they do 

not raise achievement; (5) activities that 

improve the academic performance of 

African-American students, Hispanic 

students, students with disabilities, 

English learners, or children from lowincome families; (6) recruitment, 

training, ongoing professional 

development, and retention of highly 

qualified teachers, including highly 

qualified mid-career professionals and 

recent college graduates who have not 

majored in education, as teachers in 

‘‘high-need’’ charter schools (charter 

schools meeting the definition of a highneed school in section 2304(d)(3) of the 

ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6674(d)(3)); or (7) 

increasing public or private funding 

options for charter school facilities and 

access to existing public school 

buildings. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7221– 

7221j. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 

82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply only to institutions of higher 

education. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 99 

apply only to an educational agency or 

institution. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The FY 

2010 appropriation for the Charter 

Schools Program is $256,031,000, of 

which an estimated $3,500,000 will be 

used for this competition. Contingent 

upon the availability of funds and the 

quality of the applications received, we 

may make additional awards later in FY 

2010 and in FY 2011 from the list of 

unfunded applications from this 

competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$250,000–$750,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$500,000 per year. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 5–7. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to three years. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: State 

educational agencies (SEAs) and local 

educational agencies (LEAs) in States 

with a State statute specifically 

authorizing the establishment of charter 

schools; and public and private nonprofit organizations, including nonprofit charter management 

organizations. Eligible applicants may 

also apply as a group or consortium. 

2. Cost-Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not involve cost 

sharing or matching. 

3. Annual Meeting Attendance. 

Applicants approved for funding under 

this competition must attend a two-day 

meeting for project directors in the 

Washington, DC area during each year 

of the project. Applicants are 

encouraged to include the cost of 

attending this meeting in their proposed 

budgets. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Richard Payton, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., room 4W225, 

Washington, DC 20202–5970. 

Telephone: (202) 453–7698 or by e-mail: 

richard.payton@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), call the 

Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., Braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the program 

contact person listed in this section. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. The Secretary strongly 

encourages applicants to limit Part III to 

the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, 

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). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

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, the page 

limit does apply to all of the application 

narrative section (Part III). 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 23, 

2010. 

Date of Pre-Application Meeting: The 

Department will hold a pre-application 

meeting for prospective applicants on 

April 8, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 

p.m. at the U.S. Department of 

Education, Barnard Auditorium, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC. Interested parties are invited to 

participate in this meeting to discuss the 

purpose of the program, absolute and 

competitive priorities, selection criteria, 

application requirements, submission 

requirements, and reporting 

requirements. Interested parties may 

participate in this meeting either by 

conference call or in person. This site is 

accessible by Metro on the Blue, Orange, 

Green, and Yellow lines at the Seventh 

Street and Maryland Avenue exit of the 

L’Enfant Plaza station. After the 

meeting, program staff will be available 

from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on that same 

day to provide information and 

technical assistance through individual 

consultation. 

Individuals interested in attending 

this meeting are encouraged to preregister by e-mailing their name, 

organization, and contact information 

with the subject heading PRE– 

APPLICATION MEETING to 

CharterSchools@ed.gov. There is no 

registration fee for attending this 

meeting. For further information contact 

Richard Payton, U.S. Department of 

Education, Office of Innovation and 

Improvement, Room 4W225, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453–7698 

or by e-mail: richard.payton@ed.gov. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities at the Pre-Application 

Meeting 

The meeting site is accessible to 

individuals with disabilities. If you will 

need an auxiliary aid or service to 

participate in the meeting (e.g., 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
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interpreting service, assistive listening 

device, or materials in an alternate 

format), notify the contact person listed 

in this notice at least two weeks before 

the scheduled meeting date. Although 

we will attempt to meet a request we 

receive after that date, we may not be 

able to make available the requested 

auxiliary aid or service because of 

insufficient time to arrange it. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 14, 2010. 

Applications for grants under this 

program must be submitted 

electronically using the Electronic Grant 

Application System (e-Application) 

accessible through the Department’s eGrants site. For information (including 

dates and times) about how to submit 

your application electronically, or in 

paper format by mail or hand delivery 

if you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, 

please refer to section IV. 6. Other 

Submission Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 12, 2010. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

program. 

5. Funding Restrictions: An eligible 

applicant receiving a grant under this 

program may use the grant funds only 

for— 

(a) Access to Federal Funds. 

Disseminating information to charter 

schools about Federal funds they are 

eligible to receive and other Federal 

programs in which they may be eligible 

to participate; and providing assistance 

to charter schools in applying for 

Federal education funds that are 

allocated by formula. 

(b) Research. Conducting evaluations 

or studies on the impact of charter 

schools on student academic 

achievement and other issues 

concerning charter schools, such as 

teacher qualifications and retention, and 

the demographic makeup (e.g., age, race, 

gender, disability, English learners, and 

previous public school enrollment) of 

charter school students. 

(c) Technical Assistance and 

Planning. Assisting States and charter 

school developers with all aspects of 

planning, design, and implementing a 

charter school. Some areas in which 

newly created charter schools face 

challenges include program design, 

curriculum development, defining the 

school’s mission, hiring staff, drafting 

charter applications, student 

recruitment and admissions, public 

relations and community involvement, 

governance, acquiring equipment and 

services, budget and finances, facilities, 

assessment and accountability, parental 

involvement, serving students with 

disabilities and English learners, and 

collaborating with other entities to 

provide high-quality instruction and 

services. 

(d) Best or Promising Practices. 

Disseminating information on best or 

promising practices in charter schools to 

other public schools, including charter 

schools. 

(e) Facilities. Collecting and 

disseminating information about 

programs and financial resources 

available to charter schools for facilities, 

including information about successful 

programs and how charter schools can 

access private capital. 

(f) Quality Authorizing. Providing 

technical assistance to authorized 

public chartering agencies in order to 

increase the number of high-performing 

charter schools, including assisting 

authorized public chartering agencies in 

designing rigorous application 

processes; developing strong 

accountability and evaluation systems; 

building or enhancing capacity to 

authorize, monitor, and hold 

accountable charter schools; and closing 

persistently low-performing charter 

schools. 

(g) School Improvement. Assisting 

LEAs in the planning and startup of 

charter schools as a means of 

implementing school turnaround or 

restart intervention models, or both, in 

persistently low-performing schools in 

order to increase student achievement, 

decrease the achievement gaps across 

student subgroups, and increase the 

rates at which students graduate from 

high school prepared for college and 

careers. 

Award Basis. In determining whether 

to approve a grant award and the 

amount of such award, the Department 

will consider, among other things, the 

amount of any carryover funds the 

applicant has under an existing CSP 

grant and the applicant’s performance 

and use of funds under a previous or 

existing award under any Department 

program (34 CFR 75.217(d)(ii) and 

75.233(b)). 

We reference additional regulations 

outlining funding restrictions in the 

Applicable Regulations section of this 

notice. 

6. Other Submission Requirements. 

Applications for grants under this 

program must be submitted 

electronically unless you qualify for an 

exception to this requirement in 

accordance with the instructions in this 

section. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

Applications for grants under the 

Charter School Programs—CFDA 

number 84.282N—must be submitted 

electronically using e-Application, 

accessible through the Department’s eGrants Web site at: http://egrants.ed.gov. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

While completing your electronic 

application, you will be entering data 

online that will be saved into a 

database. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

Please note the following: 

• You must complete the electronic 

submission of your grant application by 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. EApplication will not accept an 

application for this program after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the application 

process. 

• The hours of operation of the eGrants Web site are 6:00 a.m. Monday 

until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 

a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, 

Washington, DC time. Please note that, 

because of maintenance, the system is 

unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on 

Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and 

between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
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6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, 

DC time. Any modifications to these 

hours are posted on the e-Grants Web 

site. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

You must attach any narrative sections 

of your application as files in a .DOC 

(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 

(Portable Document) format. If you 

upload a file type other than the three 

file types specified in this paragraph or 

submit a password protected file, we 

will not review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• Prior to submitting your electronic 

application, you may wish to print a 

copy of it for your records. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgment that will 

include a PR/Award number (an 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• Within three working days after 

submitting your electronic application, 

fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center after 

following these steps: 

(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application. 

(2) The applicant’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 

(3) Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the SF 424. 

(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6272. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of e-Application Unavailability: 

If you are prevented from electronically 

submitting your application on the 

application deadline date because eApplication is unavailable, we will 

grant you an extension of one business 

day to enable you to transmit your 

application electronically, by mail, or by 

hand delivery. We will grant this 

extension if— 

(1) You are a registered user of eApplication and you have initiated an 

electronic application for this 

competition; and 

(2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 

60 minutes or more between the hours 

of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date; or 

(b) E-Application is unavailable for 

any period of time between 3:30 p.m. 

and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, 

on the application deadline date. 

We must acknowledge and confirm 

these periods of unavailability before 

granting you an extension. To request 

this extension or to confirm our 

acknowledgment of any system 

unavailability, you may contact either 

(1) the person listed elsewhere in this 

notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 

the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336– 

8930. If e-Application is unavailable 

due to technical problems with the 

system and, therefore, the application 

deadline is extended, an e-mail will be 

sent to all registered users who have 

initiated an e-Application. Extensions 

referred to in this section apply only to 

the unavailability of e-Application. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

e-Application because–– 

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to eApplication; and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 

days or, if the fourteenth calendar day 

before the application deadline date 

falls on a Federal holiday, the next 

business day following the Federal 

holiday), you mail or fax a written 

statement to the Department, explaining 

which of the two grounds for an 

exception prevents you from using the 

Internet to submit your application. If 

you mail your written statement to the 

Department, it must be postmarked no 

later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date. If you fax 

your written statement to the 

Department, we must receive the faxed 

statement no later than two weeks 

before the application deadline date. 

Address and mail or fax your 

statement to: Dean Kern, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Room 4W231, 

Washington, DC 20202–5970. FAX: 

(202) 205–5630. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

may mail (through the U.S. Postal 

Service or a commercial carrier) your 

application to the Department. You 

must mail the original and two copies 

of your application, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

CFDA Number 84.282N, LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application, by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

CFDA Number 84.282N, 550 12th Street, 

SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
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(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

grant notification within 15 business days 

from the application deadline date, you 

should call the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

Selection Criteria. The selection 

criteria for this competition are in 34 

CFR 75.210 and are as follows. 

In evaluating an application, the 

Secretary considers the following 

criteria: 

(i) 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 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. 

(ii) Significance (20 points). The 

Secretary considers the significance of 

the proposed project. In determining the 

significance of the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers— 

(1) The national significance of the 

proposed project. 

(2) The extent to which the proposed 

project is likely to build local capacity 

to provide, improve, or expand services 

that address the needs of the target 

population. 

(3) The likely utility of the products 

(such as information, materials, 

processes, or techniques) that will result 

from the proposed project, including the 

potential for their being used effectively 

in a variety of other settings. 

(iii) 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— 

(1) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(2) The extent to which the design for 

implementing and evaluating the 

proposed project will result in 

information to guide possible 

replication of project activities or 

strategies, including information about 

the effectiveness of the approach or 

strategies employed by the project. 

(3) 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) 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 applicants 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— 

(1) The extent to which the services 

provided reflect up-to-date knowledge 

from research and effective practice. 

(2) 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. 

(v) Quality of project personnel (20 

points). The Secretary considers the 

quality of the personnel who will carry 

out the proposed project. In determining 

the quality of the 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. In addition, 

the Secretary considers the following 

factors— 

(1) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of the 

project director or principal 

investigator. 

(2) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of 

project consultants or subcontractors. 

(vi) Quality of the management plan 

(20 points). The Secretary considers the 

quality of the management plan for the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the management plan for the 

proposed project, the Secretary 

considers 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. 

(vii) 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 

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. 

Note: A strong evaluation plan should be 

included in the application narrative and 

should be used, as appropriate, to shape the 

development of the project from the 

beginning of the grant period. The plan 

should include benchmarks to monitor 

progress toward specific project objectives 

and also outcome measures to assess the 

impact on teaching and learning or other 

important outcomes for project participants. 

More specifically, the plan should identify 

the individual and/or organization that has 

agreed to serve as evaluator for the project 

and describe the qualifications of that 

evaluator. The plan should describe the 

evaluation design, indicating: (1) What types 

of data will be collected; (2) when various 

types of data will be collected; (3) what 

methods will be used; (4) what instruments 

will be developed and when; (5) how the 

data will be analyzed; (6) when reports of 

results and outcomes will be available; and 

(7) how the applicant will use the 

information collected through the evaluation 

to monitor progress of the funded project and 

to provide accountability information both 

about success at the initial site and about 

effective strategies for replication in other 

settings. Applicants are encouraged to devote 

an appropriate level of resources to project 

evaluation. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we will notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may also notify you 

informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: At the end of your 

project period, you must submit a final 

performance report, including financial 

information, as directed by the 

Secretary. If you receive a multi-year 

award, you must submit an annual 

performance report that provides the 

most current performance and financial 

expenditure information as directed by 

the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. The 

Secretary may also require more 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 55 / Tuesday, March 23, 2010 / Notices 13745 

frequent performance reports under 34 

CFR 75.720(c). For specific 

requirements on reporting, please go to 

http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: The goal of 

the CSP is to support the creation and 

development of a large number of highquality charter schools that are free from 

State or local rules that inhibit flexible 

operation, are held accountable for 

enabling students to reach challenging 

State performance standards, and are 

open to all students. The Secretary has 

two performance indicators to measure 

progress toward this goal: (1) the 

number of charter schools in operation 

around the Nation, and (2) the 

percentage of charter school students 

who are achieving at or above the 

proficient level on State examinations in 

mathematics and reading/language arts. 

Additionally, the Secretary has 

established the following measure to 

examine the efficiency of the CSP: 

Federal cost per student in 

implementing a successful school 

(defined as a school in operation for 

three or more consecutive years). 

All grantees will be expected, as 

applicable, to submit an annual 

performance report documenting their 

contribution in assisting the Department 

in meeting these performance measures. 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard Payton, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Room 4W225, Washington, DC 20202– 

5970. Telephone: (202) 453–7698 or by 

e-mail: richard.payton@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

on request to the program contact 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in Section VII of 

this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: March 17, 2010. 

James H. Shelton, III, 

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and 

Improvement. 

[FR Doc. 2010–6378 Filed 3–22–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Innovation and Improvement 

Overview Information; Ready To Teach 

Program—General Programming 

Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for 

New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.286A 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 23, 

2010. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent To 

Apply: April 22, 2010. 

Date of Meeting for Prospective 

Applicants: April 15, 2010. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 24, 2010. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 21, 2010. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: 

The Ready to Teach program (RTT) 

supports the use of telecommunications 

to improve teaching by assisting 

elementary school and secondary school 

teachers to prepare all students to 

achieve challenging State academic 

content and student academic 

achievement standards in core 

curriculum areas. 

Background: 

In order to improve the Nation’s 

lowest-achieving schools, the Secretary 

recognizes the need to improve the 

professional development of teachers, 

including early childhood professionals. 

In this competition, the Secretary 

encourages applicants to create new 

professional development models that 

incorporate emerging technologies and 

innovative strategies into digital 

professional development content and 

to disseminate products and results 

through open educational resources 

(OER). 

Through this competition, the 

Department intends to promote 

telecommunications innovations that 

support effective teaching. Examples of 

using telecommunications innovations 

to support effective teaching include the 

distribution of digital professional 

development content through cell 

phone applications, or the creation of 

new games, simulations, or other 

electronic applications that improve the 

academic achievement of high-need 

students and are available as open 

educational resources through the 

Internet, online portals, or other digital 

media platforms. 

In addition, the Secretary encourages 

applicants to consider developing 

rigorous research and evaluation 

strategies to increase knowledge about 

the impact of educational technology on 

improving teaching practices and 

student outcomes. 

Statutory Requirements: Under the 

requirements for this program in section 

5477 of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA), to be eligible to receive a Ready 

to Teach General Programming Grant, 

an applicant must submit an application 

that— 

a. Demonstrates that the applicant 

will use the public broadcasting 

infrastructure, the Internet, and school 

digital networks, where available, to 

deliver video and data in an integrated 

service to train teachers in the use of 

materials and learning technologies for 

achieving challenging State academic 

content and student academic 

achievement standards; 

b. Ensures that the project will be 

conducted in cooperation with 

appropriate State educational agencies, 

local educational agencies, and State or 

local nonprofit public 

telecommunications entities; and 

c. Ensures that a significant portion of 

the benefits available for elementary 

schools and secondary schools from the 

project will be available to schools of 

local educational agencies that have a 

high percentage of children counted 

under Part A of Title I of the ESEA. 

Priorities: This competition includes 

two invitational priorities and one 

competitive preference priority. 

Invitational Priorities: Under this 

competition we are particularly 

interested in applications that address 

the following priorities. For FY 2010 

and any subsequent year in which we 

make awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, these 

priorities are invitational priorities. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not 

give an application that meets these 

invitational priorities a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

These priorities are: 

Invitational Priority 1. Applications 

that use innovative strategies to deliver 

professional development content (such 

as through the Internet, online portals, 

learning modules, games, simulations, 

cell phones, and other technological 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES