35736 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: Loan Discharge 

Applications (DL/FFEL/Perkins). 

OMB Control Number: 1845–0058. 

Type of Review: A revision of an 

existing information collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals or households. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 30,051. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 15,027. 

Abstract: These forms serve as the 

means by which a federal student loan 

borrower requests a closed school, false 

certification, or unpaid refund 

discharge. The burden hours associated 

with this collection is increasing for one 

reason; mainly, that the collection is 

being combined with the collection with 

OMB Control Number 1845–0015 so 

that all loan discharge forms are 

contained in one collection with the 

same OMB Control Number. 

Dated: June 19, 2014. 

Kate Mullan, 

Acting Director, Information Collection 

Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and 

Records Management Services, Office of 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2014–14714 Filed 6–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No. ED–2014–ICCD–0066] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Comment Request; 

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan 

Program, Federal Direct PLUS Loan 

Request for Supplemental Information 

AGENCY: Department of Education (ED), 

Federal Student Aid (FSA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is 

proposing a revision of an existing 

information collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before July 24, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in 

response to this notice should be 

submitted electronically through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http:// 

www.regulations.gov by selecting 

Docket ID number ED–2014–ICCD–0066 

or via postal mail, commercial delivery, 

or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 

site is not available to the public for any 

reason, ED will temporarily accept 

comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. 

Please note that comments submitted by 

fax or email and those submitted after 

the comment period will not be 

accepted; ED will ONLY accept 

comments during the comment period 

in this mailbox when the regulations.gov 

site is not available. Written requests for 

information or comments submitted by 

postal mail or delivery should be 

addressed to the Director of the 

Information Collection Clearance 

Division, U.S. Department of Education, 

400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, 

Mailstop L–OM–2–2E319, Room 2E103, 

Washington, DC 20202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Stephanie 

Badger, 202–377–3229. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department of Education (ED), in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general 

public and Federal agencies with an 

opportunity to comment on proposed, 

revised, and continuing collections of 

information. This helps the Department 

assess the impact of its information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. It also 

helps the public understand the 

Department’s information collection 

requirements and provide the requested 

data in the desired format. ED is 

soliciting comments on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. The Department of 

Education is especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) Is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: William D. Ford 

Federal Direct Loan Program, Federal 

Direct PLUS Loan Request for 

Supplemental Information. 

OMB Control Number: 1845–0103. 

Type of Review: A revision of an 

existing information collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals or households. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 1,230,000. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 615,000. 

Abstract: The Federal Direct PLUS 

Loan Request for Supplemental 

Information serves as the means by 

which a parent or graduate/professional 

student Direct PLUS Loan applicant 

may provide certain information to a 

school that will assist the school in 

originating the borrower’s Direct PLUS 

Loan award, as an alternative to 

providing this information to the school 

by other means established by the 

school. 

Dated: June 19, 2014. 

Kate Mullan, 

Acting Director, Information Collection 

Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and 

Records Management Services, Office of 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2014–14715 Filed 6–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket ID ED–2013–OII–0146] 

RIN 1894–AA04 

Secretary’s Proposed Supplemental 

Priorities and Definitions for 

Discretionary Grant Programs 

AGENCY: Department of Education. 

ACTION: Proposed priorities and 

definitions. 

SUMMARY: To support a comprehensive 

education agenda, the Secretary 

proposes 15 priorities and related 

definitions for use in discretionary grant 

programs. These proposed priorities and 

definitions are intended to replace the 

current supplemental priorities for 

discretionary grant programs that were 

published in 2010. These priorities 

reflect the lessons learned from 

implementing discretionary grant 

programs, as well as our current policy 

objectives, and emerging needs in 

education. 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before July 24, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments 

through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 

or via postal mail, commercial delivery, 

or hand delivery. We will not accept 

comments by fax or by email, or those 

submitted after the comment period. To 

ensure that we do not receive duplicate 

copies, please submit your comments 

only once. In addition, please include 

the Docket ID at the top of your 

comments. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov to submit your 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 35737 

1 Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., 

Burchinal, M., Espinosa, L., Gormley, W., Ludwig, 

J.O., Magnuson, K.A., Phillips, D.A., & Zaslow, M.J. 

(2013). Investing in our future: The evidence base 

on preschool education. New York: Foundation for 

Child Development and Ann Arbor, MI: Society for 

Research in Child Development. Available at: 

http://fcd-us.org/sites/default/files/Evidence%20

Base%20on%20Preschool%20Education%20

FINAL.pdf. 

2U.S. Department of Education, National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) (August 2008). 

Continued 

comments electronically. Information 

on using Regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing agency 

documents, submitting comments, and 

viewing the docket, is available on the 

site under ‘‘Are you new to the site?’’ 

• Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, 

or Hand Delivery: If you mail or deliver 

your comments about these proposed 

priorities and definitions, address them 

to Margo Anderson, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Room 4W311, Washington, DC 20202– 

5930. 

Privacy Note: The Department’s policy is 

to make all comments received from 

members of the public available for public 

viewing in their entirety on the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. 

Therefore, commenters should be careful to 

include in their comments only information 

that they wish to make publicly available. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Margo Anderson, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Room 4W311, Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: (202) 205–3010 or by email: 

margo.anderson@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Invitation to Comment: We invite you 

to submit comments regarding this 

notice. To ensure that your comments 

have maximum effect in developing the 

notice of final priorities and definitions, 

we urge you to identify clearly the 

specific proposed priority or definition 

that each comment addresses. 

We invite you to assist us in 

complying with the specific 

requirements of Executive Orders 12866 

and 13563 and their overall requirement 

of reducing regulatory burden that 

might result from these proposed 

priorities and definitions. Please let us 

know of any further ways we could 

reduce potential costs or increase 

potential benefits while preserving the 

effective and efficient administration of 

our programs. 

During and after the comment period, 

you may inspect all public comments 

about this notice by accessing 

Regulations.gov. You may also inspect 

the comments in person in Room 

4W335, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC, between the hours of 

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

DC time, Monday through Friday of 

each week except Federal holidays. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities in Reviewing the 

Rulemaking Record: On request we will 

provide an appropriate accommodation 

or auxiliary aid to an individual with a 

disability who needs assistance to 

review the comments or other 

documents in the public rulemaking 

record for this notice. If you want to 

schedule an appointment for this type of 

accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e–3. 

Proposed Priorities: 

This notice contains 15 proposed 

priorities. 

Background: 

On December 15, 2010, the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register final supplemental priorities 

and definitions for discretionary grant 

programs (75 FR 78485), which were 

corrected and republished in the 

Federal Register on May 12, 2011 (76 

FR 27637) (the 2010 Supplemental 

Priorities). 

The Department proposes to repeal 

the 2010 Supplemental Priorities and 

definitions and replace them with a set 

of new and revised priorities and 

definitions for discretionary grant 

programs. The new priorities and 

definitions reflect the lessons learned 

from implementing discretionary grant 

programs using the 2010 Supplemental 

Priorities, our current policy objectives, 

and emerging needs in education. Note 

that we do not include priorities for 

building evidence of effectiveness, 

supporting projects for which there is 

moderate or strong evidence of 

effectiveness, or improving 

productivity, all of which were included 

in the 2010 Supplemental Priorities. 

These policy objectives are codified in 

the Education Department Grant 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 

effective August 13, 2013 (see 78 FR 

49338), and can be used in discretionary 

grant competitions through that 

mechanism. 

To support our comprehensive 

education agenda, we are proposing 

priorities that span students’ full 

academic and career trajectories. These 

priorities will support early learning 

and development programs that ensure 

children are ready to succeed in school; 

elementary and secondary schools and 

programs that keep all students on track 

to graduate from high school with the 

skills necessary to succeed in college 

and in their careers; and postsecondary 

programs, including adult educational 

programs, that provide individuals with 

the skills and knowledge they need to 

succeed in the workforce. 

Our intent is to propose priorities that 

can be used widely across our 

discretionary grant programs, thereby 

aligning these programs with the 

Secretary’s policy objectives, rather than 

proposing priorities specifically 

designed for individual programs. 

This notice includes 15 proposed 

priorities, which are a combination of 

new priorities and amended versions of 

priorities from the 2010 Supplemental 

Priorities. The Department will choose 

which, if any, of the proposed priorities 

will be used for any particular 

discretionary grant competition; and 

such decisions will be made consistent 

with each program’s current authorizing 

statute and regulations. 

Proposed Priority 1—Improving Early 

Learning and Development Outcomes. 

Background: 

In his January 28, 2014, State of the 

Union address, the President repeated 

his request from the previous year to 

help states make high-quality preschool 

available to all children, noting that lack 

of access to high-quality early learning 

and development programs can cast a 

shadow over a child for the rest of his 

or her life. Further, research suggests 

that participation in high-quality early 

learning and development programs 

may lead to improved school readiness 

for children in the short term, as well as 

higher graduation rates and higher 

earnings in the long term.1 Thus, 

through this proposed priority, the 

Department will support projects that 

are designed to improve early learning 

and developmental outcomes across the 

essential domains of school readiness 

(as defined in this notice) for children 

from birth through third grade. Further, 

we seek to expand on the early learning 

priority included in the 2010 

Supplemental Priorities by also 

proposing to support projects designed 

to increase access to high-quality early 

learning and development programs, 

improve the quality and effectiveness of 

the early learning workforce, include 

preschool as part of elementary and 

secondary education programs and 

systems, and improve data-sharing, 

coordination, and alignment between 

early learning and development systems 

and elementary education systems. 

Additionally, children from lowincome families are under-represented 

in early learning and development 

programs across the country.2 Through 

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35738 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 

School Readiness Survey of the National Household 

Education Survey (NHES), 2007. Available at: 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=

2008051. 

3More information on the Race to the Top-Early 

Learning Challenge program is available at: http:// 

www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetopearlylearningchallenge/index.html. 

4The University of Chicago Consortium of 

Chicago School Research (June 2012). Teaching 

Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role of 

Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School 

Performance. Available at: http://raikesfoundation.

org/Documents/Teaching%20Adolescents%20to

%20Become%20Learners%20(CCSR%20Literature

%20Review%20June%202012).pdf. 

5 Ibid. 

6Pane, John F., et al. (2013). Effectiveness of 

Cognitive Tutor Algebra I at Scale. Rand 

Corporation. Available at: www.rand.org/pubs/ 

external_publications/EP50410.html. 

this proposed priority, the Department 

would support projects that increase 

children’s access to high-quality early 

learning and development programs, 

particularly for children with high 

needs (as defined in this notice). Highquality early learning and development 

programs across the birth-through-thirdgrade continuum include the following 

elements, as appropriate: High staff 

qualifications, including attainment of a 

bachelor of arts degree for teachers; 

effective professional development for 

teachers and staff; low staff-child ratios; 

small class sizes; a full-day program; 

developmentally appropriate, evidencebased curricula and learning 

environments aligned with State early 

learning standards; employee salaries 

comparable to those of kindergarten 

through grade 12 (K–12) teaching staff; 

ongoing program evaluation to ensure 

continuous improvement; and on-site 

comprehensive services for children 

(e.g., health screenings, meals, nutrition 

services, family engagement strategies). 

In the Race to the Top-Early Learning 

Challenge program, the Department 

collaborates with the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services to 

emphasize that an early learning and 

development system is most effective 

for children when seamlessly 

coordinated with an elementary 

education system.3 This coordination 

may include, alone or in combination, 

aligning standards, comprehensive 

assessments, data systems, workforce 

systems, family engagement, and health 

promotion strategies. By aligning and 

coordinating early learning and 

development systems and elementary 

education systems, children are more 

likely to enter kindergarten ready to 

succeed and to sustain improved 

outcomes through the early elementary 

years. This proposed priority aims to 

support projects that will provide all 

children with a high-quality foundation 

that will prepare them for success in 

school and in life. 

Proposed Priority 1—Improving Early 

Learning and Development Outcomes. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

early learning and development 

outcomes across one or more of the 

essential domains of school readiness 

(as defined in this notice) for children 

from birth through third grade (or for 

any age group within this range) 

through a focus on one or more of the 

following: 

(a) Increasing access to high-quality 

early learning and development 

programs and comprehensive services, 

particularly for children with high 

needs (as defined in this notice). 

(b) Improving the quality and 

effectiveness of the early learning 

workforce so that early childhood 

educators have the knowledge, skills, 

and abilities necessary to improve 

young children’s health, socialemotional, and cognitive outcomes. 

(c) Improving the coordination and 

alignment between early learning and 

development systems and elementary 

education systems, in accordance with 

applicable privacy laws, to improve 

transitions for children from birth 

through third grade. 

(d) Including preschool as part of 

elementary education programs and 

systems in order to expand 

opportunities for preschool students 

and teachers. 

(e) Sustaining improved early learning 

and development outcomes throughout 

the early elementary school years. 

Proposed Priority 2—Influencing the 

Development of Non-Cognitive Factors. 

Background: 

A promising body of research suggests 

that non-cognitive factors play an 

important role in students’ academic, 

career, and life outcomes.4 Noncognitive factors include a broad range 

of behaviors, strategies, and attitudes, 

such as academic behaviors (e.g., 

attendance, homework completion), 

academic mindsets (e.g., sense of 

belonging in the academic community, 

believing academic achievement 

improves with effort), perseverance 

(e.g., tenacity, self-discipline), social 

and emotional skills (e.g., cooperation, 

empathy, adaptability), and approaches 

toward learning strategies (e.g., 

executive functions, attention, goalsetting, curiosity, problem solving, selfregulating learning, study skills).5 With 

this proposed priority, the Department 

intends to support projects that develop 

and strengthen students’ mastery of 

non-cognitive skills and behaviors so 

that they develop and attain the skills 

necessary for success in school, career, 

and life. 

This proposed priority is new and 

was not included in the 2010 

Supplemental Priorities. 

Proposed Priority 2—Influencing the 

Development of Non-Cognitive Factors. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

students’ mastery of non-cognitive skills 

and behaviors (e.g., academic behaviors, 

academic mindset, perseverance, selfregulation, social and emotional skills, 

and approaches toward learning 

strategies) and enhance student 

motivation and engagement in learning. 

Proposed Priority 3—Promoting 

Personalized Learning. 

Background: 

Personalized learning (as defined in 

this notice) aims to differentiate content, 

tools, and materials for each learner so 

that he or she can meet college- and 

career-ready standards. Teacher and 

student interactions are strengthened 

when, through ongoing personalized 

assessments, a teacher has access to 

timely and targeted information about 

each student’s particular needs and 

interests. 

Personalized learning can be 

implemented through use of digital 

tools, adopting universal design 

principles, and aligning activities 

during non-school hours with students’ 

unique needs. When well designed and 

appropriately implemented, 

personalized learning can narrow 

achievement gaps by using academic 

interventions that promote excellence. 

For example, a recent large-scale 

effectiveness study found that a 

technology-based, personalized, and 

blended-learning mathematics 

curriculum could effectively raise a high 

school student from the 50th to the 58th 

percentile.6 This sort of intervention has 

great potential to narrow achievement 

gaps between groups of students. 

At its most effective, personalized 

learning can inspire students at all 

levels by effectively challenging those 

students who are furthest ahead on a 

specific topic, providing targeted 

assistance to those furthest behind, and 

engaging with the students in the 

middle. Personalized learning supports 

mastery-based differentiation, which 

also allows for regrouping students as 

appropriate. 

This proposed priority aims to 

support projects that use personalized 

learning to prepare students to master 

the content and skills required for 

college- and career-readiness. 

This proposed priority is new and 

was not included in the 2010 

Supplemental Priorities. 

Proposed Priority 3—Promoting 

Personalized Learning. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 35739 

7Note that the definition of ‘‘high-need student’’ 

is not limited to students of a certain grade or age. 

Accordingly, a high-need student could be a 

student in an early learning and development 

program, a student in elementary or secondary 

school, a postsecondary student, or an adult learner. 

8The College Board. Trends in College Pricing 

2012. Available at: http://trends.collegeboard.org/ 

college-pricing. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

student academic outcomes and close 

academic opportunity or attainment 

gaps through one of the following: 

(a) Implementing personalized 

learning (as defined in this notice) 

approaches that will ensure appropriate 

support and produce academic 

excellence for all students. 

(b) Awarding credit or digital 

credentials (as defined in this notice) 

based on personalized learning or 

adaptive assessments of academic 

performance, cognitive growth, or 

behavioral improvements and aligned 

with college- and career-ready 

standards. 

Proposed Priority 4—Improving 

Academic Outcomes for High-Need 

Students. 

Background: 

The Department is committed to 

pursuing equity at all stages of 

education, from birth through 

adulthood, and aims to ensure that all 

students are afforded the opportunity to 

succeed academically. However, 

persistent and significant gaps in 

achievement still exist between highneed students (as defined in this 

notice) 7 and their more advantaged 

peers. By supporting projects that 

improve student learning or encourage 

targeted subgroups of students to 

develop new skills, the Department is 

furthering its commitment to ensure that 

all students have the opportunity to 

succeed academically and to learn 

essential skills that support success in 

their careers and in life. 

We included a similar priority in the 

2010 Supplemental Priorities, which 

focused on accelerating learning and 

improving high school graduation rates 

for high-need students. Adding these 

groups to the proposed priority would 

allow for broader use across the 

Department’s discretionary grant 

programs. In addition to including an 

expanded set of student subgroups, we 

are also revising this priority to support 

projects that are designed to improve 

academic outcomes or learning 

environments. 

Proposed Priority 4—Improving 

Academic Outcomes for High-Need 

Students. 

Projects that are designed to improve: 

(a) Academic outcomes, or 

(b) Learning environments, for one or 

more of the following groups of 

students: 

(i) High-need students (as defined in 

this notice). 

(ii) Students in rural local educational 

agencies (as defined in this notice). 

(iii) Students with disabilities. 

(iv) English learners. 

(v) Students in lowest performing 

schools (as defined in this notice). 

(vi) Students who are living in 

poverty and are served by schools with 

high concentrations of students living in 

poverty. 

(vii) Disconnected youth, such as 

youth who are homeless, in foster care, 

have come into contact with the 

juvenile justice system, unemployed, or 

are not enrolled in an educational 

institution, or migrant youth. 

(viii) Low-skilled adults (as defined in 

this notice). 

Proposed Priority 5—Increasing 

Postsecondary Access, Affordability, 

and Completion. 

Background: 

Postsecondary education, including 

career and technical education, is 

increasingly necessary for individuals to 

compete in a global economy. Therefore, 

the Nation must boost completion rates 

for associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, as 

well as for industry-recognized 

credentials or certificates. The President 

has set a goal that, by 2020, the United 

States will have the highest proportion 

of college graduates in the world. This 

proposed priority aligns with the 

President’s goal by supporting projects 

that prepare students, particularly highneed students (as defined in this notice), 

for college and careers; enroll more 

students in postsecondary education; 

and increase the number of those who 

complete programs of study with a 

degree or certificate. This proposed 

priority also supports career and 

technical training that provides students 

with the knowledge and skills to 

succeed in the workforce. 

With this proposed priority, we also 

aim to support adult learners who must 

first strengthen their basic skills before 

they are able to succeed in 

postsecondary education. Basic skills 

may include reading, comprehension, 

and mathematic skills, as well as 

abstraction, system thinking, and 

experimentation. Basic skills may also 

include workforce-related skills, such as 

timeliness, responsibility, cooperation, 

and communication. 

In addition to supporting projects that 

prepare students for college and careers, 

we must improve students’ ability to 

afford postsecondary education, 

including career and technical 

education. The average net cost of a 

college education has risen for many 

undergraduates, particularly full-time 

students attending four-year public 

colleges and universities,8 widening the 

affordability gap. Giving students the 

information they need to select the 

institution most appropriate to their 

academic abilities, as well as their 

personal, professional, and financial 

goals, is essential. Further, making true 

college costs transparent and providing 

students more affordable college options 

will allow students to make informed 

choices from a meaningful range of 

college options. Another strategy for 

reducing the cost of education while 

also improving the quality of teaching 

and learning is through developing and 

implementing high-quality online, 

credit-bearing, and accessible learning 

opportunities. Such strategies may help 

achieve the President’s goal of the 

United States having the highest 

proportion of college graduates in the 

world. 

The 2010 Supplemental Priorities also 

included a priority on postsecondary 

success. We are revising the priority to 

focus specifically on access, 

affordability, and completion of 

postsecondary education, including 

career and technical education, to 

further support the President’s goal. 

Proposed Priority 5—Increasing 

Postsecondary Access, Affordability, 

and Completion. 

Projects that are designed to address 

one or more of the following: 

(a) Reducing the net cost, median 

student loan debt, and student loan 

default rate for high-need students (as 

defined in this notice) who enroll in 

college, other postsecondary education, 

or other career and technical education. 

(b) Increasing the number and 

proportion of high-need students (as 

defined in this notice) who are 

academically prepared for, enroll in, or 

complete on time college, other 

postsecondary education, or other career 

and technical education. 

(c) Increasing the number and 

proportion of high-need students (as 

defined in this notice) who, through 

college preparation, awareness, 

recruitment, application, selection, and 

other activities and strategies, enroll in 

or complete college, other 

postsecondary education, or other career 

and technical education. 

(d) Increasing the number of 

individuals who return to the 

educational system to obtain a regular 

high school diploma or its recognized 

equivalent; enroll in and complete 

college, other postsecondary education, 

or career and technical training; or 

obtain basic and academic skills needed 

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35740 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 

9Maguire, Sheila et al. 2010. Findings from the 

Sectoral Employment Impact Study. New York: 

Public/Private Ventures. 

10Reed, Debbie et al. 2012. An Effectiveness 

Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis of Registered 

Apprenticeship in 10 States. Oakland, CA: 

Mathematica Policy Research. 

11 Gennetian, Lisa A., Cynthia Miller, and Jared 

Smith. 2005. Turning Welfare into Work Support: 

Six-Year Impacts on Parents and Children from the 

Minnesota Family Investment Program. New York: 

MDRC. 

12Examples of such integration may include 

partnering or coordinating with other programs that 

provide job training and employment services, 

including American Job Centers and other programs 

authorized by the Workforce Investment Act. 

13The President’s Council of Advisors on Science 

and Technology (PCAST) (February 2012). Engage 

to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College 

Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, 

Engineering and Mathematics. Available at: 

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ 

ostp/pcast-engage-to-excel-final_feb.pdf. 

to succeed in college, other 

postsecondary education, other career 

and technical education, or the 

workforce. 

(e) Increasing the number and 

proportion of high-need students (as 

defined in this notice), particularly lowskilled adults (as defined in this notice), 

adults with disabilities, and 

disconnected youth or youth who are at 

risk of becoming disconnected, who 

enroll in and complete postsecondary 

programs. 

(f) Supporting the development and 

implementation of high-quality online 

or hybrid credit-bearing and accessible 

learning opportunities that reduce the 

total cost of higher education, accelerate 

time to degree completion, or allow 

students to progress at their own pace. 

Proposed Priority 6—Improving JobDriven Training and Employment 

Outcomes. 

Background: 

In his January 28, 2014, State of the 

Union address, the President introduced 

an effort to ‘‘train Americans with the 

skills employers need and match them 

to good jobs that need to be filled right 

now.’’ Research suggests that the most 

successful strategies for effective jobdriven training are those that closely 

align training with local labor market 

needs. For example, one successful 

approach is encouraging local agencies 

to foster sector partnerships with local 

industry. Such employment and 

training strategies have increased both 

employment rates and earnings by 

obtaining accurate workforce needs 

assessments from local business and 

industry groups.9 In addition, programs 

that connect workers directly to the 

labor market through subsidized 

employment and registered 

apprenticeships have seen promising 

results.10 11

However, despite recent employment 

gains, far too many hard-working 

individuals have not been able to find 

a job or increase their earnings, and 

many businesses report difficulty hiring 

workers with the right skills for jobs 

they want to fill. The Department, in 

collaboration with other Federal 

agencies, is working to ensure its career, 

technical, and adult education and 

training programs and policies are 

aligned with the President’s job-driven 

training goals and assist individuals to 

acquire the skills necessary to pursue 

in-demand jobs and careers and obtain 

employment. In addition to programs 

administered by the Department’s Office 

of Career, Technical, and Adult 

Education, the Vocational Rehabilitation 

(VR) State Grants Program provides a 

wide range of services designed to assist 

individuals with disabilities to prepare 

for, obtain, and retain employment. The 

VR Grants Program is the largest Federal 

training program. 

Through this proposed priority, the 

Department would support projects that 

align programs in the workforce and 

training system to equip the Nation’s 

workers with skills matching the needs 

of employers looking to hire. It is 

imperative that employers identify the 

skills and credentials required for indemand jobs; have multiple 

mechanisms for finding workers who 

have or can acquire those skills; and 

help develop training programs. 

Workers and job seekers must have 

access not only to education and 

training that meets their unique needs, 

skills, and abilities, but also assistance 

from personnel with the requisite 

education, skills, and experience to 

provide employment counseling that 

will enable them to acquire jobs that 

lead to meaningful careers. This 

proposed priority was not included in 

the 2010 Supplemental Priorities and is 

proposed to reflect the Department’s 

current policy goals. 

Proposed Priority 6—Improving JobDriven Training and Employment 

Outcomes. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

job-driven training and employment 

outcomes through a focus on one or 

more of the following: 

(a) Increasing employer engagement 

(as defined in this notice). 

(b) Providing work-based learning 

opportunities (e.g., Registered 

Apprenticeship, other apprenticeships, 

internships, externships, on-the-job 

training, co-operative learning, practica, 

and work experience) for low-skilled 

adults (as defined in this notice) or 

other high-need students (as defined in 

this notice). 

(c) Integrating education and training 

into a career pathways program or 

system that offers connected education 

and training, related stackable 

credentials, and other support services 

that enable low-skilled adults (as 

defined in this notice) or other highneed students (as defined in this notice) 

to secure industry-relevant certification 

and obtain employment within an 

occupational area with the potential to 

advance to higher levels of future 

education and employment in that 

area.12

(d) Providing labor market 

information, career information, 

advising, counseling, job search 

assistance, and other supports including 

performance-based or other income 

supports or stipends, transportation and 

child care assistance and information, or 

others as deemed appropriate. 

(e) Improving the knowledge and 

skills of personnel and service providers 

that will enable such providers to better 

assist their customers to obtain the 

competencies and job skills required in 

the competitive labor market. 

Proposed Priority 7—Promoting 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics Education. 

Background: 

The demand for highly skilled 

workers in many fields is projected to 

outpace the number of qualified 

workers. To meet the needs of the labor 

market and spur an increase in 

technological innovation, creation, and 

study across the Nation, the Department 

proposes this priority to support the 

education and training of individuals in 

fields that draw heavily on science, 

technology, engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM) knowledge, such 

as health care, advanced manufacturing, 

clean energy, and information 

technology. 

It is essential to the health of our 

economy to increase the number of 

students attracted to and prepared for 

careers in STEM and to increase the 

proportion of students who are from 

groups historically under-represented in 

these careers (e.g., minorities, 

individuals with disabilities, and 

women), and to retain all of these 

students in STEM fields. 

The 2012 report from the President’s 

Council of Advisors on Science and 

Technology (PCAST) estimated that 

about 40 percent of all students who 

start their postsecondary degree in a 

STEM field will finish their program. 

Moreover, even among those who 

attained a bachelor’s degree in a STEM 

field, only about 56 percent of those 

working for pay one year after 

graduation worked in a STEM-related 

career.13 Therefore, we propose to revise 

the priority on STEM from the 2010 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 35741 

Supplemental Priorities to address 

access to, and persistence in, rigorous 

and engaging STEM coursework. To 

increase students’ engagement and 

interest in STEM fields, it is imperative 

that students are provided opportunities 

to pursue rigorous STEM coursework 

and gain research experience prior to 

entering postsecondary study and the 

workforce. 

In addition, because of continued 

issues facing the STEM P–12 teaching 

profession, including teacher shortages 

and staffing difficulties, the President 

has challenged governors, 

philanthropists, scientists, engineers, 

educators, and the private sector to join 

a national campaign to find new ways 

to recruit, train, reward, and retain 

STEM teachers and to collectively 

prepare 100,000 STEM teachers over the 

next decade. Recruitment efforts that 

attract the best talent into STEM 

teaching will improve student learning 

and engagement in STEM subjects. 

Finally, ensuring STEM teachers have 

adequate knowledge of the subjects they 

are teaching and the ability to teach 

them will improve effectiveness and 

relevance of instruction in STEM 

subjects. This priority would also help 

to bolster local or regional partnerships 

that enhance students’ access to realworld STEM experiences and teachers’ 

access to high-quality STEM-related 

professional learning. 

Proposed Priority 7—Promoting 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics Education. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

student achievement (as defined in this 

notice) or other related outcomes by 

addressing one or more of the following: 

(a) Increasing the preparation of 

teachers or other educators in STEM 

subjects, including teachers of career 

and technical education, through 

activities that may include building 

content knowledge and pedagogical 

content knowledge, and increasing the 

number and quality of authentic STEM 

experiences (as defined in this notice). 

(b) Providing students with increased 

access to rigorous and engaging STEM 

coursework and authentic STEM 

experiences (as defined in this notice). 

(c) Identifying and implementing 

instructional strategies, systems, and 

structures that improve postsecondary 

learning and retention, resulting in 

completion of a degree in a STEM field. 

(d) Increasing the number of 

individuals from groups historically 

under-represented in STEM, including 

minorities, individuals with disabilities, 

and women, who are provided with 

access to rigorous and engaging 

coursework in STEM or who are 

prepared for postsecondary study and 

careers in STEM. 

(e) Supporting local or regional 

partnerships to give students access to 

real-world STEM experiences and to 

give educators access to high-quality 

STEM-related professional learning. 

Proposed Priority 8—Implementing 

Internationally Benchmarked Collegeand Career-Ready Standards and 

Assessments. 

Background: 

Since 2009, 45 States and the District 

of Columbia have partnered in a Stateled effort to develop common, 

internationally benchmarked collegeand career-ready standards in English 

language arts and mathematics for 

elementary and secondary school 

students. Three other States are 

implementing their own college- and 

career-ready standards. In order to 

ensure effective implementation of these 

college- and career-ready standards and 

thereby further the goal of preparing 

students to compete in a global 

economy, it is essential to develop and 

implement teacher and principal 

preparation and professional 

development programs; student 

assessments or performance-based tools 

aligned with the standards, including 

adaptive assessments, simulations, and 

performance tasks; and other strategies 

that translate the standards and 

assessment data into classroom 

practices that meet the needs of all 

students, including English learners and 

students with disabilities. 

The Department has emphasized the 

importance of high-quality formative, 

interim, and summative assessments to 

measure the extent to which students 

are meeting or exceeding college- and 

career-ready standards. States that set 

clear, high expectations for students 

must be able to assess and accurately 

measure student performance against 

those expectations. Projects that are 

designed to implement these standards 

and assessments will improve teaching 

and learning and can support greater 

accountability to students, families, and 

school or district staff by providing 

timely, relevant, and actionable 

information about student learning over 

time. 

A version of this priority was 

included in the 2010 Supplemental 

Priorities under a slightly different title. 

In this notice, we are proposing minor 

changes to the previous priority. 

Proposed Priority 8—Implementing 

Internationally Benchmarked Collegeand Career-Ready Standards and 

Assessments. 

Projects that are designed to support 

the implementation of and transition to 

internationally benchmarked collegeand career-ready standards and 

assessments, including projects in one 

or more of the following: 

(a) Developing and implementing 

student assessments (e.g., formative 

assessments, interim assessments, 

summative assessments) or 

performance-based tools aligned with 

those standards and accessible to all 

students. 

(b) Developing and implementing 

professional development or teacher 

preparation programs that are aligned 

with those standards. 

(c) Developing and implementing 

strategies that translate the standards 

and information from assessments into 

classroom practices that meet the needs 

of all students. 

Proposed Priority 9—Improving 

Teacher Effectiveness and Promoting 

Equal Access to Effective Teachers. 

Background: 

It is well established that teacher 

effectiveness contributes more to 

student academic outcomes than any 

other in-school measure; yet, there is 

dramatic variation in teacher 

effectiveness within and across schools, 

including significant inequity in 

students’ access to effective teachers, 

particularly for low-income and 

minority students. 

As such, it is essential to attract a 

high-performing and diverse pool of 

talented individuals into the teaching 

profession and to ensure that they have 

access to high-quality preparation 

programs that have high standards for 

successful completion. Equally 

important is supporting and retaining 

effective teachers through practices such 

as creating or enhancing opportunities 

for professional growth, reforming 

compensation and advancement 

systems, and creating conditions for 

successful teaching and learning. As 

part of their teacher development 

efforts, local educational agencies (LEAs 

or districts) should have in place 

strategies for ensuring teacher success, 

such as evaluation and support systems 

that consider multiple measures 

including student growth (as defined in 

this notice) and that result in actionable 

feedback, support, and incentives for 

improvement at every stage of a 

teacher’s career. 

In the 2010 Supplemental Priorities, 

we included a single priority that 

supported projects focused on both 

teachers and principals. This notice 

includes separate priorities for projects 

supporting teachers and principals. By 

creating separate priorities, 

discretionary grant programs can choose 

to focus on either teachers or principals 

and are provided the opportunity for 

more targeted support to each group. 

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35742 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 

14For the purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘principal’’ may also refer to an assistant principal. 

15Roza, M., Celio, M.B., Harvey, J., & Wishon, S. 

(January 2003). A Matter of Definition: Is there 

Truly a Shortage of School Principals? A Report to 

the Wallace—Reader’s Digest Fund. 

16Hale, E.L., & Moorman, H.N. (September 2003). 

Preparing School Principals: A National Perspective 

on Policy and Program Innovations. Institute for 

Educational Leadership. 

17Clifford, M., et al. Practical Guide to Designing 

Comprehensive Principal Evaluation Systems (April 

2012). Available at: www.gtlcenter.org/productsresources/online-practical-guide-designingcomprehensive-principal-evaluation-systems. 

This proposed priority focuses solely 

on strengthening teacher recruitment, 

selection, preparation, development, 

retention, support, recognition, 

assessment, and reach in ways that are 

consistent with the Department’s policy 

goals for professionalizing teaching, 

improving outcomes for all students, 

and ensuring that low-income students 

and minority students have equal access 

to effective teachers. This priority 

would encourage grantees to exceed the 

requirements of Section 1112(c)(1)(L) of 

the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA) by focusing on effective teachers 

measured using a high-quality teacher 

evaluation and support system (as 

defined in this notice). 

Proposed Priority 9—Improving 

Teacher Effectiveness and Promoting 

Equal Access to Effective Teachers. 

Projects that are designed to address 

one or more of the following: 

(a) Increasing the number and 

percentage of effective teachers in 

lowest performing schools (as defined in 

this notice) or schools with high 

concentrations of low-income and 

minority students, through such 

activities as: 

(1) Improving the preparation, 

recruitment, selection, and early career 

development of teachers; implementing 

performance-based certification 

systems; reforming compensation and 

advancement systems; and reforming 

hiring timelines and systems. 

(2) Improving the retention of 

effective teachers through such 

activities as creating or enhancing 

opportunities for teachers’ professional 

growth; reforming compensation and 

advancement systems; and improving 

workplace conditions to create 

opportunities for successful teaching 

and learning; or 

(b) Promoting equal access to effective 

teachers for low-income and minority 

students across and within schools and 

districts. 

For the purposes of this priority, 

teacher effectiveness must be measured 

using a high-quality teacher evaluation 

and support system (as defined in this 

notice). 

Proposed Priority 10—Improving the 

Effectiveness of Principals.14

Background: 

While there is no overall shortage of 

candidates who have the credentials 

States require for principals, these 

candidates are often ill-prepared to meet 

the demands of the principal position.15

Both novice and experienced principals 

often lack the necessary skills and 

support to respond to the increased 

pressures of their positions, such as 

changes to evaluation systems and the 

implementation of key organizational 

processes in their schools. The quality, 

not the quantity, of credentialed 

candidates for principal positions is a 

common criticism of principal 

preparation programs. Specifically, 

many district leaders and policy makers 

are critical of principal preparation 

programs that lack a rigorous screening 

and selection process for program 

candidates, courses that are aligned 

with standards of practice, and clinical 

experiences.16 Additionally, once 

credentialed candidates become 

principals, they are often not provided 

the necessary support and development 

opportunities that enable them to 

enhance their skills, particularly in 

shaping a strong professional 

community and collective responsibility 

for student learning by evaluating and 

providing feedback to teachers, 

analyzing student data, developing 

school leadership teams, and creating a 

positive school climate. 

This proposed priority underscores 

the value of principals and takes into 

account the influence principals have 

over teacher effectiveness and student 

achievement in their schools.17 Through 

this proposed priority, we seek to 

support projects that expand the pool of 

effective and highly effective principals, 

support ongoing professional 

development that is aligned with 

principals’ needs, and build district 

capacity and systems that will provide 

principals the instructional focus, core 

leadership competencies, support, 

policies, and conditions that will 

positively affect the schools they lead. 

As noted in the background 

discussion of proposed priority 9, we 

propose to separate priorities addressing 

teachers and principals, therefore 

allowing discretionary grant programs to 

focus on either teachers or principals in 

a manner that is specific to each group’s 

unique needs. 

Proposed Priority 10—Improving the 

Effectiveness of Principals. 

Projects that are designed to increase 

the number and percentage of highly 

effective principals by addressing one or 

more of the following: 

(a) Creating or expanding practices 

and strategies to recruit, select, prepare, 

and support talented individuals to lead 

and significantly improve instruction in 

the lowest performing schools (as 

defined in this notice) or schools with 

high concentrations of high-need 

students (as defined in this notice). 

(b) Identifying, implementing, and 

supporting policies and school 

conditions that facilitate efforts by 

principals to turn around lowest 

performing schools (as defined in this 

notice). 

(c) Creating or expanding principal 

preparation programs that include 

clinical experiences, induction and 

other supports for program participants, 

strategies for tracking the effect program 

graduates have on teaching and 

learning, and coursework that is aligned 

with pre-kindergarten through grade 12 

college- and career-ready standards. 

(d) Implementing professional 

development for current principals, 

especially in lowest performing schools 

(as defined in this notice), that is 

designed to improve teacher and 

student learning by supporting 

principals in their mastery of essential 

instructional and organizational 

leadership skills. 

(e) Implementing practices or 

strategies that support districts in 

hiring, evaluating, and supporting 

principals to effectively lead schools. 

For the purposes of this priority, 

principal effectiveness must be 

measured using a high-quality principal 

evaluation and support system (as 

defined in this notice). 

Proposed Priority 11—Leveraging 

Technology to Support Instructional 

Practice and Professional Development. 

Background: 

Leveraging technology to support 

instructional practice and professional 

development is crucial to ensure 

Americans have access to a high-quality 

education and are prepared to be 

globally competitive. Schools, 

educators, students, and families all 

benefit when effective digital tools and 

materials are thoughtfully integrated 

into classrooms and communities. 

Technology can accelerate or enhance 

the implementation of the other 

priorities proposed in this document by: 

• Providing personalized data for 

early learning providers; 

• Assessing and supporting students’ 

mastery of non-cognitive skills and 

behaviors; 

• Enabling the creation of 

personalized learning environments; 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 35743 

18Available at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/ 

list/ocr/letters/colleague-201111.html and www.ed.

gov/news/press-releases/new-guidance-supportsvoluntary-use-race-achieve-diversity-highereducation. 

19The Civil Rights Data Collection: Issue Brief 

No. 1: School Discipline. (March 2014). Available 

at: http://ocrdata.ed.gov/Downloads/CRDC-SchoolDiscipline-Snapshot.pdf. 

• Targeting and differentiating 

material specifically for high-need 

students (as defined in this notice); 

• Increasing access to higher 

education and reducing instructional 

costs; 

• Accessing open educational 

resources (as defined in this notice) 

aligned with internationally 

benchmarked college- and career-ready 

standards; 

• Supporting teachers in sharing best 

practices and collaborating with experts 

to improve instructional approaches; 

• Encouraging teacher observation 

and principal feedback; 

• Engaging more effectively with 

diverse families and communities; 

• Providing access to advanced 

coursework and other learning 

opportunities where otherwise not 

available; and 

• Increasing the reach of highly 

effective teachers, particularly for 

students in rural and isolated areas. 

While the use of digital tools was part 

of the 2010 Supplemental Priorities, we 

are revising this priority to include more 

specific strategies to promote 

technology integration and enhance 

student and educator learning. This 

proposed priority would explicitly 

support projects that help students and 

educators take full advantage of access 

to high-speed Internet, digital tools and 

materials, and open educational 

resources (as defined in this notice). 

Proposed Priority 11—Leveraging 

Technology to Support Instructional 

Practice and Professional Development. 

Projects that are designed to leverage 

technology through one or more of the 

following: 

(a) Using high-need Internet access 

and devices that increase students’ and 

educators’ access to high-quality digital 

tools, materials, and assessments, 

particularly open educational resources 

(as defined in this notice). 

(b) Developing and implementing 

high-quality accessible digital tools, 

materials, and assessments that are 

aligned to rigorous college- and careerready standards. 

(c) Developing and implementing 

high-quality, accessible online courses, 

learning communities, or simulations, 

including those for which educators 

could earn professional development 

credit or continuing education units 

through digital credentials (as defined 

in this notice) based on demonstrated 

mastery of competencies and 

performance-based outcomes, instead of 

traditional time-based metrics. 

(d) Using data platforms that enable 

the development, visualization, and 

rapid analysis of data to produce 

evidence on teaching and learning, 

while also protecting privacy in 

accordance with applicable laws. 

Proposed Priority 12—Promoting 

Diversity. 

Background: 

The 2010 Supplemental Priorities 

included a priority on diversity that 

allows the Department to give priority to 

projects that ‘‘are designed to promote 

student diversity, including racial and 

ethnic diversity, or avoid racial 

isolation.’’ In announcing this priority 

in 2010, we noted that LEAs and 

postsecondary institutions have found 

that ‘‘providing diverse learning 

environments . . . can provide 

substantial educational benefits.’’ To 

further this goal, in 2011 and again in 

2013, the Department, in conjunction 

with the U.S. Department of Justice, 

issued guidance regarding the use of 

race and ethnicity to promote diversity 

and reduce racial isolation.18

The Department continues to 

encourage schools, school districts, and 

postsecondary institutions to take 

lawful steps to increase student body 

diversity based on race and ethnicity, 

and, in the case of school districts, to 

avoid racial isolation. Any steps taken 

by school districts and postsecondary 

institutions to further these efforts must 

be done in accordance with applicable 

law, including United States Supreme 

Court precedent, and the guidance 

should be helpful in that respect. 

Promoting diversity is a compelling 

educational goal for students from many 

backgrounds. Today’s global economy 

demands that students graduate ready to 

interact with individuals from all walks 

of life and experience. LEAs and 

postsecondary institutions have a 

critical role in preparing students for 

success in an increasingly diverse 

workforce and society, and can help 

students reap substantial educational 

benefits by providing them with 

learning environments in which they 

can develop important skills, such as 

the ability to communicate and 

collaborate with peers of different 

backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. 

The 2010 priority highlighted racial 

and ethnic diversity, but did not 

preclude an applicant from receiving 

priority consideration for proposing 

projects promoting diversity in other 

ways, such as diversity based on 

socioeconomic status, another objective 

of Federal education programs. 

Consequently, the proposed diversity 

priority also covers projects that 

promote student body diversity based 

on other factors, including a student’s 

socioeconomic status. Highlighting 

efforts to promote diversity based on 

socioeconomic status is also consistent 

with the 2011 and 2013 guidance 

documents, which explain that schools, 

school districts, and postsecondary 

institutions may elect to take account of 

students’ socioeconomic status to 

achieve student body racial and ethnic 

diversity and, in the case of preschool, 

elementary, or secondary programs, to 

avoid racial isolation. 

Proposed Priority 12—Promoting 

Diversity. 

Projects that are designed to prepare 

students for success in an increasingly 

diverse workforce and society by 

increasing the diversity, including 

racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic 

diversity, of students enrolled in 

schools or postsecondary programs; or 

in the case of preschool, elementary, or 

secondary programs, decreasing the 

racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic 

isolation of students served by the 

project. 

Proposed Priority 13—Improving 

School Climate, Behavioral Supports, 

and Correctional Education. 

Background: 

For all students to have the best 

chance for academic success, it is 

imperative they attend safe schools with 

nurturing climates that support active 

academic engagement through 

comprehensive supports for their 

physical, mental, and behavioral wellbeing. Too many students are negatively 

affected by violence, bullying, and 

exclusionary discipline practices, 

including suspension, expulsion, and 

unnecessary placement in alternative 

educational programs. The Department’s 

Civil Rights Data Collection indicates 

that, for districts that reported 

expulsions, Hispanic and African 

American students represent 56 percent 

of the students expelled, but only 40 

percent of the enrolled students in these 

districts. Additionally, students covered 

under the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA) were twice as 

likely as students who were not covered 

under IDEA to be suspended from 

school at least once.19 Identifying and 

addressing the causes for 

disproportionate discipline and 

reducing school discipline practices that 

remove students from the learning 

environment will increase opportunities 

for student success. 

Similarly, too many individuals who 

are or who have been incarcerated lack 

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20Rand Corporation (2013). Evaluating the 

Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A MetaAnalysis of Programs that Provide Education to 

Incarcerated Adults. Available at: www.bja.gov/

Publications/RAND_Correctional-Education-MetaAnalysis.pdf. 

21Luiselli, J.K., Putnam, R.F., Handler, M.W., 

Feinberg, A.B. (2005). Whole-School Positive 

Behaviour Support: Effects on student discipline 

problems and academic performance. Educational 

Psychology, 25 (2–3), 183–198. 

22Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting 

America’s Commitment (January 2011). Available 

at: www.defense.gov/home/features/2011/ 

0111_initiative/ 

Strengthening_our_Military_January_2011.pdf. 

23Blue Star Families. 2010 Military Family 

Lifestyle Survey (May 2010). See http:// 

bluestarfam.org/Policy/Surveys/Survey_2010. 

access to high-quality education or job 

training programs that will support their 

reintegration into the community. 

According to a recent study, inmates 

who participated in correctional 

education programs were, on average, 

13 percentage points less likely to return 

to prison than inmates who did not 

participate in such programs.20

Providing these individuals with the 

skills and knowledge essential for their 

futures will assist them in their 

transition to becoming productive 

citizens and decrease the likelihood of 

recidivism. 

The 2010 Supplemental Priorities 

broadly addressed school climate. 

Through this proposed priority, we 

focus on specific challenges related to 

school climate, including disparities in 

and overuse of exclusionary discipline 

practices, and add a focus on social, 

emotional, and behavioral supports.21 In 

supporting projects that improve school 

climate and reduce school discipline 

issues, assess and address the root 

causes of disproportionate discipline, 

and improve the quality of education 

programs in juvenile justice and adult 

correctional facilities, the Department 

aims to support projects that support 

positive student behavior and students’ 

success in college and in their careers. 

Proposed Priority 13—Improving 

School Climate, Behavioral Supports, 

and Correctional Education. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

student outcomes through one or more 

of the following: 

(a) Improving school climate through 

strategies that may include establishing 

tiered behavioral supports (as defined in 

this notice) or strengthening student 

social, emotional, and behavioral skills. 

(b) Reducing or eliminating 

disparities in school disciplinary 

practices and the use of exclusionary 

discipline (such as suspensions, 

expulsions, and unnecessary 

placements in alternative education 

programs) for particular groups of 

students, including minority students 

and students with disabilities, by 

identifying and addressing the root 

causes of such disparities. 

(c) Improving the quality of education 

programs in juvenile justice facilities 

(such as detention facilities and secure 

and non-secure placements) or adult 

correctional facilities, and linking the 

youth or adults to education or job 

training programs post-release. 

Proposed Priority 14—Improving 

Parent, Family, and Community 

Engagement. 

Background: 

In order for families to be 

meaningfully engaged in their children’s 

education and development, they must 

have a sense of shared responsibility 

with schools and communities for their 

children’s academic outcomes. They 

must also have opportunities to support 

learning and school improvement and 

feel that their engagement is welcomed 

and supported by school and district 

staff. 

In the 2010 Supplemental Priorities, 

we included a single priority that 

combined efforts to improve family and 

community engagement with efforts to 

improve school engagement, 

environment, and safety. This proposed 

priority would separate efforts to 

improve parent, family, and community 

engagement from those focused on 

improving school engagement, 

environment, and safety. Further, the 

2010 priority addressed improving 

parent and family engagement broadly. 

Under this proposed priority, however, 

we would specify and expand on the 

types of projects we would like to 

support. 

For example, this proposed priority 

would support the alignment of the 

Department’s policies, practices, and 

programs concerning parent and family 

engagement (as defined in this notice) 

and community engagement (as defined 

in this notice). We view family 

engagement as a shared responsibility 

from cradle to career that takes place 

across multiple settings (i.e., home, 

school, and community). Further, this 

proposed priority focuses on building 

the capacity of parents, families, 

communities, and school and district 

staff to support academic achievement. 

This capacity-building focus can be 

integrated into many aspects of a 

school’s or LEA’s strategy to achieve 

learning goals, including the 

recruitment and training of effective 

teachers and leaders, the mechanisms 

used to evaluate and assess both 

teachers and students, and the tools that 

provide parents with access to 

information about students’ academic 

progress and performance and 

information on how to use that data to 

support their children’s education. 

Proposed Priority 14—Improving 

Parent, Family, and Community 

Engagement. 

Projects that are designed to improve 

students’ academic outcomes through 

one or more of the following: 

(a) Developing and implementing 

systemic initiatives (as defined in this 

notice) to improve parent and family 

engagement (as defined in this notice) 

by expanding and enhancing the skills, 

strategies, and knowledge (i.e., 

techniques needed to effectively 

communicate, advocate, support, and 

make informed decisions about the 

student’s education) of parents and 

families. 

(b) Providing professional 

development that enhances the skills 

and competencies of school leaders, 

principals, teachers, or other 

administrative and support staff to build 

meaningful relationships with students’ 

parents or families. 

(c) Implementing initiatives that 

improve community engagement (as 

defined in this notice) or the 

relationships between parents or 

families and school staff by cultivating 

sustained partnerships (as defined in 

this notice). 

Proposed Priority 15—Supporting 

Military Families and Veterans. 

Background: 

There are more than 1.2 million 

school-aged children who have at least 

one parent that is a member of the 

uniformed services.22 Approximately 10 

percent of those children have a parent 

deployed to a combat zone, and 

students of deployed parents can live in 

any community across our Nation and 

attend any school. Research suggests 

that military children experience 

stressors due to relocation that can 

negatively affect student achievement 

and participation in school activities. A 

2010 military family lifestyle survey 

found that 34 percent of respondents are 

‘‘less or not confident’’ that their 

children’s school is responsive to the 

unique aspects of military family life.23

Through a memorandum of 

understanding, the Department of 

Education and the Department of 

Defense acknowledge the unique 

educational needs and challenges faced 

by the children of military servicemen 

and women, including the need to 

reduce the negative consequences of 

frequent relocations and absences. 

Additionally, on April 27, 2012, the 

President signed Executive Order 13607, 

‘‘Principles of Excellence for 

Educational Institutions Serving Service 

Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other 

Family Members.’’ In implementing the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 35745 

Executive order, the U.S. Department of 

Veterans Affairs has established seven 

Principles of Excellence that encourage 

institutions of higher education (IHEs) 

to support veterans. Building on that 

initiative, the Department developed the 

‘‘Eight Keys to Veterans’ Success,’’ 

which highlight specific ways that IHEs 

can support veterans in their pursuit of 

higher education and employment. 

This proposed priority aims to ensure 

the healthy development of military 

children, including children of active 

duty service members and veterans, and 

to improve educational experiences and 

career opportunities for students who 

are active duty or reserve component 

service members, spouses of active duty 

or reserve component service members, 

and veterans. Additionally, through this 

proposed priority, we would update the 

2010 priority to encourage better 

alignment between projects we support 

and the President’s Executive order. 

Proposed Priority 15—Supporting 

Military Families and Veterans. 

Projects that are designed to address 

the needs of military- or veteranconnected students (as defined in this 

notice). 

Types of Priorities: 

When inviting applications for a 

competition using one or more 

priorities, we designate the type of each 

priority as absolute, competitive 

preference, or invitational through a 

notice in the Federal Register. The 

effect of each type of priority follows: 

Absolute priority: Under an absolute 

priority, we consider only applications 

that meet the priority (34 CFR 

75.105(c)(3)). 

Competitive preference priority: 

Under a competitive preference priority, 

we give competitive preference to an 

application by (1) awarding additional 

points, depending on the extent to 

which the application meets the priority 

(34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting 

an application that meets the priority 

over an application of comparable merit 

that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 

75.105(c)(2)(ii)). 

Invitational priority: Under an 

invitational priority, we are particularly 

interested in applications that meet the 

priority. However, we do not give an 

application that meets the priority a 

preference over other applications (34 

CFR 75.105(c)(1)). 

Proposed Definitions: 

Background: 

We propose definitions to ensure a 

common understanding of terms used in 

the proposed priorities. These proposed 

definitions are intended to replace the 

definitions in the 2010 Supplemental 

Priorities. 

Authentic STEM experiences means 

laboratory, research-based, or 

experiential learning opportunities in a 

STEM (science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics) subject in informal or 

formal settings. 

Children with high needs means 

children from birth through 

kindergarten entry who are from lowincome families or otherwise in need of 

special assistance and support, 

including children who have disabilities 

or developmental delays; who are 

English learners; who reside on ‘‘Indian 

lands’’ as that term is defined by section 

8013(6) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (ESEA); who are migrant, 

homeless, or in foster care; and other 

children as identified by the State. 

Community engagement means the 

systematic inclusion of community 

organizations as partners with State 

educational agencies, local educational 

agencies, or other educational 

institutions, or their school staff. These 

organizations may include faith- and 

community-based organizations, 

institutions of higher education 

(including minority-serving institutions 

authorized under Title III of the Higher 

Education Act and historically black 

colleges and universities), business and 

industry, labor, State and local 

government entities, or Federal entities 

other than the Department. 

Digital credentials means evidence of 

a teacher’s or student’s mastery of 

specific competencies or performancebased abilities, provided in digital 

rather than physical medium (e.g., 

through digital badges). These digital 

credentials may then be used to 

supplement or satisfy continuing 

education or professional development 

requirements. 

Employer engagement means the 

active involvement of employers, 

employer associations, and labor 

organizations in identifying skills and 

competencies, designing programs, 

offering real workplace problem sets, 

facilitating access to leading-edge 

equipment and facilities, providing 

‘‘return to work’’-type professional 

development opportunities for faculty, 

and providing work-based learning and 

mentoring opportunities for 

participants. 

Essential domains of school readiness 

means the domains of language and 

literacy development, cognition and 

general knowledge (including early 

mathematics and early scientific 

development), approaches toward 

learning, physical well-being and motor 

development (including adaptive skills), 

and social and emotional development. 

High-minority school means a school 

as that term is defined by a local 

educational agency (LEA), which must 

define the term in a manner consistent 

with its State’s Teacher Equity Plan, as 

required by section 1111(b)(8)(C) of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The 

applicant must provide the definition(s) 

of ‘‘high-minority school’’ used in its 

application. 

High-need students means students at 

risk of educational failure or otherwise 

in need of special assistance and 

support, such as students who are living 

in poverty, who attend high-minority 

schools (as defined in this notice), who 

are far below grade level, who have left 

school before receiving a regular high 

school diploma, who are at risk of not 

graduating with a diploma on time, who 

are homeless, who are in foster care, 

who have been incarcerated, who have 

disabilities, or who are English learners. 

High-quality teacher evaluation and 

support system means a system that 

provides for continuous improvement of 

instruction; differentiates performance 

using at least three performance levels; 

uses multiple valid measures to 

determine performance levels, including 

data on student growth (as defined in 

this notice) as a significant factor and 

other measures of professional practice; 

evaluates teachers on a regular basis; 

provides clear and timely feedback that 

identifies needs and guides professional 

development; is developed with teacher 

and principal involvement; and is used 

to inform personnel decisions. 

High-quality principal evaluation and 

support system means a system that 

provides for continuous improvement of 

instruction; differentiates performance 

using at least three performance levels; 

uses multiple valid measures to 

determine performance levels, including 

data on student growth (as defined in 

this notice) as a significant factor and 

other measures of professional practice; 

evaluates principals on a regular basis; 

provides clear and timely feedback that 

identifies needs and guides professional 

development; is developed with teacher 

and principal involvement; and is used 

to inform personnel decisions. 

Low-skilled adult means an adult with 

low literacy and numeracy skills. 

Lowest performing schools means— 

For a State with an approved request 

for the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA) flexibility, priority schools (as 

defined in this notice) or Tier I and Tier 

II schools (as defined in this notice) 

identified under the School 

Improvement Grants program. 

For any other State, Tier I and Tier II 

schools (as defined in this notice) 

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35746 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 

identified under the School 

Improvement Grants program. 

Military- or veteran-connected student 

means— 

(a) A child participating in an early 

learning and development program, a 

student enrolled in preschool through 

grade 12, or a student enrolled in 

postsecondary education or career and 

technical training who has a parent or 

guardian who is a member of the 

uniformed services (as defined by 37 

U.S.C. 101, in the Army, Navy, Air 

Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 

National Guard, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, or Public 

Health Service); 

(b) A student who is a member of the 

uniformed services, a veteran of the 

uniformed services, or who is the 

spouse of a service member or veteran; 

or 

(c) A child participating in an early 

learning and development program or a 

student enrolled in preschool through 

grade 12 who has a parent or guardian 

who is a veteran of the uniformed 

services (as defined by 37 U.S.C. 101). 

Open educational resources (OER) 

means teaching, learning, and research 

resources that reside in the public 

domain or have been released under an 

intellectual property license that 

permits their free use and repurposing 

by others. 

Parent and family engagement means 

the systematic inclusion of parents and 

families, working in partnership with 

State educational agencies (SEAs), State 

lead agencies (under Part C of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) or the State’s Race to the 

Top-Early Learning Challenge grant), 

local educational agencies (LEAs), or 

other educational institutions, or their 

staff, in their child’s education, which 

may include strengthening the ability of 

(a) parents and families to support their 

child’s education and (b) school staff to 

work with parents and families. 

Persistently-lowest achieving schools 

means, as determined by the State— 

(a)(1) Any Title I school in 

improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring that— 

(i) Is among the lowest achieving five 

percent of Title I schools in 

improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring or the lowest achieving 

five Title I schools in improvement, 

corrective action, or restructuring in the 

State, whichever number of schools is 

greater; or 

(ii) Is a high school that has had a 

graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 

200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent 

over a number of years; and 

(2) Any secondary school that is 

eligible for, but does not receive, Title 

I funds that— 

(i) Is among the lowest achieving five 

percent of secondary schools or the 

lowest achieving five secondary schools 

in the State that are eligible for, but do 

not receive, Title I funds, whichever 

number of schools is greater; or 

(ii) Is a high school that has had a 

graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 

200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent 

over a number of years. 

(b) To identify the lowest achieving 

schools, a State must take into account 

both— 

(i) The academic achievement of the 

‘‘all students’’ group in a school in 

terms of proficiency on the State’s 

assessments under section 1111(b)(3) of 

the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA), in reading/language arts and 

mathematics combined; and 

(ii) The school’s lack of progress on 

those assessments over a number of 

years in the ‘‘all students’’ group. 

Personalized learning means 

instruction that is aligned to rigorous 

college- and career-ready standards 

where the pace of learning and the 

instructional approach are tailored to 

the needs of individual learners. 

Learning objectives and content, as well 

as the pace, may all vary depending on 

a learner’s needs. In addition, learning 

activities are aligned to specific interests 

of each learner. Data from a variety of 

sources (including formative 

assessments, student feedback, and 

progress in digital learning activities), 

along with teacher recommendations, 

are often used to personalize learning. 

Priority schools means schools that, 

based on the most recent data available, 

have been identified as among the 

lowest performing schools in the State. 

The total number of priority schools in 

a State must be at least five percent of 

the Title I schools in the State. A 

priority school is— 

(a) A school among the lowest five 

percent of Title I schools in the State 

based on the achievement of the ‘‘all 

students’’ group in terms of proficiency 

on the statewide assessments that are 

part of the SEA’s differentiated 

recognition, accountability, and support 

system, combined, and has 

demonstrated a lack of progress on those 

assessments over a number of years in 

the ‘‘all students’’ group; 

(b) A Title I-participating or Title Ieligible high school with a graduation 

rate less than 60 percent over a number 

of years; or 

(c) A Tier I or Tier II school under the 

SIG program that is using SIG funds to 

implement a school intervention model. 

Rural local educational agency means 

a local educational agency (LEA) that is 

eligible under the Small Rural School 

Achievement (SRSA) program or the 

Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) 

program authorized under Title VI, Part 

B of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA). Eligible applicants may 

determine whether a particular LEA is 

eligible for these programs by referring 

to information on the Department’s Web 

site at www2.ed.gov/nclb/freedom/local/ 

reap.html. 

Student achievement means— 

For grades and subjects in which 

assessments are required under section 

1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA): (1) A student’s score on such 

assessments; and (2) other measures of 

student learning, such as those 

described in the subsequent paragraph, 

provided they are rigorous and 

comparable across schools within a 

local educational agency (LEA). 

For grades and subjects in which 

assessments are not required under 

section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA: (1) 

Alternative measures of student learning 

and performance, such as student 

results on pre-tests, end-of-course tests, 

and objective performance-based 

assessments; (2) student learning 

objectives; (3) student performance on 

English language proficiency 

assessments; and (4) other measures of 

student achievement that are rigorous 

and comparable across schools within 

an LEA. 

Student growth means the change in 

student achievement (as defined in this 

notice) for an individual student 

between two or more points in time. 

Sustained partnerships means 

relationships that have demonstrably 

adequate resources and other support to 

continue beyond the funding period and 

that consist of a local educational 

agency, one or more of its schools, and 

one or more of the following: 

(1) Faith- or community-based 

organizations. 

(2) Institutions of higher education, 

including community colleges, 

technical colleges, or technical 

institutions. 

(3) Minority-serving institutions 

authorized under Title III of the Higher 

Education Act or historically black 

colleges or universities. 

(4) Business, industry, or labor. 

(5) Other Federal, State, or local 

government entities. 

Systemic initiatives means policies, 

programs, or activities that include 

parent and family engagement as a core 

component and are designed to meet 

critical educational goals, such as 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 35747 

school readiness, student achievement 

(as defined in this notice), and school 

turnaround. 

Tier I schools means— 

(a) A Tier I school is a Title I school 

in improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring that is identified by the 

State educational agency (SEA) under 

paragraph (a)(1) of the definition of 

‘‘persistently lowest-achieving schools.’’ 

(b) At its option, an SEA may also 

identify as a Tier I school an elementary 

school that is eligible for Title I, Part A 

funds that— 

(1)(i) Has not made adequate yearly 

progress for at least two consecutive 

years; or 

(ii) Is in the State’s lowest quintile of 

performance based on proficiency rates 

on the State’s assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (ESEA) in reading/language 

arts and mathematics combined; and 

(2) Is no higher achieving than the 

highest-achieving school identified by 

the SEA under paragraph (a)(1)(i) of the 

definition of ‘‘persistently lowestachieving schools.’’ 

Tier II schools means— 

(a) A Tier II school is a secondary 

school that is eligible for, but does not 

receive, Title I, Part A funds and is 

identified by the State educational 

agency (SEA) under paragraph (a)(2) of 

the definition of ‘‘persistently lowestachieving schools.’’ 

(b) At its option, an SEA may also 

identify as a Tier II school a secondary 

school that is eligible for Title I, Part A 

funds that— 

(1)(i) Has not made adequate yearly 

progress for at least two consecutive 

years; or 

(ii) Is in the State’s lowest quintile of 

performance based on proficiency rates 

on the State’s assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (ESEA), in reading/language 

arts and mathematics combined; and 

(2)(i) Is no higher achieving than the 

highest-achieving school identified by 

the SEA under paragraph (a)(2)(i) of the 

definition of ‘‘persistently lowestachieving schools’’; or 

(ii) Is a high school that has had a 

graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 

200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent 

over a number of years. 

Tiered behavioral supports means a 

continuum of increasingly intensive and 

evidence-based social, emotional, and 

behavioral supports, including a 

framework of universal strategies for 

students and school staff to promote 

positive behavior and data-based 

strategies for matching more intensive 

supports to individual student needs. 

Final Priorities and Definitions: 

We will announce the final priorities 

and definitions in a notice in the 

Federal Register. We will determine the 

final priorities and definitions after 

considering responses to this notice and 

other information available to the 

Department. This notice does not 

preclude us from proposing additional 

priorities or definitions, subject to 

meeting applicable rulemaking 

requirements. 

Note: This notice does not solicit 

applications. In any year in which we choose 

to use one or more of these priorities and 

definitions, we invite applications through a 

notice in the Federal Register. 

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

Regulatory Impact Analysis 

Under Executive Order 12866, the 

Secretary must determine whether this 

regulatory action is ‘‘significant’’ and, 

therefore, subject to the requirements of 

the Executive order and subject to 

review by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB). Section 3(f) of Executive 

Order 12866 defines a ‘‘significant 

regulatory action’’ as an action likely to 

result in a rule that may— 

(1) Have an annual effect on the 

economy of $100 million or more, or 

adversely affect a sector of the economy, 

productivity, competition, jobs, the 

environment, public health or safety, or 

State, local, or tribal governments or 

communities in a material way (also 

referred to as an ‘‘economically 

significant’’ rule); 

(2) Create serious inconsistency or 

otherwise interfere with an action taken 

or planned by another agency; 

(3) Materially alter the budgetary 

impacts of entitlement grants, user fees, 

or loan programs or the rights and 

obligations of recipients thereof; or 

(4) Raise novel legal or policy issues 

arising out of legal mandates, the 

President’s priorities, or the principles 

stated in the Executive Order. 

This proposed regulatory action is a 

significant regulatory action subject to 

review by OMB under section 3(f) of 

Executive Order 12866. 

We have also reviewed this proposed 

regulatory action under Executive Order 

13563, which supplements and 

explicitly reaffirms the principles, 

structures, and definitions governing 

regulatory review established in 

Executive Order 12866. To the extent 

permitted by law, Executive Order 

13563 requires that an agency— 

(1) Propose or adopt regulations only 

upon a reasoned determination that 

their benefits justify their costs 

(recognizing that some benefits and 

costs are difficult to quantify); 

(2) Tailor its regulations to impose the 

least burden on society, consistent with 

obtaining regulatory objectives and 

taking into account—among other things 

and to the extent practicable—the costs 

of cumulative regulations; 

(3) In choosing among alternative 

regulatory approaches, select those 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety, 

and other advantages; distributive 

impacts; and equity); 

(4) To the extent feasible, specify 

performance objectives, rather than the 

behavior or manner of compliance a 

regulated entity must adopt; and 

(5) Identify and assess available 

alternatives to direct regulation, 

including economic incentives—such as 

user fees or marketable permits—to 

encourage the desired behavior, or 

provide information that enables the 

public to make choices. 

Executive Order 13563 also requires 

an agency ‘‘to use the best available 

techniques to quantify anticipated 

present and future benefits and costs as 

accurately as possible.’’ The Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs of 

OMB has emphasized that these 

techniques may include ‘‘identifying 

changing future compliance costs that 

might result from technological 

innovation or anticipated behavioral 

changes.’’ 

We are issuing these proposed 

priorities and definitions only on a 

reasoned determination that their 

benefits would justify their costs. In 

choosing among alternative regulatory 

approaches, we selected those 

approaches that would maximize net 

benefits. Based on the analysis that 

follows, the Department believes that 

this regulatory action is consistent with 

the principles in Executive Order 13563. 

We also have determined that this 

regulatory action would not unduly 

interfere with State, local, and tribal 

governments in the exercise of their 

governmental functions. 

In accordance with both Executive 

orders, the Department has assessed the 

potential costs and benefits, both 

quantitative and qualitative, of this 

regulatory action. The potential costs 

associated with this regulatory action 

are those resulting from regulatory 

requirements and those we have 

determined as necessary for 

administering the Department’s 

programs and activities. 

Discussion of Costs and Benefits: 

The proposed priorities and 

definitions would not impose 

significant costs on entities that would 

receive assistance through the 

Department’s discretionary grant 

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35748 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 121 / Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / Notices 

programs. Additionally, the benefits of 

implementing the proposals contained 

in this notice outweigh any associated 

costs because they would result in the 

Department’s discretionary grant 

programs selecting high-quality 

applications to implement activities that 

are most likely to have a significant 

national effect on educational reform 

and improvement. 

Application submission and 

participation in a discretionary grant 

program are voluntary. The Secretary 

believes that the costs imposed on 

applicants by the proposed priorities 

and definitions would be limited to 

paperwork burden related to preparing 

an application for a discretionary grant 

program that is using one or more of the 

proposed priorities and definitions in its 

competition. Because the costs of 

carrying out activities would be paid for 

with program funds, the costs of 

implementation would not be a burden 

for any eligible applicants, including 

small entities. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

Certification: 

For these reasons as well, the 

Secretary certifies that these proposed 

regulations would not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities. 

Intergovernmental Review: Some of 

the programs affected by these proposed 

priorities and definitions are subject to 

Executive Order 12372 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. 

This document provides early 

notification of our specific plans and 

actions for these programs. 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

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

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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 via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: June 19, 2014. 

Arne Duncan, 

Secretary of Education. 

[FR Doc. 2014–14671 Filed 6–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

Combined Notice of Filings 

Take notice that the Commission has 

received the following Natural Gas 

Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings: 

Filings in Existing Proceedings 

Docket Numbers: RP14–964–001. 

Applicants: Gulf Shore Energy 

Partners, LP. 

Description: Gulf Shore Energy Show 

Cause Compliance filing. 

Filed Date: 6/10/14. 

Accession Number: 20140610–5175. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 6/23/14. 

Docket Numbers: RP14–964–002. 

Applicants: Gulf Shore Energy 

Partners, LP. 

Description: Gulf Shore Energy Show 

Cause Compliance filing-Refile. 

Filed Date: 6/10/14. 

Accession Number: 20140610–5231. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 6/23/14. 

The filings are accessible in the 

Commission’s eLibrary system by 

clicking on the links or querying the 

docket number. 

Any person desiring to protest in any 

of the above proceedings must file in 

accordance with Rule 211 of the 

Commission’s Regulations (18 CFR 

385.211) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

time on the specified comment date. 

eFiling is encouraged. More detailed 

information relating to filing 

requirements, interventions, protests, 

service, and qualifying facilities filings 

can be found at: http://www.ferc.gov/ 

docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For 

other information, call (866) 208–3676 

(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. 

Dated: June 11, 2014. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2014–14697 Filed 6–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

Combined Notice of Filings #1 

Take notice that the Commission 

received the following electric corporate 

filings: 

Docket Numbers: EC14–103–000. 

Applicants: Duke Energy Kentucky, 

Inc. 

Description: Application for 

Authorization to Transfer Jurisdictional 

Assets under Section 203 of the Federal 

Power Act of Duke Energy Kentucky, 

Inc. 

Filed Date: 6/16/14. 

Accession Number: 20140616–5279. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/7/14. 

Docket Numbers: EC14–104–000. 

Applicants: KEF Equity Investment 

Corp. 

Description: Application for 

Authorization for Disposition of 

Jurisdictional Facilities, Request for 

Expedited Consideration, Waivers and 

Confidential Treatment of KEP Equity 

Investment Corp. 

Filed Date: 6/16/14. 

Accession Number: 20140616–5281. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/7/14. 

Take notice that the Commission 

received the following electric rate 

filings: 

Docket Numbers: ER10–2179–022; 

ER10–2181–022; ER10–2182–022. 

Applicants: R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power 

Plant, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power 

Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear 

Station, LLC. 

Description: Amendment to December 

30, 2013 Updated Market Power 

Analysis for the Northeast Region of the 

Constellation Energy Nuclear Group 

entities. 

Filed Date: 5/16/14. 

Accession Number: 20140516–5230. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/8/14. 

Docket Numbers: ER11–2790–006. 

Applicants: Midcontinent 

Independent System Operator, Ameren 

Illinois Company. 

Description: 2014–06–17_SA 2005 

Ameren-Hoosier WDS Agreement 

Amended Compliance to be effective 

3/30/2011. 

Filed Date: 6/17/14. 

Accession Number: 20140617–5083. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/8/14. 

Docket Numbers: ER12–21–008; 

ER13–520–001; ER13–521–001; ER13– 

1441–001; ER13–1442–001; ER12–1626– 

002; ER13–1266–001; ER13–1267–001; 

ER13–1268–001; ER13–1269–001; ER13– 

1270–001; ER13–1271–001; ER13–1272– 

001; ER13–1273–001; ER10–2605–005. 

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