[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 56 (Monday, March 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13972-13978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7364]



[[Page 13971]]

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Part III





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________



Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services



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Children With Disabilities Programs; Grants Availability; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 56 / Monday, March 24, 1997 / 
Notices

[[Page 13972]]



DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services


Children With Disabilities Programs

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes priorities for programs administered by 
the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) 
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Secretary 
may use these priorities in Fiscal Year 1997 and subsequent years. The 
Secretary takes this action to focus Federal assistance on identified 
needs to improve results for children with disabilities. The proposed 
priorities are intended to ensure wide and effective use of program 
funds.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 23, 1997 for the 
Directed Research Projects proposed priority. Comments on all other 
priorities must be received on or before April 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning proposed priorities should be 
addressed to: Linda Glidewell, U.S. Department of Education, 600 
Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 3521, Switzer Building, Washington, 
D.C. 20202-2641. Internet: NPP__R<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#086d7b6d697a6b60486d6c266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9df8eef8fceffef5ddf8f9b3faf2eb">[email protected]</span></a>

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on these 
proposed priorities contact the U.S. Department of Education, 600 
Independence Avenue, S.W., room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, 
D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 260-9182. FAX: (202) 205-8717 (FAX is 
the preferred method for requesting information).
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8953. Individuals with disabilities 
may obtain a copy of this notice in an alternate format (e.g. braille, 
large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the 
Department as listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains six proposed priorities 
authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These 
proposed priorities would support the National Education Goals by 
helping to improve results for children with disabilities.
    The Secretary will announce the final priorities in a notice in the 
Federal Register. The final priorities will be determined by responses 
to this notice, available funds, and other considerations of the 
Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the availability 
of funds, the content of the final priorities, and the quality of the 
applications received. Further, priorities could be affected by 
enactment of legislation reauthorizing these programs. The publication 
of these proposed priorities does not preclude the Secretary from 
proposing additional priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary to 
funding only these priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking 
requirements.

    Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
applications. Notices inviting applications under these competitions 
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or 
following publication of the notices of final priorities.

Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet one of the following 
priorities. The Secretary proposes to fund under these competitions 
only applications that meet one of these absolute priorities:

Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Urban Center on Implementing Inclusive 
Education for Children With Severe Disabilities as Part of Systemic 
Education Reform Efforts

Background
    During the past ten years research and demonstration activities 
related to inclusive education have expanded dramatically. Increasing 
numbers of State and local education agencies are involved in school 
reform and inclusion efforts to ensure that all students, including 
those with severe disabilities, are provided with equal educational 
opportunities, meaningful access to the general curriculum, and 
effective educational and related services in their neighborhood 
schools.
    However, in the midst of multiple social and economic problems, 
urban districts are confronted with increasingly complex issues that 
have made the pursuit of inclusion and systemic education reform 
initiatives difficult. The need is compelling, considering that forty 
percent of our Nation's students attend four percent of the country's 
school districts.

Priority

    This priority is national in scope and is designed to help bridge 
the gap between the knowledge base and the state of practice in urban 
districts by: (a) Incorporating extant theory and research findings 
about the inclusion of students with disabilities, particularly 
students with severe disabilities, into systemic educational reform 
efforts, including efforts to improve education in multicultural 
environments; (b) increasing the capacity of urban school districts to 
provide high quality inclusive educational opportunities for students 
with disabilities, particularly students with severe disabilities; and 
(c) creating a national network of parents, education professionals 
(including teacher's organizations and unions), and advocacy groups 
interested in pursuing inclusion of students with disabilities, 
particularly students with severe disabilities, as a component of 
systemic education reform in urban districts in order to facilitate 
increased exchange of information and collaborative problem solving 
among these stakeholders.
    The Center must--
    (a) Prepare a synthesis of the relevant extant systemic reform, 
systems change, and inclusion theory and research with emphasis on 
urban schools with diverse populations to serve as the conceptual and 
empirical basis for center activities;
    (b) Translate this knowledge base into educational practices and 
materials that promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in 
regular education programs, and can be used by program implementers and 
policy makers in urban areas at district, building, and classroom 
levels;
    (c) Provide training and technical assistance via direct technical 
assistance as well distance learning and other innovative methods in 
the adoption, use, and maintenance of inclusive educational practices 
involving access to the general education curriculum in urban settings;
    (d) Evaluate the effectiveness of the center's activities in 
promoting inclusive educational practices in multiple urban settings by 
assessing: (1) the number of school sites where activities are 
conducted; (2) the number of people trained; (3) the types of follow-up 
activities that appear most valuable; and (4) the number of children 
with disabilities who are served in inclusive educational programs;
    (e) Evaluate the effect of the Center's activities on results for 
children with disabilities;
    (f) Produce a variety of evaluation data, including: (1) factors 
that contribute to the successful adoption, use, and maintenance of 
inclusive educational efforts in urban districts; (2) descriptions of 
the instructional contexts and settings, and classroom instructional 
supports; (3) school governance, organizational, and administrative 
patterns; (4) the attitudes and involvement of school administrators, 
school personnel, union membership, families, students, and

[[Page 13973]]

other stakeholders; (5) information about student results and the 
social validity of project activities; (6) information about how 
project activities are integrated in broader school reform efforts; and 
(7) analysis of policies, procedures, and fiscal implications at the 
urban district level;
    (g) Develop linkages with U.S. Department of Education technical 
assistance providers and disseminators to communicate findings and 
distribute products;
    (h) Coordinate activities on an on-going basis with other relevant 
efforts sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), 
including the Consortium for Inclusive Schooling Practices, and State-
wide Systems Change projects;
    (i) Provide training and experience in translating research to 
practice, materials development, technical assistance, dissemination, 
and program evaluation for a limited number of graduate students 
including students who are from traditionally underrepresented groups;
    (j) Conduct topical meetings and other activities on issues and 
emerging or promising inclusion practices in urban education; and
    (k) Collect and ensure timely dissemination of information on 
inclusion to urban policymakers and program implementers.
    Under this priority, the Secretary anticipates making one award for 
a cooperative agreement with a project period of up to 60 months 
subject to the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for continuation 
awards. In determining whether to continue the Urban Center for the 
fourth and fifth years of the project, the Secretary, in addition to 
considering factors in 34 CFR 75.253(a), will consider--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of three experts 
selected by the Secretary. The services of the review team, including a 
two-day site visit to the project are to be performed during the last 
half of the Center's second year and may be included in that year's 
evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs associated with the 
services to be performed by the review team must also be included in 
the Center's budget for year two. These costs are estimated to be 
approximately $4,000;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
Center; and
    (c) The degree to which the Center's technical assistance, 
evaluation, and dissemination activities demonstrate the potential for 
significantly increasing the capacity of urban schools to serve 
children with disabilities in inclusive school and community settings.
    This award will be jointly funded under two statutory authorities: 
(1) The Research in Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program; 
and (2) the Program for Children with Severe Disabilities. The 
Secretary has determined that this joint award is necessary to address 
not only the needs of children with severe disabilities in urban 
settings, but also the broader needs of all children with disabilities 
in urban settings.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1441 and 1424.

Proposed Absolute Priority 2--Center to Promote the Access to and 
Participation by Minority Institutions in Discretionary Programs 
Authorized Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Background
    The Congress has found that the Federal Government must be 
responsive to the growing needs of an increasingly diverse society and 
that a more equitable distribution of resources is essential for the 
Federal Government to meet its responsibility to provide an equal 
educational opportunity for all individuals, including children with 
disabilities. Specifically, the Congress has concluded that increasing 
the participation in awards for IDEA grants, cooperative agreements and 
contracts by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), 
other institutions of higher education whose minority enrollment is at 
least 25 percent (OMIs), and other eligible institutions as defined 
under section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (OEIs) can 
greatly improve our success in educating children with disabilities 
from diverse backgrounds.

Priority

    This priority is part of the Secretary's plan for increasing 
participation of minority entities in grant competitions. The purpose 
of this priority is to improve educational results for children with 
disabilities from diverse backgrounds by supporting a national center 
to: (a) promote the participation of HBCUs, OMIs, and OEIs in personnel 
preparation competitions authorized by IDEA; and (b) increase the 
capacity of HBCUs, OMIs, and OEIs to prepare personnel to work with 
children with disabilities.
    The Center must--
    (1) Identify the universe of HBCUs, OMIs, and OEIs;
    (2) Establish and maintain contacts with the minority entities;
    (3) Conduct needs assessments and negotiate technical assistance 
agreements on an annual basis with each HBCU, OMI, or OEI requesting 
assistance. The Center may propose cross-institutional activities if 
similar objectives are established in several agencies, and if 
combining activities could create cost savings or extend benefits to 
minority entities requesting assistance. In developing these 
activities, the Center must analyze the needs of each entity and 
determine the most effective and cost efficient means of addressing 
those needs. In developing each specific technical assistance 
agreement, the Center must--
    (i) Reconcile the needs identified by the entity with the Center's 
resources and its ability to respond;
    (ii) Describe the strategies and mechanisms it will use to respond 
to the technical assistance and professional development needs;
    (iii) Identify the persons involved in the technical assistance 
activity;
    (iv) Specify the beginning and end date of the activity;
    (v) Describe how the technical assistance activity will contribute 
to promoting the immediate and long-term goals of the project, 
including improved educational results for children with disabilities; 
and
    (vi) Describe a plan for coordinating with other technical 
assistance providers (e.g., the Regional Resource Centers) that may be 
involved in related activities;
    (5) Analyze the performance of grantees to serve as a basis for 
providing technical assistance, especially in the areas of recruitment 
and retention of students in personnel preparation programs, improving 
the quality of those programs, placement of students after graduation, 
and other areas that contribute to improved results for children with 
disabilities;
    (6) Develop materials and implement strategies that are necessary 
to carry out the center's activities;
    (7) Prepare and disseminate materials explaining personnel 
preparation competitions under IDEA to the HBCUs, OMIs, and OEIs;
    (8) Analyze the results of each competition in terms of the degree 
to which the HBCUs, OMIs, and OEIs applied, and the degree to which 
they were successful, and submit this analysis to the Department and 
the HBCUs, OMIs, and OEIs served by the project;
    (9) Provide advice as requested by the Department on strategies to 
further the

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purposes of section 610(j) of the Act; and
    (10) Disseminate state-of-the-art practices in personnel 
preparation, recruitment, and retention through linkages with U.S. 
Department of Education dissemination and technical assistance 
providers, in particular those technical assistance providers supported 
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
    The Secretary anticipates making one award for a grant with project 
period of up to 60 months subject to the requirements of 34 CFR 
Sec. 75.253(a) for continuation awards. In determining whether to 
continue the Center for the fourth and fifth years of the project 
period, the Secretary, in addition to the requirements of 34 CFR 
Sec. 75.253(a), will consider----
    (a) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated scope of work have been or are being met by the Center; 
and
    (b) The degree to which minority entities applied and were 
successful in participating in personnel preparation programs under 
IDEA.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1409(j) and 1431.

Proposed Absolute Priority 3--Technical Assistance to Parent Projects

    This priority is issued under the Program for Training Personnel 
for the Education of Individuals with Disabilities--Parent Training and 
Information Centers. The purpose of this priority is to provide 
technical assistance for establishing, developing, and coordinating 
parent training and information projects (PTIs) supported under 
Sec. 631(e) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The 
project must:
    (a) Plan and conduct one national and four regional conferences 
each year;
    (b) Conduct an assessment of the training and information needs of 
the PTIs;
    (c) Provide direct technical assistance and disseminate information 
through a variety of mechanisms to individual parent training and 
information projects on management processes or content areas (e.g., 
special education and related services issues, laws and regulation, 
networking) as identified through the needs assessment;
    (d) Maximize the computer and technological capabilities of the 
Federally-supported network of PTIs, by: (1) Systematizing data 
collection to conduct needs assessments (e.g., of who is and is not 
being served, where and what kinds of problems or successes exist in 
States, tracking effects of Federal and State initiatives), (2) linking 
the PTIs together electronically using a web page and bulletin boards 
that are user-friendly, enable PTIs to access and communicate with each 
other, and link PTIs directly to the National Information Center for 
Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) and other information 
sources, and (3) implementing other appropriate strategies.
    (e) Identify effective strategies for working with parents, 
families, and schools, and incorporate these strategies into training 
materials, technical assistance activities, and conferences; and
    (f) Provide direct technical assistance to PTIs that need such 
assistance in order to better serve underserved and underrepresented 
populations.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1431(e).

Proposed Absolute Priority 4--Special Projects--National Initiatives

    This priority is issued under the Program for Training Personnel 
for the Education of Individuals with Disabilities. The purpose of this 
priority is to support projects of national significance related to the 
preparation of personnel needed to serve infants, toddlers, children, 
and youth with disabilities. Projects funded under this priority must 
address one of the following focus areas:
    Focus 1--An Academy: Linking Teacher Education to Advances in 
Research. The purpose of this project will be to link teacher education 
programs with recent advances in research that have documented 
successful methods and strategies for assisting children with 
disabilities to achieve better results. The teacher education programs 
shall benefit by integrating these research advances into their 
respective preservice preparation programs for preparing personnel to 
work with children with disabilities, including special education, 
early intervention, related services personnel, and regular educators. 
The researchers will benefit from understanding how the findings of 
their research impact and improve the personnel preparation programs. A 
preservice program is defined as one that leads toward a degree, 
certification, or professional license or standard, and may be 
supported at the associate, baccalaureate, master's or specialist 
level.
    The Academy must focus its staff and resources on research 
advancements that improve results for children with disabilities in: 
(a) teaching reading to children with learning disabilities; (b) using 
technology to enhance educational results for children with 
disabilities; and (c) using positive behavioral supports to teach 
children with disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviors.

Activities

    The Academy must--
    (a) Design an approach, consistent with principles of effective 
professional development, for linking teacher education programs to the 
recent advances in research listed above. The professional development 
approach must consider a range of strategies for facilitating the 
exchange of knowledge between researchers and individuals who prepare 
personnel to work with children with disabilities. Strategies may 
include, for example, face to face meetings, electronic networks, 
seminars, retreats, mentoring agreements, and building local resource 
banks;
    (b) Design a comprehensive approach for reaching out to teacher 
education programs across the country in each of the three research 
areas identified above;
    (c) Design innovative tools to facilitate the exchange of 
knowledge, such as experiential activities, videos, course syllabi, 
interactive media, etc.; and
    (d) Evaluate the progress of linking research advances to teacher 
education programs.
    Focus 2--Developing A National Plan for Training Personnel to Teach 
Blind and Low-Vision Children. In recent years, the number of 
institutions of higher education that offer teacher training programs 
for teachers of blind and low-vision children has significantly 
diminished. Today, very few vision training programs for teachers of 
visually impaired individuals exist across the country. In some 
geographic areas, no such program exists. There has also been a 
concurrent reduction in the number of personnel available to meet the 
needs of children who are blind or have low vision. Institutions 
currently respond to this shortage by offering abbreviated courses, 
off-campus courses, and distance learning. Both individual institutions 
and regional organizations are seeking more effective responses to this 
problem.
    These problems are significant. Thus, immediate attention must be 
devoted to developing a national strategy for addressing the need for 
qualified personnel to teach blind and low-vision children.

Activities

    The project must--

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    (a) Conduct a systemic and systematic needs assessment of the 
personnel shortage identified above; and
    (b) Design a comprehensive approach for preparing capable and 
qualified personnel to educate blind and low vision students, including 
strategies for solving this shortage problem, consideration and 
comparisons of the merits of each alternative strategy, and a 
recommended solution.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C 1431.

Proposed Absolute Priority 5--Research Institute on Secondary Education 
Services for Children and Youth With Disabilities

    This priority is issued under the Secondary Education and 
Transitional Services for Youth with Disabilities Program. This 
institute would support a strategic program of research to study a 
variety of strategies to improve educational results for students with 
disabilities in secondary education settings (including urban, rural, 
and suburban community settings), and promote their successful 
transition to postsecondary settings.
    The secondary research institute must design and conduct a 
strategic program of research to study--
    (a) The range of effective support strategies, supplementary aids, 
and services (e.g., counseling, tutoring, assistive technology) aimed 
at improving educational results for students with disabilities in a 
wide range of typical secondary education experiences (e.g., academic, 
vocational, extracurricular) as well as their retention in school and 
their engagement in the educational process;
    (b) Effective strategies that secondary school personnel can use to 
restructure academic and vocational courses to accommodate students 
with disabilities with diverse learning needs and styles;
    (c) The extent to which secondary schools are effectively 
implementing the transition services requirement of IDEA;
    (d) The extent to which secondary academic and vocational curricula 
promote postsecondary education and employment; and
    (e) Standards and models for developing instructional and 
transition plans for students who are entering or enrolled in secondary 
school programs.
    The program of research must include, but need not be limited to, 
studying school based exemplars, or designing and implementing 
interventions using a rich array of research methods to reach the 
intended goals of this priority as articulated by the proposed research 
hypotheses. In addition, the research must be designed in a manner that 
is likely to lead to improved services and results for children and 
youth with disabilities, including those who are members of cultural, 
linguistic, or racial minority groups.
    The institute must--
    (a) Design and conduct a strategic program of research across 
multiple sites to represent organizational and demographic diversity;
    (b) Collect, analyze, and communicate student results data and 
supporting context data; and multiple results data for teachers, 
parents, and administrators, as appropriate;
    (c) Collaborate with other research institutes supported under the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and experts and researchers 
in related subject matter and methodological fields, to design and 
conduct the activities of the institute;
    (d) Carry out the research within a conceptual framework, based on 
previous research or theory, that provides a basis for the issues that 
will be studied, the research methods and instrumentation that will be 
used, and the specific target populations and settings that will be 
studied;
    (e) Collaborate with communication specialists and professional and 
advocacy organizations to ensure that findings are prepared in formats 
that are useable for specific audiences such as teachers, 
administrators, and other service providers;
    (f) Develop linkages with U.S. Department of Education 
dissemination and technical assistance providers, in particular those 
supported under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to 
communicate research findings and distribute products;
    (g) Provide training and research opportunities for a limited 
number of graduate students, including students who are from 
traditionally underrepresented groups;
    (h) Coordinate research and dissemination activities with other 
relevant efforts sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and with 
the U.S. Department of Labor, including other research institutes, and 
information clearinghouses; and
    (i) Meet with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) 
project officer in the first four months of the project to review the 
program of research and communication approaches.
    The Institute must budget for two trips annually to Washington, 
D.C. for: (1) A two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) 
another meeting to collaborate with the OSEP project officer.
    Under this priority, the Secretary anticipates making one award for 
a cooperative agreement with a project period of up to 60 months 
subject to the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for continuation 
awards. In determining whether to continue the Institute for the fourth 
and fifth years of the project period, the Secretary, in addition to 
the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), will consider--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of three experts 
selected by the Secretary. The services of the review team, including a 
two-day site visit to the project, are to be performed during the last 
half of the Institute's second year and may be included in that year's 
evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs associated with the 
services to be performed by the review team must also be included in 
the Institute's budget for year two. These costs are estimated to be 
approximately $4,000;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
Institute; and
    (c) The degree to which the Institute's research designs, 
methodologies, and activities demonstrate the potential for advancing 
significant new knowledge.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1425.

Proposed Absolute Priority 6--Directed Research Projects

Background
    The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has, in prior 
years, announced priorities for the support of research projects under 
several of the programs authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act. Separate research priorities (competitions) have been 
announced under the Early Education Program for Children with 
Disabilities, Program for Children with Severe Disabilities, Secondary 
Education and Transitional Services for Youth with Disabilities 
Program, Program for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional 
Disturbance, and the Research in Education of Individuals with 
Disabilities Program. The purpose of this priority is to group all 
priorities for directed research and apply a single set of requirements 
among the various competitions. By consolidating multiple priorities 
and announcements into one priority, OSEP endeavors to avoid 
unnecessary duplication and provide consistent information for all 
research competitions. The program authority for each focus is listed 
following each focus statement.

[[Page 13976]]

Priority

    This priority provides support for projects that advance and 
improve the knowledge base and improve the practice of professionals, 
parents, and others providing early intervention, special education, 
and related services, including professionals who work with children 
with disabilities in regular education environments, to provide such 
children effective instruction and enable them to learn successfully. 
Under this priority, projects must support innovation, development, 
exchange, and use of advancements in knowledge and practice designed to 
contribute to the improvement of early intervention, instruction, and 
learning of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
    A research project must address one of the following focus areas:
    Focus 1--Beacons of excellence. Research projects supported under 
focus 1 must identify and study schools achieving exemplary results for 
students with disabilities in the context of efforts to achieve 
exemplary results for all students. Projects must develop and apply 
procedures and criteria to identify those schools, and to identify 
factors contributing to exemplary learning results, and examine how 
those factors and other factors relate to achieving exemplary learning 
results for students with disabilities. Projects may focus on either 
secondary or elementary levels, or both. During the third year of the 
project, the Secretary will determine whether or not to fund an 
optional six-month period for extended dissemination activities 
arranged with OSEP.

    Program Authority: Research in Education of Individuals with 
Disabilities Program, 20 U.S.C. 1441.
    Focus 2--Prevention and early intervention services for children 
with emotional and behavioral problems. Many young children with 
emotional and behavioral problems experience years of repeated 
preschool and school failure, permanent damage to their self-esteem, 
and escalation of their problems, before they receive appropriate 
services. Research projects supported under this focus must identify, 
examine, and document information about the specific factors that 
contribute to effectiveness in collaborative, community-based, 
prevention and early intervention services to prevent children with 
emotional and behavioral problems from developing serious emotional 
disturbance. The target population for these projects includes children 
in preschool, kindergarten, and the primary grades (1-4), and their 
families.
    The research may focus, for example, on child find, screening, 
early identification, assessment, pre-referral strategies, child and 
family intervention and prevention services, and results. Research must 
include but is not limited to services and programs funded under the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Additional programs with 
collaborative, community-based services appropriate for study may 
include, where available, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, 
other early childhood service programs, primary care and mental health 
programs, child care center programs, and public and private preschools 
and elementary school programs. Each research project must include an 
evaluation of the collaboration and coordination of prevention and 
early intervention services across multiple service providers and 
agencies working with these children and their families.

    Program Authority: Program for Children and Youth with Serious 
Emotional Disturbance, 20 U.S.C. 1426.

    Focus 3--Students approaching graduation and the supplemental 
security income program. Many children and youth with disabilities 
receiving special education services also receive Supplemental Security 
Income (SSI). Administered by the Social Security Administration, the 
SSI program provides cash assistance, Medicaid eligibility, and work 
incentives such as the Impairment-Related Work Expense incentive and 
the Plan for Achieving Self-Support. National data indicate that these 
work incentives are under-utilized and that most working-age SSI 
recipients are unemployed. To address this problem, the National 
Academy of Social Insurance (1996) recommended that information about 
the SSI work incentives should be incorporated in the transition 
planning process required by the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act. The SSI work incentives may therefore enhance the 
employment results of transitioning youth with disabilities.
    The purpose of focus 3 is to develop and test innovative strategies 
for increasing the utilization of the SSI work incentives. Projects 
must: (a) Examine the barriers to employment for young adults with 
disabilities who are receiving SSI benefits; (b) develop innovative 
strategies and materials for promoting the utilization of work 
incentives through the transition planning process; and (c) apply 
qualitative and quantitative research methods to determine the relative 
efficacy of technical assistance strategies, toward improving work 
incentive utilization developed under (b).

    Program Authority: Secondary Education and Transitional Services 
for Youth with Disabilities Program, 20 U.S.C. 1425.

    Focus 4--The sustainability of promising innovations. A growing 
body of practice-based research and model demonstration work in schools 
and local districts, including projects supported by the Office of 
Special Education Programs (OSEP), has focussed on meeting the needs 
of, and improving the results for, students with disabilities in 
schools and districts involved in reform and restructuring initiatives. 
Some of this work is yielding promising positive results for students 
with disabilities. However, little is known about the extent to which 
the innovations developed and implemented in these efforts are 
sustained in project sites beyond the term of time-limited external 
support and assistance.
    Focus 4 is designed to study the implementation of practices that 
have been found to be effective in meeting the needs of students with 
disabilities in reform/restructuring initiatives in local and district 
schools. The practices must have been included as part of projects 
designed to implement those practices. The study must address: (1) The 
extent to which those practices have been sustained beyond the term of 
the projects; and (2) factors that influence the determined level of 
sustainability. Factors to be studied may include, but are not limited 
to: (a) the nature of the innovations and the extent to which the 
innovations have undergone adaptation or alteration over time; (b) the 
type and extent of support strategies employed during initial 
implementation stages and over time; (c) planned and unplanned changes 
in school organizational or structural contexts or both; (d) the level 
of penetration of the innovation; (e) the actual and perceived costs 
and benefits for participants; (f) constancy of site leadership, school 
staff, and school policy requirements; (g) the extent of consonance or 
dissonance between critical features of the innovations and existing 
(and emerging) school and district practices and policies; and (h) 
resource access and allocation. Within focus 4, projects must provide 
comprehensive descriptions of the targeted effective practices to be 
studied, and convincing documentation of resulting positive results for 
students with disabilities. In addition, projects must dedicate the

[[Page 13977]]

bulk of support requested within focus 4 to research on the issues of 
sustainability and on continuing documentation of results for students 
with disabilities. Within focus 4, the Secretary particularly 
encourages an in-depth case study research design where the sites to be 
studied are the cases.

    Program Authority: Research in Education of Individuals with 
Disabilities Program, 20 U.S.C. 1441.

    Focus 5--Educating children with severe disabilities in inclusive 
settings. Focus 5 supports research projects to (a) identify new or 
improved strategies to address the educational and related service 
needs of children and youth with severe disabilities in inclusive 
general education settings and extracurricular activities, and (b) 
describe how the school inclusion strategies as identified in (a) are 
aligned with systemic reform and school improvement strategies for all 
students.
    Additional research is needed to identify, describe, and examine: 
(1) The efficacy and linkages of existing systemic reform and school 
inclusion strategies, (2) how school systems provide supports and 
collaborative teaming to meet the needs of students with severe 
disabilities, and other diverse learners; (3) how standards and 
authentic assessment practices are implemented for students with severe 
disabilities and their impact on inclusive and systemic reform efforts, 
(4) social support strategies that promote positive interactions among 
students with severe disabilities and other students, and their same-
aged peers to foster cohesive school and classroom communities; and (5) 
the types of peer-mediated strategies that actively involve all 
students, including students with severe disabilities, in inclusive 
educational programs.
    To be considered for funding under focus 5, a research project 
must--
    (a) Identify specific interventions or strategies to be 
investigated;
    (b) Design the research activities in a manner that is likely to 
improve services for all students in inclusive classrooms, including 
students with severe disabilities;
    (c) Conduct the research in schools pursuing systemic education 
reform and school inclusion; and
    (d) Use methodological procedures designed to produce findings 
useful to program implementers and policy makers regarding the impact 
and interaction effects of systemic reform and school inclusion 
strategies in State and local contexts.
    All projects funded under focus 5 must identify and describe how 
these inclusion efforts benefit students with severe disabilities 
including the reciprocal benefits of inclusive schooling for all 
students.

    Program Authority: Program for Children with Severe 
Disabilities, 20 U.S.C. 1424.

Requirements for All Directed Research Projects

    In addition to addressing focus (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) above, 
projects must:
    (a) Apply rigorous research methods (qualitative or quantitative or 
both) to identify approaches contributing to improved results for 
children with disabilities;
    (b) Provide a conceptual framework, based on extant research and 
theory to serve as a basis for the issues to be studied, the research 
design, and the target population;
    (c) Prepare dissemination materials for both researcher and 
practitioner audiences and develop linkages with U.S. Department of 
Education dissemination and technical assistance providers, in 
particular those supported under the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act, to communicate research findings and distribute 
products; and
    (d) Budget for two trips annually to Washington, D.C., for: (1) a 
two-day Research to Practice Division Project Directors' meeting; and 
(2) another meeting to collaborate with the Research to Practice 
Division project officer and the other projects funded under this 
priority, and to share information and discuss findings and methods of 
dissemination.
    Selection criteria for evaluating applications under proposed 
absolute priority 6. The Secretary proposes to use the following 
criteria to evaluate applications under proposed absolute priority 6--
Directed Research Projects. The maximum score for all the criteria is 
100 points.
    (a) Importance (10 points). The Secretary reviews each application 
to determine the importance of the project in leading to the 
understanding of, remediation of, or compensation for, the problem or 
issue that relates to the early intervention with or special education 
of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
    (b) Technical soundness (40 points). The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the technical soundness of the research, 
including--
    (1) The design;
    (2) The proposed sample;
    (3) Instrumentation; and
    (4) Data analysis procedures.
    (c) Plan of operation (10 points).
    (1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality 
of the plan of operation for the project.
    (2) The Secretary looks for--
    (i) High quality in the design of the project;
    (ii) An effective plan of management that insures proper and 
efficient administration of the project;
    (iii) A clear description of how the objectives of the project 
relate to the purpose of the program; and
    (iv) The way the applicant plans to use its resources and personnel 
to achieve each objective.
    (3) The quality of the evaluation plan for the project including 
the extent to which the methods of evaluation are appropriate for the 
project and, to the extent possible, are objective and produce data 
that are quantifiable.
    (Cross Reference: 34 CFR 75.590, Evaluation by the grantee.)
    (d) Quality of key personnel (10 points).
    (1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the 
qualifications of the key personnel that the applicant plans to use on 
the project.
    (2) The Secretary considers--
    (i) The qualifications of the project director (if one is to be 
used); and,
    (ii) The qualifications of each of the other key personnel to be 
used in the project; and
    (iii) The time that each person referred to in paragraphs (d)(2) 
(i) and (ii) of this section will commit to the project.
    (3) To determine personnel qualifications, the Secretary considers 
experience and training in fields related to the objectives of the 
project, as well as other evidence that the applicant provides.
    (e) Underrepresented populations (10 points). The Secretary reviews 
each application for information that shows the extent to which the 
applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment practices, 
employs members of underrepresented populations as project staff. The 
Secretary looks for--
    (1) Employees who are members of underrepresented populations, 
including members of racial or ethnic minority groups and individuals 
with disabilities; and
    (2) Procedures to provide training and other necessary support to 
retain and advance qualified personnel from underrepresented 
populations.
    (f) Adequacy of resources (5 points).
    (1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine if the 
applicant plans to devote adequate resources to the project.
    (2) The Secretary considers the extent to which--
    (i) The facilities that the applicant plans to use are adequate; 
and

[[Page 13978]]

    (ii) The equipment and supplies that the applicant plans to use are 
adequate.
    (g) Impact (5 points). The Secretary reviews each application to 
determine the probable impact of the proposed research and development 
products and the extent to which those products can be expected to have 
a direct influence on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with 
disabilities or personnel responsible for their education or early 
intervention services.
    (h) Organizational capability (5 points). The Secretary considers--
    (1) The applicant's experience in special education or early 
intervention services; and
    (2) The ability of the applicant to disseminate the findings of the 
project to appropriate groups to ensure that they can be used 
effectively.
    (i) Budget and cost effectiveness (5 points).
    (1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine if the 
project has an adequate budget and is cost effective.
    (2) The Secretary considers the extent to which--
    (i) The budget for the project is adequate to support the project 
activities; and
    (ii) Costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the 
project.

Intergovernmental Review

    Except for focus areas 1 and 4 in the Directed Research Projects 
priority, all other priorities included in this notice are subject to 
the requirements of Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 
Part 79. The objective of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.

Invitation To Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available 
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 
3524, 300 C Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., between the hours of 8:30 
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays. Individuals with disabilities who need assistance to review 
the comments will be provided with appropriate aids, such as readers or 
print magnifiers. To schedule an appointment call (202) 205-8113 or 
(202) 260-9895. Persons using a TDD should call the Federal Information 
Relay Service.

    Dated: March 19, 1997.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: Research in 
Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program, 84.023; Training 
Personnel for the Education of Individuals with Disabilities 
Program--Grants for Personnel Training and Parent Training and 
Information Centers, 84.029; Program for Children with Severe 
Disabilities, 84.086; Secondary Education and Transitional Services 
for Youth with Disabilities Program, 84.158; and the Program for 
Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance)
Howard R. Moses,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 97-7364 Filed 3-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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