15052 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.303A]

Technology Innovation Challenge

Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for

New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997

Purpose of Program: The Technology

Innovation Challenge Grants Program

provides grants to consortia that are

working to improve and expand new

applications of technology to strengthen

the school reform effort, improve

student achievement, and provide

sustained professional development of

teachers, administrators, and school

library media personnel.

Eligible Applicants: Only consortia

may receive grants under this program.

Consortia must include at least one local

educational agency (LEA) with a high

percentage or number of children living

below the poverty line. They may also

include other local educational

agencies, State educational agencies,

institutions of higher education,

businesses, academic content experts,

software designers, museums, libraries,

and other appropriate entities.

Note: In each consortium a participating

LEA shall submit the application on behalf

of the consortium and serve as the fiscal

agent for the grant.

Deadline for Receipt of Applications:

May 30, 1997.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: July 30, 1997.

Applications Available: March 31,

1997.

Estimated Available Funds:

$18,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000

to $1,500,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$900,000 per year.

Estimated Number of Awards: 20.

Project Period: 5 years.

Note: The Department of Education is not

bound by any estimates in this notice.

Maximum Award: The Secretary does

not consider an application that

proposes a budget exceeding $1,500,000

for one or more 12-month budget

periods.

Applicable Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR Parts 74, 75 (except 34 CFR

75.102(b), 75.200(b)(3), 75.210, and

75.217), 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, and 85.

Other Requirements: It is the policy of

the Department of Education not to

solicit applications before the

publication of a final rule. However, in

this case it is essential to solicit

applications at this time in order to give

applicants sufficient time to prepare

applications and subsequently to

provide sufficient time to review

applications and select grantees. A

notice of proposed selection criteria,

selection procedures, and application

procedures was published in the

Federal Register on February 26, 1997

(62 FR 8687). At this time the

Department of Education has received

only one nonsubstantive comment in

response to that notice. If any

substantive changes are made in the

final notice, applicants will be given an

opportunity to revise or resubmit their

applications.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Technology Innovation Challenge

Grants Program is authorized under

Title III, section 3136, of the Elementary

and Secondary Education Act of 1965,

as amended (20 U.S.C. 6846). This FY

1997 competition supports the third

round of grants under this program.

As catalysts for change, grants under

this program support communities of

educators, parents, industry partners,

and others who are working to

transform their schools into

information-age learning centers. The

Technology Innovation Challenge

Grants support the development and

innovative use of technology and new

learning content in specific

communities. Each effort clearly focuses

on integrating innovative learning

technologies into the curriculum to

improve learning productivity in the

community.

The Secretary believes that the

information superhighway is creating

new possibilities for extending the time,

the place, and the resources for learning.

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant

communities can develop first-class

learning environments that provide

affordable access to quality education

and training. Especially promising

possibilities are anticipated from a

creative synthesis of ideas generated by

educators and software developers,

telecommunications firms and hardware

manufacturers, entertainment

producers, and others who are

extending the possibilities for creating

new learning communities.

Challenge grant communities need

not be limited by geography. The

information superhighway can be used

to create virtual learning communities

linking schools, colleges, libraries,

museums, and businesses across the

country or around the world. Students

of all ages, no matter where they live,

could tap vast electronic libraries and

museums containing text and video

images, music, art, and language

instruction. They could work with

scientists and scholars around the globe

who can help them use mapping tools,

primary historical documents, or

laboratory experiments to develop

strong research and problem solving

skills.

The Secretary encourages each

community to view this competition as

an opportunity to act on its most

ambitious vision for education reform. It

is essential, however, to guard against a

future in which some communities have

access to vast technological resources,

while others do not. Low-income

neighborhoods and other areas with the

greatest need for technology must not be

left behind in the acquisition of

knowledge and skills needed for

productive citizenship in the 21st

century. A failure to include those

communities will put their future, and

the future of the country, at risk. For

this reason, in the final selection of

applications for funding the Secretary

may consider the extent to which each

application demonstrates an effective

response to the learning technology

needs of areas with a high number or

percentage of disadvantaged students or

the greatest need for educational

technology.

Project Activities: The statute

authorizes the use of funds for activities

similar to the following activities:

(a) Developing, adapting, or

expanding existing and new

applications of technology to support

the school reform effort.

(b) Funding projects of sufficient size

and scope to improve student learning

and, as appropriate, support

professional development, and provide

administrative support.

(c) Acquiring connectivity linkages,

resources, and services, including the

acquisition of hardware and software,

for use by teachers, students, and school

library media personnel in the

classroom or in school library media

centers, in order to improve student

learning by supporting the instructional

program offered by that agency to

ensure that students in schools will

have meaningful access on a regular

basis to those linkages, resources, and

services.

(d) Providing ongoing professional

development in the integration of

quality educational technologies into

school curriculum and long-term

planning for implementing educational

technologies.

(e) Acquiring connectivity with wide

area networks for purposes of accessing

information and educational

programming sources, particularly with

institutions of higher education and

public libraries.

(f) Providing educational services for

adults and families.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices 15053

Note: Section 14503 of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as

amended (20 U.S.C. 8893), is applicable to

the Technology Innovation Challenge Grant

Program. Section 14503 requires that an LEA,

SEA, or educational service agency receiving

financial assistance under this program must

provide private school children and teachers,

on an equitable basis, special educational

services or other program benefits under this

program. The section further requires SEAs,

LEAs, and educational service agencies to

consult with private school officials during

the design and development of the

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant

projects. Each application must describe the

ways in which the proposed project will

address the needs of private school children

and teachers.

Selection Criteria

In evaluating applications for grants

under this program competition, the

Secretary has proposed using the

following unweighted selection criteria,

as described in the notice of proposed

selection criteria, selection procedures,

and application procedures for this

program that will be published in final

in a later issue of the Federal Register:

(a) Significance. The Secretary

reviews each proposed project for its

significance by determining the extent

to which the project—

(1) Offers a clear vision for the use of

technology to help all students learn to

challenging standards;

(2) Will achieve far-reaching impact

through results, products, or benefits

that are easily exportable to other

settings and communities;

(3) Will directly benefit students by

integrating acquired technologies into

the curriculum to improve teaching and

student achievement;

(4) Will ensure continuous

professional development for teachers,

administrators, and other individuals to

further the use of technology in the

classroom, library, or learning settings

in the community;

(5) Is designed to serve areas with a

high number or percentage of

disadvantaged students or other areas

with the greatest need for educational

technology; and

(6) Is designed to create new learning

communities among teachers, students,

parents, and others, which contribute to

State or local education goals for school

improvement, and expand markets for

high-quality educational technology or

content;

(b) Feasibility. The Secretary reviews

each proposed project for its feasibility

by determining the extent to which—

(1) The project will ensure successful,

effective, and efficient uses of

technologies for educational reform that

will be sustainable beyond the period of

the grant;

(2) The members of the consortia or

other appropriate entities will

contribute substantial financial and

other resources to achieve the goals of

the project; and

(3) The applicant is capable of

carrying out the project, as evidenced by

the extent to which the project will meet

the problems identified; the quality of

the project design, including objectives,

approaches, evaluation plan, and

dissemination plan; the adequacy of

resources, including money, personnel,

facilities, equipment, and supplies; the

qualifications of key personnel who

would conduct the project; and the

applicant’s prior experience relevant to

the objectives of the project.

Application Deadline

In order to ensure timely receipt and

processing of applications, an

application must be received on or

before the deadline date announced in

this application notice. The Secretary

will not consider an application for

funding if it is not received by the

deadline date unless the applicant can

show proof that the application was: (1)

sent by registered or certified mail not

later than five days before the deadline

date; or (2) sent by commercial carrier

not later than two days before the

deadline date. An applicant must show

proof of mailing in accordance with 34

CFR 75.102(d) and (e). Applications

delivered by hand must be received by

4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the

deadline date. For the purposes of this

program competition, the Secretary does

not apply 34 CFR 75.102(b) which

requires an application to be mailed,

rather than received, by the deadline

date.

Note: All applications must be received on

or before the deadline date. This requirement

takes exception to EDGAR, 34 CFR 75.102. In

accordance with the Administrative

Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the

practice of the Secretary to offer interested

parties the opportunity to comment on

proposed regulations. However, this

amendment makes procedural changes only

and does not establish new substantive

policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A),

proposed rulemaking is not required.

FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION

CONTACT: Telephone 1–800–USA–

LEARN (1–800–872–5327) for

applications. For information contact

Technology Innovation Challenge

Grants, U.S. Department of Education,

Washington, D.C. 20202–5544.

Telephone (202) 208–3882. Individuals

may fax requests for applications to:

(202) 208–4042. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

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

between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.,

Eastern Time, Monday through Friday

of each week except Federal holidays.

Information about the Department’s

funding opportunities, including copies

of application notices for discretionary

grant competitions, can be viewed on

the Department’s electronic bulletin

board (ED Board), telephone (202) 260–

9950; on the Internet Gopher Server (at

gopher://gcs.ed.gov); or on the World

Wide Web (at http://gcs.ed.gov).

However, the official application notice

for a discretionary grant competition is

the notice published in the Federal

Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6846.

Dated: March 24, 1997.

Marshall Smith,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational

Research and Improvement.

[FR Doc. 97–7905 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

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