[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 54 (Monday, March 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12206-12212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6320]



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Part III





Department of Education





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Institute of Education Sciences; Overview Information; Education 
Research and Special Education Research Grant Programs; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 54 / Monday, March 23, 2009 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Institute of Education Sciences; Overview Information; Education 
Research and Special Education Research Grant Programs; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.305A, 
84.305B, 84.305C, 84.305D, 84.305E, 84.324A, 84.324B, and 84.324C.

    Summary: The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences 
(Institute) announces the Institute's FY 2010 competitions for grants 
to support education research and special education research. The 
Director takes this action under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 
2002, title I of Public Law 107-279. The intent of these grants is to 
provide national leadership in expanding fundamental knowledge and 
understanding of education from early childhood education through 
postsecondary and adult education.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The central purpose of the Institute's research 
grant programs is to provide parents, educators, students, researchers, 
policymakers, and the general public with reliable and valid 
information about education practices that support learning and improve 
academic achievement and access to education opportunities for all 
students. In carrying out its grant programs, the Institute provides 
support for programs of research in areas of demonstrated national 
need.
    Competitions in this Notice: The Institute will conduct 11 research 
competitions in FY 2010 through two of its National Education Centers.
    The National Center for Education Research (NCER) will hold seven 
competitions: two competitions for education research; one competition 
for education research training; one competition for education research 
and development centers; one competition for research on statistical 
and research methodology in education; and two competitions for 
evaluation of State and local education programs and policies.
    The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) will 
hold four competitions: Two competitions for special education 
research, one competition for special education research training, and 
one competition for special education research and development centers.

NCER Competitions

    Education Research. Under the two education research competitions, 
NCER will consider only applications that address one of the following 
education research topics:
    <bullet> Reading and Writing
    <bullet> Mathematics and Science Education
    <bullet> Cognition and Student Learning
    <bullet> Teacher Quality--Reading and Writing
    <bullet> Teacher Quality--Mathematics and Science Education
    <bullet> Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning
    <bullet> Education Leadership
    <bullet> Education Policy, Finance, and Systems
    <bullet> Early Childhood Programs and Policies
    <bullet> Middle and High School Reform
    <bullet> Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers 
and Writers
    <bullet> English Language Learners
    <bullet> Postsecondary Education
    <bullet> Education Technology
    Education Research Training. Under the education research training 
competition, NCER will consider only applications for Postdoctoral 
Research Training.
    Education Research and Development Centers. Under the education 
research and development centers competition, NCER will consider only 
applications that address one of the following education research 
topics:
    <bullet> Scaling Up Effective Schools
    <bullet> Mathematics Standards and Assessments
    <bullet> Cognition and Mathematics Instruction
    Research on Statistical and Research Methodology in Education. 
Under the research on statistical and research methodology in education 
competition, NCER will consider only applications that address research 
on statistical and research methodology in education.
    Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies. 
Under the two evaluations of State and local education programs and 
policies competitions, NCER will consider only applications that 
address the evaluation of State and local education programs and 
policies.

NCSER Competitions

    Special Education Research. Under the two special education 
research competitions, NCSER will consider only applications that 
address one of the following special education research topics:
    <bullet> Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
    <bullet> Reading, Writing, and Language Development
    <bullet> Mathematics and Science Education
    <bullet> Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning
    <bullet> Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary 
Students
    <bullet> Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education
    <bullet> Teacher Quality
    <bullet> Related Services
    <bullet> Special Education Systems, Finance, and Policies
    <bullet> Autism Spectrum Disorders
    Special Education Research Training. Under the special education 
research training competition, NCSER will consider only applications 
for Postdoctoral Research Training.
    Special Education Research and Development Centers. Under the 
special education research and development centers competition, NCSER 
will consider only applications that address one of the following 
research topics:
    <bullet> Improving Mathematics Instruction for Students with 
Mathematics Difficulties
    <bullet> Assessment and Accountability
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 77, 80, 81, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. In addition, 34 CFR part 75 is applicable, 
except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 
75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217, 
75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants and cooperative agreements.
    Fiscal Information: Although the Administration has not yet 
submitted a detailed budget request to Congress for FY 2010, the 
Institute is inviting applications for these competitions now so that 
it may give applicants adequate time to prepare their applications 
before the first round of competitions takes place this summer. If 
additional funds are requested by the Administration for research in 
areas not announced in this notice, the Department may announce 
additional topics for the second round of competitions in the Fall. The 
actual award of grants will depend on the availability of funds. The 
number of awards made under each competition will depend on the quality 
of the applications received for that

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competition. The size of the awards will depend on the scope of the 
projects proposed.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Applicants that have the ability and 
capacity to conduct scientifically valid research are eligible to 
apply. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, non-profit 
and for-profit organizations and public and private agencies and 
institutions, such as colleges and universities.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: These programs do not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Request for Applications and Other Information: Information 
regarding program and application requirements for the competitions 
will be contained in the NCER and NCSER Request for Applications (RFA) 
packages, which will be available at the following Web sites: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/. http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ies/programs.html.
    2. RFA Packages Available: The RFA packages for the education 
research, special education research, education research training, 
special education research training, education research and development 
centers, special education research and development centers, research 
on statistical and research methodology in education, and evaluation of 
State and local education programs and policies competitions will be 
available at the Web sites listed above on or before March 23, 2009. 
The dates on which the RFA packages for these competitions will be 
available are also indicated in the chart at the end of this notice.
    Information regarding selection criteria, requirements concerning 
the content of an application, and review procedures for the 
competitions are in the RFA packages.
    3. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: The deadline dates for 
transmittal of applications invited under this notice are indicated in 
the chart at the end of this notice and in the RFA packages for the 
competitions.
    4. Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under these 
competitions must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov 
Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) 
about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format 
by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the 
electronic submission requirement, please refer to section V. 1. 
Electronic Submission of Applications in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII 
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

V. Submission of Applications

1. Electronic Submission of Applications

    Applications for grants under the Education Research, Education 
Research Training, Education Research and Development Centers, Research 
on Statistical and Research Methodology in Education, and Evaluation of 
State and Local Education Programs and Policies competitions, CFDA 
Numbers 84.305A, 84.305B, 84.305C, 84.305D, and 84.305E, and for grants 
under the Special Education Research, Special Education Research 
Training, and Special Education Research and Development Centers 
competitions, CFDA Numbers 84.324A, 84.324B, and 84.324C must be 
submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 
at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a 
copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload 
and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant applications for the Education 
Research, Education Research Training, Education Research and 
Development Centers, Research on Statistical and Research Methodology 
in Education, Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and 
Policies, Special Education Research, Special Education Research 
Training, and Special Education Research and Development Centers 
competitions at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable 
application package for each competition by the CFDA number. Do not 
include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 
84.324, not 84.324A).
    Please note the following:
    <bullet> When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
    <bullet> Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your 
application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does 
not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting 
your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date.
    <bullet> The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
    <bullet> You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for the competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
    <bullet> To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor

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Registry (CCR); (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization 
Representative (AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your 
organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-
Step Registration Guide (see www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
    <bullet> You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
    <bullet> You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 Research & Related (R&R)) 
and the other R&R forms including, Project Performance Site Locations, 
Other Project Information, Senior/Key Person Profile, Research and 
Related Budget (Total Federal and Non-Federal), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
    <bullet> You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file 
type other than the file type specified in this paragraph or submit a 
password-protected file, the Institute may choose not to review that 
material.
    <bullet> Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
    <bullet> After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
    <bullet> We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this 
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a 
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The 
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether 
your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
    <bullet> You do not have access to the Internet; or
    <bullet> You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
    <bullet> No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Elizabeth Payer, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 602C, 
Washington, DC 20208. FAX: (202) 219-1466.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

2. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number: [Identify the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if 
any, for the competition under which you are submitting an 
application.]) LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.


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    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

3. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number: [Identify the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if 
any, for the competition under which you are submitting an 
application.]) 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 10 of the SF 424 (R&R) the CFDA number, 
including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you 
are submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for a three-day 
meeting for project directors to be held in Washington, DC.
    4. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    5. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its 
education research program, the Institute annually assesses the quality 
and relevance of newly funded research projects, as well as the quality 
of research publications that result from its funded research projects. 
External panels of qualified scientists review the quality of new 
research applications, and the percentage of newly funded projects that 
receive an average panel score of excellent or higher is determined. A 
panel of experienced education practitioners and administrators reviews 
descriptions of a randomly selected sample of newly funded projects and 
rates the degree to which the projects are relevant to educational 
practice. An external panel of eminent scientists reviews the quality 
of a randomly selected sample of new publications, and the percentage 
of new publications that are deemed to be of high quality is 
determined.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: The contact person associated with 
a particular research competition is listed in the chart at the end of 
this notice and in the RFA package. The date on which applications will 
be available, the deadline for transmittal of applications, the 
estimated range of awards, and the project period are also listed in 
the chart and in the RFA package that will be posted at the following 
Web sites: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/. http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ies/programs.html.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the RFA package in an accessible format (e.g., 
braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to 
the program contact person listed in the chart at the end of this 
notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: March 18, 2009.
Sue Betka,
Acting Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
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