[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 22, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28320-28339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12761]



[[Page 28319]]

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Part III





Department of Education





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Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 22, 2001 / 
Notices

[[Page 28320]]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.215W]


Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

    Note to Applicants: This notice is a complete application package. 
Together with the statute authorizing these grants and the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), this notice 
contains all of the information, application forms, and instructions 
needed to apply for a grant under this competition. These grants are 
funded under Title X, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 8001 et seq.).
    Purpose of Program: To strengthen and expand dropout prevention 
demonstration projects that combine, in a coherent fashion, strategies 
that have been demonstrated to be effective in (1) assisting students 
at risk of dropping out to remain in and graduate from high school, and 
(2) raising standards and expectations for these students.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) and local 
educational agencies (LEAs).
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 23, 2001.
    E-Mail Notification of Intent To Apply for Funding: The Department 
will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant 
applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities 
that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the 
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to send the 
Department a short e-mail indicating its intent to submit an 
application for funding. The e-mail should only note the applicant's 
intent to submit the application, and should not include information 
regarding the proposed application. The Secretary requests that this e-
mail notification be sent no later than June 21, 2001. The e-mail 
notification should be sent to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7c180e130c1309080c0e190a1912081513123c1918521b130a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2e4a5c415e415b5a5e5c4b584b405a4741406e4b4a00494158">[email protected]</span></a>. Applicants 
that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still apply for 
funding.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2001.
    Estimated Available Funds: $5,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$500,000.
    Maximum Award Amount: The total amount of funding that an SEA or 
LEA may receive under this competition is $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10 to 15.
    Project Period: 12 months.
    Page Limits: Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit the 
application narrative to the equivalent of not more than 30 double-
spaced pages. Information concerning the standards for page size and 
text is found in the Instructions for the Application Narrative in the 
Appendix to this notice.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
    Supplementary Information:
    Many of our communities, particularly those with substantial 
numbers of Hispanic, Native American, and African American students, 
are plagued by large numbers of students dropping out of high school. 
Although there is no one reason why students drop out, there are two 
strong predictors that can help educators identify the students most at 
risk of dropping out: poor academic performance and poverty. According 
to the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) annual dropout 
report, the single strongest school-related dropout predictor is poor 
academic performance; students who are performing below grade level or 
who repeat one or more grades are much more likely to drop out than are 
other students. Additionally, studies show that children from families 
living in poverty are much more likely to drop out of school than are 
children from families that are not living in poverty.
    Students are more likely to drop out of school during critical 
transition points, particularly as they are transitioning from middle 
to high school. The beginning of high school can be a challenging time 
for students, especially for those who are performing below grade 
level. High school puts greater academic demands on students and can 
make school extremely difficult for students that are already 
academically behind. Therefore, students at risk of dropping out should 
be identified as early as possible to ensure a greater chance of high 
school completion. Studies show that intensive dropout prevention 
strategies targeted at the middle school level with continued support 
throughout the high school years can be particularly effective in 
preventing students from dropping out of high school.
    The dropout problem is a complex issue that must be addressed 
through an array of strategies that are both targeted and demonstrated 
to be effective. States and districts should seek to understand why 
students decide to leave school and what happens to them after they 
drop out. The Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program will help 
communities to build upon, strengthen, or replicate prevention 
strategies, and to combine them in a comprehensive program that will 
address the needs of the targeted population.

Description of Program

    The Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program is funded under 
Section 10101 of Title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 
The goal of the program is to strengthen and expand projects that 
utilize strategies demonstrated to be effective for ensuring that 
students at-risk of dropping out remain in and graduate from high 
school. The strategies should be combined in a coherent plan so that 
the needs of the targeted population are effectively addressed. Such 
strategies should include, but are not limited to:
    (1) Accelerated learning strategies for improved academic 
performance;
    (2) Systematic monitoring of attendance;
    (3) Family outreach;
    (4) Counseling services;
    (5) Career and higher education awareness and preparation;
    (6) Social support services;
    (7) Small schools;
    (8) Linkages between feeder elementary, middle, and high schools 
that serve the same children;
    (9) Involvement of business and community groups;
    (10) Coordination of project activities with those supported by 
other Federal, State, and local programs; and
    (11) On-going evaluation, data collection, and dropout tracking as 
a means to increase the quality of services offered to students.

Reporting Requirements and Expected Outcomes

    Successful applicants will be required to submit a final 
performance report and a copy of the project's final evaluation no more 
than 60 days after the end of the project period. The final evaluation 
should include baseline data that provides an overview of the dropout 
conditions that existed at the district prior to the implementation of 
the project, including specific data on the student population served 
by the project. It should also describe the quality and nature of the 
project's implementation, especially as it relates to improving the 
conditions for dropout prevention within a district and any available 
outcome data (including achievement data and progress on other school-
related indicators).

[[Page 28321]]

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    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 rules. Ordinarily, this practice 
would have applied to the priorities in this notice. Section 437(d)(1) 
of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), however, exempts rules 
that apply to the first competition under a new or substantially 
revised program from this requirement. This competition is the first 
held under this program. To ensure timely awards, in accordance with 
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, the Secretary has decided to forego public 
comments with respect to the absolute priorities in this notice. These 
priorities will apply to the FY 2001 grant competition only.

Absolute Priorities

    The following absolute priorities apply to all applicants seeking 
funding under this competition. An applicant must meet these priorities 
in order to be eligible for funding.
(1) Dropout rate priority
    (a) If an SEA is the applicant, the SEA must propose to assist one 
or more LEAs, each of which must have a high school dropout rate of at 
least 10 percent.
    (b) If an LEA is the applicant, the LEA must have a high school 
dropout rate of at least 10 percent.
    (c) If an LEA applies in consortium with other LEAs, each LEA must 
have a high school dropout rate of at least 10 percent.
    (d) If an applicant LEA does not serve high school students, the 
high school dropout rate of the LEA in which a plurality of the 
applicant's students attend high school must be at least 10 percent.
    (e) The high school dropout rate(s) of the LEA(s) must be included 
as part of the application.
(2) Schools and services priority
    (a) The applicant must identify the specific school(s) that will 
participate in the project and include an assurance from officials at 
those schools indicating a commitment to participate in the project.
    (b) Project services must focus on assisting children in grades 6 
through 9.
(3) Collaboration priority
    Each applicant must propose to work in collaboration with entities 
such as institutions of higher education or other public and private 
agencies, organizations, or institutions.
    Definitions: The following definitions apply for the purposes of 
this program--
    A ``high school dropout'' means a student in grade 9-12 who--
    (i) Was enrolled in the district at some time during the 1999-2000 
school year;
    (ii) Was not enrolled at the beginning of the 2000-2001 school 
year;
    (iii) Has not graduated or completed a program of studies by the 
maximum age established by a State;
    (iv) Has not transferred to another public school district or to a 
nonpublic school or to a State-approved educational program; and
    (v) Has not left school because of death, illness, or a school-
approved absence.
    ``High school dropout rate'' means the number of high school 
dropouts (as defined above) divided by the total number of students 
enrolled in grades 9-12 at the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year.

Selection Criteria

    The maximum score for the selection criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parenthesis. Within 
each criterion, the Secretary evaluates each factor equally.
    In all instances where the word ``project'' appears in the 
selection criteria, reference should be made to the Dropout Prevention 
Demonstration Program.
    The Secretary will use the following selection criteria and factors 
in evaluating applications for grants:
    (a) Need for project. (10 points) In determining the need for the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    (2) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or 
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    (b) Significance. (20 points) In determining the significance of 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The potential contribution of the proposed project to increase 
knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues, or 
effective strategies related to dropout prevention.
    (2) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings.
    (c) Quality of design. (40 points) In determining the quality of 
the project design, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (2) The extent to which the applicant proposes to strengthen and 
expand a dropout prevention project that utilizes strategies that have 
been demonstrated to be effective in addressing the needs of the target 
population.
    (3) The extent to which the proposed dropout prevention strategies 
will be combined in a coherent fashion and coordinated with other 
services and programs that are provided to the target population.
    (4) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed 
project will improve the academic achievement of the targeted 
population and lead to decreased dropout rates for these students.
    (d) Adequacy of resources. (10 points) In determining the adequacy 
of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the 
following factors:
    (1) The extent to which project funds will be coordinated with 
State, local, and other Federal funds as appropriate, such as Title I, 
Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program, GEAR UP, Smaller 
Learning Communities, and 21st Century Community Learning Center funds.
    (2) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
objectives, design, and the number of students to be served.
    (e) Quality of the project evaluation. (20 points) In determining 
the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project, 
the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (3) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication in other settings.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    The objective of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying 
on State and local

[[Page 28322]]

processes for State and local government coordination and review of 
proposed Federal financial assistance.
    Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of 
Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process 
under Executive order 12372.
    If you want to know the name and address of any State Single Point 
of Contact (SPOC) you may view the latest SPOC list on the OMB Web site 
at the following address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
    In States that have not established a process or chosen a program 
for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit 
comments directly to the Department.
    Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a 
State Single Point of Contact and any comments from State, areawide, 
regional, and local entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the 
date indicated in this notice to the following address: The Secretary, 
E.O. 12372-CFDA #84.215W, U.S. Department of Education, Room 7E200, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-0125.
    Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as 
applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be 
hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (EST) on the date indicated in this 
notice.
    Please note that the above address is not the same address as the 
one to which the applicant submits its completed application. Do not 
send applications to the above address.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

    (A) If You Submit Your Application Electronically: The U.S. 
Department of Education is expanding its pilot project of electronic 
submission of applications to include certain formula and discretionary 
grant programs. The Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program (CFDA 
#84.215W) is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you 
are an applicant under the Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program, 
you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper 
format.
    If you chose to submit your application electronically, you must 
submit it through the Internet using the software provided on the e-
Grants Web site (http://e-grants.ed.gov) by 4:30 p.m. (EST) on the 
deadline date.
    The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6 a.m. 
until 12 midnight (EST) on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 6 
a.m. until 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. The system is unavailable 
on the second Saturday of every month, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the 
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your 
participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
    If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the 
following:
    <bullet> Your participation is voluntary.
    <bullet> You will not receive any additional point value or 
penalty, because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper 
format.
    <bullet> You can submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
    <bullet> Fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal 
Assistance (ED 424) after following these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.
    2. Make sure that your agency's Authorized Representative signs 
this form.
    3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via 
the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic 
acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying 
number unique to your application).
    4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 
424.
    5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center within three 
working days of submitting your electronic application. We will 
indicate a fax number in e-APPLICATION at the time of your submission.
    <bullet> We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Dropout 
Prevention Demonstration Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included below additional information about the e-
APPLICATION pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and 
Electronic Applications below).
    (B) If You Send Your Application by Mail: You must mail the 
original and two copies of the application on or before the deadline 
date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: CFDA #84.215W, Washington, DC 20202-4725.
    You must show one of the following as proof of mailing:
    (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.
    If you mail an 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.
    (C) If You Deliver Your Application by Hand: You or your courier 
must hand deliver the original and two copies of the application by 
4:30 p.m. (EST) on or before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA #84.215W, Room 
3633, Regional Office Building 3, 7th and D Streets, SW., Washington, 
DC 20202.
    The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (EST), except Saturdays, Sundays, and 
Federal holidays. The Center accepts application deliveries through the 
D Street entrance only. A person delivering an application must show 
identification to enter the building.

Notes for all Applicants Regarding Transmittal of Applications

    (1) If you submit your application by mail, note that 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.
    (2) If you send your application by mail or deliver it by hand or 
by a courier service, the Application Control Center will mail a Grant 
Application Receipt Acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the 
notification of application receipt within 15 days from the date of 
mailing the application, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 708-9493.
    (3) If you send your application by mail or deliver it by hand or 
by a courier service, you must indicate on the envelope and--if not 
provided by the Department--in Item 3 of the Application for Federal 
Education Assistance (ED 424; revised November 12, 1999) the CFDA 
number--and suffix letter, if any--of the competition under

[[Page 28323]]

which you are submitting your application.
    (4) If you submit your application through the Internet via the e-
Grants Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when we 
receive your application.

Parity Guidelines Between Paper and Electronic Applications

    Users of e-APPLICATION, a data driven system, will be entering data 
on-line while completing their applications. This will be more 
interactive than just e-mailing a soft copy of a grant application to 
us. If you participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you enter on-line will go into a 
database and ultimately will be accessible in electronic form to our 
reviewers.
    This pilot project is another step in the Department's transition 
to an electronic grant award process. In addition to e-APPLICATION, the 
Department is conducting a limited pilot of electronic peer review (e-
READER) and electronic annual performance reporting (e-REPORTS).
    To help ensure parity between electronic and paper copies of grant 
applications, we are asking each applicant that submits a paper 
application to adhere to the following guidelines:
    <bullet> Submit your application on 8\1/2\" by 11" paper.
    <bullet> Leave a 1-inch margin on all sides.
    <bullet> Use consistent font throughout your document. You may also 
use boldface type, underlining, and italics. However, please do not use 
colored text.
    <bullet> Please use black and white, also, for illustrations, 
including charts, tables, graphs and pictures.
    <bullet> For the narrative component, your application should 
consist of the number and text of each selection criterion followed by 
the narrative. The text of the selection criterion, if included, does 
not count against any page limitation.
    <bullet> Place a page number at the bottom right of each page 
beginning with 1; and number your pages consecutively throughout your 
document.

Application Instructions and Forms

    The appendix to this notice contains all required forms and 
instructions, including instructions for preparing the application 
narrative, a statement regarding estimated public reporting burden, a 
notice to applicants regarding compliance with section 427 of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), various assurances and 
certifications, a list of relevant definitions from the authorizing 
statute and EDGAR, and a checklist for applicants.
    In applying for an award under this competition, you must organize 
your application in the following order and include the following four 
parts. The parts and additional materials are as follows:
    Part I: Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424, Exp. 06/30/
2001) and instructions.
    Part II: Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs (ED Form No. 
524) and instructions.
    Part III: Application Narrative.
    Part IV: Assurances and Certifications:
    a. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B).
    b. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and 
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED 
80-0013) and instructions.
    c. Certifications regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility 
and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014, 
9/90) and instructions.


    Note: ED Form 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees and 
should not be transmitted to the Department.


    d. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL) (if 
applicable) and instructions.
    An applicant may submit information on photostatic copies of the 
application, budget forms, assurances, and certifications as printed in 
this notice in the Federal Register. For applicants that do not submit 
electronically, the application form, assurances, and certifications 
must each have an original signature. These applicants are required to 
submit ONE original signed application, including ink signatures on all 
forms and assurances, and TWO copies of the application, one bound and 
one unbound copy suitable for photocopying. Please mark each 
application as ``original'' or ``copy.'' To aid with the review of 
applications, the Department encourages applicants to submit two 
additional paper copies of the application. The Department will not 
penalize applicants who do not provide additional copies. No grant may 
be awarded unless a completed application form, including the signed 
assurances and certifications, has been received. (For applicants that 
submit electronically, see separate instructions under ``Instructions 
For Transmittal of Applications'' above).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Jackson, Dropout Prevention 
Demonstration Program, Academic Improvement and Demonstration Programs, 
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 2W104, FOB-6, Washington, DC 
20202-6254. Telephone: (202) 260-2516. e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c2a1aab0abb1b6abaca7eca8a3a1a9b1adac82a7a6eca5adb4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1a79726873696e73747f34707b79716975745a7f7e347d756c">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph. Please note, however, that the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the 
notice.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at the previous sites. If you have questions about using 
the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) at (202) 512-
1530 or (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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8001 et seq.

    Dated: May 16, 2001.
Thomas M. Corwin,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary 
Education.

APPENDIX

Instructions for the Application Narrative

    The narrative is the section of the application where the 
selection criteria used by reviewers in evaluating the application 
are addressed. The narrative must encompass each function or 
activity for which funds are being requested. Before preparing the 
application narrative, an applicant should read carefully the 
description of the program and the selection criteria the Secretary 
uses to evaluate applications.
    Applicants should note that there is a 30-page suggested page 
limit for the application narrative. The following standards apply: 
(1) A ``page'' is 8.5"  x  11" (one side only) with one-inch margins 
(top, bottom, and sides). (2) All text in the application narrative 
must be double-spaced (no more than three lines per vertical inch). 
If using a proportional

[[Page 28324]]

computer font, use no smaller than a 12-point font, and an average 
character density no greater than 18 characters per inch. If using a 
nonproportional font or a typewriter, do not use more than 12 
characters to the inch.
    The suggested page limit does not apply to the cover sheet, the 
one-page abstract, budget section, appendices, and forms and 
assurances. However, all of the application narrative must be 
included in the narrative section.
    1. Begin with a one-page Abstract summarizing the proposed 
Dropout Prevention Demonstration project, including a short 
description of the population to be served by the project.
    2. Include a table of contents listing the parts of the 
narrative in the order of the selection criteria and the page 
numbers where the parts of the narrative are found. Be sure to 
number the pages.
    3. Describe how the applicant meets the absolute priorities.
    4. Describe fully the proposed project in light of the selection 
criteria in the order in which the criteria are listed in the 
application package. Do not simply paraphrase the criteria.
    5. Provide the following in response to the attached GEPA Sec. 
427 ``Notice to all Applicants'': (1) a reference to the portion of 
the application in which information appears as to how the applicant 
is addressing steps to promote equitable access and participation, 
or (2) a separate statement that contains that information.
    6. When applying for funds as a consortium, individual eligible 
applicants must enter into an agreement signed by all members. The 
consortium's agreement must detail the activities each member of the 
consortium plans to perform, and must bind each member to every 
statement and assurance made in the consortium's application. The 
designated applicant must submit the consortium's agreement with its 
application.
    7. Applicants may include supporting documentation as appendices 
to the narrative. This material should be concise and pertinent to 
the competition. Note that the Secretary considers only information 
contained in the application in ranking applications for funding 
consideration. Letters of support sent separately from the formal 
application package are not considered in the review by the 
technical review panels. (34 CFR 75.217)
    8. Attach copies of all required assurances and forms.

Estimated Public Reporting Burden

    According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it 
displays a valid OMB Control Number. The valid OMB control number 
for this information collection is 1810-0637. (Expiration Date: 5/
31/2004). The time required to complete this information collection 
is estimated to average 30 hours per response, including the time to 
review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data 
needed, and complete and review the information collection.
    If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time 
estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: 
Christine Jackson, Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 2W104, FOB-
6, Washington, DC 20202-6254.
    If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your 
individual submission of this form, write directly to: Christine 
Jackson, Dropout Prevention Demonstration Program, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 2W104, FOB-6, 
Washington, DC 20202-6254.

Checklist for Applicants

    The following forms and other items must be included in the 
application in the order listed below:
    1. Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424).
    2. Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs ED Form No. 
524) and budget narrative.
    3. Application Narrative, including information that addresses 
section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (see the section 
``NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS''), and relevant appendices.
    4. Applicable LEA high school dropout rates.
    5. List of participating school(s) and assurances from 
appropriate school officials.
    6. List of entity or entities with which the applicant will 
collaborate.
    7. LEA consortium agreement, if applicable.
    8. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B).
    9. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and 
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements 
(ED 80-0013).
    10. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL).

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P

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[FR Doc. 01-12761 Filed 5-21-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-C


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