Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Notices 31621

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.351–B]

The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk

Children and Youth Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2001.

Purpose of Program: The Cultural

Partnerships for At-Risk Children and

Youth Program, funded under Subpart 2

of Part D of Title X of the Elementary

and Secondary Education Act (ESEA),

makes demonstration grants to eligible

entities for the development of schoolcommunity partnership programs

designed to improve the educational

performance and future educational

potential of at-risk children by

providing comprehensive, coordinated

educational and arts programs and

services.

Eligible Applicants: A local

educational agency (LEA), acting on

behalf of an individual school or

schools in which 75 percent or more of

the children enrolled in such school(s)

are from low-income families based on

data used in determining a school’s

eligibility to operate a schoolwide

program pursuant to Title I Section 1114

of the ESEA, in partnership with at least

one: institution of higher education,

museum, local arts agency, or cultural

entity that is accessible to individuals

within the school district of such

school(s) and that has a history of

providing quality services to the

community. Such entities may include:

(i) Nonprofit institutions of higher

education, museums, libraries,

performing, presenting and exhibiting

arts organizations, literary arts

organizations, State and local arts

organizations, cultural institutions, and

zoological and botanical organizations;

or (ii) private for-profit entities with a

history of training children and youth in

the arts. To be eligible, such

partnerships shall serve: (1) Students

enrolled in schools participating or

eligible to participate in a schoolwide

program under ESEA Title I Section

1114 and, to the extent practicable, the

families of such students; (2) out-ofschool children and youth at risk of

disadvantages resulting from teenage

parenting, substance abuse, recent

migration, disability, limited English

proficiency, illiteracy, being the child of

a teenage parent, living in a single

parent household, or dropping out of

school; or (3) any combination of inschool and out-of-school at-risk children

and youth. Any school or schools to be

served through grants received under

this program must submit evidence for

inclusion in the grant application to the

Secretary demonstrating that the school

or schools meet the poverty criteria

described above. Applicants may submit

records kept for the purpose of ESEA

Title I that provide proof of eligibility

for each school to be served or to

participate in the partnership.

Note: The LEA must serve as the fiscal

agent for the program.

Applications Available: June 12, 2001.

Applications Must be Received By:

July 27, 2001.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: August 28, 2001.

Available Funds: Approximately

$2,000,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 7–10.

Estimated Size of Awards: $100,000–

$250,000.

Average Size of Awards: $200,000.

Matching Requirement: Recipients of

grants under this program must share in

the cost of the activities assisted under

the grant. Grant recipients must make

available non-Federal contributions, as

authorized under Section 10414 of the

program statute, in cash or in-kind in

the following percentage: 20 percent of

the cost of carrying out project activities

for the project period. Applicant in-kind

resources must be described as required

in Sections B and C of the ED Form 524

Non-Construction Programs found

within the application package.

Project Period: 12 months.

Note: The Department of Education is not

bound by any estimates in this notice. The

Administration is not requesting funding for

this program in FY 2002.

Applicable Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 85,

86, 97, 98, and 99.

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 notify the

Department by e-mail that it intends to

submit an application for funding. The

Secretary requests that this e-mail

notification be sent no later than July

12, 2001. The e-mail notification should

be sent to Ms. Madeline Baggett at

madeline.baggett@ed.gov. Applicants

that fail to provide this e-mail

notification may still apply for funding.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Arts education programs are

beneficial to all students. Participation

in the arts enhances a student’s

knowledge of self and the full range of

human experience and potential.

Involvement in music, literature, dance,

theater, and the visual arts has the

potential to transform the lives of

children and youth, who often exhibit a

greater sense of accomplishment and

self-confidence through participation in

arts education activities.

Recent studies, such as those

conducted by the National Endowment

for the Arts, continue to reveal the

positive correlation between

participation in arts education and the

academic, social, and experiential

growth of children and youth.

Improvements in academic

achievement, standardized test scores,

and school dropout rates are reported.

Arts and humanities programs foster the

development of creative thinking,

higher-order skills, problem-solving,

and a motivation to learn for all

students, especially those considered to

be at-risk.

Studies have shown social and

behavioral benefits for students engaged

in arts education as well. Participation

in arts activities is linked to these

indicators: decreased anti-social

behavior, decreased drug and alcohol

use, and increased motivation for

learning and participation in school

activities.

While it is important for all children

and youth to benefit from arts

education, at-risk children and youth

are especially in need of quality arts and

cultural programs both during and after

school. Unfortunately, at-risk students

are generally less likely to have access

to and participate in arts education

programs, which are often inadequately

funded in high-poverty rural and urban

areas. Beleaguered school systems must

frequently curtail or eliminate music

and other arts programs due to budget

constraints. Consequently, at-risk

children and youth have even less

opportunity to benefit from the arts.

Partnership programs that document

ways in which to effectively coordinate

local, State, and Federal resources into

comprehensive, integrated arts

education service delivery systems are

needed. Such partnerships help ensure

that all children have greater

opportunities to benefit from and enjoy

arts education programs and

experiences. At-risk students will enjoy

greater access to, and participation in,

high-quality arts education activities

and programs through funded projects,

and successful approaches may be

replicated in other communities for

similar purposes and target populations.

31622 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Notices

Partnership Purposes

Through combined resources,

facilities, services, materials, expertise,

and funding, the arts activities and

programs offered through a schoolcommunity partnership can reach those

youth most in need of such

opportunities and experiences. Cultural

partnership programs developed,

enhanced, or expanded to meet the

outcomes described within this program

will maximize the outreach and impact

of arts education programs and

enrichment activities for at-risk middle

and high school students, both in and

out of school.

The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk

Children and Youth Program will

support the development of schoolcommunity partnership programs that

coordinate and integrate local, State,

and Federal resources for arts education

and enrichment into a coordinated and

comprehensive service delivery system

for at-risk children and youth. The

cultural partnership projects will

evaluate their effectiveness in achieving

the following program outcomes for

both in- and out-of-school at-risk

children and youth:

• Increased access to and

participation in high-quality arts

education programs and enrichment

activities linked to educational

improvement.

• Improved student academic

performance through participation in

comprehensive and coordinated highquality arts education programs.

• Increased range in the types of arts

education programs (i.e., a variety of

music programs in addition to drama

and dance, for example) and activities

available.

At the end of the project period, the

Department will disseminate

information and materials on successful

approaches for developing, enhancing,

or expanding cultural partnerships

designed to improve the educational

performance or future potential of atrisk children and youth through

comprehensive and coordinated

educational services. This will include

any evidence of improved educational

achievement or potential educational

achievement of at-risk students along

with information regarding the arts

education programs and methodologies

linked to such improvements. The

Department requires that, upon

completion of the project, any materials

or products developed be provided to

the Department for further

dissemination. Dissemination efforts

will be carried out in full compliance

with Departmental copyright

requirements.

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. Section

437(d)(1) of the General Education

Provisions Act (GEPA), however, allows

the Secretary to exempt rules governing

the first competition under a new or

substantially revised program authority

(20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)). Funding was

provided for this new initiative in the

Fiscal Year 2001 Department of

Education Appropriations Act, enacted

in December 2000. Because this

competition is the first competition

under the program, it therefore qualifies

as a new competitive grants program.

The Secretary, in accordance with

section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, has decided

to forego public comment in order to

ensure timely grant awards. These

regulations will apply for the FY 2001

grant competition only.

Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives an

absolute priority to partnership

programs that focus school and cultural

resources in the community on

coordinated arts education services to

address the needs of at-risk middle and

high school-aged children and youth

both in- and out-of-school. In addition,

the project must fully address all of the

desired outcomes for at-risk children

and youth as described under the

Partnership Purpose section.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the

Secretary will fund under this

competition only applicants that meet

the absolute priority.

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise

Communities: Under 34 CFR 299.3 and

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the Secretary

gives a 5-point competitive preference

to applications whose partnerships are

located within an Empowerment Zone,

including Supplemental Empowerment

Zones, or an Enterprise Community as

designated by the United States

Department of Housing and Urban

Development or the United States

Department of Agriculture.

Note: A list of areas that have been

designated as Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities may be found at this

website: http://www.ezec/mainmap.html.

Coordination Requirement: Under

subpart 2 of Part D of Title X ESEA,

section 10412(b)(3), grants under this

competition may only be awarded to

eligible entities (i.e., partnerships) that

agree to coordinate activities carried out

under the grant with other Federal, State

and local grants administered by the

individual partners. The applicant must

demonstrate how the services supported

through the Cultural Partnerships for

At-Risk Children and Youth Program

and other similar services supported

through grants administered by the

individual partners will be coordinated

into an integrated service delivery

system. The integrated services must be

coordinated at a school, cultural, or

other community-based site accessible

to and utilized by at-risk youth. An

applicant must provide evidence that

the partnership members have met this

requirement in order to receive funding

under this program.

General Requirements: The following

requirements must be met for any

application submitted under this

program: the program narrative is

limited to no more than 45 doublespaced pages using the following

standards: (1) A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ × 11′′ (on

one side only) with one inch margins

(top, bottom, and sides); and (2) Doublespace (no more than three lines per

vertical inch) all text in the application

narrative, including titles, headings,

footnotes, quotations, and captions, as

well as all text in charts, tables, figures,

and graphs. The page limit applies to

the narrative section only. However, all

of the application narrative must be

included in the narrative section. If the

narrative section of an application

exceeds the page limitation, the

application will not be reviewed. (b)

The projects funded under this priority

must budget for a two-day Project

Directors’ meeting in Washington, D.C.

(c) The project application must address

the following factors as required by the

statute in ESEA Section 10413(c)(2): (1)

the cultural entity or entities that will

participate in the partnership; (2) the

target population to be served; (3) the

services to be provided; (4) a plan for

evaluating the success of the program;

(5) for each local educational agency or

school participating in the partnership,

how the activities assisted by the grant

will be perpetuated beyond the duration

of the grant; (6) the manner in which the

eligible entity will improve the

educational achievement or future

potential of at-risk youth through more

effective coordination of cultural

services in the community; (7) the

overall and operational goals of the

program; (8) the nature and location of

all planned sites where services will be

delivered and a description of services

to be provided at each site; and (9)

training activities provided to

individuals who are not trained to work

with children and youth, and how

teachers will be involved. Most of these

application requirements should be

addressed in the application narrative,

which applicants are encouraged to

organize around the selection criteria for

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Notices 31623

this competition. However, items 1, 2, 8,

and 9, which are not directly covered

within the selection criteria, should be

addressed separately and included as

appendices to the program narrative.

Selection Criteria: The Secretary will

use the following selection criteria to

evaluate applications under this

competition. The maximum score for all

of the selection criteria is 100 points.

The maximum score for each criterion is

indicated in parenthesis with the

criterion. The criteria are as follows:

(a) Significance (15 Points). (1) The

Secretary considers the significance of

the proposed project.

(2) In determining the significance of

the proposed project, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the proposed

project involves the development or

demonstration of promising new

strategies that build on, or are

alternatives to, existing strategies.

(ii) The potential contribution of the

proposed project to increased

knowledge or understanding of

educational problems, issues, or

effective strategies for implementing

cultural partnership programs for at-risk

children and youth.

(b) Improvement in the Educational

Achievement or Future Potential of AtRisk Youth (15 points).

Under 34 CFR 75.209(a)(1)(ii), the

Secretary reviews each application to

determine the manner in which the

partnership will improve the

educational achievement or future

potential of at-risk youth through

comprehensive and coordinated

services designed to: (1) enhance

student academic performance in core

academic subjects and on standardized

tests; and (2) foster the academic

potential of at-risk students.

(c) Quality of the Project Design (20

points). (1) The Secretary considers the

quality of the project design of the

proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the

project design, the Secretary considers

the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the proposed

project represents an exceptional

approach for meeting the priority or

priorities established for the

competition.

(ii) The extent to which the goals,

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved

by the proposed project are clearly

specified and measurable and

appropriate to the needs of the intended

recipients of the project services.

(iii) The extent to which the design

for implementing and evaluating the

proposed project will result in

information to guide possible

replication of project activities or

strategies, including information about

the effectiveness of the approach or

strategies employed by the project.

(d) Quality of Project Personnel (10

points). (1) The Secretary considers the

quality of the personnel who will carry

out the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of

project personnel, the Secretary

considers the extent to which the

applicant encourages applications for

employment from persons who are

members of groups that have

traditionally been under-represented

based on race, color, national origin,

gender, age, or disability.

(3) In addition, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(i) The qualifications, including

relevant training and experience, of the

project director.

(ii) The qualifications, including

relevant training and experience, of key

project personnel.

(iii) The qualification, including

relevant training and experience, of

project consultants or subcontractors.

(e) Adequacy of Resources (10 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the

adequacy of resources for the proposed

project.

(2) In determining the adequacy of

resources for the proposed project, the

Secretary considers the following

factors:

(i) The adequacy of support, including

facilities, equipment, supplies, and

other resources, from the lead applicant

organization.

(ii) The extent to which the budget is

adequate to support the proposed

project.

(iii) The potential for continued

support of the project after Federal

funding ends, including, as appropriate,

the demonstrated commitment of

appropriate entities to such support.

(f) Quality of the Management Plan

(15 points). (1) The Secretary considers

the quality of the management plan for

the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the

management plan for the proposed

project, the Secretary considers the

following factors:

(i) The adequacy of the management

plan to achieve the objectives of the

proposed project on time and within

budget, including clearly defined

responsibilities, time lines, and

milestones for accomplishing project

tasks.

(ii) The adequacy of procedures for

ensuring continuous feedback and

continuous improvement in the

operation of the proposed project.

(iii) The extent to which the time

commitments of the project director and

other key project personnel are

appropriate and adequate to meet the

objectives of the proposed project.

(iv) How the applicant will ensure

that a diversity of perspectives are

brought to bear in the operation of the

proposed project.

(g) Quality of the Project Evaluation

(15 points). (1) The Secretary considers

the quality of the project evaluation.

(2) In determining the quality of the

project evaluation, the Secretary

considers one or more of the following

factors:

(i) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation include 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.

(ii) The extent to which the evaluation

will provide guidance about effective

strategies suitable for replication or

testing in other settings.

For Applications or Information

Contact: Madeline E. Baggett, U.S.

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202–

6140. Telephone (202) 260–2502.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternative

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain a copy of the application package

in an alternative format also by

contacting that person. However, the

Department is not able to reproduce in

an alternative format the standards

forms included in the application

package.

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 Adobe

Acrobat Reader, which is available free

at the previous site. If you have

questions about using the 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

31624 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Notices

Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7909.

Dated: June 7, 2001.

Thomas M. Corwin,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Elementary and Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 01–14765 Filed 6–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Los Alamos

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces a

meeting of the Environmental

Management Site-Specific Advisory

Board (EM SSAB), Los Alamos. The

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub.

L. No. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770) requires

that public notice of these meetings be

announced in the Federal Register.

DATES: Wednesday, June 20, 2001, 6

p.m.–9 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Hotel Santa Fe, 1501 Paseo

de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann

DuBois, Northern New Mexico Citizens’

Advisory Board, 1640 Old Pecos Trail,

Suite H, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Phone

(505) 989–1662; fax (505) 989–1752 or email: adubois@doeal.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of

the Board: The purpose of the Board is

to make recommendations to DOE and

its regulators in the areas of

environmental restoration, waste

management, and related activities.

Tentative Agenda

1. Opening Activities—6–7 p.m.

2. Public Commentsz—7–7:30 p.m.

3. Discussion on Community

Communication and Coordination.

4. Committee Reports: Monitoring and

Surveillance, Waste Management,

Environmental Restoration, Community

Outreach, Bylaws, Budget.

5. Other Board business will be

conducted as necessary.

This agenda is subject to change at

least one day in advance of the meeting.

Public Participation: The meeting is

open to the public. Written statements

may be filed with the Committee either

before or after the meeting. Individuals

who wish to make oral statements

pertaining to agenda items should

contact Ann DuBois at the address or

telephone number listed above.

Requests must be received five days

prior to the meeting and reasonable

provision will be made to include the

presentation in the agenda. The Deputy

Designated Federal Officer is

empowered to conduct the meeting in a

fashion that will facilitate the orderly

conduct of business. Each individual

wishing to make public comment will

be provided a maximum of five minutes

to present their comments at the

beginning of the meeting. This Federal

Register notice is being published less

than 15 days prior to the meeting due

to programmatic issues that had to be

resolved prior to the meeting date. This

notice is being published less than 15

days before the date of the meeting due

to the late resolution of programmatic

issues.

Minutes: Minutes of this meeting will

be available for public review and

copying at the Freedom of Information

Public Reading Room, 1E–190, Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585 between 9

a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday–Friday, except

Federal holidays. Minutes will also be

available at the Public Reading Room

located at the Board’s office at 1640 Old

Pecos Trail, Suite H, Santa Fe, NM.

Hours of operation for the Public

Reading Room are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. on

Monday through Friday. Minutes will

also be made available by writing or

calling Ann DuBois at the Board’s office

address or telephone number listed

above. Minutes and other Board

documents are on the Internet at:

http:www.nnmcab.org.

Issued at Washington, DC on June 6, 2001.

Belinda G. Hood,

Acting Deputy Advisory Committee

Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–14731 Filed 6–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6401–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security

Administration Advisory Committee

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security

Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Closed Meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces a

meeting of the National Nuclear

Security Administration Advisory

Committee (NNSA AC). The Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App.

2 § 10(a)(2) requires that public notice of

these meetings be announced in the

Federal Register.

DATES: Tuesday, June 26, 2001, 8 a.m. to

5 p.m. and Wednesday, June 27, 2001,

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: National Nuclear Security

Administration, Department of Energy,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer Leonard (202–586–5555), Staff

Director of NNSA AC.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose of the Committee: To provide

the Administrator of the National

Nuclear Security Administration with

advice and recommendations on matters

of technology, policy, and operations

that lie within the mission and

responsibilities of the National Nuclear

Security Administration, as set forth in

50 U.S.C. 20402(b).

Purpose of the Meeting: To discuss

national security research, development,

and policy programs.

Closed Meeting: In the interest of

national security, the meeting will be

closed to the public, pursuant to the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5

U.S.C. App 2 § 10 (d), and the Federal

Advisory Committee Management

Regulation, 41 CFR § 101–6.1023,

‘‘Procedures for Closing an Advisory

Committee Meeting’’, which incorporate

by reference the Government in the

Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552b, which, at

§§ 552b (c)(1) and (c)(3) permits closure

of meetings where restricted data or

other classified matters are discussed.

Minutes: Minutes of the meeting will

be recorded and classified accordingly.

Issued at Washington, DC on June 9, 2001.

Rachel M. Samuel,

Deputy Advisory Committee Management

Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–14897 Filed 6–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration;

Maiden Wind Farm Project

AGENCY: Bonneville Power

Administration (BPA), Department of

Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

SUMMARY: BPA intends to prepare an EIS

on the proposed Maiden Wind Farm

(Project), located northeast of the town

of Sunnyside in Benton and Yakima

Counties, Washington. Washington

Winds, Incorporated (Washington

Winds) proposes to construct and

operate the 150- to 494-megawatt (MW)

wind generation facility. BPA proposes

to purchase the electrical output from

the Project and to provide transmission

services. The EIS will be site-specific as

to the potential environmental impacts

of the construction and operation of the

wind project itself, as well as all related

transmission facilities. In addition, the

EIS will take a broad programmatic look

at the balance of the Project study area.