33136 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 20, 2001 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No: 84.215G]

Office of Vocational and Adult

Education; High School Reform State

Grants; 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 the program and the

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), the

notice contains all of the information,

application forms, and instructions needed to

apply for a grant under this competition.

Purpose of Program

The purpose of the High School

Reform State Grants program is to

provide funds to State educational

agencies (SEAs) to support efforts to

improve academic performance and

provide technical skills training. States

will in turn make competitive awards to

local educational agencies (LEAs) on

behalf of secondary schools or consortia

of secondary schools, to support

programs, activities, classes, and other

services designed to assist secondary

school students in attaining challenging,

State-established academic and

technical skill proficiencies. The

Department of Education (the

Department) fully expects that these

funds will be used by local high schools

in one of two ways: (1) To expand and

build upon their own existing high

school improvement strategies; or (2) to

replicate other high schools’ successful

reform models, including such strategies

and models that focus on school

restructuring, curriculum and

instruction redesign, and improving

school climate. Further, the Department

expects that funded strategies and

models will build upon research-based

practices proven effective in improving

secondary school students’ academic

performance and expanding their

opportunities for technical skills

training.

Application, Deadline and Award

Information

Eligible Applicants: State educational

agencies who make sub-grants to local

educational agencies on behalf of

secondary schools or secondary school

consortia. State educational agencies

may also apply in consortia with one

another.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: August 6, 2001.

Application Page Limits: The

Secretary strongly encourages that an

application’s program narrative be

limited to no more than 25 pages.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: September 18, 2001.

Available Funds: $5,000,000 for the

36-month project period.

Note: The administration is not requesting

funding for this program in 2002.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

The estimated amount of each award

made under this competition is

$1,000,000 for each State project.

Estimated Number of Awards: No

more than five awards will be made

under this grant program.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: 36 months.

Applicable Statute and Regulations

(a) The Department of Education’s

Appropriations Act, 2001, Title III of the

Departments of Labor, Health and

Human Services, and Education, and

Related Agencies Appropriations Act,

2001, as enacted by section 1(1) of P.L.

106–[554], the Consolidated

Appropriations Act, 2001.

(b) 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:

Background

No other American institution has a

potentially greater impact on the quality

of life for today’s young people than that

of the public high school. Youth

entering the workforce without a high

school diploma earn up to one-third less

than their peers who complete high

school. Among those who earn a

diploma, only 50 percent go on to

postsecondary education, and half of

those students drop out by the end of

the second year. The Department, as

well as other public and private

agencies, collects data annually

documenting the reduced earning

potential and increased incidence of

poverty among young people who either

lack a high school diploma, or who

possess a diploma but have not acquired

the necessary skills to move on to

postsecondary education or the

workplace.

Recognizing the obvious impact the

high school experience can have on a

young person, efforts at the Federal,

State, and local levels have resulted in

the implementation of a number of high

school improvement strategies.

Federally, the Department’s

Comprehensive School Reform

Demonstration (CSRD) program, as well

as the Office of Educational Research

and Improvement’s Model Design and

Evaluation Contracts program, have

funded the development of

comprehensive school reform models

for high schools. At the local level,

magnet and charter schools initiatives

have broken new ground in their ability

to drive high school improvement based

upon a community’s as well as

individual students’ needs. These

programs, as well as others, seek to

ensure that research-based practices and

methodologies proven successful at the

high school level are widely replicated.

Further, these programs recognize that

success in the 21st century workplace

will require advanced career and

technical skills, including computer

literacy.

Several States have targeted their

school improvement initiatives

specifically toward high schools by

integrating Federal CSRD investments

with their own high school reform

investments. Others have enhanced

their high school redesign efforts with

improvement strategies promulgated by

such models as High Schools That

Work. For all States, the last five years

have seen a dramatic increase in the

attention toward high school academic

assessments and exit examinations as

means to measure the value of a

student’s high school experience.

Recognizing the emphasis at both the

State and local levels on improving high

schools, the Congress is making

available five million dollars to States

able to demonstrate their commitment

to high school improvement by

articulating specific strategies and

activities proven effective in helping

students meet rigorous academic and

technical State standards.

Required Activities

(a) Under this competition, each State

grantee will:

(1) Competitively award at least 90

percent of its total grant funds to LEAs

on behalf of individual high schools or

consortia; and

(2) Use the remaining grant funds for

State-level activities aimed at

replicating successful methodologies

and practices and disseminating the

lessons of the funded projects.

(b) Under this competition, each local

sub-grantee will support programs,

activities, classes, and other services

designed to assist secondary school

students in attaining challenging, Stateestablished academic and technical skill

proficiencies.

Grants awarded shall be used to carry

out the following activities:

(1) Integration of academics with

technical skills courses;

(2) Establishment of learning and

technical skills centers within

secondary schools; and

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 20, 2001 / Notices 33137

(3) Programs that support and

implement innovative strategies such as

independent study, school-based

enterprises, and project-based learning.

The Department further requires that

the minimum local award to an

individual high school under this

competition will be no less than

$200,000, and that awards to high

school consortia will be no less than

$400,000.

Priorities

Competitive Priorities

The Secretary may award up to 10

additional points for applications that

effectively address the following

priorities.

Competitive Priority 1 (5 points)

Applications that identify the State’s

low-performing high schools, as defined

under Title I, Part A, section 1116(c) of

the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act or State or local

definitions, and include strategies for

disseminating and replicating successful

improvement methodologies and

practices with those schools.

Competitive Priority 2 (5 points)

Applications that demonstrate the

existing and future commitment of

Federal, State and local level resources

to fund high school improvement

efforts.

Selection Criteria

The Secretary uses the following

selection criteria to evaluate

applications for new grants under this

competition. The Secretary awards a

total possible score of 100 points. The

maximum score an applicant may

receive is 110 points by effectively

addressing the selection criteria and

both competitive priorities. The

maximum possible score for each

criterion is indicated in parentheses

following the criterion.

(1) Demonstration of Reform Readiness

at the State’s High Schools (40 Points)

(a) The proposal provides detailed

evidence of specific school

improvement strategies and existing

working models that have been

implemented at the high school level.

Examples provided fully delineate the

methodologies used and the

measurements applied to determine

effectiveness. (15 points)

(b) The proposal clearly articulates

State- and locally-driven strategies that

have proven effective in achieving such

indicators of high school reform as:

(1) All students are expected to meet

challenging, State-established academic

standards that work toward the goal of

preparing them for both college and

careers;

(2) Academic standards are rigorous

and are specifically tied to student

outcomes;

(3) Learning occurs in safe,

personalized environments;

(4) Teachers are provided with a range

of professional development

opportunities, including work-based

experiences and technology training;

(5) Faculty ownership and effective

principal leadership are key

components in implementing specific

school improvement strategies; and

(6) Individual teaching strategies are

linked to school-wide improvement

goals. (15 points)

(c) The proposal describes existing

high school practices and models that

have achieved success in integrating

academics with technical skills courses;

establishing learning and technical skill

centers within their schools; and

implementing such innovative strategies

such as independent study via

internships, school-based enterprises,

and project-based learning. (10 points)

(2) State-level Activities (25 points)

The proposal provides a complete

description of activities supported by

the ten percent (maximum) of grant

award expenditures to be made at the

State level. This section includes how

this project will be coordinated with

ongoing high school improvement

efforts already at work at the State level.

It includes ways in which the State will

use this project to improve the

performance of low-performing high

schools, such as partnering a highperforming school with a lowperforming school, web-based

dissemination strategies, and other

innovative methods. The application

delineates the State’s plan to produce a

final product documenting its

successful high school improvement

strategies. Further, it includes a

commitment by the State to be involved

in national activities aimed at widely

disseminating the lessons of this grant

initiative and working with other States

or districts to assist them with their

efforts at high school reform and

improvement.

(3) Management Plan/Timeline (20

points)

(a) The proposal includes a

description of how the project will be

managed at the State level, including

the distribution of sub-grants (not less

than 90 percent of the total grant award)

and the oversight of sub-grant activities.

The proposal describes the process to be

used to provide sub-grants, along with

the criteria to be applied. (10 points)

(b) The proposal includes a timeline

for the project, including dates and

responsibilities for making awards to

sub-grantees, along with a clear

description of the overall project’s

progression and how grant activities

will build upon one another in

complexity and scope. (5 points)

(c) The proposal indicates other

funding resources, including private

sector resources as well as other

Federal, State, and local level funds,

that currently contribute to the high

school improvement strategies

identified in the proposal and that will

further support such future efforts. At a

minimum, the proposal indicates how

the State’s Federal resources are being

aligned to support high school

improvement. (5 points)

(4) Evaluation Plan (15 points)

The proposal describes the State’s

overall strategy for evaluating high

school improvement efforts, including

improving the academic performance of

students and increasing their

opportunities to receive technical skill

training. It explains how this project

will be evaluated, and how the results

of that evaluation will fit into the State’s

overall plan for evaluating high school

improvement efforts. Applications

adequately addressing this criterion will

outline the performance measures the

State intends to use to evaluate efforts

that either bring certain improvement

strategies to scale or that replicate a

model that has proven successful at

another high school. This section

should also commit the State to

participating in a Department-sponsored

evaluation of this grant investment.

(Applicants should note the

Performance Measures section in

Appendix B of this notice.)

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.

One of the objectives of the Executive

order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and to strengthen

federalism by relying on State and local

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. Applicants

proposing to perform activities in more

than one State should immediately

contact the Single Point of Contact for

33138 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 20, 2001 / Notices

each of those States and follow the

procedures established in each State

under the Executive order. If you want

to know the name and address of any

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC), or

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, area-wide, 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, area-wide,

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 #84.215G, U.S. Department of

Education, Room 7E200, 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. (Eastern time) on the date

indicated in this notice.

Note: 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.

Waiver of Rulemaking

It is the Secretary’s practice, in

accordance with the Administrative

Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. section 553), to

offer interested parties the opportunity

to comment on proposed rules. Section

437(d)(1) of the General Education

Provisions Act (GEPA) exempts from

formal rulemaking requirements rules

governing the first grant competition

under a new or substantially revised

program authority (20 U.S.C. section

1232(d)(1)). Funding for this new

initiative was provided in the

Department’s fiscal year 2001

appropriations act. The Secretary, in

accordance with section 437(d)(1) of

GEPA, has decided to forego public

comment in order to ensure timely grant

awards.

Instructions for Transmittal of

Applications

Applicants are required to submit one

original signed application and three

copies of the grant application. All

forms and assurances must have ink

signatures. Please mark applications as

‘‘original’’ or ‘‘copy.’’ To aid with the

review of applications, the Department

encourages applicants to submit three

additional copies of the grant

application. The Department will not

penalize applicants who do not provide

additional copies.

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for

a grant under this process, the applicant

must either—

(1) Mail the original and three copies

of the application on or before the

deadline date to: U.S. Department of

Education, Application Control Center,

Attention: (CFDA # 84.215G),

Washington, DC 20202–4725, or

(2) Hand deliver the original and three

copies of the application by 4:30 p.m.

(Eastern time) on or before the deadline

date to: U.S. Department of Education,

Application Control Center, Attention:

(CFDA #84.215G), Room #3633,

Regional Office Building #3, 7th and D

Streets, SW., Washington, DC.

(b) An applicant 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.

(c) If an application is mailed through

the U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary

does 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.

Notes: (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before

relying on this method, an applicant should

check with its local post office.

(2) The Application Control Center will

mail a Grant Application Receipt

Acknowledgment to each applicant. If an

applicant fails to receive the notification of

application receipt within 15 days from the

date of mailing the application, the applicant

should call the U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center at (202) 708–

9494.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the

envelope and—if not provided by the

Department—in Item 10 of the Application

for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424)

the CFDA number—and suffix letter, if any—

of the process under which the application

is being submitted.

Application Instructions and Forms

All forms and instructions are

included as Appendix D of this notice.

Questions and answers pertaining to

this program are included, as Appendix

C, to assist potential applicants.

To apply for an award under this

program, your application must be

organized in the following order and

include the following five parts. The

parts and additional materials are as

follows:

Part I: Application for Federal

Education Assistance (ED 424 (Rev. 1/

12/99)) and instructions.

Part II: Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED Form No.

524) and instructions.

Part III: Budget Narrative.

Part IV: Program Narrative (see

Appendix B).

Part V: Additional Assurances and

Certifications:

a. Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B).

b. Certification regarding Lobbying,

Debarment, Suspension, and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (ED Form 80–

0013) and instructions.

c. Certification regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered

Transactions (ED Form 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.

No grant may be awarded unless a

completed application form has been

received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Karen Stratman Clark, Office of

Vocational and Adult Education, U.S.

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, SW. (Mary E. Switzer Building,

Room 5523), Washington, DC 20202–

7241. Telephone (202) 205–3779. If you

use a telecommunications device for the

deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339. 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 persons listed

at the beginning of this 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 Department

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 (APDF) 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 this 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.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 20, 2001 / Notices 33139

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register. Free Internet access to the official

version 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. section

2328.

Dated: June 14, 2001.

Jon Weintraub,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of

Vocational and Adult Education.

Estimated Burden Statement

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 1830–0551. (Expiration

date: 6/30/2004.) The time required to

complete this information collection is

estimated to average 40 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(s) or

suggestions for improving this grant

application, please write to: U.S.

Department of Education, Washington,

DC 20202–4651.

If you have comments or concerns

regarding the status of your individual

submission of this grant application,

write directly to: Ms. Karen Stratman

Clark, Office of Vocational and Adult

Education, U.S. Department of

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW

(Mary E. Switzer Building, Room 5523),

Washington, DC 20202–7242.

Appendix A—Definitions

Independent study is self-directed learning

linked to a student’s curriculum and, if

applicable, his or her area of career interest.

It may include such activities as internships

and student-directed projects.

Integration occurs when academic and

occupational or career subject matter—

normally offered in separate courses—are

taught in a manner that emphasizes

relationships among the disciplines. It may

take many forms, ranging from the

introduction of academics into traditional

occupational courses to comprehensive

programs that organize all instruction around

broad career themes.

Learning and technical skills centers are,

for the purpose of this program, any of a

variety of high school improvement models

that may include schools-within-schools,

career academies, houses, or before- or afterschool programs that emphasize technical or

occupational skills training, including

computer literacy.

Low-performing schools are identified by

local and State educational agencies using

the criteria in Title I, Part A, section 1116(c)

of the Elementary and Secondary Education

Act. Any Title I school that has not made

continuous and sustained academic progress

over two years is identified for improvement.

For the purpose of this program, States and

local educational agencies that have

established criteria for identifying such

schools may use their criteria to meet the

competitive priority.

Project-based learning occurs when

learning is tied to the development and

completion of a project that is, much like

independent study, linked to a student’s

curriculum and, if applicable, his or her area

of career interest.

School-based enterprises are enterprises in

which goods or services are produced by

students as part of their school program.

School-based enterprises typically involve

students in the management of a project that

may involve the sale of goods for use by

others, and may be undertaken on or off the

school site.

Secondary school consortia are two or

more schools comprising any span of grades

beginning with the next grade following

middle school and ending with grade 12.

State consortia are, for the purpose of this

program, two or more State educational

agencies jointly responsible for State-level

coordination of projects implemented within

their identified local high schools.

State educational agency is the officer or

agency primarily responsible for the State

supervision of public elementary and

secondary schools.

Appendix B—Program Narrative

Instructions

Instructions for Program Narrative

The program narrative will comprise the

largest portion of your application. This part

is where you spell out the who, what, when,

why, and how, of your proposed project.

Although you will not have a form to fill

out for your narrative, there is a format. This

format is based on the selection criteria.

Because your application will be reviewed

and rated by a review panel on the basis of

the selection criteria, your narrative should

follow the order and format of the criteria.

Before preparing your application, you

should carefully read the legislation and

EDGAR regulations governing this program,

eligibility requirements, priorities, and the

selection criteria for this process.

Your program narrative should be clear,

concise, and to the point. The program

narrative should be organized in this way:

(1) Begin the narrative with a one page

abstract or summary of your project,

including a short description of the project’s

objectives and activities. Provide a short

description of the populations to be served in

the high schools to whom you anticipate

awarding funds.

(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) Include the State educational agency’s

assurance to the Secretary (and requirement

for the local educational agencies’ assurances

to the State) that the State will carry out

those activities described in the Required

Activities section of this notice.

(4) Describe how the applicant meets the

competitive priorities, if applicable.

(5) Describe the project in detail,

addressing each selection criterion in order.

Do not simply paraphrase the criteria.

(6) If the application is from a State

consortium, attach the consortium’s

agreement delineating the activities each

State intends to perform, signed by

appropriate authorities for each State

educational agency. The agreement must

include the designation of one State as the

lead applicant.

(7) Applicants may include supporting

documentation as appendices to the

narrative. This material must be concise and

pertinent to the application.

The Secretary strongly suggests that you

limit the program narrative to no more than

25 double-spaced, typed pages (on one side

only). Be sure to number consecutively ALL

pages in your application.

You are advised that—

(a) 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)

(b) The technical review panel evaluates

each application solely on the basis of the

selection criteria contained in this notice.

(c) Letters of support included as

appendices to an application, that are of

direct relevance to or contain commitments

that pertain to the established selection

criteria, such as commitment of resources,

will be reviewed by the panel. As noted

above in paragraph (a), letters of support sent

separately from the formal application

package are not considered in the review by

the technical review panel. (34 CFR 75.217)

Performance Measures

The Government Performance and Results

Act of 1993 (GPRA) places new management

expectations and requirements on Federal

departments and agencies by creating a

framework for more effective planning,

budgeting, program evaluation, and fiscal

accountability for Federal programs. The

intent of GPRA is to improve public

confidence by holding departments and

agencies accountable for achieving program

results. Under GPRA, Departments and

agencies must clearly describe the goals and

objectives of their programs, identify

resources and actions needed to accomplish

these goals and objectives, develop a means

of measuring progress made, and regularly

report on their achievement. One important

source of program information on successes

and lessons learned is the project evaluation

conducted under individual grants.

Factors that may be considered in

evaluating the success of the program may

include:

(1) Percentage of students at participating

schools who meet or exceed State-established

academic and vocational and technical skill

standards;

33140 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 20, 2001 / Notices

(2) Number of students receiving technical

skills training with integrated academics;

(3) Number of students participating in

learning and technical skills centers; and

(4) Number of students participating in

independent study via internships, schoolsbased enterprises, and project-based learning.

As specified in Selection Criterion 4, an

evaluation plan must be included in each

grant application. The application should

describe the plan in detail, including such

information as: (1) What types of data will be

collected; (2) what instruments will be used;

(3) when reports of results and outcomes will

become available; and (4) how information

will be used by the project to monitor

progress and ensure accountability.

Appendix C—Questions and Answers

Potential applicants frequently direct

questions to officials of the Department

regarding application notices and

programmatic and administrative regulations

governing various direct grant programs. To

assist potential applicants, the Department

has assembled the following most commonly

asked questions followed by the

Department’s answers.

Q: Can we get an extension of the

deadline?

A: No. A closing date may be changed only

under extraordinary circumstances. Any

change must be announced in the Federal

Register and must apply to all applications.

Waivers for individual applications cannot

be granted regardless of the circumstances.

Q: How many copies of the application

should I submit and must they be bound?

A: Applicants are required to submit one

original and three copies of the grant

application. To aid with the review of

applications, the Department encourages

applicants to submit three additional copies

of the grant application. The Department will

not penalize applicants who do not provide

additional copies. Sending applications in

notebooks, binders, folders, or other

coverings is strongly discouraged.

Q: We just missed the deadline for the High

School Reform State Grants competition. May

we submit under another competition?

A: Yes, however, the likelihood of success

is not good. A properly prepared application

must meet the specifications of the

competition to which it is submitted.

Q: I’m not sure which competition is most

appropriate for my project. What should I

do?

A: We are happy to discuss any such

questions with you and provide clarification

on the unique elements of the various

competitions.

Q: Will you help us prepare our

application?

A: We are happy to provide general

program information. Clearly, it would not be

appropriate for staff to participate in the

actual writing of an application, but we can

respond to specific questions about

application requirements, evaluation criteria,

and the priorities. Applicants should

understand, however, that prior contact with

the Department is not required, nor will it in

any way influence the success of an

application.

Q: When will I find out if I’m going to be

funded?

A: You can expect to receive notification

as soon as possible after the application

closing date, depending on the number of

applications received and the number of

Department competitions with similar

closing dates.

Q: Once my application has been reviewed

by the review panel, can you tell me the

outcome?

A: No. Every year we are called by a

number of applicants who have a legitimate

reason for needing to know the outcome of

the panel review prior to official notification.

Some applicants need to make job decisions,

some need to notify a local school district,

etc. Regardless of the reason, because final

funding decisions have not been made at that

point, we cannot share information about the

results of panel review with anyone.

Q: Will my application be returned if I am

not funded?

A: No. We no longer return unsuccessful

applications. Thus, applicants should retain

at least one copy of the application.

Q: Can I obtain copies of reviewers’

comments?

A: Upon written request, reviewers’

comments will be mailed to unsuccessful

applicants.

Q: Is travel allowed under these projects?

A: Travel associated with carrying out the

project is allowed. Because we may request

the project director of funded projects to

attend an annual project directors’ meeting,

you may also wish to include a trip or two

to Washington, DC, in the travel budget.

Travel to conferences is sometimes allowed

when the purpose of the conference will be

of benefit and relates to the project.

Q: If my application receives high scores

from the reviewers, does that mean that I will

receive funding?

A: Not necessarily. It is often the case that

the number of applications scored highly by

the reviewers exceeds the dollars available

for funding projects under a particular

competition. The order of selection, which is

based on the scores of all the applications

reviewed and other relevant factors,

determines the applications that can be

funded.

Q: What happens during pre-award

clarification discussions?

A: During pre-award clarification

discussions, technical and budget issues may

be raised. These are issues that have been

identified during the panel and staff reviews

that require clarification. Sometimes issues

are stated as ‘‘conditions.’’ These are issues

that have been identified as so critical that

the award cannot be made unless those

conditions are met. Questions may also be

raised about the proposed budget. Generally,

these issues are raised because an application

contains inadequate justification or

explanation of a particular budget item, or

because the budget item seems unimportant

to the successful completion of the project.

If you are asked to make changes that you

feel could seriously affect the project’s

success, you may provide reasons for not

making the changes or provide alternative

suggestions. Similarly, if proposed budget

reductions will, in your opinion, seriously

affect the project activities, you may explain

why and provide additional justification for

the proposed expenses. An award cannot be

made until all issues under discussion have

been resolved.

Q: How do I provide an assurance?

A: Except for SF–424B, ‘‘Assurances—NonConstruction Programs,’’ you may provide an

assurance simply by stating in writing that

you are meeting a prescribed requirement.

Q: Where can copies of the Federal

Register, program regulations, and Federal

statutes be obtained?

A: Copies of these materials can usually be

found at your local library. If not, they can

be obtained from the Government Printing

Office by writing to Superintendent of

Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,

Washington, DC 20402. Telephone: (202)

708–8228. When requesting copies of

regulations or statutes, it is helpful to use the

specific name or public law, number of a

statute, or part number of a regulation. A

copy of the Code of Federal Regulations that

contains the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations, 34 CFR parts 74,

75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99,

may be obtained from the Government

Printing Office by writing to Superintendent

of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh,

PA 15250–7954, or by telephoning (202) 512–

1800. It may also be obtained on the internet

at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs, or

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr.

Federal Register notices can also be

accessed on the internet at: http://

www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

Q: Where in the notice does it explain how

the required parts of the application should

be ordered?

A: The ordering for the required parts of

the application is specified in the section of

the notice entitled ‘‘Application Instructions

and Forms.’’

Appendix D—Budget Narrative, Forms,

and Instructions

Instructions for Budget Narrative

The budget narrative should explain,

justify, and, if needed, clarify your budget

summary. For each line item (personnel,

fringe benefits, travel, etc.) in your budget,

explain why it is there and how you

computed the costs.

Please limit this section to no more than

five pages. Be sure that each page of your

application is numbered consecutively.

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[FR Doc. 01–15557 Filed 6–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–C