[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24671-24684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10492]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
Promise Neighborhoods Program

    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2010.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215P.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: May 5, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 21, 2010.
    Date of Pre-Application Webinars: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 and 
Monday, May 10, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 25, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 24, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Department of Education Appropriations Act, 
2010 provided funds for Promise Neighborhoods under the legislative 
authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Education Program (FIE), 
title V, part D, subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 
U.S.C. 7243-7243b). FIE supports nationally significant programs to 
improve the quality of elementary and secondary education at the State 
and local levels and help all children meet challenging State academic 
content and student academic achievement standards.
    The purpose of Promise Neighborhoods is to improve significantly 
the educational and developmental outcomes of children in our most 
distressed communities, and to transform those communities by--
    (1) Supporting efforts to improve child outcomes and ensure that 
data on those outcomes are communicated and analyzed on an ongoing 
basis by leaders and members of the community;
    (2) Identifying and increasing the capacity of eligible entities 
(as defined in this notice) that are focused on achieving results and 
building a college-going culture (as defined in this notice) in the 
neighborhood;
    (3) Building a complete continuum of cradle-through-college-to-
career solutions (continuum of solutions) (as defined in this notice), 
which has both academic programs and family and community supports 
(both as defined in this notice), with a strong school or schools at 
the center. Academic programs must include (a) High-quality early 
learning programs designed to improve outcomes in multiple domains of 
early learning (as defined in this notice); (b) programs, policies, and 
personnel for children in kindergarten through the 12th grade that are 
linked to improved academic outcomes; and (c) programs that prepare 
students for college and career success. Family and community supports 
must include programs to improve student health, safety, community 
stability, family and community engagement, and student access to 21st 
century learning tools. The continuum of solutions also must be linked 
and integrated seamlessly (as defined in this notice) so there are 
common outcomes, a focus on similar milestones, support during 
transitional time periods, and no time or resource gaps that create 
obstacles for students in making academic progress. The continuum also 
must be based on the best available evidence including, where 
available, strong or moderate evidence (as defined in this notice), and 
include programs, policies, practices, services, systems, and supports 
that result in improving educational and developmental outcomes for 
children from cradle through college to career;
    (4) Integrating programs and breaking down agency ``silos'' so that 
solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies;
    (5) Supporting the efforts of eligible entities, working with local 
governments, to build the infrastructure of policies, practices, 
systems, and resources needed to sustain and ``scale up'' proven, 
effective solutions across the broader region beyond the initial 
neighborhood; and
    (6) Learning about the overall impact of Promise Neighborhoods and 
about the relationship between particular strategies in Promise 
Neighborhoods and student outcomes, including a rigorous evaluation of 
the program.
    Background: Children who are from low-income families and grow up 
in high-poverty neighborhoods face academic and life challenges above 
and beyond the challenges faced by children who are from low-income 
families who grow up in neighborhoods without a high concentration of 
poverty. A Federal evaluation of the reading and mathematics outcomes 
of elementary students in 71 schools in 18 districts and 7 States found 
that even when controlling for individual student poverty, there is a 
significant negative association between school-level poverty and 
student achievement.\1\ The evaluation found that students have lower 
academic outcomes when a higher percentage of their same-school peers 
qualify for free and reduced-priced lunch (FRPL) compared to when a 
lower percentage of their same-school peers qualify for FRPL. Another 
study found that, even when controlling for a student's own 
socioeconomic status, there is a significant negative association 
between individual student achievement growth during high school and 
the socioeconomic status of students in the school.\2\ The compounding 
effects of neighborhood poverty continue later in life: A third study 
found that, for children with similar levels of family income, growing 
up in a neighborhood where the number of families in poverty was 
between 20 and 30 percent increased the chance of downward economic 
mobility--moving down the income ladder relative to their parents--by 
more than 50 percent compared with children who grew up in 
neighborhoods with under 10 percent of families in poverty.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Westat and Policy Studies Associate. The longitudinal 
evaluation of school change and performance (LESCP) in title I 
schools. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education. Available 
January 2010 online at http://www.policystudies.com/studies/school/lescp_vol2.pdf.
    \2\ Rumberger, Russell W., & Palardy, G. J. ``Does segregation 
still matter? The impact of student composition on academic 
achievement in high school,'' Teacher College Record, 107(9), Sept 
2005.
    \3\ Sharkey, Patrick. ``Neighborhoods and the Black-White 
Mobility Gap.'' Economic Mobility Project: An Initiative of The Pew 
Charitable Trusts, 2009.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because challenges in distressed communities with high 
concentrations of poverty are interrelated, the Department, through the 
Promise Neighborhoods Program, is taking a comprehensive approach to 
ensure that children have access to a continuum of cradle-through-
college-to-career solutions designed to support academic achievement, 
healthy development, and college and career success.

[[Page 24672]]

    To effectively improve outcomes for children in these distressed 
communities, schools, academic programs, and family and community 
supports must include several core features:
    (a) Organizations and schools implementing academic programs and 
family and community supports that have the capacity to collect, 
analyze, and use data to evaluate their efforts.
    (b) Academic programs, family and community supports, and schools 
that work together and closely integrate their efforts so that time and 
resource gaps that contribute to children missing academic and 
developmental milestones do not occur.
    (c) Academic programs and family and community supports that are 
managed, directly or indirectly, by a leader and an organization that 
can engage the community and are accountable for results.
    (d) Schools, academic programs, and family and community supports 
that are implemented by using a ``place-based'' approach that leverages 
investments by focusing resources in targeted places, drawing on the 
compounding effect of well-coordinated actions.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 
Developing Effective Place-Based Policies for the FY 2011 Budget. 
August, 11, 2009. Available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_fy2009/m09-28.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Consistent with this approach, we believe that it is important for 
communities to develop a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization 
strategy that addresses each of the essential neighborhood assets (as 
defined in this notice), which include accessible developmental, 
commercial, recreational, physical, and social assets that are vital to 
transforming distressed neighborhoods into healthy and vibrant 
communities of opportunity. We believe that Promise Neighborhoods will 
be most successful when they are part of, and contributing to, a city's 
or region's broader neighborhood revitalization strategy. Because 
Promise Neighborhoods focuses on accessible, high-quality academic 
programs, effective schools, and family and community supports, which 
are all primarily developmental assets, the program is a Federal 
investment designed, in part, to support the implementation of a 
broader comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy. Only 
through the development of such comprehensive neighborhood 
revitalization plans, which embrace the coordinated use of programs and 
resources to effectively address the interrelated needs within a 
community, will the broader vision of neighborhood transformation 
occur.
    Through this notice, the Department is establishing priorities and 
requirements, and inviting applications, for one-year grants that will 
support the development of a plan to implement a Promise Neighborhood. 
At the conclusion of the planning grant period, grantees should, at a 
minimum, have a feasible plan to implement a continuum of solutions 
with the potential to improve results for children in the community 
being served.
    To be eligible for a planning grant, an eligible entity must 
operate a school or partner with at least one school, and coordinate 
with the school's local educational agency (LEA). The school or schools 
must be in a geographically defined area in which there are multiple 
signs of distress based on indicators of need (as defined in this 
notice) and other relevant indicators. Examples of signs of distress 
are low-performing schools (as defined in this notice); significant 
achievement gaps among the subgroups of students identified in section 
1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA; high dropout rates; significant levels 
of child poverty; high student mobility rates; high rates of crime, 
including violent crime; high rates of vacant or substandard homes; and 
prevalent indicators of poor health, such as asthma, poor nutrition, 
dental problems, obesity, or avoidable developmental delays (e.g., 
delays in cognitive, communication, adaptive, physical, and socio-
emotional development).
    As described in this notice, Promise Neighborhoods planning 
grantees will undertake the following activities during the planning 
year:
    (1) Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of children along the 
cradle-through-college-to-career continuum that builds on the statement 
of need prepared to address the selection criteria in this notice, and 
includes the collection of data for the academic and family and 
community support indicators described in this notice for children in 
the geographic area \5\ proposed to be served.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ For the purposes of this notice, the Department uses the 
terms ``neighborhood'' and ``geographic area'' interchangeably.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (2) Conduct a segmentation analysis (as defined in this notice) of 
the needs in the neighborhood to better target solutions for the 
children in that neighborhood.
    (3) Develop a plan to deliver the continuum of solutions that 
addresses the challenges and gaps identified through the needs 
assessment and segmentation analysis.
    (4) Work with public and private agencies, organizations (including 
philanthropic organizations), and individuals to gather and leverage 
resources needed to support the financial sustainability of the plan. 
Planning grantees must demonstrate this financial sustainability by 
identifying the sources and amounts of current Federal, State, and 
local funds, including public and private funds, that can be used for 
the project.
    (5) Identify strategies for building upon and leveraging high-
quality academic programs and family and community supports; existing 
and anticipated Federal resources, including the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA); and existing and anticipated 
investments in neighborhood revitalization efforts and similar place-
based initiatives funded by other Federal agencies such as the U.S. 
Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human 
Services, and Justice. Efforts funded by other Federal agencies include 
programs such as HOPE VI and Choice Neighborhoods, Health Centers, and 
the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation and Weed and Seed Programs.

    Note: The Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and 
Urban Development, and Justice, along with the Department of 
Education, may establish incentives in future competitions for 
communities intending to implement more than one of these place-
based initiatives.

    (6) Build community support for and involvement in the development 
of the plan, which includes establishing outcomes for children in the 
neighborhood that are communicated and analyzed on an ongoing basis by 
leaders and members of the community.
    (7) Obtain commitments from partners to work long-term to implement 
the plan, help ensure continued programmatic success of their plan, and 
develop a strategy to hold partners accountable for meeting performance 
goals and milestones.
    (8) Plan, build, adapt, or expand a comprehensive, longitudinal 
data management system, while abiding by Federal, State, and other 
privacy laws and requirements, for all academic and family and 
community support indicators, as described in this notice, as well as 
for additional indicators needed for the Promise Neighborhoods 
evaluation, such as demographic characteristics.
    (9) Work with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods. 
Planning grantees must cooperate with the national evaluator to ensure 
their project design and data collection plan allows for a rigorous 
evaluation, using

[[Page 24673]]

standard methodologies across Promise Neighborhoods sites, of the 
overall impact of the Promise Neighborhoods Program and the 
relationship between particular solutions pursued by the grantee and 
student outcomes.
    (10) Participate in a community of practice (as described in this 
notice).
    The Department will monitor the grantees' progress toward 
completion of these activities. During the planning year, grantees must 
be able to demonstrate performance, or show significant progress toward 
completion, of activities (1)-(10), including by responding to the 
Department's questions and concerns regarding progress.
    In subsequent years, contingent on the availability of funds, the 
Department intends to conduct competitions for Promise Neighborhoods 
implementation grants, as well as competitions for new Promise 
Neighborhoods planning grants. While all eligible entities will be able 
to apply for implementation grants, eligible entities that have 
effectively carried out the planning activities described in this 
notice, whether independently or with a Promise Neighborhoods planning 
grant, are likely to be well positioned with the plan, commitments, 
data, and organizational leadership and capacity necessary to develop a 
quality application for an implementation grant.
    Applicants will be at different points of readiness, in terms of 
developing a plan, when they apply for a planning grant. For that 
reason, we are requiring applicants to demonstrate throughout the 
application their: (a) Current organizational capacity to plan for and 
implement a Promise Neighborhood, including the expertise of their 
management team and partners; (b) prior experience in carrying out 
neighborhood revitalization or school improvement initiatives, placing 
emphasis on the applicant's performance and on the impact of its work; 
and (c) ability to ensure ongoing sustainability of Promise 
Neighborhood activities.
    Because a diverse group of communities could benefit from Promise 
Neighborhoods, the Secretary establishes an absolute priority for 
applications that propose to serve one or more rural communities only 
(as defined in this notice) and an absolute priority for applications 
that propose to serve one or more Indian Tribes (as defined in this 
notice). Child poverty rates in rural areas are higher than in urban 
areas \6\ and more than one fifth of the Nation's 2,000 ``dropout 
factories,'' in which the graduation rate is less than 60 percent, are 
located in rural areas.\7\ Our focus on rural communities is consistent 
with the Senate Appropriations Committee report on the FY 2010 
Department of Education, Appropriations Act--S. REP. No. 111-66 at 192 
(August 4, 2009). Compared to White students, American Indian students 
have lower academic outcomes and higher poverty rates.\8\ Moreover, 
American Indian and Alaska Native students have a graduation rate of 
less than 50 percent nationally.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ American Community Survey, 2006.
    \7\ Balfanz, Robert, Letgers, N. Locating the Dropout Crisis: 
Which High Schools Produce the Nation's Dropouts? Johns Hopkins 
University, 2004.
    \8\ Institute for Education Sciences. Status and Trends in the 
Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2008.
    \9\ The Civil Rights Project. The Dropout/Graduation Crisis 
Among American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Failure to Respond 
Places the Future of Native Peoples at Risk, 2010.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Secretary also recognizes that a broad set of solutions is 
required to improve academic and developmental outcomes for children 
and to transform communities. In that regard, the Secretary establishes 
an invitational priority to signal our interest in applicants 
addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and students 
with limited English proficiency, and solutions related to increasing 
internet connectivity, improving civic engagement, and accessing the 
arts and humanities.
    Priorities: We are establishing these priorities for the FY 2010 
grant competition only, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    Absolute Priorities: These priorities are absolute priorities. 
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet 
either Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 2, or Absolute Priority 
3.

    Note: Applicants must indicate in their application whether they 
are applying under Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 2, or 
Absolute Priority 3. An applicant that applies under Absolute 
Priority 2, but is not eligible for funding under Absolute Priority 
2, or applies under Absolute Priority 3, but is not eligible for 
funding under Absolute Priority 3, may be considered for funding 
under Absolute Priority 1.

    These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1: Proposal To Develop a Promise Neighborhood Plan

    To meet this priority, an applicant must submit a proposal for how 
it will plan to create a Promise Neighborhood. This proposal must--
    1. Describe the geographically defined area to be served and the 
level of distress in that area based on indicators of need and other 
relevant indicators. Applicants may propose to serve multiple, non-
contiguous geographically defined areas. In cases where target areas 
are not contiguous, the applicant must explain its rationale for 
including non-contiguous areas;
    2. Describe how the applicant will plan to build a continuum of 
solutions (as defined in this notice) designed to significantly improve 
educational outcomes and to support the healthy development and well-
being of children in the neighborhood. The plan to be developed by the 
applicant must ensure that children in the target school or schools 
described in paragraph 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii), or 2(a)(iii) have access to a 
complete continuum of solutions. The applicant must explain how it will 
use its needs assessment and segmentation analysis to determine the 
children with the highest needs and ensure that they receive the 
appropriate services from the continuum of solutions. Each applicant 
will propose solutions, such as programs, policies, practices, 
services, systems, and supports that will result in improvements on the 
project indicators, as defined in this notice and described in 
paragraph 10 of this priority. There may be more than one solution for 
each project indicator, and a single solution may contribute to 
improvement on more than one project indicator. Applicants are not 
required to propose solutions for program indicators (as defined in 
this notice) that are not also project indicators (see paragraph 10 of 
this priority for an explanation of the difference between project 
indicators and program indicators).
    Although the continuum of solutions must be designed to 
significantly improve outcomes for children in the neighborhood, 
applicants may also propose to plan for solutions for adults in the 
neighborhood that support student learning, such as family literacy 
programs. If an applicant proposes solutions for adults, the 
application must include an explanation of how the services for adults 
directly align with improved academic and family and community support 
outcomes for children.
    The core component of the applicant's proposed continuum of 
solutions must be a strategy, or a plan to develop a strategy, to--
    (a)(i) Significantly improve one or more persistently lowest-
achieving schools (as defined in this notice) in the neighborhood by 
implementing one of the four school intervention models (turnaround 
model, restart model, school closure, or transformation model)

[[Page 24674]]

described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for FY 2010, 74 FR 59836, 59866 (November 
18, 2009);
    (ii) Significantly improve one or more low-performing schools in 
the neighborhood that is not also a persistently lowest-achieving 
school, by implementing ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive 
interventions to assist, augment, or replace schools, which may include 
implementing one of the four school intervention models (turnaround 
model, restart model, school closure, or transformation model) 
described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for FY 2010, 74 FR 59836, 59866 (November 
18, 2009), or may include another model of sufficient ambition, rigor, 
and comprehensiveness to significantly improve academic and other 
outcomes for students, with elements that include addressing the 
effectiveness of teachers and leaders and the school's use of time and 
resources, including increased learning time (as defined in the 
notice); or
    (iii) Support and sustain one or more effective schools (as defined 
in this notice) in the neighborhood by providing academic programs in a 
manner that significantly enhances and expands current efforts to 
improve the academic outcomes of the children in the neighborhood.

     Note regarding school reform strategies:
    So as not to penalize an applicant from working with an LEA that 
has implemented rigorous reform strategies prior to the publication 
of this notice, an applicant is not required to propose a new reform 
strategy in place of an existing reform strategy in order to be 
eligible for a Promise Neighborhoods planning grant. For example, an 
LEA might have begun to implement improvement activities that meet 
many, but not all, of the elements of a transformation model of 
school intervention.

    In this case, the applicant could propose, as part of its Promise 
Neighborhood, to work with the LEA as the LEA continues with its 
reforms;
    (b) Ensure, as appropriate, that children in the neighborhood who 
do not attend the school or schools described in paragraph 2(a)(i), 
2(a)(ii), or 2(a)(iii) have access to solutions designed to 
significantly improve educational and developmental outcomes. Examples 
of these solutions are--
    (i) High-quality early learning programs designed to improve 
outcomes in multiple domains of early learning for young children;
    (ii) After-school and other programs that provide increased 
learning time (as defined in the notice);
    (iii) Supports to address barriers to student achievement, such as 
family and community supports;
    (iv) For children in kindergarten through the 12th grade, 
instructional programs based on the best available evidence including, 
where available, strong or moderate evidence that the programs improve 
educational outcomes;
    (v) Multiple pathways for students to earn regular high school 
diplomas (e.g., using schools that serve the needs of over-aged, under-
credited, or other students with an exceptional need for flexibility 
regarding when they attend school or the additional supports they 
require; awarding credit based on demonstrated evidence of student 
competency; or offering dual-enrollment options); or
    (vi) Other solutions based on the best available evidence 
including, where available, strong or moderate evidence that the 
solutions improve educational and developmental outcomes.
    (c) To the extent feasible and appropriate, the plan to be 
developed by the applicant must leverage and integrate existing high-
quality programs in the neighborhood into the continuum of solutions. 
An applicant must identify in its application the school or schools 
described in paragraph 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii), or 2(a)(iii) of this 
priority. In cases where an eligible applicant operates a school or 
partners with a school that does not serve all students in the 
neighborhood, the applicant must partner with at least one additional 
school or schools that serves students in the neighborhood. In cases 
where an eligible applicant is a nonprofit organization that manages, 
operates, or partners with a private school in the neighborhood, and 
the school does not serve all students in the neighborhood, the 
applicant must partner with at least one additional public school or 
schools that serve students in the neighborhood.
    (d) As part of the description of how the applicant will plan to 
build a continuum of solutions, an applicant must--
    (i) Propose solutions based on the best available evidence 
including, where available, strong or moderate evidence that the 
applicant will plan to implement in the geographic area proposed to be 
served;
    (ii) Describe the evidence supporting each proposed solution; and
    (iii) Propose one or more partners that will participate in the 
implementation of each solution (in any case in which the applicant 
does not implement the solution directly);
    3. Describe the applicant's organizational capacity to plan and 
implement a Promise Neighborhood, including the applicant's experience 
and lessons learned, in all of the following areas:
    (a) Working with the school or schools described in paragraph 2 of 
this priority; the LEA in which those schools are located; Federal, 
State, and local government leaders; and other service providers.
    (b) Serving the neighborhood and its residents. The application 
must include a description of the applicant's and partners' historical 
commitment and service to the neighborhood.
    (c) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making and 
ongoing improvement.
    (d) Creating formal and informal relationships, and generating 
community support to achieve results.
    (e) Securing and integrating funding streams from multiple public 
and private sources.
    (f) Implementing efforts similar or related to the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood. In the case of a newly created eligible entity, the 
applicant must describe the prior performance of its management team in 
developing and managing projects or programs similar to the proposed 
Promise Neighborhood;
    4. Describe how the applicant will plan to sustain and ``scale up'' 
the proposed Promise Neighborhood across the broader region beyond the 
initial neighborhood over time. This must include a description of how 
the applicant will estimate during the planning phase the start-up and 
operating costs per child, including indirect and administrative costs, 
for each solution proposed in its application, and how the applicant 
will measure these costs during the implementation phase;
    5. Describe the commitment the applicant anticipates receiving from 
partners by--
    (a) Providing a preliminary memorandum of understanding, signed by 
each organization or agency with which it would partner in planning and 
implementing the proposed Promise Neighborhood. The preliminary 
memorandum of understanding must describe--
    (i) Each partner's financial and programmatic commitment;
    (ii) How each partner's existing vision, theory of change (as 
defined in this notice), theory of action (as defined in this notice), 
and existing activities align with those of the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood; and
    (iii) The governance structure of the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood, including how the eligible entity's governing board or 
advisory board is

[[Page 24675]]

representative of the geographic area proposed to be served (as defined 
in this notice), and how residents of the geographic area would have an 
active role in the organization's decision-making; and
    (b) Explaining how the applicant will plan to secure a commitment 
from local, State, and Federal government leaders to develop an 
infrastructure of policies, practices, systems, and resources that 
supports the continuum of solutions in the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood and ``scales up'' those elements of the continuum that are 
proven effective;
    6. Describe how the applicant will plan to track available sources 
and funding levels of Federal, State, and local funds that could be 
utilized in the project;
    7. Describe how the applicant will plan to identify Federal, State, 
or local policies, regulations, or other requirements that would impede 
the applicant in achieving its goals and report those impediments to 
the Department and other relevant agencies;
    8. Describe how the applicant will plan to use data to manage 
program implementation, inform decision-making, engage stakeholders, 
and measure success. The applicant must describe--
    (a) Its proposal to plan, build, adapt, or expand a longitudinal 
data system that measures academic and family and community support 
indicators for all children in the neighborhood, disaggregated by the 
subgroups listed in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA;
    (b) How the applicant will link the longitudinal data system to 
school-based, LEA, and State data systems; make the data accessible to 
program partners, researchers, and evaluators while abiding by Federal, 
State, and other privacy laws and requirements; and manage and maintain 
the system;
    (c) How the applicant will use rapid-time (as defined in this 
notice) data both in the planning year and, once the Promise 
Neighborhood is implemented, for continuous program improvement; and
    (d) How the applicant will document the planning process, including 
by describing lessons learned and best practices;
    9. Describe the applicant's commitment to work with the Department 
and with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure that 
data collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct 
a rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods Program 
during the implementation phase and of specific solutions and 
strategies pursued by individual grantees. This commitment must 
include, but need not be limited to--
    (a) Ensuring that the national evaluator has access to relevant 
program and project data sources (e.g., administrative data and program 
and project indicator data) through memoranda of understanding with 
appropriate entities;
    (b) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, an 
evaluation strategy, including identifying a credible comparison group; 
and
    (c) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, a plan 
for identifying and collecting reliable and valid baseline data for 
both program participants and a designated comparison group of non-
participants;
    10. Identify and describe the academic and family and community 
support indicators that the applicant will use in conducting the needs 
assessment during the planning year. Applicants must--
    (a) Collect data for the academic indicators listed in Table 1 and 
use them as both program and project indicators;
    (b) Collect data for the family and community support indicators in 
Table 2 and use them as program indicators; and
    (c) Collect data for unique family and community support 
indicators, developed by the applicant, that align with the goals and 
objectives of projects and use them as project indicators or use the 
indicators in Table 2 as project indicators.

  Table 1--Academic Indicators and Results They Are Intended To Measure
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Indicator                              Result
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--<greek-i> and % of children birth to five    Children enter
 years old who have a place where they          kindergarten ready to
 usually go, other than an emergency room,      learn.
 when they are sick or in need of advice
 about their health.
--<greek-i> and % of three-year-olds and
 children in kindergarten who demonstrate at
 the beginning of the program or school year
 age-appropriate functioning across multiple
 domains of early learning (as defined in
 this notice) as determined using
 developmentally-appropriate early learning
 measures (as defined in this notice).
--<greek-i> & % of children, from birth to
 kindergarten entry, participating in center-
 based or formal home-based early learning
 settings or programs, which may include
 Early Head Start, Head Start, child care, or
 publicly funded preschool.
--<greek-i> & % of students at or above grade  Students are proficient
 level according to State mathematics and       in core academic
 English language arts assessments in at        subjects.
 least the grades required by the ESEA (3rd
 through 8th and once in high school).
--Attendance rate of students in 6th, 7th,     Students successfully
 8th, and 9th grade.                            transition from middle
                                                grades to high school.
--Graduation rate (as defined in this notice)  Youth graduate from high
                                                school.
--<greek-i> & % of Promise Neighborhood        High school graduates
 students who graduate with a regular high      obtain a postsecondary
 school diploma, as defined in 34 CFR           degree, certification,
 200.19(b)(1)(iv), and obtain postsecondary     or credential.
 degrees, vocational certificates, or other
 industry-recognized certifications or
 credentials without the need for remediation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Table 2--Family and Community Support Indicators and Results They Are
                           Intended to Measure
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Indicator                              Result
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--<greek-i> & % of children who participate    Students are healthy.
 in at least 60 minutes of moderate to
 vigorous physical activity daily and consume
 five or more servings of fruits and
 vegetables daily; or
--possible second indicator, to be determined
 (TBD) by applicant.
--<greek-i> & % of students who feel safe at   Students feel safe at
 school and traveling to and from school, as    school and in their
 measured by a school climate survey (as        community.
 defined in this notice); or

[[Page 24676]]

 
--possible second indicator, TBD by
 applicant.
--Student mobility rate (as defined in this    Students live in stable
 notice); or.                                   communities.
--possible second indicator, TBD by
 applicant.
--<greek-i> & % of students who say they have  Families and community
 a caring adult in their home, school, and      members support learning
 community or <greek-i> & % of family members   in Promise Neighborhood
 who attend parent-teacher conferences; or      schools.
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant
--<greek-i> & % of students who have school    Students have access to
 and home access (and % of the day they have    21st century learning
 access) to broadband internet (as defined in   tools.
 this notice) and a connected computing
 device; or
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note: The indicators in Tables 1 and 2 are not intended to limit 
an applicant from collecting and using data for additional 
indicators. Examples of additional indicators are--
    (i) The <greek-i> and % of children who participate in high-
quality learning activities during out-of-school hours;
    (ii) The <greek-i> and % of suspensions or discipline referrals 
during the year;
    (iii) The share of housing stock in the geographically defined 
area that is rent-protected, publicly assisted, or targeted for 
redevelopment with local, State, or Federal funds;
    (iv) The <greek-i> and % of children who are homeless or in 
foster care and who have an assigned adult advocate; and
    (v) The <greek-i> and % of young children who are read to 
frequently by family members.

    While the Department believes there are many programmatic benefits 
of collecting data on every child in the proposed neighborhood, if the 
applicant chooses to collect data on only a sample of the children in 
the neighborhood for some indicators, the applicant must describe in 
its application how a sample would be drawn that is representative of 
children in the neighborhood.

Absolute Priority 2: Promise Neighborhoods in Rural Communities

    The Secretary establishes a priority for applicants proposing to 
develop plans for implementing a Promise Neighborhood that (1) meet all 
the requirements in Absolute Priority 1; and (2) serve one or more 
rural communities only.

Absolute Priority 3: Promise Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities

    The Secretary establishes a priority for applications that (1) Meet 
all requirements in Absolute Priority 1; (2) serve one or more Indian 
tribes; and (3) are submitted by either an eligible entity that 
partners with an Indian Tribe (as defined in this notice), or by an 
Indian Tribe that meets the definition of an eligible entity.
    Invitational Priority: Under this competition we are particularly 
interested in applications that address the following priority. For FY 
2010, this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets this invitational 
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:

Invitational Priority: Unique Learning Needs, Quality Internet 
Connectivity, Civic Engagement, or Arts and Humanities

    The Secretary establishes a priority for applicants proposing to 
develop plans that include one or more practices, strategies, or 
programs designed to--
    1. Address the unique learning needs of students with disabilities 
or students with limited English proficiency. This may include 
activities designed to improve academic outcomes; close achievement 
gaps identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA between 
students with disabilities as compared to nondisabled students, and 
between students with limited English proficiency and their English 
proficient peers; and increase college- and career-readiness, including 
increasing high school graduation rates for students with disabilities 
or students with limited English proficiency;
    2. Ensure that almost all students in the geographic area proposed 
to be served have broadband internet access (as defined in this notice) 
at home and at school, a connected computing device, and the knowledge 
and skills to use broadband internet access effectively and a connected 
computing device to support schoolwork;
    3. Include meaningful civic engagement opportunities in the 
geographic area proposed to be served. Examples of these opportunities 
are efforts to increase the participation of residents, including 
children and youth, in decisions that affect their community and may 
improve school performance; efforts to use the perspectives of 
residents in shaping and evaluating programs; and positive youth 
development activities such as service-learning (as defined in 42 
U.S.C. 12511) programs for students and families that address specific 
challenges in the neighborhood; or
    4. Include opportunities for children and youth to experience and 
participate actively in the arts and humanities in their community so 
as to broaden, enrich, and enliven the educational, cultural, and civic 
experiences available in the neighborhood. Applicants may propose to 
develop plans for offering these activities in school and out-of-school 
settings and at any time during the calendar year.
    Definitions: We are establishing these definitions for the FY 2010 
grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    Academic programs means programs that include, but are not limited 
to--
    (a) High-quality early learning programs designed to improve 
outcomes in multiple domains of early learning for young children. Such 
programs must be specifically intended to align standards, practices, 
strategies, or activities across as broad an age range as birth through 
third grade so as to ensure that young children enter kindergarten and 
the early elementary school grades demonstrating age-appropriate 
functioning across the multiple domains;
    (b) For children in kindergarten through the 12th grade, programs, 
policies, and personnel that are linked to improved academic outcomes. 
The programs, policies, and personnel--
    (i) Must include effective teachers and effective principals;
    (ii) Must include strategies, practices, or programs that encourage 
and facilitate the evaluation, analysis, and use of student 
achievement, student growth, and other data by educators, families, and 
other stakeholders to inform decision-making;
    (iii) Must include college and career-ready standards, assessments, 
and practices, including a well-rounded curriculum, instructional 
practices, strategies, or programs in, at a

[[Page 24677]]

minimum, core academic subjects as defined in section 9101(11) of the 
ESEA, that are aligned with high academic content and achievement 
standards and with high-quality assessments based on those standards; 
and
    (iv) May include creating multiple pathways for students to earn 
regular high school diplomas (e.g., using schools that serve the needs 
of over-aged, under-credited, or other students with an exceptional 
need for flexibility regarding when they attend school or the 
additional supports they require; awarding credit based on demonstrated 
evidence of student competency; or offering dual-enrollment options).
    (c) Programs that prepare students for college and career success, 
which may include programs that--
    (i) Create and support partnerships with community colleges, four-
year colleges, or universities and that help instill a college-going 
culture in the neighborhood;
    (ii) Provide dual-enrollment opportunities for secondary students 
to gain college credit while in high school;
    (iii) Provide, through relationships with businesses and other 
organizations, apprenticeship opportunities to students;
    (iv) Align curricula in the core academic subjects with 
requirements for industry-recognized certifications or credentials, 
particularly in high-growth sectors; and
    (v) Provide access to career and technical education programs so 
that individuals can attain the skills and industry-recognized 
certifications or credentials for success in their careers.
    Broadband internet access means internet access sufficient to 
provide community members with the internet available when and where 
they need it and for the uses they require.
    College-going culture means a local culture that includes an 
expectation that all students in the geographic area proposed to be 
served will have the academic preparation, financial resources, and 
other supports necessary to go to college or pursue other postsecondary 
training. That expectation is apparent in the attitudes, experiences, 
practices, beliefs, and values of individuals in the neighborhood.
    Continuum of cradle-through-college-to-career solutions or 
continuum of solutions means solutions that--
    (a) Include programs, policies, practices, services, systems, and 
supports that result in improving educational and developmental 
outcomes for children from cradle through college to career;
    (b) Are based on the best available evidence, including, where 
available, strong or moderate evidence;
    (c) Are linked and integrated seamlessly (as defined in this 
notice); and
    (d) Include both academic programs and family and community 
supports.
    Developmentally appropriate early learning measures means a range 
of assessment instruments that are used in ways consistent with the 
purposes for which they were designed and validated; appropriate for 
the ages and other characteristics of the children being assessed; 
designed and validated for use with children whose ages, cultures, 
languages spoken at home, socioeconomic status, abilities and 
disabilities, and other characteristics are similar to those of the 
children with whom the assessments will be used; and used in compliance 
with the measurement standards set forth by the American Educational 
Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association 
(APA), and the National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME) in 
the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.
    Effective school means a school that has--
    (a) Significantly closed the achievement gaps between subgroups of 
students (as identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA) 
within the school or district; or
    (b)(i) Demonstrated success in significantly increasing student 
academic achievement in the school for all subgroups of students (as 
identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA) in the school; 
and
    (ii) Made significant improvements in other areas, such as 
graduation rates (as defined in this notice) or recruitment and 
placement of effective teachers and effective principals.
    Eligible entity means an entity that--
    (a) Is representative of the geographic area proposed to be served 
(as defined in this notice);
    (b) Is one of the following:
    (i) A nonprofit organization that meets the definition of a 
nonprofit under 34 CFR 77.1(c), which may include a faith-based 
nonprofit organization; or
    (ii) An institution of higher education as defined by section 
101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended; and
    (c) Currently provides at least one of the solutions from the 
applicant's proposed continuum of solutions in the geographic area 
proposed to be served.

    Note: An eligible entity proposing to plan to ``scale up'' 
existing activities beyond the geographic area that the eligible 
entity is currently serving must partner with at least one 
organization or entity that provides at least one of the solutions 
from the applicant's proposed continuum of solutions in the 
geographic area proposed to be served.

    Family and community supports means--
    (a) Student health programs, such as mental health and physical 
health programs (e.g., home visiting programs; Early Head Start; 
programs to improve nutrition and fitness, reduce childhood obesity, 
and create healthier communities);
    (b) Safety programs, such as programs in school and out of school 
to prevent, control, and reduce crime, violence, drug and alcohol use, 
and gang activity; programs that address classroom and school-wide 
behavior and conduct, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and 
Supports; programs to prevent child abuse and neglect; programs to 
prevent truancy and reduce and prevent bullying and harassment; and 
programs to improve the physical and emotional security of the school 
setting as perceived, experienced, and created by students, staff, and 
families;
    (c) Community stability programs, such as programs that--
    (i) Increase the stability of families in communities by expanding 
access to quality, affordable housing, providing legal support to help 
families secure clear legal title to their homes, and providing housing 
counseling or housing placement services;
    (ii) Provide employment opportunities and training to improve job 
skills and readiness in order to decrease unemployment, with a goal of 
increasing family stability;
    (iii) Improve families' awareness of, access to, and use of a range 
of social services, if possible at a single location;
    (iv) Provide unbiased, outcome-focused, and comprehensive financial 
education, inside and outside the classroom and at every life stage;
    (v) Increase access to traditional financial institutions (e.g., 
banks and credit unions) rather than alternative financial institutions 
(e.g., check cashers and payday lenders);
    (vi) Help families increase their financial assets and savings; and
    (vii) Help families access transportation to education and 
employment opportunities;
    (d) Family and community engagement programs, such as family 
literacy programs and programs that provide training and opportunities 
for family members and other members of the community to support 
student learning and establish high expectations for academic 
achievement; mentorship

[[Page 24678]]

programs that create positive relationships between children and 
adults; and programs that provide for the use of such community 
resources as libraries, museums, and local businesses to support 
improved student academic outcomes; and
    (e) 21st century learning tools, such as technology (e.g., 
computers and mobile phones) used by students in the classroom and in 
the community to support their education. This includes programs that 
help students use the tools to develop knowledge and skills in such 
areas as reading and writing, mathematics, research, critical thinking, 
communication, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
    Graduation rate means the four-year or extended-year adjusted 
cohort graduation rate as defined by 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1).

    Note: This definition is not meant to prevent a grantee from 
also collecting information about the reasons why students do not 
graduate from the target high school, e.g., dropping out or moving 
outside of the school district for non-academic or academic reasons.

    Increased learning time means using a longer school day, week, or 
year to significantly increase the total number of school hours. It is 
used to redesign the school's program in a manner that includes 
additional time for (a) Instruction in core academic subjects as 
defined in section 9101 of the ESEA; (b) instruction in other subjects 
and enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded education, 
including, for example, physical education, service learning, and 
experiential and work-based learning opportunities that are provided by 
partnering, as appropriate, with other organizations; and (c) teachers 
to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development within and 
across grades and subjects.
    Indian Tribe means any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, 
pueblo, village or community that the Secretary of the Interior 
acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe, 25 U.S.C. 479a and 479a-1.
    Indicators of need means currently available data that describe--
    (a) Academic need, which means--
    (i) All or a portion of the neighborhood includes or is within the 
attendance zone of a low-performing school that is a high school, 
especially one in which the graduation rate (as defined in this notice) 
is less than 60 percent or a school that can be characterized as low-
performing based on another proxy indicator, such as students' on-time 
progression from grade to grade; and
    (ii) Other indicators, such as significant achievement gaps between 
subgroups of students (as identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of 
the ESEA) within a school or LEA, high teacher and principal turnover, 
or high student absenteeism; and
    (b) Family and community support need, which means--
    (i) Percentages of children with preventable chronic health 
conditions (e.g., asthma, poor nutrition, dental problems, obesity) or 
avoidable developmental delays;
    (ii) Immunization rates;
    (iii) Rates of crime, including violent crime;
    (iv) Student mobility rates;
    (v) Teenage birth rates;
    (vi) Percentage of children in single-parent or no-parent families;
    (vii) Rates of vacant or substandard homes, including distressed 
public and assisted housing; or
    (viii) Percentage of the residents living at or below the Federal 
poverty threshold.
    Linked and integrated seamlessly, with respect to the continuum of 
solutions, means solutions that have common outcomes, focus on similar 
milestones, support transitional time periods (e.g., the beginning of 
kindergarten, the middle grades, or graduation from high school) along 
the cradle-through-college-to-career continuum, and address time and 
resource gaps that create obstacles for students in making academic 
progress.
    Low-performing schools means schools receiving assistance through 
Title I that are in corrective action or restructuring in the State, as 
determined under section 1116 of the ESEA, and the secondary schools 
(both middle and high schools) in the State that are equally as low-
achieving as these Title I schools and are eligible for, but do not 
receive, Title I funds.
    Moderate evidence means evidence from previous studies with designs 
that can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal 
validity) but have limited generalizability (i.e., moderate external 
validity) or from studies with high external validity but moderate 
internal validity.
    Multiple domains of early learning means physical well-being and 
motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to 
learning, which refers to the inclinations, dispositions, or styles, 
rather than skills, that reflect ways that children become involved in 
learning and develop their inclinations to pursue learning; language 
development, including emergent literacy; and cognition and general 
knowledge, which refers to thinking and problem-solving as well as 
knowledge about particular objects and the way the world works. 
Cognition and general knowledge include mathematical and scientific 
knowledge, abstract thought, and imagination.
    Neighborhood assets means--
    (a) Developmental assets that allow residents to attain the skills 
needed to be successful in all aspects of daily life (e.g., educational 
institutions, early learning centers, and health resources);
    (b) Commercial assets that are associated with production, 
employment, transactions, and sales (e.g., labor force and retail 
establishments);
    (c) Recreational assets that create value in a neighborhood beyond 
work and education (e.g., parks, open space, community gardens, and 
arts organizations);
    (d) Physical assets that are associated with the built environment 
and physical infrastructure (e.g., housing, commercial buildings, and 
roads); and
    (e) Social assets that establish well-functioning social 
interactions (e.g., public safety and community engagement).
    Persistently lowest-achieving school means, as determined by the 
State--
    (a) Any school receiving assistance through Title I that is in 
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring and that--
    (i) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools 
in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or the lowest-
achieving five Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or 
restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is greater; or
    (ii) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate that is less 
than 60 percent over a number of years; and
    (b) Any secondary school that is eligible for, but does not 
receive, Title I funds that--
    (i) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of secondary schools 
or the lowest-achieving five secondary schools in the State that are 
eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number of 
schools is greater; or
    (ii) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate that is less 
than 60 percent over a number of years.
    Program indicators are indicators that the Department will use only 
for research and evaluation purposes and for which an applicant is not 
required to propose solutions.
    Project indicators are indicators for which an applicant proposes 
solutions intended to result in progress on the indicators.
    Public officials means elected officials (e.g., council members, 
aldermen and

[[Page 24679]]

women, commissioners, State legislators, Congressional representatives, 
members of the school board), appointed public officials (e.g., members 
of a planning or zoning commission, or of any other regulatory or 
advisory board or commission), or individuals who are not necessarily 
public officials, but who have been appointed by a public official to 
serve on the Promise Neighborhoods governing board or advisory board.
    Rapid-time, in reference to reporting and availability of locally-
collected data, means that data are available quickly enough to inform 
current lessons, instruction, and related academic programs and family 
and community supports.
    Representative of the geographic area proposed to be served means 
that residents of the geographic area proposed to be served have an 
active role in decision-making and that at least one-third of the 
eligible entity's governing board or advisory board is made up of--
    (a) Residents who live in the geographic area proposed to be 
served;
    (b) Residents of the city or county in which the neighborhood is 
located but who live outside the geographic area proposed to be served, 
and who are low-income (which means earning less than 80 percent of the 
area's median income as published by the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development);
    (c) Public officials (as defined in this notice) who serve the 
geographic area proposed to be served (although not more than one-half 
of the governing board or advisory board may be made up of public 
officials); or
    (d) Some combination of individuals from the three groups listed in 
paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this definition.
    Rural community means a community that is served by an LEA that is 
currently eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) 
program or the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized 
under Title VI, Part B of the ESEA. Applicants may determine whether a 
particular LEA is eligible for these programs by referring to 
information on the following Department Web sites. For the SRSA 
program: http://www.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligible09/index.html.
    For the RLIS program: http://www.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/eligible09/index.html.
    School climate survey means an evaluation tool that measures the 
extent to which the school setting promotes or inhibits academic 
performance by collecting perception data from individuals, which could 
include students, staff, or families.
    Segmentation analysis means the process of grouping and analyzing 
data from children and families in the geographic area proposed to be 
served according to indicators of need (as defined in this notice) or 
other relevant indicators.

    Note: The analysis is intended to allow grantees to 
differentiate and more effectively target interventions based on 
what they learn about the needs of different populations in the 
geographic area.

    Strong evidence means evidence from studies with designs that can 
support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal validity), 
and studies that, in total, include enough of the range of participants 
and settings to support scaling up to the State, regional, or national 
level (i.e., studies with high external validity).
    Student achievement means--
    (a) For tested grades and subjects:
    (i) A student's score on the State's assessments under the ESEA; 
and, as appropriate,
    (ii) Other measures of student learning, such as those described in 
paragraph (b) of this definition, provided they are rigorous and 
comparable across classrooms.
    (b) For non-tested grades and subjects: Alternative measures of 
student learning and performance, such as student scores on pre-tests 
and end-of-course tests; student performance on English language 
proficiency assessments; and other measures of student achievement that 
are rigorous and comparable across classrooms.
    Student growth means the change in achievement data for an 
individual student between two or more points in time. Growth may also 
include other measures that are rigorous and comparable across 
classrooms.
    Student mobility rate is calculated by dividing the total number of 
new student entries and withdrawals at a school, from the day after the 
first official enrollment number is collected through the end of the 
academic year, by the first official enrollment number of the academic 
year.

    Note: This definition is not meant to limit a grantee from also 
collecting information about why students enter or withdraw from the 
school, e.g., transferring to charter schools, moving outside of the 
school district for non-academic or academic reasons.

    Theory of action means an organization's strategy regarding how, 
considering its capacity and resources, it will take the necessary 
steps and measures to accomplish its desired results.
    Theory of change means an organization's beliefs about how its 
inputs, and early and intermediate outcomes, relate to accomplishing 
its long-term desired results.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities, definitions, 
requirements, and selection criteria. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 
however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements 
and regulations governing the first grant competition under a new or 
substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant 
competition for Promise Neighborhoods planning grants and, therefore, 
qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, 
the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on the priorities, 
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria under section 
437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities, definitions, requirements, and 
selection criteria will apply to the FY 2010 grant competition only.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7243-7243b.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $10,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $400,000-$500,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $450,000.
    Maximum Award: $500,000. The Department does not intend to award 
any grant with a budget exceeding $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 20.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An eligible applicant is an eligible entity 
(as defined in this notice) that operates a school or partners, in 
coordination with the school's LEA, with at least one school in the 
geographic area proposed to be served in which there are multiple

[[Page 24680]]

signs of distress based on indicators of need and other relevant 
indicators.
    For purposes of Absolute Priority 3, an eligible applicant is an 
eligible entity that partners with an Indian Tribe, or is an Indian 
Tribe that meets the definition of an eligible entity. To be eligible 
under Absolute Priority 3, an applicant must also operate a school or 
partner, in coordination with the school's LEA, with at least one 
school in the geographic area proposed to be served. All eligible 
applicants may also partner with such entities as an LEA; Federal, 
State, and local government leaders; and providers of family and 
community supports. Partnering with such entities is strongly 
encouraged but is not required.
    2. Cost-Sharing or Matching: To be eligible for an award, an 
applicant must demonstrate that it has established a commitment from 
one or more entities in the public or private sector, which may include 
philanthropic organizations, to provide financial assistance, and that 
the entities will provide matching funds for the planning process. An 
applicant must obtain matching funds, excluding other Federal funds, or 
in-kind donations for the planning process equal to at least 50 percent 
of its grant award, except that an applicant proposing a project that 
meets Absolute Priority 2: Promise Neighborhoods in Rural Communities 
or Absolute Priority 3: Promise Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities 
must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations equal to at least 25 
percent of the grant award. Each applicant must demonstrate a 
commitment of matching funds in its application. In addition, the 
applicant must specify the source of the cost or contribution and in 
the case of a third-party in-kind contribution, a description of how 
the value was determined for the donated or contributed goods or 
service. Applicants must demonstrate the match commitment by including 
letters in their applications explaining the type and quantity of the 
match commitment, including original signatures from the executives of 
organizations or agencies providing the match. The Secretary may 
consider decreasing the matching requirement in the most exceptional 
circumstances, on a case-by-case basis. An applicant that is unable to 
meet the matching requirement must include in its application a request 
to the Secretary to reduce the matching level requirement, including 
the amount of the requested reduction and a statement of the basis for 
the request. An applicant should review the Department's cost-sharing 
and cost-matching regulations, which include specific limitations in 34 
CFR 74.23 applicable to non-profit organizations and institutions of 
higher education and 34 CFR 80.24 applicable to State, local, and 
Indian tribal governments, and the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) cost principles for entity types regarding donations, capital 
assets, depreciations and allowable costs. These circulars are 
available on OMB's Web site at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/index.html.

 IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Larkin Tackett, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W338, LBJ, 
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 or by e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cdbdbfa2a0a4bea8a3a8a4aaa5afa2bfa5a2a2a9be8da8a9e3aaa2bb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92e2e0fdfffbe1f7fcf7fbf5faf0fde0fafdfdf6e1d2f7f6bcf5fde4">[email protected]</span></a>.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, 
or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed 
in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: 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 
completing and e-mailing the form on the Department's Web site. The 
Department may publish on the Department's Web site a list of 
applicants who submit an intent to apply. This e-mail notification 
should be sent to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#85f5ebecebf1e0ebf1c5e0e1abe2eaf3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aadac4c3c4decfc4deeacfce84cdc5dc">[email protected]</span></a> with ``PN Intent to Apply'' in the 
subject heading.
    Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still 
apply for funding.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application.
    You must limit the application narrative (Part III) to the 
equivalent of no more than 40 pages, using the following standards:
    <bullet> A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    <bullet> Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    <bullet> Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    <bullet> Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the memorandum of understanding, or the match commitment. 
However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative 
section (Part III).
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 5, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 21, 2010.
    Date of Pre-Application Webinars: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 and 
Monday, May 10, 2010. These pre-application webinars are designed to 
provide technical assistance to interested applicants for Promise 
Neighborhoods planning grants. Detailed information regarding the pre-
application webinar times will be available through the Department of 
Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/index.html.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 25, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission 
Requirements of this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
of this notice. If

[[Page 24681]]

the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 
individual with a disability in connection with the application 
process, the individual's application remains subject to all other 
requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 24, 2010.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Participation in a Community of Practice: Grantees will be 
required to participate in, organize, or facilitate, as appropriate, 
communities of practice for Promise Neighborhoods. A community of 
practice is a group of grantees that agrees to interact regularly to 
solve a persistent problem or improve practice in an area that is 
important to them and the success of their project. Establishment of 
communities of practice under Promise Neighborhoods will enable 
grantees to meet, discuss, and collaborate with each other regarding 
grantee projects.
    7. Other Submission Requirements:
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement 
in accordance with the instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Promise Neighborhoods Program--
CFDA Number 84.215P must be submitted electronically using e-
Application, accessible through the Department's e-Grants Web site at: 
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
    <bullet> You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this 
program after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait 
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
    <bullet> The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of 
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. 
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are 
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
    <bullet> You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
    <bullet> You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: The 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. You must attach any narrative sections of your 
application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 
(Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the 
three file types specified in this paragraph or submit a password 
protected file, we will not review that material.
    <bullet> Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
    <bullet> Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
    <bullet> After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number 
(an identifying number unique to your application).
    <bullet> Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
    (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 245-6272.
    <bullet> We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting 
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application 
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by 
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    (1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between 
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date; or
    (b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For 
Further Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due 
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application 
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users 
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this 
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through e-Application because--
    <bullet> You do not have access to the Internet; or

[[Page 24682]]

    <bullet> You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
e-Application; and
    <bullet> No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Larkin Tackett, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W338, 
Washington, DC 20202. Fax: (202) 401-4123.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 215P), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

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

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 215P), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this grant notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: We are establishing selection criteria for 
the FY 2010 grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1) 
of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). For these selection criteria, we rely in 
large part on the criteria in 34 CFR 75.210, with some modifications to 
tailor the criteria to this program.
    The maximum score for all the selection criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses with the 
criterion. The selection criteria are as follows:
    (1) Need for project (up to 10 points).
    (a) The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project.
    (b) In determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers--
    (i) The magnitude or severity of the problems to be addressed by 
the proposed project as described by indicators of need and other 
relevant indicators;
    (ii) The extent to which the geographically defined area has been 
described; and
    (iii) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities will be identified and addressed by 
the proposed project.
    (2) Significance (up to 10 points).
    (a) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed 
project.
    (b) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers--
    (i) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in long-
term systems change or improvement;
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population;
    (iii) 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; and
    (iv) The potential to sustain and apply the model of the proposed 
project or strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for 
implementation of the model in a variety of settings.
    (3) Quality of the project design (up to 20 points).
    (a) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the 
proposed project.
    (b) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors--
    (i) The extent to which the applicant describes how it will plan to 
build a continuum of solutions designed to significantly improve the 
academic and family and community support indicators in this notice;
    (ii) The extent to which the continuum of solutions includes a 
strategy, or a plan to develop a strategy, that will lead to 
significant improvements in one or more schools described in paragraph 
2 of Absolute Priority 1;
    (iii) The extent to which the applicant describes strategies for 
using data to manage program implementation, inform decision-making, 
engage stakeholders, and measure success;
    (iv) The extent to which the applicant identifies and describes 
academic and family and community support indicators to be used for the 
needs assessment during the planning year;
    (v) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates a commitment to 
work with the Department and with a

[[Page 24683]]

national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure that data 
collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct a 
rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods Program 
during the implementation phase and of specific solutions and 
strategies pursued by individual grantees; and
    (vi) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated 
with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, 
State, and Federal resources.
    (4) Quality of project services (up to 15 points).
    (a) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be 
provided by the proposed project.
    (b) In determining the quality of the project services, the 
Secretary considers--
    (i) The extent to which the applicant describes proposed solutions 
to be provided by the proposed project that are based on the best 
available evidence including, where available, strong or moderate 
evidence;
    (ii) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the 
proposed project will lead to improvements in the achievement of 
students as measured against rigorous academic standards; and
    (iii) The extent to which the applicant explains how the needs 
assessment and segmentation analysis will be used to determine that 
children with the highest needs receive appropriate services to meet 
academic and developmental outcomes.
    (5) Quality of project personnel (up to 25 points).
    (a) The Secretary considers the quality of the project personnel 
who will carry out the proposed project.
    (b) In determining the quality of the project personnel, the 
Secretary considers the qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of the applicant, including the project director, and the 
prior performance of the applicant on efforts similar or related to the 
proposed Promise Neighborhood.
    (c) Relevant experience includes the applicant's experience in and 
lessons learned by--
    (i) Working with the school or schools described in paragraph 2 of 
Absolute Priority 1;
    (ii) Serving the neighborhood and its residents;
    (iii) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making and 
ongoing improvement;
    (iv) Creating formal and informal relationships, and generating 
community support to achieve results; and
    (v) Securing and integrating funding streams from multiple public 
and private sources.
    (6) Quality of the management plan (up to 20 points).
    (a) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for 
the proposed project.
    (b) In determining the quality of the management plan of the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers--
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks;
    (ii) The extent to which the memorandum of understanding described 
in paragraph 5 of Absolute Priority 1 describes each partner's 
financial and programmatic commitment; how each partner's existing 
vision, theory of action, and theory of change, and existing activities 
align with those of the proposed Promise Neighborhood; and the 
governance structure of the proposed Promise Neighborhood;
    (iii) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of 
perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed 
project, including those of families, school staff, the business 
community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, 
recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate; and
    (iv) The potential for continued support of the project after 
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to sustain and ``scale up'' the 
proposed Promise Neighborhood.
    To facilitate the review of the application, the Department 
strongly recommends that applicants include a table of contents for 
their project narrative and address each of the selection criteria and 
priorities from Absolute Priority 1 in the order in which they are 
described in Table 3. After addressing the selection criteria, 
applicants may address the invitational priority included in the 
proposal to plan.

         Table 3--Recommended Organization of Project Narrative
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Absolute priority one
           Selection criteria                      requirement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Need for project (up to 10 points).....  1. Description of the
                                          neighborhood and level of
                                          distress.
Quality of project design (up to 20      2. Description of how the
 points).                                 applicant will plan to build
                                          the continuum;
Quality of project services (up to 15    8. Description of how the
 points).                                 applicant will plan to use
                                          data;
                                         9. Description of commitment to
                                          work with national evaluator;
                                          and
                                         10. Description of indicators
                                          to be used for needs
                                          assessment.
Quality of project personnel (up to 25   3. Description of the
 points).                                 applicant's organizational
                                          capacity to plan and implement
                                          a Promise Neighborhood.
Quality of management plan (up to 20     4. Description of how the
 points).                                 applicant will plan to sustain
                                          and ``scale up'' the proposed
                                          Promise Neighborhood; and
                                         5. Description of commitment
                                          the applicant anticipates
                                          receiving from partners,
                                          including the preliminary
                                          memorandum of understanding
                                          described in paragraph 5(a).
Significance (up to 10 points).........  6. Description of how the
                                          applicant will plan to track
                                          available sources and funding
                                          levels of Federal, State, and
                                          local funds that could be
                                          utilized in the project; and
                                         7. Description of how the
                                          applicant will identify
                                          Federal, State, or local
                                          policies, regulations, or
                                          other requirements that would
                                          impede the applicant in
                                          achieving its goals.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note: It may also be appropriate for an applicant to address a 
requirement under more than one selection criterion.

    2. Review and Selection Process: The Department will screen 
applications submitted in accordance with the requirements in this 
notice, and will

[[Page 24684]]

determine which applications are eligible to be read based on whether 
they have met eligibility and other statutory and regulatory 
requirements.
    For the grant reviews, the Department will use independent 
reviewers from various backgrounds and professions including: Pre-
kindergarten-12 teachers and principals, college and university 
educators, researchers and evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy 
consultants, grant makers and managers, community development 
practitioners (in areas such as health or safety), and others with 
education expertise. The Department will thoroughly screen all 
reviewers for conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and competitive 
review process.
    Reviewers will read, prepare a written evaluation, and score the 
applications assigned to their panel, using the selection criteria 
provided in this notice.
    For applications addressing Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 
2, and Absolute Priority 3, the Secretary prepares a rank order of 
applications for each absolute priority based solely on the evaluation 
of their quality according to the selection criteria. In accordance 
with 34 CFR 75.217(d), the Secretary will make final awards after 
considering the rank ordering and other information including an 
applicant's performance and use of funds and compliance history under a 
previous award under any Department program. In making awards under any 
future competitions, the Secretary will consider an applicant's past 
performance.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established one 
performance indicator: The percentage of planning grantees that produce 
a high-quality plan as measured by their receiving at least 90 percent 
of the total possible points in the competition for FY 2011 
implementation grants. All grantees will be required to submit a final 
performance report documenting their contribution in assisting the 
Department in measuring the performance of the program against this 
indicator, as well as other information requested by the Department.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Larkin Tackett, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W338, Washington, DC 20202-
5970. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 or by e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3343415c5e5a40565d565a545b515c415b5c5c57407356571d545c45"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5b2b29343632283e353e323c333934293334343f281b3e3f753c342d">[email protected]</span></a>.
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact person listed under For Further 
Information Contact in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
this site.

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


    Dated: April 29, 2010.
James H. Shelton, III,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2010-10492 Filed 5-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>