12356 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 43 / Monday, March 6, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1810–ZA01

Family and Community Endeavor

Schools Grant Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final definition,

maximum award amount, and

application evaluation criteria for fiscal

year 1995.

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces the

final definition, maximum award

amount, and application evaluation

criteria for the Family and Community

Endeavor Schools Grant Program for

fiscal year 1995. The Secretary takes this

action to comply with the statute, the

Violent Crime Control and Law

Enforcement Act of 1994, and to ensure

appropriate criteria by which to

evaluate applications under this Act.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The definition,

maximum grant award, and application

evaluation criteria take effect on April 5,

1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Charlotte Dalton Gillespie, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue SW., Portals

Building, Room 603, Washington, DC

20202–6123. Telephone (202) 260–3954.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the TDD number at (202)

205–5516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the Family and Community

Endeavor Schools Grant Program is to

prevent crime and violent behavior by

providing programs designed to

improve the academic and social

development of at-risk children and

youth in eligible communities during

and after school hours, evenings, on

weekends, and during holidays and the

summer months. This notice contains

the definition of an eligible community,

the maximum grant award, and final

evaluation criteria by which

applications for funds will be evaluated

in fiscal year 1995.

Congress authorized the Family and

Community Endeavor Schools Grant

Program under Title III, Subtitle D of

Public Law 103–322, the Violent Crime

Control and Law Enforcement Act of

1994. This legislation mandates the

implementation of two similar programs

under Subtitle D: The Community

Schools Youth Services and Supervision

Grant Program (Community Schools)

through the Department of Health and

Human Services and the Family and

Community Endeavor Schools Grant

Program (FACES) through the

Department of Education. As the needs

of children, youth, and communities

can best be served by integrating the two

programs, the Departments of Health

and Human Services and Education

have jointly developed an

announcement of the availability of

funds under these two programs.

Note: The definition, maximum grant

award, and evaluation criteria outlined in

this notice apply only to the FACES program

operated through the Department of

Education. A notice inviting applications for

Community Schools, FACES, or a joint

Community Schools/FACES program—all

three programs—is published in the

Department of Health and Human Services

section of this issue of the Federal Register.

Authority for the FACES program is

contained in 42 U.S.C. 13792 and

13793.

Definition

Eligible Community means—

(1) An identifiable community or

neighborhood with boundaries generally

recognized by the residents in the

community;

(2) A community that is small enough

to allow a concentration of resources

and the potential for a measurable

impact; and

(3) A community that can

demonstrate that it has a significant

level of poverty, violent crime, and

juvenile delinquency.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 13792, 13793)

Maximum Grant Award

The maximum award for a FACES

grant is $500,000. (The Violent Crime

Control and Law Enforcement Act of

1994 sets a minimum FACES grant

award of $250,000.)

Application Evaluation Criteria

The Secretary uses the following

criteria to evaluate applications under

this program:

(a) Objectives and need for assistance

(15 points). The Secretary reviews each

application to determine the extent to

which the project clearly specifies goals

and service objectives; identifies a

geographic area to be served; and

demonstrates that the area has a

significant level of poverty, violent

crime, and juvenile delinquency.

Applicants must—

(1) Demonstrate a need for assistance

and identify existing gaps in services,

infrastructure, and opportunities that, if

filled, will support the academic and

social development of children and

youth in the community and reduce

crime and violence;

(2) Identify measurable goals and

objectives of the proposed project; and

(3) Identify the geographic area to be

served, describe the factors that make

the area an identifiable community or

neighborhood, and demonstrate that the

community is small enough to allow a

concentration of resources that will

result in an appreciable difference for

children, youth, and the community.

(b)Approach (30 points). The

Secretary reviews each application to

determine the overall quality and

appropriateness of its comprehensive

plan to improve the academic and social

development of at-risk children. The

applicant must—

(1) Describe the underlying child and

youth development principles that will

be employed as a framework for the

program and discuss why this

framework was chosen and how it will

lead to the reduction of crime and

violence;

(2) Identify the age groups to be

served, explain the reasons for that

choice, and indicate the period of time

over which children and youth will

receive services;

(3) Describe in detail how the

applicant will achieve each of the goals

and objectives identified in the

application and identify any unusual

features of the program;

(4) Describe the continuum of services

and activities that will be provided and

indicate how these services will meet

the academic, social, and developmental

needs of the participants and reduce

crime and violence;

(5) Identify the physical location of

the program and demonstrate that the

location and services are safe, secure,

and accessible to children, youth, and

families in terms of days and hours of

operation and sensitivity to the

population served;

(6) Provide information that

demonstrates the extent to which the

applicant has attempted to generate

local support for the program from

community leaders, a school district,

local officials, and other organizations

that the applicant determines to be

appropriate;

(7) Indicate the extent to which a

community planning process has

occurred and the extent of the planning

effort that remains to be accomplished;

include information on the process and

timing for the phase-in of services and

other program components; and

information on how the following

groups have been or will be included in

the planning and implementation of the

program—

(i) Children, youth, and family

members;

(ii) Local school officials and teachers;

(iii) Business and civic leaders;

(iv) Religious organizations;

(v) Museums, cultural and arts

organizations;
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 43 / Monday, March 6, 1995 / Notices 12357

(vi) Juvenile justice, law enforcement

and community policing

representatives;

(vii) Community residents,

neighborhood associations and public

housing groups;

(viii) Public and private non-profit

organizations that provide education,

child protective services, or other

human services;

(ix) Other appropriate entities such as

social service, health and mental health

agencies; and a description of barriers to

participation and how these barriers

will be overcome; and

(8) Identify the applicant’s plan for a

collaborative structure that trains and

coordinates the efforts of administrators,

social workers, guidance counselors,

parents, teachers, and school volunteers.

(c) Results or benefits expected (15

points). The Secretary reviews each

application to determine the results and

benefits to be derived from the project.

The applicant must—

(1) Describe the long- and short-term

outcomes of the program and indicate,

in measurable terms, appropriate

indicators for assessment of program

implementation and impact; and

(2) Estimate the number of children

and youth that will be served.

(d) Program evaluation (15 points).

The Secretary considers the quality and

thoroughness of the applicant’s plan to

evaluate the program, including an

assessment of the academic and social

achievement of children assisted by the

program. The applicant must—

(1) Provide assurances that it will

cooperate with any data collection,

research or evaluation efforts

independently funded or sponsored by

HHS and/or ED;

(2) Provide an evaluation plan for the

project that is thorough, feasible, and

appropriate; that includes collection of

baseline data and identifies and tracks

indicators that will show progress in

program implementation and attainment

of outcomes, including program

planning, collaboration and

coordination, and intensity, duration

and location of services provided; and

that assesses the social and academic

achievement of children and youth

served; and

(3) Provide information on how the

program plans to periodically collect

and maintain data that can be used to

report annually to Congress on the

number of children participating in the

program; the academic and social

achievement of such children; the

school attendance and graduation rates

of such children; and the number of

such children being processed by the

juvenile justice system.

(e) Staff background and

organizational experience (20 points).

The Secretary reviews each application

to determine the skills, experience, and

educational background of key

personnel the applicant plans to use on

the project. The applicant must—

(1) Identify the skills, experience, and

educational requirements of key staff

and indicate how they are relevant to

the objectives of the project; provide

re ́sume ́s of individuals already chosen

for positions and identify recruitment

strategies that will be used to identify

potential staff and volunteers, especially

those that will be used to hire staff that

reflect or come from the community;

and

(2) Demonstrate the staff’s ability to

effectively manage the project,

including the ability to lead community

prevention efforts, coordinate activities

with schools and other agencies and

participate in or develop evaluation

activities.

(f) Budget appropriateness (10 points).

The Secretary reviews each application

to determine that the project’s costs are

reasonable in view of the anticipated

results and benefits. The applicant

must—

(1) Identify the costs of the proposed

project in terms of children, youth, and

neighborhoods to be served; include

funds in the budget, as appropriate, for

training and technical assistance,

evaluation, and the cost of up to 3

annual trips to Washington, DC for two

people to participate in meetings and

conferences;

(2) Describe the fiscal controls and

accounting procedures that will ensure

prudent use, proper and timely

disbursement, and accurate accounting

of funds received under this program,

including assurance that competitive

procedures will be used when

purchasing contracting or otherwise

providing goods, activities, and services;

and

(3) Provide evidence that the

applicant can and intends to generate

the local financial and in-kind support,

service, and commitments required for

non-Federal match over the life of the

project, including a description of

charitable, private and non-profit

resources that will be obtained to

support the program. (Approved under

Office of Management and Budget

control number 1810–A158.)

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

In accordance with the

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.

553), it is the practice of the Department

of Education to offer interested parties

the opportunity to comment on

proposed regulations. However, in order

to make timely grant awards in fiscal

year (FY) 1995, the Assistant Secretary,

in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of

the General Education Provisions Act,

has decided to issue this final notice of

eligible community definition,

maximum grant award, and selection

criteria, which will apply only to the FY

1995 grant competition.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.

The objective of the Executive order is

to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened

federalism by relying on processes

developed by State and local

governments for coordination and

review of proposed Federal financial

assistance.

In accordance with the order, this

document is intended to provide early

notification of the Department’s specific

plans and actions for this program.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 13792, 13793)

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 84.285, Family and

Community Endeavor Schools Grant

Program)

Dated: February 27, 1995.

Thomas W. Payzant,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and

Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 95–5332 Filed 3–3–95; 8:45 am]

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