13598 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 48 / Monday, March 13, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.215S]

Fund for the Improvement of

Education: Demonstration Programs;

(1) Elementary School Counseling

Partnerships; (2) Middle SchoolWorkplace-Community Partnerships;

Notice Inviting Applications for New

Awards for Fiscal Year 1995

Purpose of Program: The purpose of

the Fund for the Improvement of

Education is to support nationally

significant programs to improve the

quality of education, assist all students

to meet challenging State content

standards, and contribute to the

achievement of the National Education

Goals. The purpose of this competition

is to support demonstration projects as

a way to address the broader FIE

objectives.

Eligible Applicants: State and local

educational agencies, institutions of

higher education, other public and

private agencies, organizations, and

institutions may apply for grants under

this program.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: April 28, 1995.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: June 27, 1995.

Applications Available: March 14,

1995.

Estimated Available Funds:

$2,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$100,000–$250,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$250,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 8.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Maximum Award: The Secretary does

not consider an application that

proposes a budget exceeding $250,000

for the first 12-month budget period.

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Applicable Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 34

CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85,

and 86.

Priorities

The notice of final priority for this

program is published elsewhere in this

issue of the Federal Register, and is

repeated below. Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(3) the Secretary gives an

absolute preference to applications that

meet one of the following priorities. The

Secretary funds under this competition

only applications that meet one of the

following absolute priorities.

Absolute Priority 1—Elementary School

Counseling Partnerships

Applicants must propose activities to

develop, implement, and evaluate

strategies for supporting elementary

school counseling. Projects must

include professional development to

improve the skills of pupil services

personnel and guidance counselors for

working with students from diverse

populations, and activities promoting

school-linked services integration.

Projects must involve collaborative

efforts among local education agencies,

institutions of higher education,

businesses, labor organizations,

community groups, social service

agencies, or other public or private

entities to design and carry out the

program.

Absolute Priority 2—Middle SchoolWorkplace-Community Partnerships

Applicants must propose activities

designed to make school relevant to the

workplace and the community for

middle school students. Projects must

be built upon partnerships developed

among middle schools, employers, and

the community. Projects must

emphasize the integration of high

quality academic and vocational

learning, stress excellence and high

expectations for success in academic

subjects, and instill responsibility,

decision making, problem solving,

interpersonal skills, and other

competencies in students.

Selection Criteria: In evaluating

applications for grants under this

competition, the Secretary uses the

selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210(b).

Under 34 CFR 75.210(c), the Secretary is

authorized to distribute an additional 15

points among the criteria to bring the

total to a maximum of 100 points. For

this competition, the Secretary

distributes the additional points as

follows:

Plan of Operation (34 CFR

75.210(b)(3)). Five additional points are

added to this criterion for a possible

total of 20 points.

Evaluation Plan (34 CFR 75.210(b)(6)).

Ten additional points are added to this

criterion for a possible total of 15 points.

Note: Projects requesting funding under

this program must be designed so that the

effectiveness of the programs, projects and

activities that will be conducted is readily

ascertainable.

To Request an Application: Voice

Mail: 202–219–2053; Facsimile

machine: 202–219–1407; Mail: OERI/

FIE Application, 555 New Jersey

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20208–

5645. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD), may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

Information about the Department’s

funding opportunities, including copies

of application notices for discretionary

grant competitions, can be viewed on

the Department’s electronic bulletin

board (ED Board), telephone (202) 260–

9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server

at GOPHER.ED.GOV (under

Announcements, Bulletins and Press

Releases). However, the official

application notice for a discretionary

grant competition is the notice

published in the Federal Register.

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

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.215S: Fund for the Improvement

of Education)

Dated: March 8, 1995.

Sharon P. Robinson,

Assistant Secretary for Research and

Improvement.

[FR Doc. 95–6134 Filed 3–10–95; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Fund for the Improvement of

Education (FIE)

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Final Priorities for

Fiscal Year (FY) 1995: Demonstration

Programs: (1) Elementary School

Counseling Partnerships; (2) Middle

School-Workplace-Community

Partnerships.

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces the

final priorities for the FIE

Demonstration Programs for Elementary

School Counseling Partnerships and

Middle School-Workplace-Community

Partnerships.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take

effect April 12, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stephen O’Brien, U.S. Department of

Education, Office of Educational

Research and Improvement, 555 New

Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

20208–5645. Telephone 202–219–2141.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8:00 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern

time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the Fund for the

Improvement of Education is to support

nationally significant programs to

improve the quality of education, assist

all students to meet challenging State
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 48 / Monday, March 13, 1995 / Notices 13599

content standards, and contribute to the

achievement of the National Education

Goals. The priorities announced in this

notice will support demonstration

projects as a way to address the broader

FIE objectives.

The Secretary recognizes that

successful well-articulated programs

that provide for continuous

improvement of professional educators

and improvement of services to students

will require educators to work together

across traditionally separated roles and

organizations. Therefore, projects must

be carried out by partnerships

consisting of educational organizations

and other public and private sector

organizations.

Section 10101(b)(1)(A) of the FIE

statute authorizes the Secretary to fund

activities that will promote systemic

education reform at the State and local

levels. The Secretary believes that

professional development, not only for

teachers, but also for pupil services

personnel and guidance counselors, is

an essential element of effective

systemic reform efforts.

In recent years, school-communitybusiness partnerships have become an

effective strategy for school

improvement. Many communities have

developed effective school and

workplace experiences for students at

the junior high and high school levels.

The Secretary believes that schoolworkplace-community programs can be

equally effective for middle school

students, and can help younger students

begin to think of the opportunities they

will have in the future.

Absolute Priorities

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the

Secretary gives an absolute preference to

applications that meet one of the

following priorities. The Secretary funds

under this competition only

applications that meet one of the

following absolute priorities.

Absolute Priority 1—Elementary School

Counseling Partnerships

Applicants must propose activities to

develop, implement, and evaluate

strategies for supporting elementary

school counseling. Projects must

include professional development to

improve the skills of pupil services

personnel and guidance counselors for

working with students from diverse

populations, and activities promoting

school-linked services integration.

Projects must involve collaborative

efforts among local education agencies,

institutions of higher education,

businesses, labor organizations,

community groups, social service

agencies, or other public or private

entities to design and carry out the

program.

Absolute Priority 2—Middle SchoolWorkplace-Community Partnerships

Applicants must propose activities

designed to make school relevant to the

workplace and the community for

middle school students. Projects must

be built upon partnerships developed

among middle schools, employers, and

the community. Projects must

emphasize the integration of high

quality academic and vocational

learning, stress excellence and high

expectations for success in academic

subjects, instill responsibility, decision

making, problem solving, interpersonal

skills, and other competencies in

students.

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 priorities that are not taken

directly from statute. Ordinarily, this

practice would have applied to the

absolute priority in this notice.

However, in order to make timely grant

awards in FY 1995, the Assistant

Secretary, in accordance with section

437(d)(1) of the General Education

Provisions Act, has decided to issue the

absolute priority as final requirements

that will apply only to the FY 1995

grant competition.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs

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.

Note: This action is not an application

notice. You may request an application by

Voice mail: 202–219–2158; Facsimile

machine: 202–219–1407; Mail: OERI/FIE

Application, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20208–5644.

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

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.215S: Fund for the Improvement

of Education)

Dated: March 8, 1995.

Sharon P. Robinson,

Assistant Secretary for Research and

Improvement.

[FR Doc. 95–6133 Filed 3–10–95; 8:45 am]

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