`[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 68 (Monday, April 10, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18298-18299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8744]




[[Page 18297]]

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Part V





Department of Education





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Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortium; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1995; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 68 / Monday, April 10, 1995 / 
Notices   
[[Page 18298]] 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.168R]


Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortium; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1995

    Purpose of Program: To award grants to support the establishment 
and operation of regional mathematics and science consortia.
    Eligible Applicants: Private nonprofit organizations, institutions 
of higher education, elementary or secondary schools, State or local 
education agencies, regional educational laboratories in consortium 
with federally-supported research and development centers established 
under section 931(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Educational Research, Development, 
Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (``Act''), (20 U.S.C. 
6031)(c)(1)(B)(i), or any combination of these entities.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 16, 1995.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 15, 1995.
    Applications Available: April 17, 1995.
    Available Funds: $15,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $1,000,000-$1,500,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10-12.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Budget Period: 12 months.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86.
    Supplementary Information: Congress first authorized the 
establishment of ten regional consortia in 1988 in order to support 
improvement of mathematics and science education throughout the nation. 
The purposes of these regional consortia are to coordinate mathematics 
and science resources within the region, disseminate exemplary 
mathematics and science educational instructional materials, and 
provide technical assistance for the implementation of teaching methods 
and assessment tools for use by elementary and secondary school 
students, teachers, and administrators. The regional consortia have 
been reauthorized under the Improving America' Schools Act of 1994 (20 
U.S.C. 8671-8677) to continue this work.
    The new legislation stipulates that the regions are the same as 
those for the currently-funded regional educational laboratories 
supported by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The 
statutory list of eligible entities includes: (a) A private nonprofit 
organization of demonstrated effectiveness; (b) an institution of 
higher education; (c) an elementary or secondary school; (d) a state or 
local education agency; (e) a Regional Educational Laboratory in 
consortium with the Research and Development Center established under 
Section 931(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Educational Research, Development, 
Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994, or (f) any combination of 
these entities. All eligible entities shall have demonstrated expertise 
in mathematics and science education. The project periods for the 
current research and development centers will expire in early December, 
1995. Awards for new research and development centers under Section 
931(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Act will not be made when the applicants for the 
regional consortia submit their proposals for review. Therefore, each 
Regional Education Laboratory applicant must provide an assurance that 
it will form a consortium with a research and development center with 
demonstrated expertise in mathematics or science education if such 
centers are reestablished under section 931(c)(1)(B)(i).
    The Secretary believes that the regional consortia supported 
through this grant competition should play an important role in 
coordinating mathematics and science education resources for the States 
and local education agencies in their regions. In particular, he 
believes the regional consortia should work cooperatively with other 
organizations committed to improving mathematics and science education 
in schools, including those funded by the Department of Education (ED) 
and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Secretary believes that 
cooperative efforts with the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for 
Science and Mathematics should be continued and enhanced.
    Invitational Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), the Secretary is 
interested in applications that meet the following invitational 
priority. However, an application that meets this invitational priority 
does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications.

Development and Operation of Regional Consortia to Support Systemic 
Reform in Mathematics and Science at the Elementary and Secondary 
Grades

    The authorizing statute establishes many activities that the 
Regional Consortia may undertake. However, the Secretary believes that 
the consortia should focus their activities to achieve maximum impact. 
The Secretary therefore urges the applicants to focus on the following 
activities:
    (A) Collaborate with others within the region involved in systemic 
reform of mathematics and science education.
    (B) Develop a plan that establishes priorities for what services 
will be provided by the consortium to schools and teachers in each 
state in the region, including criteria the consortium will use to 
determine who receives direct services from the regional consortium.
    (C) Provide training and assistance to classroom teachers, 
administrators, and other educators to enable them to instruct other 
teachers, administrators, and educators, particularly those working 
with at-risk students, in the use of instructional materials, teaching 
methods and assessment tools for mathematics and science education that 
will help students achieve challenging State content and student 
performance standards. This should include assistance in using new 
forms of technology, including on-line electronic systems, in schools 
and classrooms.
    (D) Promote the increased use of informal education entities (such 
as science technology centers, museums, libraries, Saturday academies, 
and 4H programs) to expand student knowledge and understanding of 
mathematics and science.
    (E) Collaborate with the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for 
Mathematics and Science Education in identifying instructional 
resources for inclusion in the Clearinghouse data base and 
disseminating information about that data base, and by providing 
feedback to the Clearinghouse on the quality and effectiveness of its 
products and operations.
    (F) Collect data on consortium activities, especially data on 
outcomes and impact, that will be useful in evaluating the 
effectiveness of these activities.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary evaluates an application on the 
basis of selection criteria under 34 CFR 75.210. 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 the purpose of this competition, the Secretary will 
distribute the additional points as follows: [[Page 18299]] 
    Plan of Operation. (34 CFR 75.210(b)(3)). Ten (10) additional 
points will be added for a possible total of 25 points for this 
criterion.
    Evaluation Plan. (34 CFR 75.210(b)(6)). Five (5) additional points 
will be added for a possible total of 10 points for this criterion.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Liz Barnes at (202) 219-
2210 or Jim Clemmens at (202) 219-2068, or fax (202) 219-2106, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Room 500, 
Washington, DC 20208-5572. 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. 8671-8677.

    Dated: April 5, 1995.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 95-8744 Filed 4-7-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P`