[Federal Register: June 12, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 113)]
[Notices]
[Page 31621-31624]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12jn01-57]
[[Page 31621]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.351-B]
The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year
(FY) 2001.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Purpose of Program: The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children
and Youth Program, funded under Subpart 2 of Part D of Title X of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), makes demonstration
grants to eligible entities for the development of school-community
partnership programs designed to improve the educational performance
and future educational potential of at-risk children by providing
comprehensive, coordinated educational and arts programs and services.
Eligible Applicants: A local educational agency (LEA), acting on
behalf of an individual school or schools in which 75 percent or more
of the children enrolled in such school(s) are from low-income families
based on data used in determining a school's eligibility to operate a
schoolwide program pursuant to Title I Section 1114 of the ESEA, in
partnership with at least one: institution of higher education, museum,
local arts agency, or cultural entity that is accessible to individuals
within the school district of such school(s) and that has a history of
providing quality services to the community. Such entities may include:
(i) Nonprofit institutions of higher education, museums, libraries,
performing, presenting and exhibiting arts organizations, literary arts
organizations, State and local arts organizations, cultural
institutions, and zoological and botanical organizations; or (ii)
private for-profit entities with a history of training children and
youth in the arts. To be eligible, such partnerships shall serve: (1)
Students enrolled in schools participating or eligible to participate
in a schoolwide program under ESEA Title I Section 1114 and, to the
extent practicable, the families of such students; (2) out-of-school
children and youth at risk of disadvantages resulting from teenage
parenting, substance abuse, recent migration, disability, limited
English proficiency, illiteracy, being the child of a teenage parent,
living in a single parent household, or dropping out of school; or (3)
any combination of in-school and out-of-school at-risk children and
youth. Any school or schools to be served through grants received under
this program must submit evidence for inclusion in the grant
application to the Secretary demonstrating that the school or schools
meet the poverty criteria described above. Applicants may submit
records kept for the purpose of ESEA Title I that provide proof of
eligibility for each school to be served or to participate in the
partnership.
Note: The LEA must serve as the fiscal agent for the program.
Applications Available: June 12, 2001.
Applications Must be Received By: July 27, 2001.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 28, 2001.
Available Funds: Approximately $2,000,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 7-10.
Estimated Size of Awards: $100,000-$250,000.
Average Size of Awards: $200,000.
Matching Requirement: Recipients of grants under this program must
share in the cost of the activities assisted under the grant. Grant
recipients must make available non-Federal contributions, as authorized
under Section 10414 of the program statute, in cash or in-kind in the
following percentage: 20 percent of the cost of carrying out project
activities for the project period. Applicant in-kind resources must be
described as required in Sections B and C of the ED Form 524 Non-
Construction Programs found within the application package.
Project Period: 12 months.
Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates
in this notice. The Administration is not requesting funding for
this program in FY 2002.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81,
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
E-mail Notification of Intent to Apply for Funding: 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 e-mail that it intends to submit an application for
funding. The Secretary requests that this e-mail notification be sent
no later than July 12, 2001. The e-mail notification should be sent to
Ms. Madeline Baggett at madeline.baggett@ed.gov. Applicants that fail
to provide this e-mail notification may still apply for funding.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Arts education programs are beneficial to all students.
Participation in the arts enhances a student's knowledge of self and
the full range of human experience and potential. Involvement in music,
literature, dance, theater, and the visual arts has the potential to
transform the lives of children and youth, who often exhibit a greater
sense of accomplishment and self-confidence through participation in
arts education activities.
Recent studies, such as those conducted by the National Endowment
for the Arts, continue to reveal the positive correlation between
participation in arts education and the academic, social, and
experiential growth of children and youth. Improvements in academic
achievement, standardized test scores, and school dropout rates are
reported. Arts and humanities programs foster the development of
creative thinking, higher-order skills, problem-solving, and a
motivation to learn for all students, especially those considered to be
at-risk.
Studies have shown social and behavioral benefits for students
engaged in arts education as well. Participation in arts activities is
linked to these indicators: decreased anti-social behavior, decreased
drug and alcohol use, and increased motivation for learning and
participation in school activities.
While it is important for all children and youth to benefit from
arts education, at-risk children and youth are especially in need of
quality arts and cultural programs both during and after school.
Unfortunately, at-risk students are generally less likely to have
access to and participate in arts education programs, which are often
inadequately funded in high-poverty rural and urban areas. Beleaguered
school systems must frequently curtail or eliminate music and other
arts programs due to budget constraints. Consequently, at-risk children
and youth have even less opportunity to benefit from the arts.
Partnership programs that document ways in which to effectively
coordinate local, State, and Federal resources into comprehensive,
integrated arts education service delivery systems are needed. Such
partnerships help ensure that all children have greater opportunities
to benefit from and enjoy arts education programs and experiences. At-
risk students will enjoy greater access to, and participation in, high-
quality arts education activities and programs through funded projects,
and successful approaches may be replicated in other communities for
similar purposes and target populations.
[[Page 31622]]
Partnership Purposes
Through combined resources, facilities, services, materials,
expertise, and funding, the arts activities and programs offered
through a school-community partnership can reach those youth most in
need of such opportunities and experiences. Cultural partnership
programs developed, enhanced, or expanded to meet the outcomes
described within this program will maximize the outreach and impact of
arts education programs and enrichment activities for at-risk middle
and high school students, both in and out of school.
The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program
will support the development of school-community partnership programs
that coordinate and integrate local, State, and Federal resources for
arts education and enrichment into a coordinated and comprehensive
service delivery system for at-risk children and youth. The cultural
partnership projects will evaluate their effectiveness in achieving the
following program outcomes for both in- and out-of-school at-risk
children and youth:
Increased access to and participation in high-quality arts
education programs and enrichment activities linked to educational
improvement.
Improved student academic performance through
participation in comprehensive and coordinated high-quality arts
education programs.
Increased range in the types of arts education programs
(i.e., a variety of music programs in addition to drama and dance, for
example) and activities available.
At the end of the project period, the Department will disseminate
information and materials on successful approaches for developing,
enhancing, or expanding cultural partnerships designed to improve the
educational performance or future potential of at-risk children and
youth through comprehensive and coordinated educational services. This
will include any evidence of improved educational achievement or
potential educational achievement of at-risk students along with
information regarding the arts education programs and methodologies
linked to such improvements. The Department requires that, upon
completion of the project, any materials or products developed be
provided to the Department for further dissemination. Dissemination
efforts will be carried out in full compliance with Departmental
copyright requirements.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: In accordance with the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the
Secretary to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on
proposed rules. Section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions
Act (GEPA), however, allows the Secretary to exempt rules governing the
first competition under a new or substantially revised program
authority (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)). Funding was provided for this new
initiative in the Fiscal Year 2001 Department of Education
Appropriations Act, enacted in December 2000. Because this competition
is the first competition under the program, it therefore qualifies as a
new competitive grants program. The Secretary, in accordance with
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, has decided to forego public comment in
order to ensure timely grant awards. These regulations will apply for
the FY 2001 grant competition only.
Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives
an absolute priority to partnership programs that focus school and
cultural resources in the community on coordinated arts education
services to address the needs of at-risk middle and high school-aged
children and youth both in- and out-of-school. In addition, the project
must fully address all of the desired outcomes for at-risk children and
youth as described under the Partnership Purpose section.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary will fund under this
competition only applicants that meet the absolute priority.
Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities: Under 34 CFR 299.3
and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the Secretary gives a 5-point competitive
preference to applications whose partnerships are located within an
Empowerment Zone, including Supplemental Empowerment Zones, or an
Enterprise Community as designated by the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development or the United States Department of
Agriculture.
Note: A list of areas that have been designated as Empowerment
Zones and Enterprise Communities may be found at this website:
http://www.ezec/mainmap.html.
Coordination Requirement: Under subpart 2 of Part D of Title X
ESEA, section 10412(b)(3), grants under this competition may only be
awarded to eligible entities (i.e., partnerships) that agree to
coordinate activities carried out under the grant with other Federal,
State and local grants administered by the individual partners. The
applicant must demonstrate how the services supported through the
Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program and other
similar services supported through grants administered by the
individual partners will be coordinated into an integrated service
delivery system. The integrated services must be coordinated at a
school, cultural, or other community-based site accessible to and
utilized by at-risk youth. An applicant must provide evidence that the
partnership members have met this requirement in order to receive
funding under this program.
General Requirements: The following requirements must be met for
any application submitted under this program: the program narrative is
limited to no more than 45 double-spaced pages using the following
standards: (1) A ``page'' is 8.5" x 11" (on one side only) with one
inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); and (2) Double-space (no more
than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application
narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, and
captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
The page limit applies to the narrative section only. However, all of
the application narrative must be included in the narrative section. If
the narrative section of an application exceeds the page limitation,
the application will not be reviewed. (b) The projects funded under
this priority must budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in
Washington, D.C. (c) The project application must address the following
factors as required by the statute in ESEA Section 10413(c)(2): (1) the
cultural entity or entities that will participate in the partnership;
(2) the target population to be served; (3) the services to be
provided; (4) a plan for evaluating the success of the program; (5) for
each local educational agency or school participating in the
partnership, how the activities assisted by the grant will be
perpetuated beyond the duration of the grant; (6) the manner in which
the eligible entity will improve the educational achievement or future
potential of at-risk youth through more effective coordination of
cultural services in the community; (7) the overall and operational
goals of the program; (8) the nature and location of all planned sites
where services will be delivered and a description of services to be
provided at each site; and (9) training activities provided to
individuals who are not trained to work with children and youth, and
how teachers will be involved. Most of these application requirements
should be addressed in the application narrative, which applicants are
encouraged to organize around the selection criteria for
[[Page 31623]]
this competition. However, items 1, 2, 8, and 9, which are not directly
covered within the selection criteria, should be addressed separately
and included as appendices to the program narrative.
Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use the following selection
criteria to evaluate applications under this competition. The maximum
score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum
score for each criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the
criterion. The criteria are as follows:
(a) Significance (15 Points). (1) The Secretary considers the
significance of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) 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.
(ii) The potential contribution of the proposed project to
increased knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues,
or effective strategies for implementing cultural partnership programs
for at-risk children and youth.
(b) Improvement in the Educational Achievement or Future Potential
of At-Risk Youth (15 points).
Under 34 CFR 75.209(a)(1)(ii), the Secretary reviews each
application to determine the manner in which the partnership will
improve the educational achievement or future potential of at-risk
youth through comprehensive and coordinated services designed to: (1)
enhance student academic performance in core academic subjects and on
standardized tests; and (2) foster the academic potential of at-risk
students.
(c) Quality of the Project Design (20 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the quality of the project design of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the project design, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the proposed project represents an
exceptional approach for meeting the priority or priorities established
for the competition.
(ii) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable
and appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients of the project
services.
(iii) The extent to which the design for implementing and
evaluating the proposed project will result in information to guide
possible replication of project activities or strategies, including
information about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies
employed by the project.
(d) Quality of Project Personnel (10 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed
project.
(2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been under-represented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability.
(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of the project director.
(ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and
experience, of key project personnel.
(iii) The qualification, including relevant training and
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
(e) Adequacy of Resources (10 points). (1) The Secretary considers
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project.
(2) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment,
supplies, and other resources, from the lead applicant organization.
(ii) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the
proposed project.
(iii) The potential for continued support of the project after
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.
(f) Quality of the Management Plan (15 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks.
(ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring continuous feedback
and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
(iii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
(iv) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project.
(g) Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 points). (1) The
Secretary considers the quality of the project evaluation.
(2) In determining the quality of the project evaluation, the
Secretary considers one or more of the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include objective
performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes
of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to
the extent possible.
(ii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other
settings.
For Applications or Information Contact: Madeline E. Baggett, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC
20202-6140. Telephone (202) 260-2502. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format also by contacting that person.
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative
format the standards forms included in the application package.
Electronic Access to this Document:
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at the previous site. If you have questions about using the PDF,
call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) toll free at 1-888-293-
6498, or in the Washington, DC area at 202-512-1530.
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
[[Page 31624]]
Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7909.
Dated: June 7, 2001.
Thomas M. Corwin,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary
Education.
[FR Doc. 01-14765 Filed 6-11-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U