[Federal Register: June 6, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 109)]
[Notices]
[Page 38945-38948]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06jn02-51]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.351B]
The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program;
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002
Purpose of Program: The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children
and Youth Program, authorized under Subpart 15 of Part D of Title V of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by Public
Law
[[Page 38946]]
107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, supports school-
community partnership programs designed to improve the educational
performance of at-risk children by providing arts education services
and programs, especially programs incorporating arts education
standards.
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 6, 2002.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2002.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2002.
Available funds: Approximately $4,000,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 15-20.
Estimated Size of Awards: $200,000-$400,000.
Average Size of Awards: $300,000.
Project Period: up to 36 months.
Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates
in this notice. Funding for the second and third years is subject to
the availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards
(34 CFR 75.253).
General Requirements:
Page Limit Requirement: The program narrative is limited to no more
than 40 pages. 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. In addition,
the following standards are required: (1) Each "page" is 8.5" x 11"
(on one side only) with one inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); (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; and (3) use a font that is either 12-point or
larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Project Directors' Meeting: The projects funded under this priority
are required to budget for a two-day project directors' meeting in
Washington, DC.
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 8, 2002. 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:
Partnership Purposes
At-risk children and youth 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. Therefore,
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 service delivery system for at-risk
children and youth. The projects funded under this program will support
the following program outcomes for both in- and out-of-school at-risk
children and youth:
Increased access to and participation in high-quality, standards-
based arts education programs and enrichment activities linked to
academic improvement, including performance on State, locally-
developed, and standardized tests;
Improved student academic performance through participation in
high-quality arts education programs; and Increased range in the types
of arts education programs and activities available, for example, a
variety of music programs in addition to drama and dance.
At the end of the project period, the Department will consider
disseminating information on successful approaches for developing,
enhancing, or expanding cultural partnerships designed to improve the
educational performance of at-risk children and youth through
comprehensive and coordinated educational programs and services. This
will include evidence of improved educational achievement (i.e., test
scores or other academic measures) of at-risk students, along with
information regarding the arts education programs and methodologies
linked to such improvements.
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)). This
competition is the first Cultural Partnerships competition under the
reauthorized Arts in Education program as amended by Public Law 107-
110, the No Child Left Behind Act
[[Page 38947]]
of 2001, and therefore qualifies for this exemption. 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 rules will apply
to the FY 2002 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 Purposes section of this
notice.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary will fund under this
competition only applicants that meet the absolute priority.
Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the
authorizing statute the Secretary requires that each applicant funded
under this competition coordinate, to the extent practicable, each
project or program carried out with such assistance with appropriate
activities of public or private cultural agencies, institutions, and
organizations, including museums, arts education associations,
libraries, and theaters.
Supplement, Not Supplant, Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(2) of
the authorizing statute, the Secretary requires that assistance
provided under this program be used only to supplement, and not to
supplant, other assistance or funds made available from non-Federal
sources for the activities assisted under this subpart.
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 is likely to build
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the
needs of the target population.
(ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in
teaching and learning.
(b) Improvement in the Educational Achievement 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 of at-risk youth through 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 meets 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 qualifications, 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 Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
[[Page 38948]]
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/
about/ordering.jsp. Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.351B.
For Technical Assistance on Program Requirements Contact: Madeline
E. Baggett, U.S. Department of Education, FB-6, Room 3E228, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 260-
2502 or via internet: Madeline.Baggett@ed.gov.
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 this site. If you have questions about using 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.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request using the contact information provided under For
Applications Contact.
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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
Authority: Program Authority:
20 U.S.C. 7271.
Dated: May 31, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-14124 Filed 6-5-02; 8:45 am]
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