[Federal Register: December 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 246)]
[Notices]
[Page 73012-73015]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Models of Exemplary, Effective, and Promising Alcohol or Other
Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College Campuses
AGENCY: Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and
selection criteria.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools
proposes a priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria
under the Models of Exemplary, Effective, and Promising Alcohol or
Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College Campuses grant
competition. The Assistant Deputy Secretary may use the priority,
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria for competitions in
fiscal year (FY) 2008 and later years. The Assistant Deputy Secretary
intends to use the priority, definitions, requirements, and selection
criteria to identify exemplary, effective, and promising campus-based
alcohol or other drug abuse prevention programs and to disseminate
information about exemplary and effective programs to other colleges
and universities where similar efforts may be adopted.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before January 25, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about the proposed priority,
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria to Richard Lucey,
Jr., U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room
3E335, Washington, DC 20202-6450. If you prefer to send your comments
through the Internet, use the following address: richard.lucey@ed.gov.
You must include the phrase ``Models of Exemplary, Effective, and
Promising Alcohol or Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College
Campuses--Comments on FY 2008 Proposed Priority'' in the subject line
of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Lucey, Jr. (202) 205-5471 or
via Internet: richard.lucey@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding the proposed priority,
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria. To ensure that your
comments have maximum effect in developing the notice of final
priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria, we urge
you to identify clearly the specific proposed priority, definitions,
[[Page 73013]]
requirements, or selection criterion your comment addresses.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from the proposed
priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria. Please let
us know of any further opportunities we should take to reduce potential
costs or increase potential benefits while preserving the effective and
efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about the proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and
selection criteria in room 3E335, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington,
DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday
through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority, definitions,
requirements, and selection criteria. If you want to schedule an
appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Proposed Priority, Definitions, Requirements, and Selection Criteria
We will announce the final priority, definitions, requirements, and
selection criteria in a notice in the Federal Register after
considering responses to this notice and other information available to
the Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or
funding additional priorities, definitions, requirements, and selection
criteria, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite
applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting
applications we designate the priority as absolute, competitive
preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of priority
follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent
to which the application meets the competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that
does not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over
other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Discussion of Proposed Priority
Proposed Priority--Exemplary, Effective, and Promising Alcohol or Other
Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College Campuses
Background
Alcohol and other drug abuse among college students contributes to
a number of academic, social, and health-related problems. According to
recent findings from the Monitoring the Future National Survey Results
on Drug Use, 1975-2006, in 2006, approximately 40 percent of the
Nation's college students engaged in heavy drinking (defined as five or
more drinks in a row in the past two weeks). In addition, 34 percent of
college students used an illicit drug in 2006.
Survey data from the Core Institute, located at Southern Illinois
University Carbondale, also illustrate the consequences of student
drinking. For example, in 2006, as a result of drinking in the year
prior to the survey, more than 32 percent of students reported that
they had gotten into an argument or fight; 27 percent drove a car while
under the influence; approximately 30 percent missed a class; and
almost 16 percent were hurt or injured. Given these statistics, there
is a national need to identify exemplary, effective, and promising
programs that reduce alcohol and other drug abuse among college
students.
Proposed Priority: Under this proposed priority the Department
would provide funding to institutions of higher education (IHEs) that
have implemented an exemplary, effective, or promising alcohol or other
drug abuse prevention program on their campus. In its application, an
applicant must:
1. Describe the program that has for at least two full years been
implemented on its campus, including the structure and content of the
program, the student population that is targeted by the program, and
any unique features of the program;
2. Provide a detailed theoretical basis for the program's
effectiveness;
3. Provide data to demonstrate the program's impact on the target
student population, including evidence of cognitive or behavioral
changes, or both, among the target population; and
4. Consent to a site visit to clarify information in the
application and verify evaluation data.
Under this program, the Department selects an institution of higher
education for recognition as having an exemplary, effective, or
promising program based on the recommendation from the two peer
reviewers who conduct the site visit. Therefore, note that selection
for a site visit does not ensure recognition as an exemplary,
effective, or promising program by the Department.
Recognition Types: Contingent upon the quality of data provided by
the applicant and the recommendation of site visitors, an applicant may
earn one of three levels of recognition.
Level 1 is recognition as an exemplary program. An IHE whose
program is designated as exemplary must:
1. Within 30 days of receiving an award, provide to the Department
a plan to disseminate information about its program to other IHEs;
2. Upon approval by the Department, implement its dissemination
plan; and
3. Enhance and further evaluate the exemplary program during the
project period of the grant award.
Level 2 is recognition as an effective program. An IHE whose
program is designated as effective must:
1. Within 30 days of receiving an award, provide to the Department
a plan to disseminate information about its program to other IHEs;
2. Upon approval by the Department, implement its dissemination
plan; and
3. Enhance and further evaluate the effective program during the
project period of the grant award.
Level 3 is designation as a promising program. An IHE whose program
is recognized as promising must:
1. Within 30 days of receiving an award submit to the Department a
plan to enhance and further evaluate its program;
2. Upon approval by the Department, implement its enhancement and
evaluation plan; and
3. Within 12 months of award provide to the Department a report
detailing the results of its evaluation.
Discussion of Proposed Definitions
Proposed Definitions
Three important terms associated with this competition are not
defined in section 4121 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. We propose
the following definitions:
[[Page 73014]]
1. Exemplary program means a program that has a strong theoretical
base and demonstrated effectiveness in reducing alcohol or other drug
abuse among college students or reducing problems resulting from
alcohol or other drug use among college students, using a research
design of the highest quality. For the purpose of this grant
competition, a research design of the highest quality means an
experimental design in which students are randomly assigned to
participate in a project being evaluated (treatment group) or not
participate in the project (control group). The effect of the project
is the difference in outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
If strong, experimentally determined evidence of the effectiveness
of a program already exists, and the program was implemented on the
applicant's campus with fidelity to the research, then a quasi-
experimental evaluation of the program's implementation on the
applicant's campus may be an acceptable research design. For the
purpose of this grant competition, quasi-experimental designs include
several designs that attempt to approximate a random assignment design.
2. Effective program means a program that has a strong theoretical
base and has been evaluated using either an experimental or quasi-
experimental research design, with the evaluation results suggesting
effectiveness in reducing alcohol or other drug abuse among college
students, reducing problems resulting from alcohol or other drug use
among college students, reducing risk factors, enhancing protective
factors, or resulting in some combination of those impacts.
3. Promising program means a program that has a strong theoretical
base and for which evidence has been obtained, using limited research
methods, that the program may reduce alcohol or other drug abuse among
college students, reduce problems resulting from alcohol or other drug
use among college students, reduce risk factors, enhance protective
factors, or result in some combination of those impacts. For the
purpose of this grant competition, limited research methods are methods
that include a pre- and post-treatment measurement of the effects of a
treatment on a single subject or group of single subjects.
Discussion of Proposed Requirements
Background
Applicants from prior competitions under this grant program and
former grantees under this grant program have suggested that we clarify
or modify certain application requirements. These include: Eligible
applicants, limitations on eligibility, and funding limits for
applicants.
We have carefully considered this input, and propose several new or
modified program requirements. First, because the purpose of this grant
program is to identify models of exemplary, effective, and promising
alcohol or other drug abuse prevention programs on college campuses, we
propose to limit the pool of eligible applicants to IHEs that offer an
associate or baccalaureate degree, which is consistent with the
eligibility restriction under the former Alcohol and Other Drug
Prevention Models on College Campuses grant program.
We also propose to establish a limitation on eligibility for IHEs
that are recognized for having an exemplary or effective program. Under
the former Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses
Grant Competition published in the Federal Register on February 5, 2007
(72 FR 5279), IHEs that received an award were ineligible to apply for
another award for a period of five fiscal years. We believe that a
five-year prohibition on eligibility may contribute to an unnecessary
decrease in the number of quality applications submitted for funding
consideration. Therefore, we propose to shorten or eliminate this
prohibition, depending on the category of program.
Finally, we propose to limit the amount of funds available to an
applicant that is recognized as having an exemplary, effective, or
promising program. We believe that the identified maximum amounts are
sufficient to cover project-related expenses during the grant period.
Accordingly we propose the following requirements:
Proposed Requirement 1: Eligible Applicants
Only IHEs that offer an associate or baccalaureate degree will be
eligible under this program.
Proposed Requirement 2: Limitations on Eligibility
(a) Exemplary or effective programs. The length of time an IHE is
ineligible for a subsequent award after receiving recognition for an
exemplary or effective program is three years.
(b) Promising programs. Programs recognized as promising may be
eligible for a new award when their current grant is no longer active.
A grant is considered active until the end of the grant's project or
funding period, including any extensions of those periods that extend
the grantee's authority to obligate funds. A project that fails to
achieve exemplary or effective status after a second designation as a
promising program may not reapply for three years after its second
project period is no longer active.
Proposed Requirement 3: Funding Limits for Applicants
The maximum amount an applicant may receive for a project
recognized as an exemplary or effective program may be no more than
$150,000 plus indirect costs, and a project recognized as a promising
program may receive no more than $100,000 plus indirect costs.
Discussion of Proposed Selection Criteria
Background
Since the original Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on
College Campuses Grant Competition in FY 1999, six additional
competitions have been held (FY 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, and
2007). Our experience with administering these competitions, including
feedback from peer reviewers, applicants, and funded grantees,
demonstrates the need to use program-specific selection criteria to
better identify applications for funding and recognition as an
exemplary, effective, or promising program. We believe these
refinements will contribute to our ongoing efforts to improve this
grant program.
Proposed Selection Criteria
We propose the following selection criteria for this program:
1. Significance
(a) The potential contribution of the program to the development
and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the field of
study.
(b) The quality of the applicant's plan to disseminate the program
in ways that will enable others to use the information or strategies,
including evidence of the program's readiness for replication.
2. Project Design
(a) The extent to which the design of the program reflects up-to-
date knowledge from research and effective practices.
(b) The extent to which the plan to enhance the program reflects
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practices.
(c) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the enhancement to the program are clearly specified and
measurable.
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3. Project Evaluation
(a) The extent to which the evaluation data provide evidence of the
effectiveness of the program in reducing alcohol or other drug use, or
both, reducing problems resulting from alcohol or other drug use, or
both, reducing risk factors, enhancing protective factors, or some
combination of those impacts.
(b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation used during the
implementation of the program will provide guidance about effective
strategies suitable for replication or testing in other settings.
(c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation used during the
enhancement of the program will provide performance feedback and permit
periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and
selection criteria has been reviewed in accordance with Executive Order
12866. Under the terms of the order, we have assessed the potential
costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed
priority, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria are those
resulting from statutory requirements and those we have determined as
necessary for administering this program effectively and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priority, definitions,
requirements, and selection criteria, we have determined that the
benefits of the proposed priority, definitions, requirements, and
selection criteria justify the costs.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Electronic Access to This Document
You can view this document, as well as all other documents of this
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
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You can also view this document in text at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpcollege/applicant.html.
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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.184N Office of
Safe and Drug-Free Schools--Models of Effective and Promising
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on College
Campuses)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
Dated: December 19, 2007.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E7-24954 Filed 12-21-07; 8:45 am]
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