Closing Date: July 28, 2010

Download the 2010 Application
MS WORD (150K) | PDF (1M) (June 22, 2010)

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) in the U.S. Department of Education is seeking qualified individuals to serve as peer reviewers or peer review panel facilitators for the High School Graduation Initiative (HSGI) program. The HSGI program office anticipates issuing a notice inviting applications in late spring of 2010.

Qualified individuals interested in serving as peer reviewers or peer review panel facilitators may submit their resume or curriculum vitae (CV) electronically to hsgi@ed.gov and type "HSGI Peer Review" in the subject heading. You will receive an email confirmation of receipt.

Please note that the Department will begin selecting and contacting prospective reviewers in late spring 2010.

The following is a brief overview of expected roles and time commitments. Additional details will follow in late spring 2010.

Each peer review panel, comprised of one facilitator and three reviewers will evaluate and score up to seven proposals using the selection criteria that the U.S. Department of Education has established for this competition. The entire review process will take approximately 5 full days.

Please be aware that the peer review will be conducted off-site (via the Internet). Peer reviewers will be trained via the Internet and facilitators will be trained on-site. By agreeing to serve, selected participants must be available and flexible for the entire process.

Reviewers should have experience implementing, documenting, or evaluating policies, programs, or practices at the national, state, district, or school level related to dropout prevention and recovery and improving the academic achievement of public middle and high school students. OESE is particularly seeking individuals who have experience and expertise in:

• Implementing recruitment programs to re-enroll out-of-school youth in school, i.e., identifying, tracking and recovering out-of-school youth;
• Implementing acceleration programs such as credit recovery; self-paced, on-line instructional programs; concurrent and dual credit programs to re-engage at-risk students and out-of-school youth;
• Improving the successful participation of low-income students in service coordination programs that provide information, referral, placement and case management for educational, social, and health services to out-of-school youth or those who are at-risk of dropping out;
• Implementing personalized support strategies such as adult mentor-advocates or career and college access program specialists to strengthen academic support for students in high schools; Implementing public/private partnerships with entities such as business and industry, civic organizations, foundations, and community- and faith-based organizations, among other private-sector entities;
• Increasing the academic achievement of low-income and minority adolescents in reading and mathematics;
• Effective early intervention programs designed to identify and address the needs of students are at risk of dropping out;
• Effective programs serving at-risk students, such as English language learners, homeless youth, recent immigrants, students with disabilities, and pregnant and parenting teenagers, that are designed to prevent such students from dropping out of school and enable them to graduate from high school;
• Implementing academic transition programs that help students successfully transition from middle school to high school.
• Alternative school programs that have been successful in preparing students for, and enrolling in, postsecondary education and training; or;
• Implementing comprehensive, district-wide strategies to reform high schools and prepare all students for postsecondary education and careers without need for remediation;
• Facilitating education focus groups and stakeholder meetings with a public education background.

The resume or CV also must include:

• Education: A list of all postsecondary degrees earned by the individual, including the year each degree was awarded, the institution that awarded the degree, and major area of study.
• Current position: The title of the individual's current position, the name of the individual's employer, and a summary of the individual's duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Individuals who are consultants must identify their most recent clients and describe the services they provided to them in order to be considered.
• Previous positions: A list and description of each of the professional positions the individual has held over the last 15 years, including the title of each position, the employer, dates of employment, and a summary of the individual’s duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments.
  
• Publications: If applicable, a list of relevant articles or books the individual authored or co-authored, including the title, publisher, and date of publication.
• Contact information: The individual's preferred postal and email addresses and works, home, and fax telephone numbers.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Peer reviewers and panel facilitators must be proficient PC and Internet users.

Some individuals may have a conflict of interest that disqualifies them from participating as reviewers. An individual may not serve as a reviewer, and will not be considered, if a local educational agency submits a grant application for the HSGI competition that:

• The individual helped to develop; or
• If funded, would benefit the individual or his/her spouse financially.

You may also direct any peer review or grant competition questions to hsgi@ed.gov.

Download the checklist
MS WORD (150K) (May 7, 2010)