[Federal Register: May 30, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 104)]
[Notices]
[Page 29300-29301]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30my01-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.282A]
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Public Charter
Schools Program--Field-Initiated National Activities Projects Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Public Charter Schools
Program (PCSP) is to increase national understanding of the charter
schools model by providing financial assistance for the planning,
program design, and initial implementation of charter schools;
evaluating the effects of charter schools; and disseminating
information about charter schools and successful practices in charter
schools.
Eligible Applicants: State and local educational agencies, public
and private nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education,
authorized public chartering agencies, charter school developers, and
public schools, including public charter schools. Eligible applicants
may also apply as a group, or consortium.
Applications Available: May 30, 2001.
Application packages will be available by mail and electronically
on the World Wide Web at the following sites:
http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps
http://www.uscharterschools.org
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 16, 2001.
Estimated Available Funds: $4 million.
Estimated Range of Awards: The size of awards will be commensurate
with the nature and scope of the work proposed.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000-$400,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 10-20.
Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of
potential applicants. The Department is not bound by any estimates
in this notice.
Budget Period: 12 months.
Project Period: Up to 24 months.
Page Limit: The application narrative may not exceed the equivalent
of 20 double-spaced pages, with printing on only one side of 8\1/2\ x
11-inch paper. Our reviewers will not read any pages of your
application that --
Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other
standards.
Thus, we will remove all pages in excess of the 20-page narrative
maximum or its equivalent.
Note: We have found that reviewers are able to conduct the
highest quality review when applications are concise and easy to
read. We strongly encourage applicants to use a 12-point or larger
size font, one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides, and
pages numbered consecutively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 10305 of the ESEA (National
Activities) authorizes the Secretary to award grants under the PCSP to
carry out national activities. For FY 2001, the Department is holding a
grant competition for field-initiated national activities projects.
Grants for national activities projects under the PCSP are highly
competitive. Strong applications for national activities grants clearly
address each of the applicable selection criteria. They make a well-
reasoned and compelling case for the national significance of the
problems or issues that will be the subject of the proposed project,
and present a project design that is complete, clearly delineated, and
incorporates sound implementation methods. In addition, the personnel
descriptions included in strong applications make it apparent that the
project director, principal investigator, and other key personnel
possess training and experience commensurate with their duties.
The project period of the grant may be from one to two years. In
the application, the project period should be divided into 12-month
budget periods. Each 12-month budget should be clearly delineated and
justified in terms of the proposed activities.
Allowable Activities: The following are examples of the types of
projects that could be supported with a national activities grant under
the PCSP (for the specific national activities authorized under the
PCSP, see section 10305(a) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 8065(a)):
(1) Access to Federal Funds. Disseminate information to charter
schools about federal programs in which they may be eligible to
participate and provide technical assistance to charter schools in
applying for federal funds.
(2) Research. Conduct evaluations or studies on various issues
concerning charter schools, such as student achievement, teacher
qualifications and retention, and the demographic makeup (e.g., age,
race, gender, disability, limited-English proficiency, and previous
public or private school enrollment) of charter school students.
(3) Technical Assistance and Planning. Assist charter school
developers with all aspects of planning, designing, and implementing a
charter school. Some areas in which newly created charter schools face
challenges include program design, curriculum development, defining the
school's mission, hiring staff, drafting charter applications, student
recruitment and admissions, public relations and community involvement,
governance, acquiring equipment and services, budget and finances,
facilities, assessment and accountability, parental involvement,
serving students with disabilities, and collaborating with other
entities to provide quality instruction and services.
(4) Best or Promising Practices. Disseminate information on best or
promising practices in charter schools to other public schools,
including charter schools.
(5) Facilities. Disseminate information about programs and
financial resources available to charter schools for facilities,
including information about successful programs and how charter schools
can access private capital.
[[Page 29301]]
Collaboration: We encourage collaboration in the development of
these projects. For example, charter school resource centers may
collaborate with successful charter schools to disseminate information
about the charter school's program; authorized institutions of higher
education may collaborate with authorized public chartering agencies to
develop methods for assessing student achievement in charter schools;
and charter schools may collaborate with each other to establish
networks to address some of the implementation issues facing newly
created charter schools.
Selection Criteria: The Secretary uses the selection criteria
published in 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications for grants under
the field-initiated national activities competition for FY 2001. The
application package includes the specific SELECTION CRITERIA and the
points assigned to each criterion.
Applicable Regulations and Statute: The Education Department
General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 76, 77,
79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, and 99. Title X, part C, Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, 20 U.S.C. 8061-
8067.
The following definitions are taken from the PCSP authorizing
statute, in title X, part C of the ESEA. They are being repeated in
this application notice for the convenience of the applicant.
Definitions
The following definitions apply to this program:
(a) Charter school means a public school that
(1) In accordance with a specific State statute authorizing the
granting of charters to schools, is exempted from significant State or
local rules that inhibit the flexible operation and management of
public schools, but not from any rules relating to the other
requirements of this definition;
(2) Is created by a developer as a public school, or is adapted by
a developer from an existing public school, and is operated under
public supervision and direction;
(3) Operates in pursuit of a specific set of educational objectives
determined by the school's developer and agreed to by the authorized
public chartering agency;
(4) Provides a program of elementary or secondary education, or
both;
(5) Is nonsectarian in its programs, admissions policies,
employment practices, and all other operations, and is not affiliated
with a sectarian school or religious institution;
(6) Does not charge tuition;
(7) Complies with the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and part B of the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act;
(8) Is a school to which parents choose to send their children, and
that admits students on the basis of a lottery, if more students apply
for admission than can be accommodated;
(9) Agrees to comply with the same Federal and State audit
requirements as do other elementary and secondary schools in the State,
unless the requirements are specifically waived for the purposes of
this program;
(10) Meets all applicable Federal, State, and local health and
safety requirements;
(11) Operates in accordance with State law; and
(12) Has a written performance contract with the authorized public
chartering agency in the State that includes a description of how
student performance will be measured in charter schools pursuant to
State assessments that are required of other schools and pursuant to
any other assessments mutually agreeable to the authorized public
chartering agency and the charter school.
(b) Developer means an individual or group of individuals
(including a public or private nonprofit organization), which may
include teachers, administrators and other school staff, parents, or
other members of the local community in which a charter school project
will be carried out.
(c) Eligible applicant means an authorized public chartering agency
participating in a partnership with a developer to establish a charter
school in accordance with title X, part C of the ESEA.
(d) Authorized public chartering agency means a State educational
agency, local educational agency, or other public entity that has the
authority under State law and is approved by the Secretary to authorize
or approve a charter school.
For Applications and Further Information Contact: Donna M. Hoblit,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3C148,
Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 205-9178. Internet address:
Donna.Hoblit@ed.gov
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) upon request to the contact person listed under For
Applications and Further Information Contact. 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
standard 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 PDF, call
the U.S. Government Printing Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of a document is the document
published in the Federal Register.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8061-8067.
Dated: May 24, 2001.
Thomas M. Corwin,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary
Education.
[FR Doc. 01-13551 Filed 5-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P