[Federal Register: February 14, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 30)]
[Notices]
[Page 7372-7374]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14fe00-42]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant
Competition To Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among
College Students
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities, Proposed Definitions, and
Proposed Selection Criteria for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 and Subsequent
Years.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes priorities, definitions, and selection
criteria for FY 2000 and, at the discretion of the Secretary, for
subsequent years under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition to Prevent
High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College Students. The
Secretary takes this action to focus Federal financial assistance on an
identified national need. This competition seeks to prevent high-risk
drinking and violent behavior among college students.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 15, 2000.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities, proposed
definitions, and proposed selection criteria should be addressed to
Richard Lucey, Jr., U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW--Room 3E252, Washington, DC 20202-6123. Comments also may be sent
via the Internet: comments@ed.gov. You must include the phrase ``High-
Risk Drinking and Violence Prevention for IHEs'' in the subject line of
your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Lucey, Jr., (202) 205-5471.
Individuals who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate
format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the contact person listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation To Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding the proposed priorities, proposed
definitions, and proposed selection criteria. All comments submitted in
response to this notice will be available for public inspection, during
and after the comment period, at 400 Maryland Avenue, SW--Room
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3E252, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 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, the Department supplies an appropriate aid, such as a
reader or print magnifier, to an individual with a disability that
needs assistance to review the comments. An individual with a
disability who wants to schedule an appointment for this type of aid
may call (202) 205-8113 or (202) 260-9895. Individuals who use a
telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339.
Discussion of Priorities
We will announce the final priorities in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priorities 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, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Definitions
1. ``Two-year institutions of higher education (IHEs)'' are defined
as those IHEs or branches of IHEs that are public or private nonprofit
organizations and confer at least a two-year formal award (certificate,
diploma, or associate's degree), or have a two-year program creditable
toward a baccalaureate degree or higher award.
2. ``High-risk drinking'' is defined as those situations that may
involve but not be limited to: Binge drinking (commonly defined as five
or more drinks on any one occasion); underage drinking; drinking and
driving; situations when one's condition is already impaired by another
cause, such as depression or emotional stress; or combining alcohol and
medications, such as tranquilizers, sedatives, and antihistamines.
General
In making awards under this grant program, the Secretary may take
into consideration the geographic distribution of the projects in
addition to the rank order of applicants.
Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Secretary may make
additional awards in FY 2001 from the rank-ordered list of nonfunded
applications from this competition.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. A notice
inviting applications under this competition will be published in
the Federal Register concurrently with or following the publication
of the notice of final priorities. The notice inviting applications
will specify the date and time by which applications for this
competition must be received by the Department. Applications
received after that time will not be eligible for funding.
Postmarked dates will not be accepted.
Absolute Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and
Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary proposes
to give an absolute preference to applications that meet one or both of
the following priorities, and would fund under this competition only
those applications that meet one or both of the following absolute
priorities:
Absolute Priority #1--Develop or Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate
Campus-Based Strategies to Prevent High-Risk Drinking by College
Student Athletes, First-Year Students, or Students Attending Two-Year
Institutions
Under this proposed priority, applicants would be required to
propose projects that develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate
strategies to prevent high-risk drinking by college student athletes,
first-year students, or students attending two-year institutions of
higher education. Grant applicants would be required to:
(1) Identify the target population and provide a justification for
its selection;
(2) Provide evidence that a needs assessment has been conducted on
campus to document prevalence rates related to high-risk drinking by
the population selected;
(3) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will
be measured annually;
(4) Design and implement prevention strategies, using student input
and participation, that research has shown to be effective in
preventing high-risk drinking by the target population;
(5) Use a qualified evaluator to design and implement an evaluation
of the project using outcomes-based (summative) performance indicators
related to behavioral change and process (formative) measures that
assess and document the strategies used; and
(6) Demonstrate the ability to start the project within 60 days
after receiving Federal funding in order to maximize the time available
to show impact within the grant period.
Absolute Priority #2--Develop or Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate
Campus-Based Strategies to Prevent Violent Behavior by College Students
Under this proposed priority, applicants would propose projects
that would develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate strategies to
prevent violent behavior by college students. Grant applicants would be
required to:
(1) Provide evidence that a needs assessment has been conducted on
campus to document prevalence rates related to violent behavior;
(2) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will
be measured annually;
(3) Design and implement prevention strategies, using student input
and participation, that research has shown to be effective in
preventing violent behavior among college students;
(4) Use a qualified evaluator to design and implement an evaluation
of the project using outcomes-based (summative) performance indicators
related to behavioral change and process (formative) measures that
assess and document the strategies used; and
(5) Demonstrate the ability to start the project within 60 days
after receiving Federal funding in order to maximize the time available
to show impact within the grant period.
Selection Criteria
The Secretary proposes to use the following selection criteria to
evaluate applications for new grants under this competition. The
maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The maximum
score for each criterion or factor under that criterion is indicated in
parentheses.
(1) Need for project. (15 points)
In determining the need for the proposed project, the following
factors are considered:
(a) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the
proposed project. (10 points)
(b) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services,
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude
of those gaps or weaknesses. (5 points)
(2) Significance. (20 points)
In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
following factors are considered:
(a) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system
change or improvement. (5 points)
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(b) The potential contribution of the proposed project to the
development and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the
field of study. (10 points)
(c) 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. (5 points)
(3) Quality of the project design. (30 points)
In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project,
the following factors are considered:
(a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(10 points)
(b) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target
population or other identified needs. (5 points) a)
(c) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (10 points)
(d) The extent to which the proposed project will establish
linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing
services to the target population. (5 points)
(4) Quality of project personnel. (10 points)
In determining the quality of project personnel, the following
factors are considered:
(a) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability. (3 points)
(b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel. (7 points)
(5) Quality of the project evaluation. (25 points)
In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors
are considered:
(a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project. (10 points)
(b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of 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. (10 points)
(c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)
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.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
Electronic Access To This Document
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Note: The official version of this document is the document
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(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184H Office of
Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition
to Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College
Students)
Dated: February 8, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-3387 Filed 2-11-00; 8:45 am]
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