[Federal Register: May 5, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 86)] [Notices] [Page 24908-24910] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr05my98-128] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA No.: 84.297A] Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; The Native Hawaiian Curriculum Development, Teacher Training and Recruitment Program AGENCY: Department of Education. ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 1998. Purpose of Program: To award grants to Native Hawaiian educational organizations or educational entities with experience in developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or programs of instruction conducted in the Native Hawaiian language for: (1) The development of curricula to address the needs of Native Hawaiian elementary and secondary students, which may include programs of instruction conducted in the Native Hawaiian language and mathematics and science curricula incorporating the relevant application of Native Hawaiian culture and traditions; (2) preservice teacher [[Page 24909]] training to ensure that student teachers within the State, particularly those who are likely to be employed in schools with a high concentration of Native Hawaiian students, are prepared to better address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students within the context of Native Hawaiian culture, language, and traditions; (3) inservice teacher training to ensure that teachers, particularly those employed in schools with a high concentration of Native Hawaiian students, are prepared to better address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students within the context of Native Hawaiian culture, language, and traditions; and (4) teacher recruitment programs to enhance teacher recruitment within communities with a high concentration of Native Hawaiian students and to increase the numbers of teachers who are of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Consistent with this statutory purpose, the Secretary has established absolute priorities that will govern the distribution of funds under this program. Eligible Applicants: Native Hawaiian educational organizations or educational entities with experience in developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or programs of instruction conducted in the Native Hawaiian language. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 18, 1998. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 18, 1998. Applications Available: May 5, 1998. Available Funds: $2 million. Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2 awards in each of the three priority categories. Estimated Size of Awards: $660,000. Estimated Range of Awards: $330,000 to $660,000. Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of potential applicants. The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. Project Period: Up to 36 months. Applicable Regulations. The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, and 85. Absolute Priorities. The Secretary has published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register a notice of final priorities, which establishes absolute priorities in the following areas: (1) waste management innovation; (2) Native Hawaiian language revitalization curricula and teacher training and recruitment activities;, and (3) prisoner education programs. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary will fund under this competition only applicants that meet one of the absolute priorities. Statutory Priorities. In accordance with section 9209(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Secretary gives priority to awarding grants for activities that -- (1) Focus on the needs of at-risk youth; or (2) Employ a program of instruction conducted in the Native Hawaiian language. These statutory priorities are included in the selection criteria for this competition. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Applications will be reviewed on the basis of the absolute priorities and the selection criteria included in this notice. All funded projects must meet one of the absolute priorities. While applicants have discretion in determining how best to address the absolute priorities, the Secretary is particularly interested in receiving quality proposals that include the components described below. Funded proposals may lack some of these specific components, but address the absolute priorities in other effective ways. (1) Waste management treatment programs The Secretary believes that quality waste management treatment programs should investigate, describe, and document traditional Hawaiian practices of sustainable waste management. A successful applicant should have specific knowledge of the capacities of Native Hawaiian plants and animals to contribute to the management of modern waste materials. The applicant should have experience in educational programming, especially for elementary and secondary school grades, so that knowledge about traditional Hawaiian methods of sustainable waste management can be developed and used. The applicant should develop curricular materials based on the demonstration and use of Native Hawaiian plants and animals for waste treatment and environmental remediation, and have the capacity to develop operational demonstration projects that would show how traditional Hawaiian sustainable environmental methods can be adapted to modern waste treatment needs. (2) Native Hawaiian language revitalization curricula, teacher recruitment, and training programs The Secretary believes that applicants seeking funding for activities relating to Native Hawaiian language revitalization curricula, teacher recruitment, and training should coordinate these activities statewide to provide access to materials, training, and appropriate lexical development throughout the State. Applicants should provide evidence of demonstrated expertise in the production, illustration, field testing, proofreading, publishing, and distribution of quality printed, audio, video, and computerized Hawaiian language materials. Funded applicants should employ innovative strategies, including the modeling of total immersion in the Native Hawaiian language. (3) Prisoner education programs In Hawaii, the number of incarcerated Native Hawaiians, including Native Hawaiian juveniles, far exceeds their relative percentage in the State's population. The Secretary believes that a successful prisoner education program would target Native Hawaiian youth in districts with a high percentage and number of school dropouts and youth offenders. A funded applicant should have experience in working with and in encouraging the re-integration of youth offenders into the community in a culturally sensitive manner. To help ensure success of the program, funded applicants should work in partnership with the Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Office of Youth Services, and other appropriate agencies. A strong prisoner education program should focus on activities that will help re-integrate Native Hawaiian juvenile offenders and those at risk of becoming juvenile offenders into a school setting or into a career path. Selection Criteria The Secretary will use the following selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications under this competition. Under the criterion ``Quality of the project design'', the factors are weighed in accordance with the points indicated. With respect to the other criteria, the factors under each criterion are weighed equally. The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion, and the factors within each criterion, 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 significance of the problem or issue to be addressed by the proposed project. (ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in teaching and student achievement. [[Page 24910]] (b) Quality of the project design (35 points). (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. (2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors: (i) The extent to which the proposed project represents an exceptional approach for meeting statutory purposes and requirements. (10 points) (ii) The extent to which the proposed project represents an exceptional approach to the priorities established for the competition. (10 points) (iii) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (10 points) (iv) 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) (c) 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 underrepresented 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. (d) Adequacy of resources (5 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 applicant organization or the lead applicant organization. (ii) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project. (e) 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, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring 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. (f) Quality of the project evaluation (20 points). (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project. (2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors: (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies. (ii) 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. FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Beth Baggett, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Portals 4500, Washington, D.C. 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 260-2502. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday. 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 in the preceding paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package. Electronic Access to This Document Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm http://www.ed.gov/news.html To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498. Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone (202) 219-1511 or, toll free 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option G- Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases. Note: The official version of a document is the document published in the Federal Register. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7909. Dated: May 1, 1998. Gerald N. Tirozzi, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. [FR Doc. 98-11992 Filed 5-4-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P