Office of Innovation and Improvement--Professional Development for Arts Educators; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003; CFDA No.: 84.351C [OII]

[Federal Register: May 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 95)]
[Notices]
[Page 26951-26954]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16my03-165]

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Part VIII

Department of Education

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Office of Innovation and Improvement--Professional Development for Arts
Educators; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2003; Notice

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.351C]

Office of Innovation and Improvement--Professional Development
for Arts Educators; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

Purpose of Program: This program is authorized under Subpart 15 of
Part D of Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA),
as amended by Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Through this competition, the Secretary will make grants to eligible
entities for the implementation of high-quality professional
development programs in elementary and secondary education. This
program will fund model professional development programs for music,
dance, drama, and visual arts educators that use innovative
instructional methods, especially those linked to scientifically-based
research.
The Professional Development for Arts Educators Program provides
resources that LEAs can use in pursuit of the objectives of the No
Child Left Behind Act which aims for all elementary and secondary
students to achieve high standards. In particular, this program
provides an opportunity for eligible entities to create new programs in
schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring
under Title I, Part A of the ESEA.
Eligible Applicants: A local educational agency (LEA), including
charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law and
regulations, acting on behalf of an individual school or schools where
75 percent or more of the children are from low-income families, based
on the poverty criteria described in Title I, Section 1113(a)(5) of the
ESEA, in collaboration with at least one of the following: (1) An
institution of higher education; (2) a State educational agency; or (3)
a public or private non-profit agency with a history of providing high-
quality professional development services to public schools. Only
schools where 75 percent or more of the children served are from low-
income families may receive services under this program. Each school
served through this program must submit evidence that it meets the
poverty criteria. Applicants may submit records kept for the purpose of
Title I of the ESEA that demonstrate proof of eligibility for each
school to be served.

Note: The LEA must serve as the fiscal agent for the program.

Applications Available: 5-16-03.
Notification of Intent to Apply for Funding: The Department will be
able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant
applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities
that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the
Department by e-mail that it intends to submit an application for
funding. The Secretary requests that this e-mail notification be sent
no later than June 16, 2003 to the following Internet address:
lynyetta.johnson@ed.gov. Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still
apply for funding.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: 7-10-03.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: 9-8-03.
Available Funds: Approximately $4.4 million.
Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000--$325,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $290,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 14-17.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice. Funding for the second and third years is subject to the
availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards (34
CFR 75.253).

Page Limit: The program narrative is limited to no more than 40
pages. The page limit applies to the narrative section only. All of the
application narrative must be included in the narrative section. If the
narrative section of an application exceeds the page limitation, the
application will not be reviewed. In addition, the following standards
are required: (1) Each ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'' (on one side only) with
one inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); (2) double space (no more
than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application
narrative including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, and
captions as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs;
and (3) use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller than
10 pitch (characters per inch).
Project Directors Meeting: Applicants are encouraged to budget for
a two-day project directors meeting in Washington, DC.
Applicable Regulations and Statute: (a) Regulations. The Education
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts
74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) Statute. Title
V, Part D, Subpart 15, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as
reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary
considers only applications that meet the following absolute priority:
Professional development programs designed for K-12 arts teachers
that focus on--
(1) The development, enhancement, or expansion of standards-based
arts education programs; or
(2) The integration of arts instruction into other subject area
content.
Funded projects must address all aspects of high-quality
professional development programs as described under the PROGRAM GOALS
section of this notice.
Invitational Priority. The Secretary is particularly interested in
applications that meet the following priority.
Invitational Priority. A project that provides for alternative
routes to teacher certification or licensure through comprehensive,
high-quality training programs in order to place music, drama, dance,
and visual arts teachers in the classroom as soon as possible.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), the Secretary does not give an
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use the following selection
criteria to evaluate applications under this competition. The maximum
score for all selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for
each criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the criterion. The
criteria are as follows:
(a) Significance (15 points). The Secretary considers the
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the proposed project involves the
development of promising new strategies that build on, or are
alternatives to, existing strategies.
(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.
(b) Quality of the Project Design (15 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of the project design of the proposed project. In
determining the quality of the project design, the Secretary considers
the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the proposed project represents an
exceptional approach for meeting the priority established for the
competition.

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(ii) The quality of the methodology to be employed in the proposed
project.
(c) Quality of Project Services (10 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of project services to be provided by the
proposed project. In determining the quality of the services to be
provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality
and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment
for eligible project participants without regard to race, color,
national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed
project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective
practices.
(ii) The extent to which the professional development services to
be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient quality,
intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice among the
recipients of those services.
(d) Quality of Project Personnel (15 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed
project. In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age,
or disability. In addition, the Secretary considers the following
factors:
(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel.
(ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and
experience, of subcontractors.
(e) Adequacy of Resources (15 points). The Secretary considers the
adequacy of resources for the proposed project. 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 lead applicant organization.
(ii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to
the number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and
benefits.
(f) Quality of the Management Plan (15 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
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 continuous 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.
(g) Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of the project evaluation. In determining the
quality of the project evaluation, the Secretary considers the
following factors:
(i) 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.
(ii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other
settings.
Program Goals: This program supports the strengthening of
standards-based arts education programs, which are an integral part of
elementary and secondary school curricula. It also helps ensure that
all students meet challenging State academic content standards and
challenging State student academic achievement standards in the arts.
Professional development activities that are developed, enhanced, or
expanded through this program will assist music, dance, drama, and
visual arts teachers in the implementation of arts education standards
and will promote the integration of arts instruction into other subject
areas.
Arts content and achievement standards have been voluntarily
adopted in many States throughout the country. These standards help
school districts to establish student performance standards based upon
the unique needs of, and desired outcomes for, the students in their
communities. The development and implementation of standards-based arts
programs enable arts educators to assess and document the effectiveness
of teaching strategies and materials in addition to student
achievement. However, teachers often need professional development on
how to implement art education standards for both arts programs and for
programs designed to integrate arts into other subject areas.
High-quality professional development programs supported under this
program must be linked to the implementation of arts standards and/or
the integration of arts into other content areas and must include--
(1) Strategies for addressing student achievement;
(2) Strategies for meeting the needs of students who come from
diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
(3) The development of the intellectual and leadership potential of
teachers;
(4) Rigorous and sustained activities that result in increased
content area knowledge and classroom effectiveness of music, dance,
drama, and visual arts teachers;
(5) Use of technological innovations relevant to arts instruction;
and
(6) Increased opportunities for teachers to share and discuss new
methods or teaching strategies with their peers.
The Department plans to disseminate information regarding promising
teaching methods or practices that are developed or enhanced through
this program to the arts education community and to the public in
general.
Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the ESEA, the
Secretary requires that each entity funded under this program
coordinate, to the extent practicable, each project or program carried
out with such assistance with appropriate activities of public or
private cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, including
museums, arts education associations, libraries, and theaters.
Supplement, Not Supplant, Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(2) of
the ESEA, the Secretary requires that assistance provided under this
program be used only to supplement, and not to supplant, other
assistance or funds made available from non-Federal sources for the
activities assisted under this subpart.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: In accordance with the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the
Secretary to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on
proposed rules. Section 437(d)(2) of the General Education Provisions
Act (GEPA), however, exempts from rulemaking requirements rules where
the Secretary determines that such requirements will cause extreme
hardship to the intended beneficiaries of the program affected by the
regulations. The requirements of rulemaking would cause extreme
hardship in this case because there is insufficient time to publish
rules for notice and comment and to conduct a timely competition for
grant awards. The Secretary, in accordance with section 437(d)(2) of
GEPA, to ensure

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timely and high-quality awards, has decided to forgo public comment on
the rules in this notice. These rules will apply only to the FY 2003
grant competition.
For Applications Contact: Education Publication Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734. You may also
contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pbs/edpubs.html. Or
you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp. Or
you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.351C.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynyetta Johnson, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E206 FB-6, Washington, DC
20202-6140. Telephone: (202) 260-1990 or via Internet:
lynyetta.johnson@ed.gov. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you 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) on 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 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
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Note: The official version of this document is the document
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Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7271.

Dated: May 12, 2003.
Nina Rees,
Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 03-12284 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]

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