[Federal Register: December 8, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 235)] [Notices] [Page 68927-68929] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr08de99-108] [[Page 68927]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part V Department of Education _______________________________________________________________________ Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the Improvement of Education: Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Projects; Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 2000; Notice [[Page 68928]] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA No.: 84.215V] Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the Improvement of Education: Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Projects; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) is to support nationally significant programs to improve the quality of education, assist all students to meet challenging State content standards, and contribute to the achievement of the National Education Goals. The purpose of this competition is to support pilot projects that design and implement character education programs as a way to address the broader FIE objectives. Eligible Applicants: Only State educational agencies, in partnership with one or more local educational agencies, may apply for grants under this program. The term ``State educational agency'' means the agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of public elementary and secondary schools (20 U.S.C. 8011 (28)). The term ``local educational agency'' means-- (1) A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for such combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools. (2) The term includes any other public institution or agency having administrative control and direction of a public elementary or secondary school. (3) The term includes an elementary or secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs but only to the extent that such inclusion makes such school eligible for programs for which specific eligibility is not provided to such school in another provision of law and such school does not have a student population that is smaller than the student population of the local educational agency receiving assistance under this chapter with the smallest student population, except that such school shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of any State educational agency other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs (20 U.S.C. 8011 (18)). Applications Available: 12/13/1999. Deadline for Receipt of Applications: 02/11/2000. We must receive all applications on or before this date. This requirement takes exception to the Education Department General Administrative regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR 75.102. Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations. However, this exception to EDGAR makes procedural changes only and does not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement has determined that proposed rulemaking is not required. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: 4/11/2000. Available Funds: Up to $2,000,000. Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$1,000,000. Estimated Average Size of Awards: $350,000. Maximum Award: We will reject an application that proposes a budget exceeding a total of $1,000,000 for the entire project period. Estimated Number of Awards: Up to 10. Budget Period: 12 months. Project Period: Up to 60 months. Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 98, and 99; and (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 299. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The statute governing the Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Projects program limits the total amount awarded to any State to $1,000,000 and the funding period to five years, of which not more than one year may be used for planning and program design. Each applicant, operating within these parameters, may, in designing character education activities, determine the combination of funds and time that is most appropriate. For example, one applicant may request $500,000 per year for two years, another may request $100,000 for the first year, $400,000 for the second and third years, and $100,000 for the fourth year, and a third may request $200,000 per year for five years. In preparing your application, you should take special care to provide a timeline and a narrative that explains the costs requested for each budget period. Under the Character Education program, State educational agencies provide technical and professional assistance to local educational agencies in the development and implementation of curriculum materials, teacher training, and other activities related to character education. You must propose projects designed to develop character education programs that incorporate the following elements of character: (a) Caring. (b) Civic virtue and citizenship. (c) Justice and fairness. (d) Respect. (e) Responsibility. (f) Trustworthiness. (g) Any other elements deemed appropriate by the members of the partnership. Other program requirements are described in the application package. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly Farrar, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 502J, Washington, DC 20208- 5645. Telephone: (202) 219-1301. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. FOR APPLICATIONS CONTACT: Education Publications 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 via its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/ pubs/edpubs.html 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 84.215V. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Individuals with disabilities also 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 Portable [[Page 68929]] Document Format (PDF) on the Internet 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 (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530. Note: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http:// www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8003. Dated: December 3, 1999. C. Kent McGuire, Assistant Secretary Office of Educational Research and Improvement. [FR Doc. 99-31775 Filed 12-7-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P