[Federal Register: October 13, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 197)] [Notices] [Page 55605-55607] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr13oc99-114] [[Page 55605]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part IV Department of Education _______________________________________________________________________ Visiting Scholars Fellowship Program, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000; Notice [[Page 55606]] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA No.: 84.309V] Visiting Scholars Fellowship Program, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 Purpose of Program: The OERI Visiting Scholars Fellowship Program allows individuals to conduct educational research at the OERI national research institutes in Washington, DC for up to 12 months. For FY 2000 we encourage applicants to design projects that address the invitational priorities in the Priorities section of this application notice. Aside from carrying out their research, fellows are expected to interact in a collegial manner with OERI staff and be available to share their insights and expertise when needed. At the onset of their fellowship, fellows will work with their institute directors to establish a schedule for their research projects and regular office hours, and will discuss the manner in which their stay may be mutually beneficial to the fellow and OERI. Administration of Program: This fellowship competition will be administered by the National Research Council (the Council). The Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the Federal Government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Eligible Applicants: Scholars, researchers, policymakers, educational practitioners, librarians, or statisticians who are engaged in the use, collection, and dissemination of information about education and educational research. Applications Available: October 29, 1999. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 24, 2000. Note: Decisions on awards will be announced by the Council by April 2000, and fellows will be able to commence their appointments anytime between June 2000 and September 2000. Available Funds: $500,000 (FY 1998 funds). Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000-$100,000 per fellow. Estimated Average Size of Awards: $75,000. Estimated Number of Awards: 5 to 8. Project Period: Up to 12 months. Note: Neither the U.S. Department of Education, nor the Council, is bound by any estimates in this notice. Applicable Regulations: See explanation under Supplementary Information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OERI is authorized to make fellowship awards to visiting scholars under section 931(c)(1)(E) of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994, 20 U.S.C. 6001 et seq. This statute states, in relevant part, that the fellowships ``shall be awarded competitively following the publication of a notice in the Federal Register inviting the submission of applications.'' OERI made a grant to the National Research Council to carry out this activity pursuant to the regulations in 34 CFR part 700 and the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR part 75. OERI is publishing this application notice on behalf of the Council. The Council will fund applications for fellowships for the OERI national research institutes. General procedures governing the application process and the evaluation and selection of fellows can be found in the 1999 Program Announcement, prepared by the Council. The announcement is available on the web site http://fellowships.nas.edu and is also available from the address and telephone number listed at the end of this notice. More specific procedures governing the panel review process will be available from the Council after all applications have been received. The regulations in 34 CFR part 700 and in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) govern the grant relationship between OERI and the Council and apply to the Council's administration of Federal funds under the grant. Priorities Invitational Priorities The Council is particularly interested in applications that meet one or both of the following priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets one or both of these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications. Invitational Priority 1--Issues Related to How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience OERI's research priorities include work that relates to two recent reports published by the National Academy of Sciences. The first study is entitled: How People Learn: Brain, Mind Experience, and School, which is available online at http://www.nap.edu. The Academy study recommends important future research related to human learning. The report calls for more detailed research regarding matters such as the role of learners' prior knowledge in acquiring new information, the importance of social and cultural contexts to learning, understanding how learning is transferred, how learning is related to a discipline and how time, familiarity, and exploration impact fluency in learning. The report calls for new approaches to the learning sciences such as neuroscience and cognitive science, helping basic researchers and educational researchers to work together, including teachers in the process, melding qualitative and quantitative methods, and designing and implementing new statistical techniques and qualitative measures as needed to more effectively study the complex area of human learning. After How People Learn: (Brain, Mind, Experience and School) was released, OERI posed the next questions, ``What research and development could help incorporate the insights from the report into classroom practice?'' In response to this question, the Academy published, How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice. This study is also available online at http://www.nap.edu. Applicants are invited to discuss in their applications how their work relates to these reports. Projects may focus on any aged learners, including preschoolers, those in the K-12 years, those in postsecondary institutions, and other adult learners. The projects proposed by the applicants must include specific research to be conducted while at OERI, and the application must discuss ways in which the fellows' stay will be mutually beneficial. Invitational Priority 2--Traditionally Underrepresented Groups and Institutions Based on section 931(c)(5) of OERI's authorizing statute, the Council also invites applications from groups of researchers or institutions that have been historically underutilized in Federal educational research activities. The groups and institutions include: [[Page 55607]] Women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native American Indians, and Alaskan Natives or other ethnic minorities; promising young or new researchers in the field, such as postdoctoral students and recently appointed assistant or associate professors, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges, Hispanic serving institutions, community colleges, and other institutions of higher education with large numbers of minority students; institutions of higher education located in rural areas; and institutions and researchers located in States and regions of the United States which have historically received the least Federal support for educational research and development. Applicants are invited to propose projects that are designed to increase the participation in the activities of the institutes of the groups and institutions described in the previous paragraph. Evaluation and Selection of Fellows: According to the Council's 1999 Program Announcement for the OERI Visiting Scholars Fellowship Program, qualifications of applications will be evaluated by panels of distinguished scholars selected by the Council. The evaluation of applications will be based on achievement, experience, and training as evidenced by the application materials submitted, and by the importance of the proposed work to the field of education and the goals of the OERI. Promising new talent is especially welcomed. Panelists will carefully consider the application, proposed project plan, letters of recommendation, and other supporting documentation. The quality of the proposed project and the appropriateness of the proposed study at the OERI will also be carefully reviewed. The final selection of fellows, based on the panelists' recommendations, will be made by the National Research Council. The Council will establish the specific procedures governing the panel review process in a 1999 ``Guide for Panelists'' after the number and composition of the applications have been determined. For Further Information or Applications Contact: Craig Gidney, The Fellowship Program, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20418. Telephone: (202) 334-2872. The e-mail address for Mr. Gidney is: c__gidney@ nas.edu. 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) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 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 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. 6001 et seq. (OERI) and 36 U.S.C. 253 (National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council). Dated: October 7, 1999. C. Kent McGuire, Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement. [FR Doc. 99-26686 Filed 10-12-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P