[Federal Register: February 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 32)]
[Notices]
[Page 7639-7642]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16fe07-67]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; Grant
Competition for the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education
Exchange Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.304A.
Dates:
Applications Available: February 16, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 2, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 1, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Organizations in the United States experienced
in the development of curricula and programs in civic and government
education and economic education for students in elementary schools and
secondary schools in countries other than the United States, to carry
out civic education activities.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration's budget request for
FY 2007 does not include funds for this program. However, we are
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant
process before the end of the current fiscal year, if Congress
appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$1,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,000,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1-2.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Cooperative Civic Education and Economic
Education Exchange Program provides grants to improve the quality of
civic education through cooperative civic education exchange programs
with emerging democracies.
Priority: This competition includes one absolute priority and one
invitational priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), the
absolute priority is from section 2345(c) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 6715(c)). To be
considered for funding, each applicant must address the absolute
priority. The priorities are as follows.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2007, this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Each applicant must propose to carry out each of the following
activities:
(1) Provide to the participants from eligible countries--
(A) Seminars on the basic principles of United States
constitutional democracy, including seminars on the major governmental
institutions and systems in the United States, and visits to such
institutions;
(B) Visits to school systems, institutions of higher education, and
nonprofit organizations conducting exemplary programs in civics and
government education, in the United States;
(C) Translations and adaptations with respect to United States
civics and government education, curricular programs for students and
teachers, and in the case of training programs for teachers,
translations and adaptations into forms useful in schools in eligible
countries, and joint research projects in such areas; and
(D) Independent research and evaluation assistance to determine the
effects of the cooperative education exchange programs on students'
development of the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential
for the
[[Page 7640]]
preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy.
(2) Provide to the participants from the United States--
(A) Seminars on the histories and systems of government of eligible
countries;
(B) Visits to school systems, institutions of higher education, and
organizations conducting exemplary programs in civics and government
education, located in eligible countries;
(C) Assistance from educators and scholars in eligible countries in
the development of curricular materials on the history and government
of such countries that are useful in United States classrooms;
(D) Opportunities to provide onsite demonstrations of United States
curricula and pedagogy for educational leaders in eligible countries;
and
(E) Independent research and evaluation assistance to determine the
effects of the cooperative education exchange programs assisted through
this grant on students' development of the knowledge, skills, and
traits of character essential for the preservation and improvement of
constitutional democracy.
(3) Assist participants from eligible countries and the United
States to participate in international conferences on civics and
government education for educational leaders, teacher trainers,
scholars in related disciplines, and educational policymakers.
Invitational Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
Invitational Priority--Performance Data
The Secretary is particularly interested in projects that use pre-
and post-intervention testing, or more rigorous methods, to measure the
effects of the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education
Exchange Program on the knowledge and skills of students and the
classroom practice(s) of participating teachers.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6711-6716.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration's budget request for
FY 2007 does not include funds for this program. However, we are
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant
process before the end of the current fiscal year, if Congress
appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$1,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,000,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1-2.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Organizations in the United States
experienced in the development of curricula and programs in civics and
government education and economic education for students in elementary
schools and secondary schools in countries other than the United
States.
2. Eligible Country: For the purpose of this grant competition, the
term eligible country means a Central European country, an Eastern
European country, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the independent states of
the former Soviet Union as defined in section 3 of the FREEDOM Support
Act (22 U.S.C. 5801), the Republic of Ireland, the province of Northern
Ireland in the United Kingdom, and any developing country (as such term
is defined in section 209(d) of the Education for the Deaf Act, 20
U.S.C. 4359a(d)) if the Secretary, with the concurrence of the
Secretary of State, determines that such developing country has a
democratic form of government. A list of the countries is included in
the application package.
3. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
4. Other: Primary participants in the cooperative education
exchange programs assisted through this grant shall be educational
leaders in the areas of civics and government education, including
teachers, curriculum and teacher training specialists, scholars in
relevant disciplines, educational policymakers, and government and
private sector leaders from the United States and eligible countries.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package: To request an
application and further information contact Rita Foy Moss, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E247,
Washington, DC 20202, Telephone: (202) 205-8061 or by e-mail:
rita.foy.moss@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program person
listed in this section of the notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for the Cooperative Civic
Education and Economic Education Exchange Program competition.
Page Limit: The program narrative section should not exceed 25
double-spaced pages using standard font not smaller than 12-point, with
1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The narrative should
follow the format and sequence of the selection criteria.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: February 16, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 2, 2007.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov application site, or in paper
format by mail or hand delivery. For information about how to submit
your application electronically, or by mail, or by hand delivery,
please refer to section 6. Other Submission Requirements in this
notice.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under For Further Information Contact in Section VII
of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 1, 2007.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This Cooperative Civic Education and
Economic Education Exchange Program competition is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference applicable regulations that
address funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of
this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted
[[Page 7641]]
electronically or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. To comply with the
President's Management Agenda, we are participating as a partner in the
Government-wide Grants.gov Apply site. The Grant Competition for the
Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program,
CFDA Number 84.304A, is included in this project. We request your
participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Government-wide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov.
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Grant
Competition for the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education
Exchange Program at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the
downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search
(e.g., search for 84.304, not 84.304A).
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf
.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp
). These steps include (1)
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
submit all documents electronically, including all information you
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education
Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
If you submit your application electronically, you must
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If
you upload a file type other than the three file types specified in
this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review
that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed
elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.
[[Page 7642]]
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you submit your
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or
a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of
your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the
Department at the applicable following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.304A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.304A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If you submit
your application in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a courier
service) must deliver the original and two copies of your application
by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department
at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.304A), 550 12th Street, SW.,
Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from 34 CFR part 75.210 EDGAR and are listed in the application
package.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118. We also may require more frequent performance reports in
accordance with 34 CFR 75.720(c).
4. Performance Measure: If funded, applicants will be expected to
collect and report information pursuant to the statutory requirement
that all grantees provide independent research and evaluation
assistance to determine the effects of [the cooperative civic education
and economic education exchange program] on students' development of
the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential for the
preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy. In addition,
funded applicants responding to the Invitational Priority should
collect and submit data on the effects of the program on the knowledge
and skills of students, and the classroom practice(s) of participating
teachers.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Rita Foy Moss, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E247, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: (202) 205-8061 or by e-mail: rita.foy.moss@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 in this section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using 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.
You may also view this document in text or PDF at the following
site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/coopedexchange/index.html.
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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
Dated: February 9, 2007.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E7-2748 Filed 2-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P