[Federal Register: April 1, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 62)]
[Notices]
[Page 15836-15837]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01ap98-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.116P]
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)--
Special Focus Competition: Disseminating Proven Reforms Notice inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998
Purpose of Program: To provide grants or enter into cooperative
agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities by focusing
on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education, combinations
of those institutions, and other public and private nonprofit
educational institutions and agencies.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 5, 1998.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 4, 1998.
Applications Available: April 2, 1998.
Available Funds: $1,280,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $120,000-$180,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $160,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 8.
Project Period: 27 months.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Applicable Regulations
The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 85 and 86.
Priority
Invitational Priority
The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet
the following invitational priority. However, an application that meets
this invitational priority does not receive competitive or absolute
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Invitational Priority: Institutions with innovative postsecondary
education programs that became fully institutionalized between 1988 and
1997 are invited to apply for funds to disseminate their practices to
other campuses.
Methods for Applying Selection Criteria
The Secretary gives equal weight to the listed criteria. Within
each of the criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the
factors.
Selection Criteria
In evaluating applications for grants under this competition, the
Secretary uses the following selection criteria chosen from those
listed in 34 CFR 75.210:
(a) The need for the proposed project, as determined by--
(1) The magnitude or severity of the problem addressed by the
proposed project; and
(2) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
(b) The significance of the proposed project, as determined by--
(1) The potential contribution of the proposed project to increased
knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues, or
effective strategies;
(2) The extent to which the proposed project involves the
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on,
or are alternatives to, existing strategies;
(3) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in
teaching and student achievement; and
(4) The potential replicability of the proposed project or
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation
in a variety of settings.
(c) The quality of the design of the proposed project, as
determined by--
(1) 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;
(2) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable;
and
(3) The extent to which the design for implementing and evaluating
the proposed project will result in information to guide possible
replication of project activities or strategies, including information
about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the
project.
(d) The quality of the management plan for the proposed project, as
determined by 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.
(e) The quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed
project, as determined by--
(1) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel; and
(2) 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.
(f) The quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed
project, as determined by--
(1) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other
settings;
(2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project; and
(3) 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.
(g) The adequacy of resources for the proposed project, as
determined by--
(1) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the
proposed project;
(2) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the
objectives,
[[Page 15837]]
design, and potential significance of the proposed project;
(3) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in
the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project;
(4) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment,
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the
lead applicant organization; and
(5) The potential for continued support of the project after
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.
FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 600
Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 3100, ROB-3, Washington, D.C. 20202-
5175. You may also request applications by calling 202-358-3041 (voice
mail) or submitting the name of the competition and your name and
postal address to fipse@ed.gov (e-mail). Applications are also listed
on the FIPSE Web Site For
additional program information call Beverly Baker at the FIPSE office
(202-708-5750) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Eastern
time, Monday through Friday. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 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. 1135-1135a-11.
Dated: March 27, 1998.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 98-8525 Filed 3-31-98; 8:45 am]
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