[Federal Register: March 1, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 39)]
[Notices]
[Page 10075-10078]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01mr99-135]
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_______________________________________________________________________
Part III
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Office of Vocational And Adult Education; National Research Centers;
Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Vocational and Adult Education; National Research
Centers
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Compete the National Research Centers
(National Centers or Centers) and Request for Public Comment on the
Configuration of the National Centers.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (Secretary) intends to establish
one or more National Centers to carry out research, development,
evaluation, demonstration, dissemination, and professional development
activities designed to improve academic, vocational, and technical
education in secondary and postsecondary institutions to prepare
students for postsecondary education, careers, and lifelong learning.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 31, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Dennis Berry,
Director of the Division of National Programs, Office of Vocational and
Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., (Room 4512, Mary E. Switzer Building), Washington, DC 20202-7242.
Internet address: Dennis__berry@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ricardo Hernandez, Office of
Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., (Room 4512, Mary E. Switzer Building),
Washington, DC 20202-7242. Telephone: 202-205-5977. Internet address:
Ricardo__hernandez@ed.gov. 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 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
time, Monday through Friday.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
General
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998
(Public Law 105-332) (Act), which was enacted October 31, 1998,
continues to authorize the Secretary to make one or more awards to
establish one or more National Centers to carry out research and
dissemination to assist State and local programs to improve the quality
and effectiveness of their vocational and technical education services
and activities. The Act lists the entities that are eligible to receive
an award to operate a National Center. In addition to institutions of
higher education, which were eligible under the previous legislation,
public or private nonprofit organizations or agencies, or consortia of
such institutions, organizations, or agencies, are now eligible to
compete to receive awards.
Invitation to Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding this notice.
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in room
4512, 330 C Street, SW, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m.
and 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except
Federal holidays.
On request, the Department supplies an appropriate aid, such as a
reader or print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments. An individual with a disability who
wants to schedule an appointment for this type of aid may call (202)
205-8113 or (202) 260-9895. An individual who uses a TDD may call the
Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339, between 8 a.m. and
8 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
Intent To Hold a Competition
The grants awarded to the University of California at Berkeley to
operate the current National Center for Research in Vocational
Education will end in December 1999. Before that time, the Secretary
will designate one or more new National Centers to carry out the
activities described in section 114(c)(5) of the Act. The Secretary
expects that the simultaneous operation of the old and new centers for
a short period will facilitate as seamless a transition as possible
with a minimum disruption of services. The Secretary intends to publish
a closing date notice in late spring or early summer of 1999 to
announce one or more competitions for funding the National Centers.
Applicants will be given approximately 60 days, from the date the
closing date notice is published in the Federal Register, to develop
and submit applications. Through this notice of intent, the Secretary
is providing early notification of the Department's plans to hold one
or more competitions under the authority of section 114(c)(5) and (6)
of the Act. The Secretary encourages interested institutions of higher
education, public or private nonprofit organizations or agencies, or
consortia of these institutions, organizations, or agencies, to begin
planning for the upcoming grant competitions.
Issues for Public Comment
The enactment of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical
Education Act of 1998 marks the beginning of new opportunities in
vocational and technical education. The Act recognizes that all
students must meet challenging academic standards and be prepared for
postsecondary education and lifelong learning and that all students
must prepare for careers--not just entry-level jobs. The Act challenges
the Department to provide leadership and be proactive in carrying out
its vision of vocational and technical education, and thereby assist
State and local programs to improve the quality and effectiveness of
vocational and technical education.
The Secretary believes National Centers have a unique role that
enables them to serve as effective catalysts for program improvement.
In this regard, the Secretary believes that in carrying out section
114(c)(5) of the Act, National Centers should--
(a) Build a knowledge base that is critical to increasing the
quality and improving the effectiveness of vocational and technical
education programs;
(b) Help to redefine vocational education and spearhead
conversations on reform;
(c) Conduct research that contributes significantly to both theory
and practice, especially in areas that are relevant to practitioners
and in emerging areas of practice that are not well defined; and
(d) Translate research into practice for teachers, counselors,
administrators, and policy makers through dissemination, professional
development, and technical assistance.
The Act specifically charges the Secretary with establishing one or
more National Centers to--
(a) Carry out research for the purpose of developing, improving,
and identifying the most successful methods for addressing the
education, employment, and training needs of participants in vocational
and technical education programs, including research and evaluation in
such activities as--
(1) The integration of vocational and technical instruction, and
academic, secondary and postsecondary instruction;
(2) Education technology and distance learning approaches and
strategies that are effective with respect to vocational and technical
education;
(3) ``State-adjusted levels of performance'' and ``State levels of
performance'' that serve to improve
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vocational and technical education programs and student achievement;
and
(4) Academic knowledge and vocational and technical skills required
for employment or participation in postsecondary education.
(b) Carry out research to increase the effectiveness and improve
the implementation of vocational and technical education programs,
including conducting research and development, and carrying out studies
that provide longitudinal information or formative evaluation with
respect to vocational and technical education programs and student
achievement.
(c) Carry out research that can be used to improve professional
development and learning in the vocational and technical education
classroom, including--
(1) Effective in-service and pre-service teacher education that
assists vocational and technical education systems; and
(2) Dissemination and training activities related to the applied
research and demonstration activities described in section 114(c) of
the Act, which may also include serving as a repository for information
on vocational and technical skills, State academic standards, and
related materials.
(d) Carry out any other research the Secretary determines
appropriate to assist State and local recipients of funds under the
Act.
(e) Carry out dissemination and training activities based upon the
research previously described.
The Secretary may also authorize Centers to--
(a) Carry out demonstration vocational and technical education
programs, to replicate model vocational and technical education
programs, to disseminate best practices information, and to provide
technical assistance upon request of a State, for the purposes of
developing, improving, and identifying the most successful methods and
techniques for providing vocational and technical education programs
assisted under the Act.
(b) Carry out a demonstration partnership project involving a 4-
year, accredited postsecondary institution, in cooperation with local
public education organizations, volunteer groups, and private-sector
business participants to provide program support, and facilities for
education, training, tutoring, counseling, employment preparation, and
specific skills training in emerging and established professions, and
for retraining of military medical personnel, individuals displaced by
corporate or military restructuring, and migrant workers, as well as
other individuals who otherwise do not have access to these services,
through multi-site, multi-State distance learning technologies.
1. Structuring the National Centers
In this notice, the Secretary presents a few options for
structuring these National Centers, to initiate discussion. However,
comments should not be limited to or restricted by the options and
questions presented.
Possible Structures
Generally, section 114(c)(5) and (6) of the Act provides for
research, development, evaluation, demonstration, dissemination, and
professional development activities to be carried out at the National
Centers. The Act requires each National Center to carry out
dissemination and training activities based on the research performed
by the Center. In addition, it authorizes the Secretary to support
dissemination separately, either through a demonstration program or a
Center. Should the Secretary decide to support a separate Center to
carry out dissemination and training activities, that Center would
provide a vehicle for a more comprehensive and extensive dissemination
of the research produced by the National Centers and other research or
information on successful practices.
Option 1. One center would carry out all of the activities
(research, development, demonstration, evaluation, comprehensive
dissemination, and professional development) of the National Centers.
Option 2. One center would carry out research, development,
demonstration, evaluation, dissemination and professional development
for secondary education issues.
A second center would carry out research, development,
demonstration, evaluation, dissemination and professional development
for postsecondary education issues.
A third center would carry out comprehensive dissemination
activities for both secondary and postsecondary education.
Option 3. One center would carry out research, development, and
dissemination on all issues.
A second center would carry out comprehensive dissemination and
professional development.
Option 4. One center would focus on long-range research allowing
for longitudinal studies, evaluations, or data collections, which
extend beyond a calendar year. Other long-range research might relate
to comprehensive demonstrations and validating promising practices. The
center would also carry out dissemination and professional development
activities that relate to its research.
A second center would focus on short-term research issues that
could be completed in a year or less. The center would also carry out
dissemination and professional development activities that relate to
its research.
A third center would carry out comprehensive dissemination and
professional development activities.
Option 5. One center would focus on academically oriented research
such as testing the efficacy of various theoretical approaches, or
measuring the effect of a specific educational initiative.
A second center would focus on applied research, demonstrations,
developing and improving successful methods, providing technical
assistance to States in developing and implementing measures of
performance, and evaluating program effectiveness.
Each center would carry out dissemination and professional
development activities that address its specific audiences.
Option 6. One center would focus on research (e.g., long-term,
short-term, applied, theoretical, evaluation, data analysis) and
demonstration issues. The center would also carry out dissemination and
professional development activities that relate to its research.
A second center would focus on professional development and
leadership issues, e.g., training education personnel to use the most
successful methods for addressing the education, employment, and
training needs of participants in vocational and technical education
programs, and offering pre-service and in-service training, including
internships and fellowships.
A third center would focus on comprehensive dissemination
activities.
2. Questions
In addition to inviting comments on the structure of the proposed
National Centers, the Secretary is also interested in receiving views
in response to several questions that relate to the scope of the
Centers:
(a) Are there specific research activities the Centers should
undertake in order to assist State and local vocational and technical
education programs?
(b) What theoretical and applied research should the Centers
undertake?
(c) What are effective ways to ensure maximum coordination and
synergy among the Centers if there is more than one Center?
(d) Should the National Centers provide technical assistance to
State and
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local programs in adopting/adapting successful practices? What types of
technical assistance are needed most?
(e) To what extent should the work of the Centers inform and be
informed by other similar international research institutes and
Centers?
(f) How should the relevance, quality, and timeliness of a Center's
work be measured in order to inform decisions on whether to continue a
National Center?
3. Naming the National Centers
The Secretary is also interested in receiving views on possible
names for the new National Centers. Changes in the legislation provide
new opportunities. A new name for the Centers could help to emphasize
the changes, opportunities and new thrusts of the Act. Previously, the
National Centers were called the ``National Center for Research in
Vocational Education''. A possible new name could be the ``National
Centers for Research in Technical and Professional Education''.
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 at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free, at 1-888-293-6498.
Anyone also may 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.
Additionally, this notice, as well as other documents concerning
the implementation of the national centers, is available on the World
Wide Web at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/
ncrperk111.html.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register.
Program Authority: Public Law 105-332.
Dated: February 24, 1999.
Patricia W. McNeil,
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 99-5011 Filed 2-26-99; 8:45 am]
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