Office of Elementary and Secondary Education-Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs-Federal Activities Grants Program

AGENCY:

Department of Education

ACTION:

Notice of proposed priority and selection criteria for fiscal year 2000 and subsequent years.

SUMMARY:

The Secretary announces a proposed priority, eligible applicants, and selection criteria for fiscal year (FY) 2000 and, at the discretion of the Secretary, for subsequent years under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) National Programs—Federal Activities Grants Program. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal financial assistance on an identified national need—the development and dissemination of a newsletter with information about effective practices to prevent drug use and violent behavior among youth. The Challenge newsletter will provide a communication link on current and future program directions, research-based activities, and other information related to effective drug and violence prevention strategies between the U.S. Department of Education and State and local education agencies and other public and private organizations involved with safe and drug-free schools programs.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants under this competition are public and private nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Invitation to Comment: Interested persons are invited to submit comments and recommendations regarding this proposed priority. All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 3E310, 400 Maryland Avenue, 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 (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

DATES:

Comments must be received by the Department on or before February 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be addressed to Gail Beaumont, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E310, Washington, DC 20202-6123. Comments may be sent through the Internet: comments@ed.gov. You must include the term “Federal Activities Grants Program” in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gail Beaumont, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Programs, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E310, Washington, DC 20202-6123, (202) 260-3954. Fax: (202) 260-7767. Internet: http//www.ed.gov/​offices/​OESE/​SDFS.

Individuals who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed above.

Note:

This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or following the publication of the notice of final priorities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice contains one proposed priority for fiscal year 2000, and related selection criteria. Under the absolute priority, the Secretary intends to award one cooperative agreement for up to 36 months; this cooperative agreement will support a means of communicating with the field on current and future program directions, research-based activities, and other information related to effective drug and violence prevention practices through The Challenge newsletter. The primary audience for The Challenge is classroom teachers.

Applicants must demonstrate extensive knowledge of elements of effective drug and violence prevention programs and current research in the area of drug and violence prevention programs and current research in the area of drug and violence prevention. Funds under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program reach 97 percent of the nation's school districts. While most school districts have implemented drug and violence prevention activities in some form, too often these activities are narrow in scope and are not based on science. Many school districts lack data on the effects of their drug and violence prevention programs on student behavior. They need information about programs that have proven to be effective or promising that they can adopt for their students. Although research exists on drug and violence prevention strategies that have positive results, too often this research is not known to school personnel, and does not get translated into practice. The Challenge will provide classroom teachers and other professionals with information about effective or promising drug and violence prevention programs and strategies, articles by experts in the prevention field, and other timely information covering a broad range of topics that comprise the expanding knowledge base on drug and violence prevention.

With regard to content, the following information describes examples of topics and types of articles that have been featured in past issues of The Challenge:

• Information about principles of effective drug and violence prevention programs.
• Key elements or characteristics of successful drug and violence prevention programs.
• Research studies and data related to drug and violence prevention.
• Articles by recognized experts in fields related to safe and drug-free schools.
• Articles describing model programs.
• Information that describes discretionary grant activities funded under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, National Programs, including resources and products resulting from the activities.
• Timely information on special topics such as emerging trends in use of specific drugs, or early warning signs of violent behavior.
• Resources and helplines for obtaining information and materials on drug and violence prevention.

While applicants are expected to address in their applications the topics and types of articles described in the above list, the list is by no means comprehensive. Applicants are encouraged to offer suggestions on ways to communicate with the field on key issues.

Frequency of past publication of The Challenge has ranged from 6-10 times per year, and the number of pages has ranged from 4-26 pages per issue. The number of copies has been 50,000 per issue. These numbers are offered as guides based on past practice, and are not requirements of the current competition. Applicants are encouraged to offer suggestions regarding the length and frequency of publication, as well as number of copies per issue and dissemination plan.

The applicant funded under the absolute priority in this notice will have the responsibility to design, develop, publish, disseminate, and manage all aspects of The Challenge consistent with the specific requirements in the absolute priority below. In submitting their proposals for funding, applicants are encouraged to offer suggestions and ideas for The Challenge in addition to those specified in the absolute priority.

Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary gives an absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. The Secretary funds under this competition only applications that meet this absolute priority. Under the absolute funding priority for this competition, applicants must propose projects that:

(1) Design, develop, publish, and disseminate The Challenge, a newsletter for educators, prevention specialists, and other professionals in fields related to education and drug and violence prevention to provide information above effective practices to prevent drug use and violent behavior among youth.

(2) Manage all aspects of The Challenge, including developing contents of each issue, writing or soliciting articles for each issue, preparing artwork, handling all design and pre-production tasks, and printing and mailing.

(3) Create, maintain, and expand a subscriber data base for ED.

(4) Evaluate on an ongoing basis the impact of The Challenge on the intended audience, and use evaluation results for continuous improvement of the newsletter.

(5) Develop, create, and maintain a Web site to post each issue and receive reader comments and suggestions.

(6) Agree to have content of the newsletter reviewed and approved by the Department of Education prior to publication.

Selection Criteria

The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate applications for one cooperative agreement under this competition. The maximum score for all these criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion or factor under that criterion is indicated in parentheses.

(1) Significance. (10 points)

In determining the significance of the proposed project, the following factor is considered: The potential contribution of the proposed project to increased knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues, or effective strategies.

(2) Quality of the project design. (30 points)

In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the following factors are considered:

(a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (10)

(b) 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. (5)

(c) The extent to which the proposed project represents an exceptional approach to the priority or priorities established for the competition. (15)

(3) Adequacy of resources. (10 points)

In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the following factor is considered: The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.

(4) Quality of management plan. (25 points)

In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the following factors are considered.

(a) 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. (5)

(b) The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-quality products and services from the proposed project, including qualifications and experience of key personnel in writing and editing newsletters for education, prevention and related fields. (10)

(c) The extent to which the time commitments of the project director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project. (5)

(d) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of students, faculty, parents, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate. (5)

(5) Quality of project evaluation. (25 points)

In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors are considered:

(a) The extent to which the evaluation plan provides for an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of The Challenge newsletter, and its impact on the intended audience. (10)

(b) The extent to which the evaluation results will be used for continuous improvement of The Challenge. (5)

(c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are appropriate to the context within which the project operates. (5)

(d) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assignment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. (5)

Intergovernmental Review

This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The objective of the executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and local government for coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

In accordance with this order, this document is intended to provide early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for this program.

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, D.C. 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. 7131.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184P Office of Elementary and Secondary Education—Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs—Federal Activities—The Challenge Newsletter)