Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.304A.

DATES:

Applications Available: February 26, 2004.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 12, 2004.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 10, 2004.

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: $1,000,000.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. We may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Note:

The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: Through the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange program, the Department of Education provides grants to improve the quality of civic education through cooperative civic education exchange programs with emerging democracies. For FY 2004 the competition for new awards focuses on statutory requirements we describe in the Statutory Requirements section of this notice.

Statutory Requirements: We will award grants to eligible applicants to—

(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 program on students' development of the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential for the 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 histories and governments 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 program assisted under this section 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.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6711-6716.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, 99, and 299.

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grant.

Estimated Available Funds: $1,000,000.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. We may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Note:

The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 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, to carry out civic education activities.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost sharing or matching.

3. Other: a. Eligible Countries: A Central European country, 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 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) if the Secretary, with concurrence of the Secretary of State, determines that such developing country has a democratic form of government. A listing of the countries also is included in the application package.

b. Primary Participants: Primary participants in the Cooperative Education Exchange Program shall be 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: Rita Foy Moss, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 202c, Washington, DC 20208. Telephone: (202) 219-2027 or by e-mail: rita.foy.moss@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 1-877-576-7734 or the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this section. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the application package.

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 application narrative (part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit part III to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

The page limit does not apply to part I, the cover sheet; part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all of the application narrative in part III.

Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that—

• Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
• Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other standards.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: February 26, 2004.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 12, 2004.

The dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this competition. The application package also specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 10, 2004.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 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: The regulations on determining allowable costs are set out in 34 CFR part 80. We reference additional applicable regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this competition.

Application Procedures:

Note:

Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting applications differ from those in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project For Electronic Submission Of Applications: We are continuing to expand our pilot project of electronic submission of applications to include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. The Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program—CFDA 84.304A—is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program competition, you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.

The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant Application System (e-Application). If you use e-Application, you will be entering data online while completing your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its improvement.

If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:

• Your participation is voluntary.
• When you enter the e-Application system, you will find information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-Application package.
• You will not receive any additional point value because you submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you submit an application in paper format.
• You may submit all documents electronically, including the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs, (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.
• Your e-Application must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying number unique to your application).
• Within three working days after submitting your electronic application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following these steps:

1. Print ED 424 from the e-Application system.

2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.

3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the hard copy signature page of the ED 424.

4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 260-1349.

• We may request that you give us original signatures on other forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot for the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program and you are prevented from submitting your application on the application deadline because the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day in order to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if—

1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and have initiated an e-Application for this competition; and

2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date; or

(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the application deadline date.

We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you must contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.

You may access the electronic grant application for the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov .

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are in the application package.

2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in selecting an application for an award are in 20 U.S.C. 7247.

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.

4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the following performance measure to assess the effectiveness of the Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program: The percentage of teachers participating in training programs or professional development activities under the program (in the United States and in participating foreign countries) who have demonstrated improved quality of instruction will increase. This measure constitutes the Department of Education's indicator of success for this program. Consequently, applicants are advised to give careful consideration to the outcomes in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of a proposed project. If funded, applicants will be asked to collect and to report data about progress toward this goal in their annual performance reports.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rita Foy Moss, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., room 202c, Washington, DC 20208. Telephone: (202) 219-2027 or by e-mail: rita.foy.moss@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 1-877-576-7734 or the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program 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: 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.

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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html .