[Federal Register: October 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 196)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 60603-60604]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12oc04-25]
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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
45 CFR Chapter XXV
Notice Inviting Preliminary Informal Public Input in Advance of
Learn and Serve America Program Changes
AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service (the
Corporation) invites the public to share its views during two scheduled
conference calls and two scheduled public meetings on issues related to
Learn and Serve America. In response to Executive Order 13331, the
Corporation's Board of Directors Grants Management Task Force Report,
and in preparation for the expected round of new funding in 2006, Learn
and Serve America is considering combining grant guidelines,
provisions, and regulations into a single, streamlined document. We are
interested in public views about the future of Learn and Serve America
programs and the ways in which those programs have an impact on
students, communities, and the institutions that operate programs. Some
issues under consideration include: Learn and Serve America grant
selection criteria, intensity and duration of a participant's community
service, the role of Learn and Serve America grantees within Unified
State Plans, timing and substance of Learn and Serve America grant
applications, and definitions of key terms. The Corporation is also
interested in receiving input on allowable subgrant types, project
expenditures, performance indicators and evaluation requirements,
grantee reporting, intergenerational participation, and program
sustainability and institutionalization.
DATES: Please submit written input to the Corporation as soon as
possible. We will consider input as we begin consideration of possible
revisions to the Learn and Serve America guidelines, provisions and
regulations and during the drafting of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
In addition, the Corporation will hold two toll-free conference calls
and two public input meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
conference call and input meeting information.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written input to the Corporation by any of
the following methods:
(1) Electronically through the Corporation's e-mail address system
to LSADirections@cns.gov.
(2) By fax to (202) 565-2787, Attention Amy Cohen, Director, Learn
and Serve America.
(3) By mail sent to: Corporation for National and Community
Service, Attn: Amy Cohen, Director, Learn and Serve America, 1201 New
York Avenue NW., Room 9609, Washington, DC 20525.
(4) By hand delivery or by courier to the Corporation's mailroom at
Room 6010 at the mail address given in paragraph (3) above, between 9
a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Due to continued delays in the Corporation's receipt of mail, we
strongly encourage responses via e-mail or fax.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the
substance of this notice or to request this notice in an alternative
format for the visually impaired, contact Amy Cohen at (202) 606-5000,
ext. 484; acohen@cns.gov. For further information about the conference
calls, please refer to our National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Web
site at http://www.servicelearning.org. or call Pat Carpenter at (202) 606-5000, ext. 209; pcarpenter@cns.gov. The TDD/TTY number is (800)
833-3722.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For more information on the Corporation,
please visit our Web site at http://www.nationalservice.org. When
providing oral or written input on the issues outlined above, please
especially consider the following questions:
Leveraging Corporation assistance: How can we ensure that as many
educational institutions as possible realize the benefits of community
service-learning through the programs and services of the Corporation,
and in general improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of
Corporation grants and technical assistance? Should we grant
competitive preferences to organizations that have never before
received Learn and Serve America funds? How should these questions
apply to grantees that operate local programs directly and to grantees
that provide subgrants to others to operate local programs?
Sustainability and institutionalization: How can the Corporation
ensure that appropriate steps are being taken to build service-learning
into the fabric of the educational or community organization? How can
we ensure that Learn and Serve America grantee and subgrantee programs
can continue to be successful without Federal support? What are
appropriate components of grantee ``sustainability plans?'' How should
these questions apply to grantees that operate local programs directly;
to grantees that provide subgrants to others to operate local programs?
Focusing on community needs: How can the Corporation ensure that
Federal funds are used most effectively to meet community needs and
that all Learn and Serve America participants make a positive impact on
community problems and needs?
Duration and Intensity of service: What policies should be adopted
concerning the intensity (i.e., service hours per time period) and
duration of community service expected of Learn and Serve America
participants?
Selection Criteria: What criteria should the Corporation use in
selecting grantees in its competitive Learn and Serve America programs?
Should Learn and Serve America have two sets of grant application and
selection criteria: one for consortia and grant intermediaries (State
Education Agencies, Grant Making Entities, and Higher Education
Consortia), and one for local programs? If so, what should such
separate criteria include?
Subgrants: What policies should govern sub-granting? Should there
be limits on duration or on type of subgrant? How many levels of
subgranting should be allowed?
Grant application and process: For how many months before
commencing or continuing a project does a grantee need to know that its
application is approved? For how many months before commencing or
continuing a project does a grantee need to know that its grant is
awarded? What is a reasonable amount of time needed to prepare an
application? In general, how can the Corporation simplify and
streamline its grant application documents and processes? In
particular, can we
[[Page 60604]]
simplify the application and process for the second and third year
grant continuations?
Definitions: How should we define ``community needs?'' How should
we define a Learn and Serve America ``participant'' for elementary/
secondary education and for higher education programs? How should we
define a ``service hour?'' How should we clarify the definition of
``youth and adult volunteers'' who provide service along with Learn and
Serve America program participants? How should we define a
``subgrantee?'' Should Grant Making Entities (grantees that must serve
multiple states in order to be eligible for funding) be defined as
providing service in two or more states from the beginning of the
grant, or prospectively at any point during the grant period? Should
this definition be the same for School-based and Community-based
grantee organizations?
Teacher Education Grants: Should we require that Learn and Serve
America grantee teacher education programs prepare prospective teachers
to use service-learning in their classroom/teaching practices?
Intergenerational Activities: How should the Corporation promote
the use of service-learning practices and models that utilize multiple
generations? For example, should we require that Learn and Serve
America higher education programs serving children include a component
in which children serve with higher education student participants?
Adult and Youth Volunteers: How should the Corporation promote the
recruitment of adult and youth volunteers who work with Learn and Serve
America participant students in meeting community needs? How should we
encourage the participation of adult volunteers who have particular
expertise in meeting the community needs focused on by the Learn and
Serve America projects? How should we encourage the participation of
elementary/secondary student participants' family members?
Community Organization Partnerships: What steps should the
Corporation take to strengthen the role of community organizations as
partners in Learn and Serve America projects? What steps should we take
to promote greater participation of faith-based and small community
organizations?
Project Expenditures: Should Learn and Serve America grantees be
required to include evaluation funding in their project budgets, along
with stipulation of the scope and method of evaluations? Should we
require that web conferencing capabilities be included in the grant
budget?
Performance measures and evaluation: How can the Corporation and
its Learn and Serve America grantees ensure that all Learn and Serve
America programs are setting and achieving appropriate, measurable
performance outcome goals? Should we require that Learn and Serve
America grantees and subgrantees establish and meet a common set of
outcome measures? How can the Corporation ensure that its grantees
regularly and effectively evaluate their service-learning programs?
Unified State Plans: What role, if any, should Learn and Serve
America grantees and subgrantees play within the Corporation's Unified
State Plans? How should Learn and Serve America grantees and
subgrantees be encouraged to participate in Unified State Plans and
state-wide service conferences?
Conference Calls and Public Input Meetings
The Corporation is planning two conference calls and two public
input meetings in October. Please check our National Service-Learning
Clearinghouse Web site at http://www.servicelearning.org for further
information regarding these conference calls and public input meetings
or contact Pat Carpenter at (202) 606-5000, ext. 209
pcarpenter@cns.gov).
Conference Calls
October 14--10:30 a.m.
October 15--3:30 p.m.
To register for the calls, please contact Pat Carpenter at
pcarpenter@cns.gov. The time for both calls is eastern time.
Public Input Meetings
October 13 from 2-4 p.m. Rabb Room, University College of
Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
October 14 from noon-2 p.m. One Dupont Circle, Conference Room C,
Level 1B, Washington, DC.
The time for both meetings is eastern time. We strongly encourage
you to attend in person if you are in the Boston and DC areas, and ask
that you RSVP to Pat Carpenter at pcarpenter@cns.gov.
Dated: October 7, 2004.
Frank R. Trinity,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 04-22951 Filed 10-8-04; 8:45 am]