[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 437-441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31460]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview
Information; Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Competition;
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.364A.
DATES: Applications Available: January 6, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 6, 2009.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 5, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to improve
student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students
with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-
equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and
well-trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists.
Eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) may use funds for the
following activities: purchasing up-to-date school library media
resources, including books; acquiring and using advanced technology
that is integrated into the curricula of the school to develop and
enhance the information literacy, information retrieval, and critical-
thinking skills of students; facilitating Internet links and other
resource-sharing networks; providing professional development for
school library media specialists and providing activities that foster
increased collaboration among library specialists, teachers, and
administrators; and providing students with access to school libraries
during non-school hours, including before and after school, weekends,
and summer vacations. (20 U.S.C. 6383(g))
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6383.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final clarification of
eligible local activities, published in the Federal Register on April
5, 2004 (69 FR 17894).
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$19,145,000 for awards for the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries program for FY 2009, of which we intend to use an estimated
$18,547,901 for this competition. The actual level of funding, if any,
depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2010 from the list of
unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000-$500,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $231,849
Estimated Number of Awards: 80.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs, including charter schools and State-
administered schools that are considered LEAs under State law, in which
at least 20 percent of the students served by the LEA are from families
with incomes below the poverty line based on the most recent
satisfactory data available from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time
this notice is published. These data are Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates for school districts for income year 2007. A list of LEAs
with their family poverty rates (based on these Census Bureau data) is
posted on our Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.
Note: Charter schools and State-administered schools must
include
[[Page 438]]
documentation from their State educational agency (SEA) confirming
eligibility for this program.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Funds made available under this program
must be used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and
local funds expended to carry out activities relating to library,
technology, or professional development activities (20 U.S.C. 6383(i)).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use either of the
following addresses: http://www.grants.gov or http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/applicant.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.
Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.364A.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
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 this competition. Page
Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address
the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application.
You must limit the application narrative to no more than 15 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).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget
section, including the narrative budget justification; the one-page
abstract; the other attachments, including the resumes and the
endnotes, if applicable; and the assurances and certifications.
However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative
section. The SEA documentation of eligibility is not counted toward the
page limit.
Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that
exceed the page limit. Appendices to the narrative are not permitted,
with the exception of resumes and endnotes. None of the material sent
as appendices to the narrative, with the exception of resumes and
endnotes, will be sent to the reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: January 6, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 6, 2009.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 5, 2009.
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: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries competition, CFDA number 84.364A, must be submitted
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http:/
/www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy
of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and
submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a
grant application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Improving
Literacy Through School Libraries competition at http://www.Grants.gov.
You must search for the downloadable application package for this
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.364, not 84.364A).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time
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stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp ). These steps include
(1) Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a.DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Irene Harwarth, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E244,
Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 260-8969.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
[[Page 440]]
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.364A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.364A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The maximum score for all of these criteria
is 110 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in
parentheses. The selection criteria for this competition are from
section 1251 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 6383) and 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows:
(a) Meeting the purpose of the statute (10 points). How well the
proposed project addresses the intended outcome of the statute to
improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing
students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials;
a well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media center;
and well-trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists.
(b) Need for school library resources (10 points). How well the
applicant demonstrates the need for school library media improvement,
based on the age and condition of school library media resources,
including: book collections; access of school library media centers to
advanced technology; and the availability of well-trained,
professionally certified school library media specialists in schools
served by the applicant.
(c) Use of funds (50 points). How well the applicant will use the
funds made available through the grant to carry out one or more of the
following activities that meet its demonstrated needs:
(1) Acquiring up-to-date school library media resources, including
books.
(2) Acquiring and using advanced technology, incorporated into the
curricula of the school, to develop and enhance students' skills in
retrieving and making use of information and in critical thinking.
(3) Facilitating Internet links and other resource-sharing networks
among schools and school library media centers, and public and academic
libraries.
(4) Providing professional development (as described in the notice
of final clarification of eligible local activities published April 5,
2004, in the Federal Register (69 FR 17894)), for school library media
specialists that is designed to improve literacy in grades K-3, and for
school library media specialists as described in section 1222(d)(2) of
the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6383), and providing activities that foster
increased collaboration between school library media specialists,
teachers, and administrators.
(5) Providing students with access to school libraries during non-
school hours, including the hours before and after school, during
weekends, and during summer vacation periods.
(d) Use of scientifically based research (10 points). How well the
applicant will use programs and materials that are grounded in
scientifically based research, as defined in section 9101(37) of the
ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7801(37)), in carrying out one or more of the
activities described under criterion (c).
(e) Broad-based involvement and coordination (10 points). How well
the applicant will extensively involve school library media
specialists, teachers, administrators, and parents in the proposed
project activities and effectively coordinate the funds and activities
provided under this program with other literacy, library, technology,
and professional development funds and activities.
(f) Evaluation of quality and impact (10 points). How well the
applicant will collect and analyze data on the quality and impact of
the proposed project activities, including data on the extent to which
the availability of, the access to, and the use of up-to-date school
library media resources in the elementary schools and secondary schools
served by the applicant increase and on the impact of the project on
improving the reading skills of students.
(g) Quality of project personnel (10 points). The quality of the
personnel who will carry out the proposed project, including the
following factors: (1) 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. (2) The qualifications, including
relevant training and experience, of the project director or principal
investigator.
2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider
in selecting an application for an award is the equitable distribution
of grants across geographic regions and among LEAs serving urban and
rural areas (20 U.S.C. 6383(e)(3)).
[[Page 441]]
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 Notice
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
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. The Secretary may also require more frequent
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: In response to the Government Performance
and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department developed three measures
for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Improving Literacy
Through School Libraries program. These measures gauge improvement in
student achievement and resources in the schools and LEAs served by the
program by assessing: (1) The percentage of students in schools served
by the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program who are
proficient in reading; (2) The number of books and media resources
purchased per student, pre- and post-grant, compared to the national
average; and (3) The difference in the number of purchases of school
library materials (books and media resources) between schools
participating in the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
program and the national average. The Department will collect data for
these measures from grantees' final performance reports and other data
sources.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irene Harwarth, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E244, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-3751 or by e-mail: [email protected].
If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free,
at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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: http://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: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: December 31, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-31460 Filed 1-5-09; 8:45 am]
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