[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24671-24684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10492]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information;
Promise Neighborhoods Program
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2010.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215P.
Dates:
Applications Available: May 5, 2010.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 21, 2010.
Date of Pre-Application Webinars: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 and
Monday, May 10, 2010.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 25, 2010.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 24, 2010.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Department of Education Appropriations Act,
2010 provided funds for Promise Neighborhoods under the legislative
authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Education Program (FIE),
title V, part D, subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20
U.S.C. 7243-7243b). FIE supports nationally significant programs to
improve the quality of elementary and secondary education at the State
and local levels and help all children meet challenging State academic
content and student academic achievement standards.
The purpose of Promise Neighborhoods is to improve significantly
the educational and developmental outcomes of children in our most
distressed communities, and to transform those communities by--
(1) Supporting efforts to improve child outcomes and ensure that
data on those outcomes are communicated and analyzed on an ongoing
basis by leaders and members of the community;
(2) Identifying and increasing the capacity of eligible entities
(as defined in this notice) that are focused on achieving results and
building a college-going culture (as defined in this notice) in the
neighborhood;
(3) Building a complete continuum of cradle-through-college-to-
career solutions (continuum of solutions) (as defined in this notice),
which has both academic programs and family and community supports
(both as defined in this notice), with a strong school or schools at
the center. Academic programs must include (a) High-quality early
learning programs designed to improve outcomes in multiple domains of
early learning (as defined in this notice); (b) programs, policies, and
personnel for children in kindergarten through the 12th grade that are
linked to improved academic outcomes; and (c) programs that prepare
students for college and career success. Family and community supports
must include programs to improve student health, safety, community
stability, family and community engagement, and student access to 21st
century learning tools. The continuum of solutions also must be linked
and integrated seamlessly (as defined in this notice) so there are
common outcomes, a focus on similar milestones, support during
transitional time periods, and no time or resource gaps that create
obstacles for students in making academic progress. The continuum also
must be based on the best available evidence including, where
available, strong or moderate evidence (as defined in this notice), and
include programs, policies, practices, services, systems, and supports
that result in improving educational and developmental outcomes for
children from cradle through college to career;
(4) Integrating programs and breaking down agency ``silos'' so that
solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies;
(5) Supporting the efforts of eligible entities, working with local
governments, to build the infrastructure of policies, practices,
systems, and resources needed to sustain and ``scale up'' proven,
effective solutions across the broader region beyond the initial
neighborhood; and
(6) Learning about the overall impact of Promise Neighborhoods and
about the relationship between particular strategies in Promise
Neighborhoods and student outcomes, including a rigorous evaluation of
the program.
Background: Children who are from low-income families and grow up
in high-poverty neighborhoods face academic and life challenges above
and beyond the challenges faced by children who are from low-income
families who grow up in neighborhoods without a high concentration of
poverty. A Federal evaluation of the reading and mathematics outcomes
of elementary students in 71 schools in 18 districts and 7 States found
that even when controlling for individual student poverty, there is a
significant negative association between school-level poverty and
student achievement.\1\ The evaluation found that students have lower
academic outcomes when a higher percentage of their same-school peers
qualify for free and reduced-priced lunch (FRPL) compared to when a
lower percentage of their same-school peers qualify for FRPL. Another
study found that, even when controlling for a student's own
socioeconomic status, there is a significant negative association
between individual student achievement growth during high school and
the socioeconomic status of students in the school.\2\ The compounding
effects of neighborhood poverty continue later in life: A third study
found that, for children with similar levels of family income, growing
up in a neighborhood where the number of families in poverty was
between 20 and 30 percent increased the chance of downward economic
mobility--moving down the income ladder relative to their parents--by
more than 50 percent compared with children who grew up in
neighborhoods with under 10 percent of families in poverty.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Westat and Policy Studies Associate. The longitudinal
evaluation of school change and performance (LESCP) in title I
schools. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education. Available
January 2010 online at http://www.policystudies.com/studies/school/lescp_vol2.pdf.
\2\ Rumberger, Russell W., & Palardy, G. J. ``Does segregation
still matter? The impact of student composition on academic
achievement in high school,'' Teacher College Record, 107(9), Sept
2005.
\3\ Sharkey, Patrick. ``Neighborhoods and the Black-White
Mobility Gap.'' Economic Mobility Project: An Initiative of The Pew
Charitable Trusts, 2009.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because challenges in distressed communities with high
concentrations of poverty are interrelated, the Department, through the
Promise Neighborhoods Program, is taking a comprehensive approach to
ensure that children have access to a continuum of cradle-through-
college-to-career solutions designed to support academic achievement,
healthy development, and college and career success.
[[Page 24672]]
To effectively improve outcomes for children in these distressed
communities, schools, academic programs, and family and community
supports must include several core features:
(a) Organizations and schools implementing academic programs and
family and community supports that have the capacity to collect,
analyze, and use data to evaluate their efforts.
(b) Academic programs, family and community supports, and schools
that work together and closely integrate their efforts so that time and
resource gaps that contribute to children missing academic and
developmental milestones do not occur.
(c) Academic programs and family and community supports that are
managed, directly or indirectly, by a leader and an organization that
can engage the community and are accountable for results.
(d) Schools, academic programs, and family and community supports
that are implemented by using a ``place-based'' approach that leverages
investments by focusing resources in targeted places, drawing on the
compounding effect of well-coordinated actions.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Developing Effective Place-Based Policies for the FY 2011 Budget.
August, 11, 2009. Available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_fy2009/m09-28.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consistent with this approach, we believe that it is important for
communities to develop a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization
strategy that addresses each of the essential neighborhood assets (as
defined in this notice), which include accessible developmental,
commercial, recreational, physical, and social assets that are vital to
transforming distressed neighborhoods into healthy and vibrant
communities of opportunity. We believe that Promise Neighborhoods will
be most successful when they are part of, and contributing to, a city's
or region's broader neighborhood revitalization strategy. Because
Promise Neighborhoods focuses on accessible, high-quality academic
programs, effective schools, and family and community supports, which
are all primarily developmental assets, the program is a Federal
investment designed, in part, to support the implementation of a
broader comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy. Only
through the development of such comprehensive neighborhood
revitalization plans, which embrace the coordinated use of programs and
resources to effectively address the interrelated needs within a
community, will the broader vision of neighborhood transformation
occur.
Through this notice, the Department is establishing priorities and
requirements, and inviting applications, for one-year grants that will
support the development of a plan to implement a Promise Neighborhood.
At the conclusion of the planning grant period, grantees should, at a
minimum, have a feasible plan to implement a continuum of solutions
with the potential to improve results for children in the community
being served.
To be eligible for a planning grant, an eligible entity must
operate a school or partner with at least one school, and coordinate
with the school's local educational agency (LEA). The school or schools
must be in a geographically defined area in which there are multiple
signs of distress based on indicators of need (as defined in this
notice) and other relevant indicators. Examples of signs of distress
are low-performing schools (as defined in this notice); significant
achievement gaps among the subgroups of students identified in section
1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA; high dropout rates; significant levels
of child poverty; high student mobility rates; high rates of crime,
including violent crime; high rates of vacant or substandard homes; and
prevalent indicators of poor health, such as asthma, poor nutrition,
dental problems, obesity, or avoidable developmental delays (e.g.,
delays in cognitive, communication, adaptive, physical, and socio-
emotional development).
As described in this notice, Promise Neighborhoods planning
grantees will undertake the following activities during the planning
year:
(1) Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of children along the
cradle-through-college-to-career continuum that builds on the statement
of need prepared to address the selection criteria in this notice, and
includes the collection of data for the academic and family and
community support indicators described in this notice for children in
the geographic area \5\ proposed to be served.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ For the purposes of this notice, the Department uses the
terms ``neighborhood'' and ``geographic area'' interchangeably.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Conduct a segmentation analysis (as defined in this notice) of
the needs in the neighborhood to better target solutions for the
children in that neighborhood.
(3) Develop a plan to deliver the continuum of solutions that
addresses the challenges and gaps identified through the needs
assessment and segmentation analysis.
(4) Work with public and private agencies, organizations (including
philanthropic organizations), and individuals to gather and leverage
resources needed to support the financial sustainability of the plan.
Planning grantees must demonstrate this financial sustainability by
identifying the sources and amounts of current Federal, State, and
local funds, including public and private funds, that can be used for
the project.
(5) Identify strategies for building upon and leveraging high-
quality academic programs and family and community supports; existing
and anticipated Federal resources, including the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA); and existing and anticipated
investments in neighborhood revitalization efforts and similar place-
based initiatives funded by other Federal agencies such as the U.S.
Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human
Services, and Justice. Efforts funded by other Federal agencies include
programs such as HOPE VI and Choice Neighborhoods, Health Centers, and
the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation and Weed and Seed Programs.
Note: The Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and
Urban Development, and Justice, along with the Department of
Education, may establish incentives in future competitions for
communities intending to implement more than one of these place-
based initiatives.
(6) Build community support for and involvement in the development
of the plan, which includes establishing outcomes for children in the
neighborhood that are communicated and analyzed on an ongoing basis by
leaders and members of the community.
(7) Obtain commitments from partners to work long-term to implement
the plan, help ensure continued programmatic success of their plan, and
develop a strategy to hold partners accountable for meeting performance
goals and milestones.
(8) Plan, build, adapt, or expand a comprehensive, longitudinal
data management system, while abiding by Federal, State, and other
privacy laws and requirements, for all academic and family and
community support indicators, as described in this notice, as well as
for additional indicators needed for the Promise Neighborhoods
evaluation, such as demographic characteristics.
(9) Work with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods.
Planning grantees must cooperate with the national evaluator to ensure
their project design and data collection plan allows for a rigorous
evaluation, using
[[Page 24673]]
standard methodologies across Promise Neighborhoods sites, of the
overall impact of the Promise Neighborhoods Program and the
relationship between particular solutions pursued by the grantee and
student outcomes.
(10) Participate in a community of practice (as described in this
notice).
The Department will monitor the grantees' progress toward
completion of these activities. During the planning year, grantees must
be able to demonstrate performance, or show significant progress toward
completion, of activities (1)-(10), including by responding to the
Department's questions and concerns regarding progress.
In subsequent years, contingent on the availability of funds, the
Department intends to conduct competitions for Promise Neighborhoods
implementation grants, as well as competitions for new Promise
Neighborhoods planning grants. While all eligible entities will be able
to apply for implementation grants, eligible entities that have
effectively carried out the planning activities described in this
notice, whether independently or with a Promise Neighborhoods planning
grant, are likely to be well positioned with the plan, commitments,
data, and organizational leadership and capacity necessary to develop a
quality application for an implementation grant.
Applicants will be at different points of readiness, in terms of
developing a plan, when they apply for a planning grant. For that
reason, we are requiring applicants to demonstrate throughout the
application their: (a) Current organizational capacity to plan for and
implement a Promise Neighborhood, including the expertise of their
management team and partners; (b) prior experience in carrying out
neighborhood revitalization or school improvement initiatives, placing
emphasis on the applicant's performance and on the impact of its work;
and (c) ability to ensure ongoing sustainability of Promise
Neighborhood activities.
Because a diverse group of communities could benefit from Promise
Neighborhoods, the Secretary establishes an absolute priority for
applications that propose to serve one or more rural communities only
(as defined in this notice) and an absolute priority for applications
that propose to serve one or more Indian Tribes (as defined in this
notice). Child poverty rates in rural areas are higher than in urban
areas \6\ and more than one fifth of the Nation's 2,000 ``dropout
factories,'' in which the graduation rate is less than 60 percent, are
located in rural areas.\7\ Our focus on rural communities is consistent
with the Senate Appropriations Committee report on the FY 2010
Department of Education, Appropriations Act--S. REP. No. 111-66 at 192
(August 4, 2009). Compared to White students, American Indian students
have lower academic outcomes and higher poverty rates.\8\ Moreover,
American Indian and Alaska Native students have a graduation rate of
less than 50 percent nationally.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ American Community Survey, 2006.
\7\ Balfanz, Robert, Letgers, N. Locating the Dropout Crisis:
Which High Schools Produce the Nation's Dropouts? Johns Hopkins
University, 2004.
\8\ Institute for Education Sciences. Status and Trends in the
Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2008.
\9\ The Civil Rights Project. The Dropout/Graduation Crisis
Among American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Failure to Respond
Places the Future of Native Peoples at Risk, 2010.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Secretary also recognizes that a broad set of solutions is
required to improve academic and developmental outcomes for children
and to transform communities. In that regard, the Secretary establishes
an invitational priority to signal our interest in applicants
addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and students
with limited English proficiency, and solutions related to increasing
internet connectivity, improving civic engagement, and accessing the
arts and humanities.
Priorities: We are establishing these priorities for the FY 2010
grant competition only, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Absolute Priorities: These priorities are absolute priorities.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet
either Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 2, or Absolute Priority
3.
Note: Applicants must indicate in their application whether they
are applying under Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 2, or
Absolute Priority 3. An applicant that applies under Absolute
Priority 2, but is not eligible for funding under Absolute Priority
2, or applies under Absolute Priority 3, but is not eligible for
funding under Absolute Priority 3, may be considered for funding
under Absolute Priority 1.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1: Proposal To Develop a Promise Neighborhood Plan
To meet this priority, an applicant must submit a proposal for how
it will plan to create a Promise Neighborhood. This proposal must--
1. Describe the geographically defined area to be served and the
level of distress in that area based on indicators of need and other
relevant indicators. Applicants may propose to serve multiple, non-
contiguous geographically defined areas. In cases where target areas
are not contiguous, the applicant must explain its rationale for
including non-contiguous areas;
2. Describe how the applicant will plan to build a continuum of
solutions (as defined in this notice) designed to significantly improve
educational outcomes and to support the healthy development and well-
being of children in the neighborhood. The plan to be developed by the
applicant must ensure that children in the target school or schools
described in paragraph 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii), or 2(a)(iii) have access to a
complete continuum of solutions. The applicant must explain how it will
use its needs assessment and segmentation analysis to determine the
children with the highest needs and ensure that they receive the
appropriate services from the continuum of solutions. Each applicant
will propose solutions, such as programs, policies, practices,
services, systems, and supports that will result in improvements on the
project indicators, as defined in this notice and described in
paragraph 10 of this priority. There may be more than one solution for
each project indicator, and a single solution may contribute to
improvement on more than one project indicator. Applicants are not
required to propose solutions for program indicators (as defined in
this notice) that are not also project indicators (see paragraph 10 of
this priority for an explanation of the difference between project
indicators and program indicators).
Although the continuum of solutions must be designed to
significantly improve outcomes for children in the neighborhood,
applicants may also propose to plan for solutions for adults in the
neighborhood that support student learning, such as family literacy
programs. If an applicant proposes solutions for adults, the
application must include an explanation of how the services for adults
directly align with improved academic and family and community support
outcomes for children.
The core component of the applicant's proposed continuum of
solutions must be a strategy, or a plan to develop a strategy, to--
(a)(i) Significantly improve one or more persistently lowest-
achieving schools (as defined in this notice) in the neighborhood by
implementing one of the four school intervention models (turnaround
model, restart model, school closure, or transformation model)
[[Page 24674]]
described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for FY 2010, 74 FR 59836, 59866 (November
18, 2009);
(ii) Significantly improve one or more low-performing schools in
the neighborhood that is not also a persistently lowest-achieving
school, by implementing ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive
interventions to assist, augment, or replace schools, which may include
implementing one of the four school intervention models (turnaround
model, restart model, school closure, or transformation model)
described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for FY 2010, 74 FR 59836, 59866 (November
18, 2009), or may include another model of sufficient ambition, rigor,
and comprehensiveness to significantly improve academic and other
outcomes for students, with elements that include addressing the
effectiveness of teachers and leaders and the school's use of time and
resources, including increased learning time (as defined in the
notice); or
(iii) Support and sustain one or more effective schools (as defined
in this notice) in the neighborhood by providing academic programs in a
manner that significantly enhances and expands current efforts to
improve the academic outcomes of the children in the neighborhood.
Note regarding school reform strategies:
So as not to penalize an applicant from working with an LEA that
has implemented rigorous reform strategies prior to the publication
of this notice, an applicant is not required to propose a new reform
strategy in place of an existing reform strategy in order to be
eligible for a Promise Neighborhoods planning grant. For example, an
LEA might have begun to implement improvement activities that meet
many, but not all, of the elements of a transformation model of
school intervention.
In this case, the applicant could propose, as part of its Promise
Neighborhood, to work with the LEA as the LEA continues with its
reforms;
(b) Ensure, as appropriate, that children in the neighborhood who
do not attend the school or schools described in paragraph 2(a)(i),
2(a)(ii), or 2(a)(iii) have access to solutions designed to
significantly improve educational and developmental outcomes. Examples
of these solutions are--
(i) High-quality early learning programs designed to improve
outcomes in multiple domains of early learning for young children;
(ii) After-school and other programs that provide increased
learning time (as defined in the notice);
(iii) Supports to address barriers to student achievement, such as
family and community supports;
(iv) For children in kindergarten through the 12th grade,
instructional programs based on the best available evidence including,
where available, strong or moderate evidence that the programs improve
educational outcomes;
(v) Multiple pathways for students to earn regular high school
diplomas (e.g., using schools that serve the needs of over-aged, under-
credited, or other students with an exceptional need for flexibility
regarding when they attend school or the additional supports they
require; awarding credit based on demonstrated evidence of student
competency; or offering dual-enrollment options); or
(vi) Other solutions based on the best available evidence
including, where available, strong or moderate evidence that the
solutions improve educational and developmental outcomes.
(c) To the extent feasible and appropriate, the plan to be
developed by the applicant must leverage and integrate existing high-
quality programs in the neighborhood into the continuum of solutions.
An applicant must identify in its application the school or schools
described in paragraph 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii), or 2(a)(iii) of this
priority. In cases where an eligible applicant operates a school or
partners with a school that does not serve all students in the
neighborhood, the applicant must partner with at least one additional
school or schools that serves students in the neighborhood. In cases
where an eligible applicant is a nonprofit organization that manages,
operates, or partners with a private school in the neighborhood, and
the school does not serve all students in the neighborhood, the
applicant must partner with at least one additional public school or
schools that serve students in the neighborhood.
(d) As part of the description of how the applicant will plan to
build a continuum of solutions, an applicant must--
(i) Propose solutions based on the best available evidence
including, where available, strong or moderate evidence that the
applicant will plan to implement in the geographic area proposed to be
served;
(ii) Describe the evidence supporting each proposed solution; and
(iii) Propose one or more partners that will participate in the
implementation of each solution (in any case in which the applicant
does not implement the solution directly);
3. Describe the applicant's organizational capacity to plan and
implement a Promise Neighborhood, including the applicant's experience
and lessons learned, in all of the following areas:
(a) Working with the school or schools described in paragraph 2 of
this priority; the LEA in which those schools are located; Federal,
State, and local government leaders; and other service providers.
(b) Serving the neighborhood and its residents. The application
must include a description of the applicant's and partners' historical
commitment and service to the neighborhood.
(c) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making and
ongoing improvement.
(d) Creating formal and informal relationships, and generating
community support to achieve results.
(e) Securing and integrating funding streams from multiple public
and private sources.
(f) Implementing efforts similar or related to the proposed Promise
Neighborhood. In the case of a newly created eligible entity, the
applicant must describe the prior performance of its management team in
developing and managing projects or programs similar to the proposed
Promise Neighborhood;
4. Describe how the applicant will plan to sustain and ``scale up''
the proposed Promise Neighborhood across the broader region beyond the
initial neighborhood over time. This must include a description of how
the applicant will estimate during the planning phase the start-up and
operating costs per child, including indirect and administrative costs,
for each solution proposed in its application, and how the applicant
will measure these costs during the implementation phase;
5. Describe the commitment the applicant anticipates receiving from
partners by--
(a) Providing a preliminary memorandum of understanding, signed by
each organization or agency with which it would partner in planning and
implementing the proposed Promise Neighborhood. The preliminary
memorandum of understanding must describe--
(i) Each partner's financial and programmatic commitment;
(ii) How each partner's existing vision, theory of change (as
defined in this notice), theory of action (as defined in this notice),
and existing activities align with those of the proposed Promise
Neighborhood; and
(iii) The governance structure of the proposed Promise
Neighborhood, including how the eligible entity's governing board or
advisory board is
[[Page 24675]]
representative of the geographic area proposed to be served (as defined
in this notice), and how residents of the geographic area would have an
active role in the organization's decision-making; and
(b) Explaining how the applicant will plan to secure a commitment
from local, State, and Federal government leaders to develop an
infrastructure of policies, practices, systems, and resources that
supports the continuum of solutions in the proposed Promise
Neighborhood and ``scales up'' those elements of the continuum that are
proven effective;
6. Describe how the applicant will plan to track available sources
and funding levels of Federal, State, and local funds that could be
utilized in the project;
7. Describe how the applicant will plan to identify Federal, State,
or local policies, regulations, or other requirements that would impede
the applicant in achieving its goals and report those impediments to
the Department and other relevant agencies;
8. Describe how the applicant will plan to use data to manage
program implementation, inform decision-making, engage stakeholders,
and measure success. The applicant must describe--
(a) Its proposal to plan, build, adapt, or expand a longitudinal
data system that measures academic and family and community support
indicators for all children in the neighborhood, disaggregated by the
subgroups listed in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA;
(b) How the applicant will link the longitudinal data system to
school-based, LEA, and State data systems; make the data accessible to
program partners, researchers, and evaluators while abiding by Federal,
State, and other privacy laws and requirements; and manage and maintain
the system;
(c) How the applicant will use rapid-time (as defined in this
notice) data both in the planning year and, once the Promise
Neighborhood is implemented, for continuous program improvement; and
(d) How the applicant will document the planning process, including
by describing lessons learned and best practices;
9. Describe the applicant's commitment to work with the Department
and with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure that
data collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct
a rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods Program
during the implementation phase and of specific solutions and
strategies pursued by individual grantees. This commitment must
include, but need not be limited to--
(a) Ensuring that the national evaluator has access to relevant
program and project data sources (e.g., administrative data and program
and project indicator data) through memoranda of understanding with
appropriate entities;
(b) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, an
evaluation strategy, including identifying a credible comparison group;
and
(c) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, a plan
for identifying and collecting reliable and valid baseline data for
both program participants and a designated comparison group of non-
participants;
10. Identify and describe the academic and family and community
support indicators that the applicant will use in conducting the needs
assessment during the planning year. Applicants must--
(a) Collect data for the academic indicators listed in Table 1 and
use them as both program and project indicators;
(b) Collect data for the family and community support indicators in
Table 2 and use them as program indicators; and
(c) Collect data for unique family and community support
indicators, developed by the applicant, that align with the goals and
objectives of projects and use them as project indicators or use the
indicators in Table 2 as project indicators.
Table 1--Academic Indicators and Results They Are Intended To Measure
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indicator Result
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- and % of children birth to five Children enter
years old who have a place where they kindergarten ready to
usually go, other than an emergency room, learn.
when they are sick or in need of advice
about their health.
-- and % of three-year-olds and
children in kindergarten who demonstrate at
the beginning of the program or school year
age-appropriate functioning across multiple
domains of early learning (as defined in
this notice) as determined using
developmentally-appropriate early learning
measures (as defined in this notice).
-- & % of children, from birth to
kindergarten entry, participating in center-
based or formal home-based early learning
settings or programs, which may include
Early Head Start, Head Start, child care, or
publicly funded preschool.
-- & % of students at or above grade Students are proficient
level according to State mathematics and in core academic
English language arts assessments in at subjects.
least the grades required by the ESEA (3rd
through 8th and once in high school).
--Attendance rate of students in 6th, 7th, Students successfully
8th, and 9th grade. transition from middle
grades to high school.
--Graduation rate (as defined in this notice) Youth graduate from high
school.
-- & % of Promise Neighborhood High school graduates
students who graduate with a regular high obtain a postsecondary
school diploma, as defined in 34 CFR degree, certification,
200.19(b)(1)(iv), and obtain postsecondary or credential.
degrees, vocational certificates, or other
industry-recognized certifications or
credentials without the need for remediation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Family and Community Support Indicators and Results They Are
Intended to Measure
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indicator Result
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- & % of children who participate Students are healthy.
in at least 60 minutes of moderate to
vigorous physical activity daily and consume
five or more servings of fruits and
vegetables daily; or
--possible second indicator, to be determined
(TBD) by applicant.
-- & % of students who feel safe at Students feel safe at
school and traveling to and from school, as school and in their
measured by a school climate survey (as community.
defined in this notice); or
[[Page 24676]]
--possible second indicator, TBD by
applicant.
--Student mobility rate (as defined in this Students live in stable
notice); or. communities.
--possible second indicator, TBD by
applicant.
-- & % of students who say they have Families and community
a caring adult in their home, school, and members support learning
community or & % of family members in Promise Neighborhood
who attend parent-teacher conferences; or schools.
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant
-- & % of students who have school Students have access to
and home access (and % of the day they have 21st century learning
access) to broadband internet (as defined in tools.
this notice) and a connected computing
device; or
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The indicators in Tables 1 and 2 are not intended to limit
an applicant from collecting and using data for additional
indicators. Examples of additional indicators are--
(i) The and % of children who participate in high-
quality learning activities during out-of-school hours;
(ii) The and % of suspensions or discipline referrals
during the year;
(iii) The share of housing stock in the geographically defined
area that is rent-protected, publicly assisted, or targeted for
redevelopment with local, State, or Federal funds;
(iv) The and % of children who are homeless or in
foster care and who have an assigned adult advocate; and
(v) The and % of young children who are read to
frequently by family members.
While the Department believes there are many programmatic benefits
of collecting data on every child in the proposed neighborhood, if the
applicant chooses to collect data on only a sample of the children in
the neighborhood for some indicators, the applicant must describe in
its application how a sample would be drawn that is representative of
children in the neighborhood.
Absolute Priority 2: Promise Neighborhoods in Rural Communities
The Secretary establishes a priority for applicants proposing to
develop plans for implementing a Promise Neighborhood that (1) meet all
the requirements in Absolute Priority 1; and (2) serve one or more
rural communities only.
Absolute Priority 3: Promise Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities
The Secretary establishes a priority for applications that (1) Meet
all requirements in Absolute Priority 1; (2) serve one or more Indian
tribes; and (3) are submitted by either an eligible entity that
partners with an Indian Tribe (as defined in this notice), or by an
Indian Tribe that meets the definition of an eligible entity.
Invitational Priority: Under this competition we are particularly
interested in applications that address the following priority. For FY
2010, this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets this invitational
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
This priority is:
Invitational Priority: Unique Learning Needs, Quality Internet
Connectivity, Civic Engagement, or Arts and Humanities
The Secretary establishes a priority for applicants proposing to
develop plans that include one or more practices, strategies, or
programs designed to--
1. Address the unique learning needs of students with disabilities
or students with limited English proficiency. This may include
activities designed to improve academic outcomes; close achievement
gaps identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA between
students with disabilities as compared to nondisabled students, and
between students with limited English proficiency and their English
proficient peers; and increase college- and career-readiness, including
increasing high school graduation rates for students with disabilities
or students with limited English proficiency;
2. Ensure that almost all students in the geographic area proposed
to be served have broadband internet access (as defined in this notice)
at home and at school, a connected computing device, and the knowledge
and skills to use broadband internet access effectively and a connected
computing device to support schoolwork;
3. Include meaningful civic engagement opportunities in the
geographic area proposed to be served. Examples of these opportunities
are efforts to increase the participation of residents, including
children and youth, in decisions that affect their community and may
improve school performance; efforts to use the perspectives of
residents in shaping and evaluating programs; and positive youth
development activities such as service-learning (as defined in 42
U.S.C. 12511) programs for students and families that address specific
challenges in the neighborhood; or
4. Include opportunities for children and youth to experience and
participate actively in the arts and humanities in their community so
as to broaden, enrich, and enliven the educational, cultural, and civic
experiences available in the neighborhood. Applicants may propose to
develop plans for offering these activities in school and out-of-school
settings and at any time during the calendar year.
Definitions: We are establishing these definitions for the FY 2010
grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Academic programs means programs that include, but are not limited
to--
(a) High-quality early learning programs designed to improve
outcomes in multiple domains of early learning for young children. Such
programs must be specifically intended to align standards, practices,
strategies, or activities across as broad an age range as birth through
third grade so as to ensure that young children enter kindergarten and
the early elementary school grades demonstrating age-appropriate
functioning across the multiple domains;
(b) For children in kindergarten through the 12th grade, programs,
policies, and personnel that are linked to improved academic outcomes.
The programs, policies, and personnel--
(i) Must include effective teachers and effective principals;
(ii) Must include strategies, practices, or programs that encourage
and facilitate the evaluation, analysis, and use of student
achievement, student growth, and other data by educators, families, and
other stakeholders to inform decision-making;
(iii) Must include college and career-ready standards, assessments,
and practices, including a well-rounded curriculum, instructional
practices, strategies, or programs in, at a
[[Page 24677]]
minimum, core academic subjects as defined in section 9101(11) of the
ESEA, that are aligned with high academic content and achievement
standards and with high-quality assessments based on those standards;
and
(iv) May include creating multiple pathways for students to earn
regular high school diplomas (e.g., using schools that serve the needs
of over-aged, under-credited, or other students with an exceptional
need for flexibility regarding when they attend school or the
additional supports they require; awarding credit based on demonstrated
evidence of student competency; or offering dual-enrollment options).
(c) Programs that prepare students for college and career success,
which may include programs that--
(i) Create and support partnerships with community colleges, four-
year colleges, or universities and that help instill a college-going
culture in the neighborhood;
(ii) Provide dual-enrollment opportunities for secondary students
to gain college credit while in high school;
(iii) Provide, through relationships with businesses and other
organizations, apprenticeship opportunities to students;
(iv) Align curricula in the core academic subjects with
requirements for industry-recognized certifications or credentials,
particularly in high-growth sectors; and
(v) Provide access to career and technical education programs so
that individuals can attain the skills and industry-recognized
certifications or credentials for success in their careers.
Broadband internet access means internet access sufficient to
provide community members with the internet available when and where
they need it and for the uses they require.
College-going culture means a local culture that includes an
expectation that all students in the geographic area proposed to be
served will have the academic preparation, financial resources, and
other supports necessary to go to college or pursue other postsecondary
training. That expectation is apparent in the attitudes, experiences,
practices, beliefs, and values of individuals in the neighborhood.
Continuum of cradle-through-college-to-career solutions or
continuum of solutions means solutions that--
(a) Include programs, policies, practices, services, systems, and
supports that result in improving educational and developmental
outcomes for children from cradle through college to career;
(b) Are based on the best available evidence, including, where
available, strong or moderate evidence;
(c) Are linked and integrated seamlessly (as defined in this
notice); and
(d) Include both academic programs and family and community
supports.
Developmentally appropriate early learning measures means a range
of assessment instruments that are used in ways consistent with the
purposes for which they were designed and validated; appropriate for
the ages and other characteristics of the children being assessed;
designed and validated for use with children whose ages, cultures,
languages spoken at home, socioeconomic status, abilities and
disabilities, and other characteristics are similar to those of the
children with whom the assessments will be used; and used in compliance
with the measurement standards set forth by the American Educational
Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association
(APA), and the National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME) in
the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.
Effective school means a school that has--
(a) Significantly closed the achievement gaps between subgroups of
students (as identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA)
within the school or district; or
(b)(i) Demonstrated success in significantly increasing student
academic achievement in the school for all subgroups of students (as
identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA) in the school;
and
(ii) Made significant improvements in other areas, such as
graduation rates (as defined in this notice) or recruitment and
placement of effective teachers and effective principals.
Eligible entity means an entity that--
(a) Is representative of the geographic area proposed to be served
(as defined in this notice);
(b) Is one of the following:
(i) A nonprofit organization that meets the definition of a
nonprofit under 34 CFR 77.1(c), which may include a faith-based
nonprofit organization; or
(ii) An institution of higher education as defined by section
101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended; and
(c) Currently provides at least one of the solutions from the
applicant's proposed continuum of solutions in the geographic area
proposed to be served.
Note: An eligible entity proposing to plan to ``scale up''
existing activities beyond the geographic area that the eligible
entity is currently serving must partner with at least one
organization or entity that provides at least one of the solutions
from the applicant's proposed continuum of solutions in the
geographic area proposed to be served.
Family and community supports means--
(a) Student health programs, such as mental health and physical
health programs (e.g., home visiting programs; Early Head Start;
programs to improve nutrition and fitness, reduce childhood obesity,
and create healthier communities);
(b) Safety programs, such as programs in school and out of school
to prevent, control, and reduce crime, violence, drug and alcohol use,
and gang activity; programs that address classroom and school-wide
behavior and conduct, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and
Supports; programs to prevent child abuse and neglect; programs to
prevent truancy and reduce and prevent bullying and harassment; and
programs to improve the physical and emotional security of the school
setting as perceived, experienced, and created by students, staff, and
families;
(c) Community stability programs, such as programs that--
(i) Increase the stability of families in communities by expanding
access to quality, affordable housing, providing legal support to help
families secure clear legal title to their homes, and providing housing
counseling or housing placement services;
(ii) Provide employment opportunities and training to improve job
skills and readiness in order to decrease unemployment, with a goal of
increasing family stability;
(iii) Improve families' awareness of, access to, and use of a range
of social services, if possible at a single location;
(iv) Provide unbiased, outcome-focused, and comprehensive financial
education, inside and outside the classroom and at every life stage;
(v) Increase access to traditional financial institutions (e.g.,
banks and credit unions) rather than alternative financial institutions
(e.g., check cashers and payday lenders);
(vi) Help families increase their financial assets and savings; and
(vii) Help families access transportation to education and
employment opportunities;
(d) Family and community engagement programs, such as family
literacy programs and programs that provide training and opportunities
for family members and other members of the community to support
student learning and establish high expectations for academic
achievement; mentorship
[[Page 24678]]
programs that create positive relationships between children and
adults; and programs that provide for the use of such community
resources as libraries, museums, and local businesses to support
improved student academic outcomes; and
(e) 21st century learning tools, such as technology (e.g.,
computers and mobile phones) used by students in the classroom and in
the community to support their education. This includes programs that
help students use the tools to develop knowledge and skills in such
areas as reading and writing, mathematics, research, critical thinking,
communication, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Graduation rate means the four-year or extended-year adjusted
cohort graduation rate as defined by 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1).
Note: This definition is not meant to prevent a grantee from
also collecting information about the reasons why students do not
graduate from the target high school, e.g., dropping out or moving
outside of the school district for non-academic or academic reasons.
Increased learning time means using a longer school day, week, or
year to significantly increase the total number of school hours. It is
used to redesign the school's program in a manner that includes
additional time for (a) Instruction in core academic subjects as
defined in section 9101 of the ESEA; (b) instruction in other subjects
and enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded education,
including, for example, physical education, service learning, and
experiential and work-based learning opportunities that are provided by
partnering, as appropriate, with other organizations; and (c) teachers
to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development within and
across grades and subjects.
Indian Tribe means any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation,
pueblo, village or community that the Secretary of the Interior
acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe, 25 U.S.C. 479a and 479a-1.
Indicators of need means currently available data that describe--
(a) Academic need, which means--
(i) All or a portion of the neighborhood includes or is within the
attendance zone of a low-performing school that is a high school,
especially one in which the graduation rate (as defined in this notice)
is less than 60 percent or a school that can be characterized as low-
performing based on another proxy indicator, such as students' on-time
progression from grade to grade; and
(ii) Other indicators, such as significant achievement gaps between
subgroups of students (as identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of
the ESEA) within a school or LEA, high teacher and principal turnover,
or high student absenteeism; and
(b) Family and community support need, which means--
(i) Percentages of children with preventable chronic health
conditions (e.g., asthma, poor nutrition, dental problems, obesity) or
avoidable developmental delays;
(ii) Immunization rates;
(iii) Rates of crime, including violent crime;
(iv) Student mobility rates;
(v) Teenage birth rates;
(vi) Percentage of children in single-parent or no-parent families;
(vii) Rates of vacant or substandard homes, including distressed
public and assisted housing; or
(viii) Percentage of the residents living at or below the Federal
poverty threshold.
Linked and integrated seamlessly, with respect to the continuum of
solutions, means solutions that have common outcomes, focus on similar
milestones, support transitional time periods (e.g., the beginning of
kindergarten, the middle grades, or graduation from high school) along
the cradle-through-college-to-career continuum, and address time and
resource gaps that create obstacles for students in making academic
progress.
Low-performing schools means schools receiving assistance through
Title I that are in corrective action or restructuring in the State, as
determined under section 1116 of the ESEA, and the secondary schools
(both middle and high schools) in the State that are equally as low-
achieving as these Title I schools and are eligible for, but do not
receive, Title I funds.
Moderate evidence means evidence from previous studies with designs
that can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal
validity) but have limited generalizability (i.e., moderate external
validity) or from studies with high external validity but moderate
internal validity.
Multiple domains of early learning means physical well-being and
motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to
learning, which refers to the inclinations, dispositions, or styles,
rather than skills, that reflect ways that children become involved in
learning and develop their inclinations to pursue learning; language
development, including emergent literacy; and cognition and general
knowledge, which refers to thinking and problem-solving as well as
knowledge about particular objects and the way the world works.
Cognition and general knowledge include mathematical and scientific
knowledge, abstract thought, and imagination.
Neighborhood assets means--
(a) Developmental assets that allow residents to attain the skills
needed to be successful in all aspects of daily life (e.g., educational
institutions, early learning centers, and health resources);
(b) Commercial assets that are associated with production,
employment, transactions, and sales (e.g., labor force and retail
establishments);
(c) Recreational assets that create value in a neighborhood beyond
work and education (e.g., parks, open space, community gardens, and
arts organizations);
(d) Physical assets that are associated with the built environment
and physical infrastructure (e.g., housing, commercial buildings, and
roads); and
(e) Social assets that establish well-functioning social
interactions (e.g., public safety and community engagement).
Persistently lowest-achieving school means, as determined by the
State--
(a) Any school receiving assistance through Title I that is in
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring and that--
(i) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools
in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or the lowest-
achieving five Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is greater; or
(ii) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate that is less
than 60 percent over a number of years; and
(b) Any secondary school that is eligible for, but does not
receive, Title I funds that--
(i) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of secondary schools
or the lowest-achieving five secondary schools in the State that are
eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number of
schools is greater; or
(ii) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate that is less
than 60 percent over a number of years.
Program indicators are indicators that the Department will use only
for research and evaluation purposes and for which an applicant is not
required to propose solutions.
Project indicators are indicators for which an applicant proposes
solutions intended to result in progress on the indicators.
Public officials means elected officials (e.g., council members,
aldermen and
[[Page 24679]]
women, commissioners, State legislators, Congressional representatives,
members of the school board), appointed public officials (e.g., members
of a planning or zoning commission, or of any other regulatory or
advisory board or commission), or individuals who are not necessarily
public officials, but who have been appointed by a public official to
serve on the Promise Neighborhoods governing board or advisory board.
Rapid-time, in reference to reporting and availability of locally-
collected data, means that data are available quickly enough to inform
current lessons, instruction, and related academic programs and family
and community supports.
Representative of the geographic area proposed to be served means
that residents of the geographic area proposed to be served have an
active role in decision-making and that at least one-third of the
eligible entity's governing board or advisory board is made up of--
(a) Residents who live in the geographic area proposed to be
served;
(b) Residents of the city or county in which the neighborhood is
located but who live outside the geographic area proposed to be served,
and who are low-income (which means earning less than 80 percent of the
area's median income as published by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development);
(c) Public officials (as defined in this notice) who serve the
geographic area proposed to be served (although not more than one-half
of the governing board or advisory board may be made up of public
officials); or
(d) Some combination of individuals from the three groups listed in
paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this definition.
Rural community means a community that is served by an LEA that is
currently eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA)
program or the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized
under Title VI, Part B of the ESEA. Applicants may determine whether a
particular LEA is eligible for these programs by referring to
information on the following Department Web sites. For the SRSA
program: http://www.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligible09/index.html.
For the RLIS program: http://www.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/eligible09/index.html.
School climate survey means an evaluation tool that measures the
extent to which the school setting promotes or inhibits academic
performance by collecting perception data from individuals, which could
include students, staff, or families.
Segmentation analysis means the process of grouping and analyzing
data from children and families in the geographic area proposed to be
served according to indicators of need (as defined in this notice) or
other relevant indicators.
Note: The analysis is intended to allow grantees to
differentiate and more effectively target interventions based on
what they learn about the needs of different populations in the
geographic area.
Strong evidence means evidence from studies with designs that can
support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal validity),
and studies that, in total, include enough of the range of participants
and settings to support scaling up to the State, regional, or national
level (i.e., studies with high external validity).
Student achievement means--
(a) For tested grades and subjects:
(i) A student's score on the State's assessments under the ESEA;
and, as appropriate,
(ii) Other measures of student learning, such as those described in
paragraph (b) of this definition, provided they are rigorous and
comparable across classrooms.
(b) For non-tested grades and subjects: Alternative measures of
student learning and performance, such as student scores on pre-tests
and end-of-course tests; student performance on English language
proficiency assessments; and other measures of student achievement that
are rigorous and comparable across classrooms.
Student growth means the change in achievement data for an
individual student between two or more points in time. Growth may also
include other measures that are rigorous and comparable across
classrooms.
Student mobility rate is calculated by dividing the total number of
new student entries and withdrawals at a school, from the day after the
first official enrollment number is collected through the end of the
academic year, by the first official enrollment number of the academic
year.
Note: This definition is not meant to limit a grantee from also
collecting information about why students enter or withdraw from the
school, e.g., transferring to charter schools, moving outside of the
school district for non-academic or academic reasons.
Theory of action means an organization's strategy regarding how,
considering its capacity and resources, it will take the necessary
steps and measures to accomplish its desired results.
Theory of change means an organization's beliefs about how its
inputs, and early and intermediate outcomes, relate to accomplishing
its long-term desired results.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure
Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities, definitions,
requirements, and selection criteria. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA,
however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements
and regulations governing the first grant competition under a new or
substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant
competition for Promise Neighborhoods planning grants and, therefore,
qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards,
the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on the priorities,
definitions, requirements, and selection criteria under section
437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities, definitions, requirements, and
selection criteria will apply to the FY 2010 grant competition only.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7243-7243b.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in part 86 apply to institutions of higher
education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $10,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $400,000-$500,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $450,000.
Maximum Award: $500,000. The Department does not intend to award
any grant with a budget exceeding $500,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 20.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: An eligible applicant is an eligible entity
(as defined in this notice) that operates a school or partners, in
coordination with the school's LEA, with at least one school in the
geographic area proposed to be served in which there are multiple
[[Page 24680]]
signs of distress based on indicators of need and other relevant
indicators.
For purposes of Absolute Priority 3, an eligible applicant is an
eligible entity that partners with an Indian Tribe, or is an Indian
Tribe that meets the definition of an eligible entity. To be eligible
under Absolute Priority 3, an applicant must also operate a school or
partner, in coordination with the school's LEA, with at least one
school in the geographic area proposed to be served. All eligible
applicants may also partner with such entities as an LEA; Federal,
State, and local government leaders; and providers of family and
community supports. Partnering with such entities is strongly
encouraged but is not required.
2. Cost-Sharing or Matching: To be eligible for an award, an
applicant must demonstrate that it has established a commitment from
one or more entities in the public or private sector, which may include
philanthropic organizations, to provide financial assistance, and that
the entities will provide matching funds for the planning process. An
applicant must obtain matching funds, excluding other Federal funds, or
in-kind donations for the planning process equal to at least 50 percent
of its grant award, except that an applicant proposing a project that
meets Absolute Priority 2: Promise Neighborhoods in Rural Communities
or Absolute Priority 3: Promise Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities
must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations equal to at least 25
percent of the grant award. Each applicant must demonstrate a
commitment of matching funds in its application. In addition, the
applicant must specify the source of the cost or contribution and in
the case of a third-party in-kind contribution, a description of how
the value was determined for the donated or contributed goods or
service. Applicants must demonstrate the match commitment by including
letters in their applications explaining the type and quantity of the
match commitment, including original signatures from the executives of
organizations or agencies providing the match. The Secretary may
consider decreasing the matching requirement in the most exceptional
circumstances, on a case-by-case basis. An applicant that is unable to
meet the matching requirement must include in its application a request
to the Secretary to reduce the matching level requirement, including
the amount of the requested reduction and a statement of the basis for
the request. An applicant should review the Department's cost-sharing
and cost-matching regulations, which include specific limitations in 34
CFR 74.23 applicable to non-profit organizations and institutions of
higher education and 34 CFR 80.24 applicable to State, local, and
Indian tribal governments, and the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) cost principles for entity types regarding donations, capital
assets, depreciations and allowable costs. These circulars are
available on OMB's Web site at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/index.html.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Larkin Tackett, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W338, LBJ,
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 or by e-mail:
[email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
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 program contact person listed
in this section.
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.
Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by
completing and e-mailing the form on the Department's Web site. The
Department may publish on the Department's Web site a list of
applicants who submit an intent to apply. This e-mail notification
should be sent to [email protected] with ``PN Intent to Apply'' in the
subject heading.
Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still
apply for funding.
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 the application narrative (Part III) to the
equivalent of no more than 40 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 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 memorandum of understanding, or the match commitment.
However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative
section (Part III).
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: May 5, 2010.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 21, 2010.
Date of Pre-Application Webinars: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 and
Monday, May 10, 2010. These pre-application webinars are designed to
provide technical assistance to interested applicants for Promise
Neighborhoods planning grants. Detailed information regarding the pre-
application webinar times will be available through the Department of
Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/index.html.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 25, 2010.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. 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. 7. 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
[[Page 24681]]
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: August 24, 2010.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program 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. Participation in a Community of Practice: Grantees will be
required to participate in, organize, or facilitate, as appropriate,
communities of practice for Promise Neighborhoods. A community of
practice is a group of grantees that agrees to interact regularly to
solve a persistent problem or improve practice in an area that is
important to them and the success of their project. Establishment of
communities of practice under Promise Neighborhoods will enable
grantees to meet, discuss, and collaborate with each other regarding
grantee projects.
7. Other Submission Requirements:
Applications for grants under this program 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 Promise Neighborhoods Program--
CFDA Number 84.215P must be submitted electronically using e-
Application, accessible through the Department's e-Grants Web site at:
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
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.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this
program after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m.
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
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: The
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.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment that 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 SF 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant'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 SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to
enable you 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 you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) (a) E-Application 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) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 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 acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may
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. If e-Application is unavailable due
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
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 e-Application because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
[[Page 24682]]
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
e-Application; 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
prevents 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: Larkin Tackett, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W338,
Washington, DC 20202. Fax: (202) 401-4123.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
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 215P), 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 215P), 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 grant 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: We are establishing selection criteria for
the FY 2010 grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1)
of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). For these selection criteria, we rely in
large part on the criteria in 34 CFR 75.210, with some modifications to
tailor the criteria to this program.
The maximum score for all the selection criteria is 100 points. The
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses with the
criterion. The selection criteria are as follows:
(1) Need for project (up to 10 points).
(a) The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project.
(b) In determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary
considers--
(i) The magnitude or severity of the problems to be addressed by
the proposed project as described by indicators of need and other
relevant indicators;
(ii) The extent to which the geographically defined area has been
described; and
(iii) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services,
infrastructure, or opportunities will be identified and addressed by
the proposed project.
(2) Significance (up to 10 points).
(a) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed
project.
(b) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers--
(i) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in long-
term systems change or improvement;
(ii) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the
needs of the target population;
(iii) The extent to which the proposed project involves the
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on,
or are alternatives to, existing strategies; and
(iv) The potential to sustain and apply the model of the proposed
project or strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for
implementation of the model in a variety of settings.
(3) Quality of the project design (up to 20 points).
(a) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the
proposed project.
(b) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors--
(i) The extent to which the applicant describes how it will plan to
build a continuum of solutions designed to significantly improve the
academic and family and community support indicators in this notice;
(ii) The extent to which the continuum of solutions includes a
strategy, or a plan to develop a strategy, that will lead to
significant improvements in one or more schools described in paragraph
2 of Absolute Priority 1;
(iii) The extent to which the applicant describes strategies for
using data to manage program implementation, inform decision-making,
engage stakeholders, and measure success;
(iv) The extent to which the applicant identifies and describes
academic and family and community support indicators to be used for the
needs assessment during the planning year;
(v) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates a commitment to
work with the Department and with a
[[Page 24683]]
national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure that data
collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct a
rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods Program
during the implementation phase and of specific solutions and
strategies pursued by individual grantees; and
(vi) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated
with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community,
State, and Federal resources.
(4) Quality of project services (up to 15 points).
(a) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be
provided by the proposed project.
(b) In determining the quality of the project services, the
Secretary considers--
(i) The extent to which the applicant describes proposed solutions
to be provided by the proposed project that are based on the best
available evidence including, where available, strong or moderate
evidence;
(ii) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the
proposed project will lead to improvements in the achievement of
students as measured against rigorous academic standards; and
(iii) The extent to which the applicant explains how the needs
assessment and segmentation analysis will be used to determine that
children with the highest needs receive appropriate services to meet
academic and developmental outcomes.
(5) Quality of project personnel (up to 25 points).
(a) The Secretary considers the quality of the project personnel
who will carry out the proposed project.
(b) In determining the quality of the project personnel, the
Secretary considers the qualifications, including relevant training and
experience, of the applicant, including the project director, and the
prior performance of the applicant on efforts similar or related to the
proposed Promise Neighborhood.
(c) Relevant experience includes the applicant's experience in and
lessons learned by--
(i) Working with the school or schools described in paragraph 2 of
Absolute Priority 1;
(ii) Serving the neighborhood and its residents;
(iii) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making and
ongoing improvement;
(iv) Creating formal and informal relationships, and generating
community support to achieve results; and
(v) Securing and integrating funding streams from multiple public
and private sources.
(6) Quality of the management plan (up to 20 points).
(a) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project.
(b) In determining the quality of the management plan of the
proposed project, the Secretary considers--
(i) 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;
(ii) The extent to which the memorandum of understanding described
in paragraph 5 of Absolute Priority 1 describes each partner's
financial and programmatic commitment; how each partner's existing
vision, theory of action, and theory of change, and existing activities
align with those of the proposed Promise Neighborhood; and the
governance structure of the proposed Promise Neighborhood;
(iii) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of
perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed
project, including those of families, school staff, the business
community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields,
recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate; and
(iv) The potential for continued support of the project after
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated
commitment of appropriate entities to sustain and ``scale up'' the
proposed Promise Neighborhood.
To facilitate the review of the application, the Department
strongly recommends that applicants include a table of contents for
their project narrative and address each of the selection criteria and
priorities from Absolute Priority 1 in the order in which they are
described in Table 3. After addressing the selection criteria,
applicants may address the invitational priority included in the
proposal to plan.
Table 3--Recommended Organization of Project Narrative
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Absolute priority one
Selection criteria requirement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Need for project (up to 10 points)..... 1. Description of the
neighborhood and level of
distress.
Quality of project design (up to 20 2. Description of how the
points). applicant will plan to build
the continuum;
Quality of project services (up to 15 8. Description of how the
points). applicant will plan to use
data;
9. Description of commitment to
work with national evaluator;
and
10. Description of indicators
to be used for needs
assessment.
Quality of project personnel (up to 25 3. Description of the
points). applicant's organizational
capacity to plan and implement
a Promise Neighborhood.
Quality of management plan (up to 20 4. Description of how the
points). applicant will plan to sustain
and ``scale up'' the proposed
Promise Neighborhood; and
5. Description of commitment
the applicant anticipates
receiving from partners,
including the preliminary
memorandum of understanding
described in paragraph 5(a).
Significance (up to 10 points)......... 6. Description of how the
applicant will plan to track
available sources and funding
levels of Federal, State, and
local funds that could be
utilized in the project; and
7. Description of how the
applicant will identify
Federal, State, or local
policies, regulations, or
other requirements that would
impede the applicant in
achieving its goals.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: It may also be appropriate for an applicant to address a
requirement under more than one selection criterion.
2. Review and Selection Process: The Department will screen
applications submitted in accordance with the requirements in this
notice, and will
[[Page 24684]]
determine which applications are eligible to be read based on whether
they have met eligibility and other statutory and regulatory
requirements.
For the grant reviews, the Department will use independent
reviewers from various backgrounds and professions including: Pre-
kindergarten-12 teachers and principals, college and university
educators, researchers and evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy
consultants, grant makers and managers, community development
practitioners (in areas such as health or safety), and others with
education expertise. The Department will thoroughly screen all
reviewers for conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and competitive
review process.
Reviewers will read, prepare a written evaluation, and score the
applications assigned to their panel, using the selection criteria
provided in this notice.
For applications addressing Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority
2, and Absolute Priority 3, the Secretary prepares a rank order of
applications for each absolute priority based solely on the evaluation
of their quality according to the selection criteria. In accordance
with 34 CFR 75.217(d), the Secretary will make final awards after
considering the rank ordering and other information including an
applicant's performance and use of funds and compliance history under a
previous award under any Department program. In making awards under any
future competitions, the Secretary will consider an applicant's past
performance.
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 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 in 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: The Secretary has established one
performance indicator: The percentage of planning grantees that produce
a high-quality plan as measured by their receiving at least 90 percent
of the total possible points in the competition for FY 2011
implementation grants. All grantees will be required to submit a final
performance report documenting their contribution in assisting the
Department in measuring the performance of the program against this
indicator, as well as other information requested by the Department.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Larkin Tackett, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W338, Washington, DC 20202-
5970. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 or by e-mail:
[email protected].
If you use a TDD, call the 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.
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: April 29, 2010.
James H. Shelton, III,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2010-10492 Filed 5-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P