[Federal Register: June 4, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 107)]
[Notices]               
[Page 38489-38491]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04jn02-54]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.351C]

 
Professional Development for Music Educators

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 2002.

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    Purpose of Program: The Professional Development for Music 
Educators program, authorized under Subpart 15 of Part D of Title V of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by Public 
Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, makes grants to 
eligible entities for the implementation of high-quality professional 
development programs in elementary and secondary education. This 
program will fund professional development model programs based upon 
innovative instructional methods, especially those linked to 
scientifically based research.
    Eligible Applicants: A local educational agency (LEA), acting on 
behalf of an individual school or schools where 75 percent or more of 
the children are from low-income families, based on the poverty 
criteria described in Title I, Section 1113(a)(5) of the ESEA, in 
collaboration with at least one of the following: (1) An institution of 
higher education; (2) a State educational agency; or (3) a public or 
private non-profit agency with a history of providing high-quality 
professional development services to public schools. Only schools where 
75 percent or more of the children served are from low-income families 
may receive services under this program. Each school served through 
this program must submit evidence that it meets the poverty criteria. 
Applicants may submit records kept for the purpose of Title I of the 
ESEA that demonstrate proof of eligibility for each school to be 
served.

    Note: The LEA must serve as the fiscal agent for the program.

    Applications Available: June 4, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 19, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 17, 2002.
    Available Funds: approximately $2,000,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 5-10.
    Estimated Size of Awards: $200,000-$400,000.
    Average size of Awards: $300,000.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice. Funding for the second and third years is subject to the 
availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards (34 
CFR 75.253).

    Project Period: up to 36 months.
    General Requirements:
    Page Limit Requirement: The program narrative is limited to no more 
than 40 pages. The page limit applies to the narrative section only, 
however, all of the application narrative must be included in the 
narrative section. If the narrative section of an application exceeds 
the page limitation, the application will not be reviewed. In addition, 
the following standards are required: (1) Each ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'' 
(on one side only) with one inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); (2) 
double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in 
the application narrative including titles, headings, footnotes, 
quotations, and captions as well as all text in charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs; and (3) use a font that is either 12-point or 
larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    Project Directors Meeting: Applicants are encouraged to budget for 
a two-day project directors meeting in Washington, DC.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 97, 98, and 99.
    E-Mail Notification of Intent To Apply for Funding: 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 e-mail that it intends to submit an application for 
funding. The Secretary requests that this e-mail

[[Page 38490]]

notification be sent no later than July 5, 2002. The e-mail 
notification should be sent to Ms. Madeline Baggett at 
madeline.baggett@ed.gov. Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail 
notification may still apply for funding.
    Program Purposes and Goals: This program supports the strengthening 
of standards-based music education programs, which are an integral part 
of elementary and secondary school curriculums. It also helps ensure 
that all students meet challenging State academic content standards and 
challenging State student academic achievement standards in the arts. 
Professional development activities that are developed, enhanced, or 
expanded through this program will assist music teachers in the 
implementation of music education standards as well as the integration 
of music instruction into other subject areas.
    Music content and achievement standards have been voluntarily 
adopted in many States throughout the country. Such standards help 
school districts to establish student performance standards based upon 
the unique needs of, and desired outcomes for, the students in their 
communities. The development and implementation of standards-based 
music programs enable music educators to assess and document the 
effectiveness of teaching strategies and materials in addition to 
student achievement. However, teachers often need professional 
development on how to implement music education standards for both 
music programs and programs designed to integrate music into other 
subject areas.
    High-quality professional development programs supported under this 
program should be linked to the implementation of music standards and/
or the integration of music into other content areas and should 
include: (1) Strategies for addressing student achievement; (2) 
strategies for increasing the needs of students who come from diverse 
cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds; (3) the 
development of intellectual and leadership potential of teachers; (4) 
rigorous and sustained activities that result in increased content area 
knowledge and classroom effectiveness of music teachers; (5) 
technological innovations relevant to music instruction; and (6) 
increased opportunities for teachers to share and discuss new methods 
or teaching strategies with their peers.
    At the end of the project period, EDGAR (34 CFR 75.590) requires 
each grantee to submit a final program report. The Department intends 
to use information from the final report to determine which 
professional development programs have the greatest potential for 
improving teacher expertise in music education, and ultimately student 
performance in, music education. The Department plans to disseminate 
information regarding successful teaching methods or best practices 
that are developed or enhanced through this program to the music 
education community and to the public in general.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: In accordance with the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the 
Secretary to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on 
proposed rules. Section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions 
Act (GEPA), however, allows the Secretary to exempt rules governing the 
first competition under a new or substantially revised program 
authority (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)). This competition is the first Music 
Educators program competition under the reauthorized Arts in Education 
program as amended by Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act 
of 2001, and therefore qualifies for this exemption. The Secretary, in 
accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, has decided to forego public 
comment in order to ensure timely grant awards. These rules will apply 
to the FY 2002 grant competition only.
    Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the ESEA, the 
Secretary requires that each entity funded under this competition 
coordinate, to the extent practicable, each project or program carried 
out with such assistance with appropriate activities of public or 
private cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, including 
museums, arts education associations, libraries, and theaters.
    Supplement, Not Supplant, Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(2) of 
the authoring statute, the Secretary requires that assistance provided 
under this program be used only to supplement, and not to supplant, 
other assistance or funds made available from non-Federal sources for 
the activities assisted under this subpart.
    Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives 
an absolute priority to professional development programs designed for 
K-12 music teachers that focus on: (1) The development, enhancement, or 
expansion of standards-based music education programs; or (2) the 
integration of music instruction into other subject area content. 
Funded projects will address and strive to achieve all aspects of high-
quality professional development programs as described under the 
Program Purposes and Goals section.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary will fund under this 
competition only applicants that meet the absolute priority.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use the following selection 
criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications under this 
competition. The maximum score for each criterion is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the 
criterion. The criteria are as follows:
    (a) Significance. (15 points) The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance 
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development of promising new strategies that build on, or are 
alternatives to, existing strategies.
    (ii) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings.
    (iii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.
    (b) Quality of the Project Design. (20 points) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the project design of the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the project design, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach for meeting the priority established for the 
competition.
    (ii) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (iii) The quality of the methodology to be employed in the proposed 
project.
    (c) Quality of Project Services. (20 points) The Secretary 
considers the quality of project services to be provided by the 
proposed project. In determining the quality of the services to be 
provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality 
and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment 
for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project

[[Page 38491]]

reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practices.
    (ii) The extent to which the professional development services to 
be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient quality, 
intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice among the 
recipients of those services.
    (d) Quality of Project Personnel. (10 points) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been under-represented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director;
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of key project personnel.
    (iii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (e) Adequacy of Resources. (10 points) The Secretary considers the 
adequacy of resources for the proposed project. In determining the 
adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the lead applicant organization.
    (ii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to 
the number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and 
benefits.
    (iii) The potential for incorporation of project purposes, 
activities or benefits into the ongoing program of the agencies or 
organizations involved in the project at the end of Federal funding.
    (f) Quality of the Management Plan. (10 points) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project. 
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring continuous feedback 
and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (iii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (g) Quality of the Project Evaluation. (15 points) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the project evaluation. In determining the 
quality of the project evaluation, the Secretary considers the 
following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (ii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Madeline E. Baggett, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, FB-6, Room 3E228, 
Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 260-2502. Internet address: 
Madeline.Baggett@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format also by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 
format the standards forms included in the application package.
    Electronic Access to this Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other Department of Education documents published in the 
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on 
the Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister. 
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free 
at this site. If you have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO) toll free at 1-888-293-6498, or in the 
Washington, DC area at 202-512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: Http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7271.

    Dated: May 30, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-13984 Filed 6-3-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P