Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Competition; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, 437-441 [E8-31460]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 3 / Tuesday, January 6, 2009 / Notices
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Dated: December 31, 2008.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of Management.
Federal Student Aid
Type of Review: Revision.
Title: Student Assistance General
Provisions—Subpart I—Immigration—
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Frequency: On Occasion.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions;
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LEAs.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour
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Responses: 78,848.
Burden Hours: 19,712.
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[FR Doc. E8–31426 Filed 1–5–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education; Overview Information;
Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries Competition; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.364A.
DATES: Applications Available: January
6, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: March 6, 2009.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: May 5, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
this program is to improve student
reading skills and academic
achievement by providing students with
increased access to up-to-date school
library materials; well-equipped,
technologically advanced school library
media centers; and well-trained,
professionally certified school library
media specialists.
Eligible local educational agencies
(LEAs) may use funds for the following
activities: purchasing up-to-date school
library media resources, including
books; acquiring and using advanced
technology that is integrated into the
curricula of the school to develop and
enhance the information literacy,
information retrieval, and criticalthinking skills of students; facilitating
Internet links and other resourcesharing networks; providing
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437
professional development for school
library media specialists and providing
activities that foster increased
collaboration among library specialists,
teachers, and administrators; and
providing students with access to school
libraries during non-school hours,
including before and after school,
weekends, and summer vacations. (20
U.S.C. 6383(g))
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6383.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84,
85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final
clarification of eligible local activities,
published in the Federal Register on
April 5, 2004 (69 FR 17894).
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$19,145,000 for awards for the
Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries program for FY 2009, of which
we intend to use an estimated
$18,547,901 for this competition. The
actual level of funding, if any, depends
on final congressional action. However,
we are inviting applications to allow
enough time to complete the grant
process.
Contingent upon the availability of
funds and the quality of applications,
we may make additional awards in FY
2010 from the list of unfunded
applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000–
$500,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
$231,849
Estimated Number of Awards: 80.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs,
including charter schools and Stateadministered schools that are
considered LEAs under State law, in
which at least 20 percent of the students
served by the LEA are from families
with incomes below the poverty line
based on the most recent satisfactory
data available from the U.S. Census
Bureau at the time this notice is
published. These data are Small Area
Income and Poverty Estimates for school
districts for income year 2007. A list of
LEAs with their family poverty rates
(based on these Census Bureau data) is
posted on our Web site at https://
www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/
eligibility.html.
Note: Charter schools and Stateadministered schools must include
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documentation from their State educational
agency (SEA) confirming eligibility for this
program.
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2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
program does not require cost sharing or
matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This
program involves supplement-notsupplant funding requirements. Funds
made available under this program must
be used to supplement, and not
supplant, other Federal, State, and local
funds expended to carry out activities
relating to library, technology, or
professional development activities (20
U.S.C. 6383(i)).
IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package: You can obtain an application
package via the Internet or from the
Education Publications Center (ED
Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet,
use either of the following addresses:
https://www.grants.gov or https://
www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/
applicant.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write,
fax, or call the following: Education
Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398,
Jessup, MD 20794–1398. Telephone, toll
free: 1–877–433–7827. FAX: (301) 470–
1244. If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free:
1–877–576–7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web
site, also: https://www.ed.gov/pubs/
edpubs.html or at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED
Pubs, be sure to identify this program or
competition as follows: CFDA number
84.364A.
Individuals with disabilities can
obtain a copy of the application package
in an accessible format (e.g., braille,
large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) by contacting the person or
team listed under Accessible Format in
section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission: Requirements concerning
the content of an application, together
with the forms you must submit, are in
the application package for this
competition. Page Limit: The
application narrative is where you, the
applicant, address the selection criteria
that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the
application narrative to no more than 15
pages, using the following standards:
• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side
only, with 1’’ margins at the top,
bottom, and both sides.
• Double space (no more than three
lines per vertical inch) all text in the
application narrative, including titles,
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headings, footnotes, quotations,
references, and captions, as well as all
text in charts, tables, figures, and
graphs.
• Use a font that is either 12 point or
larger or no smaller than 10 pitch
(characters per inch).
• Use one of the following fonts:
Times New Roman, Courier, Courier
New, or Arial. An application submitted
in any other font (including Times
Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be
accepted.
The page limit does not apply to the
cover sheet; the budget section,
including the narrative budget
justification; the one-page abstract; the
other attachments, including the
resumes and the endnotes, if applicable;
and the assurances and certifications.
However, the page limit does apply to
all of the application narrative section.
The SEA documentation of eligibility is
not counted toward the page limit.
Our reviewers will not read any pages
of your application that exceed the page
limit. Appendices to the narrative are
not permitted, with the exception of
resumes and endnotes. None of the
material sent as appendices to the
narrative, with the exception of resumes
and endnotes, will be sent to the
reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: January 6,
2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: March 6, 2009.
Applications for grants under this
competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov
Apply site (Grants.gov). For information
(including dates and times) about how
to submit your application
electronically, or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery if you qualify for
an exception to the electronic
submission requirement, please refer to
section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application
that does not comply with the deadline
requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who
need an accommodation or auxiliary aid
in connection with the application
process should contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If
the Department provides an
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an
individual with a disability in
connection with the application
process, the individual’s application
remains subject to all other
requirements and limitations in this
notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: May 5, 2009.
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4. Intergovernmental Review: This
competition is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34
CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs under Executive Order 12372
is in the application package for this
competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference
regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements:
Applications for grants under this
competition must be submitted
electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in
accordance with the instructions in this
section.
a. Electronic Submission of
Applications.
Applications for grants under the
Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries competition, CFDA number
84.364A, must be submitted
electronically using the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site
at https://www.Grants.gov. Through this
site, you will be able to download a
copy of the application package,
complete it offline, and then upload and
submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
We will reject your application if you
submit it in paper format unless, as
described elsewhere in this section, you
qualify for one of the exceptions to the
electronic submission requirement and
submit, no later than two weeks before
the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you
qualify for one of these exceptions.
Further information regarding
calculation of the date that is two weeks
before the application deadline date is
provided later in this section under
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant
application for the Improving Literacy
Through School Libraries competition at
https://www.Grants.gov. You must search
for the downloadable application
package for this competition by the
CFDA number. Do not include the
CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your
search (e.g., search for 84.364, not
84.364A).
Please note the following:
• When you enter the Grants.gov site,
you will find information about
submitting an application electronically
through the site, as well as the hours of
operation.
• Applications received by Grants.gov
are date and time stamped. Your
application must be fully uploaded and
submitted and must be date and time
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stamped by the Grants.gov system no
later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date.
Except as otherwise noted in this
section, we will not accept your
application if it is received—that is, date
and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,
DC time, on the application deadline
date. We do not consider an application
that does not comply with the deadline
requirements. When we retrieve your
application from Grants.gov, we will
notify you if we are rejecting your
application because it was date and time
stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date.
• The amount of time it can take to
upload an application will vary
depending on a variety of factors,
including the size of the application and
the speed of your Internet connection.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the submission
process through Grants.gov.
• You should review and follow the
Education Submission Procedures for
submitting an application through
Grants.gov that are included in the
application package for this competition
to ensure that you submit your
application in a timely manner to the
Grants.gov system. You can also find the
Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at https://eGrants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
• To submit your application via
Grants.gov, you must complete all steps
in the Grants.gov registration process
(see https://www.grants.gov/applicants/
get_registered.jsp ). These steps include
(1) Registering your organization, a
multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor
Registry (CCR); (2) registering yourself
as an Authorized Organization
Representative (AOR); and (3) getting
authorized as an AOR by your
organization. Details on these steps are
outlined in the Grants.gov 3–Step
Registration Guide (see https://
www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf).
You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number
used with this registration. Please note
that the registration process may take
five or more business days to complete,
and you must have completed all
registration steps to allow you to submit
successfully an application via
Grants.gov. In addition you will need to
update your CCR registration on an
annual basis. This may take three or
more business days to complete.
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• You will not receive additional
point value because you submit your
application in electronic format, nor
will we penalize you if you qualify for
an exception to the electronic
submission requirement, as described
elsewhere in this section, and submit
your application in paper format.
• You must submit all documents
electronically, including all information
you typically provide on the following
forms: Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for
SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
• You must attach any narrative
sections of your application as files in
a.DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or
.PDF (Portable Document) format. If you
upload a file type other than the three
file types specified in this paragraph or
submit a password-protected file, we
will not review that material.
• Your electronic application must
comply with any page-limit
requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit
your application, you will receive from
Grants.gov an automatic notification of
receipt that contains a Grants.gov
tracking number. (This notification
indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not
receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send a
second notification to you by e-mail.
This second notification indicates that
the Department has received your
application and has assigned your
application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to
your application).
• We may request that you provide us
original signatures on forms at a later
date.
Application Deadline Date Extension
in Case of Technical Issues with the
Grants.gov System: If you are
experiencing problems submitting your
application through Grants.gov, please
contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,
toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must
obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from
electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline
date because of technical problems with
the Grants.gov system, we will grant you
an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, the following
business day to enable you to transmit
your application electronically or by
hand delivery. You also may mail your
application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this
notice.
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If you submit an application after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date, please
contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
section VII of this notice and provide an
explanation of the technical problem
you experienced with Grants.gov, along
with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number. We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the
Grants.gov system and that that problem
affected your ability to submit your
application by 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your
application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in
this section apply only to the unavailability
of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov
system. We will not grant you an extension
if you failed to fully register to submit your
application to Grants.gov before the
application deadline date and time or if the
technical problem you experienced is
unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission
requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are
unable to submit an application through
the Grants.gov system because—
• You do not have access to the
Internet; or
• You do not have the capacity to
upload large documents to the
Grants.gov system; and
• No later than two weeks before the
application deadline date (14 calendar
days or, if the fourteenth calendar day
before the application deadline date
falls on a Federal holiday, the next
business day following the Federal
holiday), you mail or fax a written
statement to the Department, explaining
which of the two grounds for an
exception prevent you from using the
Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to
the Department, it must be postmarked
no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date. If you fax
your written statement to the
Department, we must receive the faxed
statement no later than two weeks
before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your
statement to: Irene Harwarth, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., room 3E244, Washington,
DC 20202–6200. FAX: (202) 260–8969.
Your paper application must be
submitted in accordance with the mail
or hand delivery instructions described
in this notice.
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b. Submission of Paper Applications
by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the
electronic submission requirement, you
may mail (through the U.S. Postal
Service or a commercial carrier) your
application to the Department. You
must mail the original and two copies
of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the
Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.364A), LBJ Basement
Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202–4260.
You must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service
postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the
date of mailing stamped by the U.S.
Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or
receipt from a commercial carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing
acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.
Department of Education.
If you mail your application through
the U.S. Postal Service, we do not
accept either of the following as proof
of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after
the application deadline date, we will
not consider your application.
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Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before
relying on this method, you should check
with your local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications
by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the
electronic submission requirement, you
(or a courier service) may deliver your
paper application to the Department by
hand. You must deliver the original and
two copies of your application by hand,
on or before the application deadline
date, to the Department at the following
address: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.364A), 550 12th
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.
The Application Control Center
accepts hand deliveries daily between
8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,
DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays,
and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper
Applications: If you mail or hand deliver
your application to the Department—
(1) You must indicate on the envelope
and—if not provided by the Department—in
Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number,
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including suffix letter, if any, of the
competition under which you are submitting
your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will
mail to you a notification of receipt of your
grant application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call
the U.S. Department of Education
Application Control Center at (202) 245–
6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The maximum
score for all of these criteria is 110
points. The maximum score for each
criterion is indicated in parentheses.
The selection criteria for this
competition are from section 1251 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20
U.S.C. 6383) and 34 CFR 75.210 and are
as follows:
(a) Meeting the purpose of the statute
(10 points). How well the proposed
project addresses the intended outcome
of the statute to improve student reading
skills and academic achievement by
providing students with increased
access to up-to-date school library
materials; a well-equipped,
technologically advanced school library
media center; and well-trained,
professionally certified school library
media specialists.
(b) Need for school library resources
(10 points). How well the applicant
demonstrates the need for school library
media improvement, based on the age
and condition of school library media
resources, including: book collections;
access of school library media centers to
advanced technology; and the
availability of well-trained,
professionally certified school library
media specialists in schools served by
the applicant.
(c) Use of funds (50 points). How well
the applicant will use the funds made
available through the grant to carry out
one or more of the following activities
that meet its demonstrated needs:
(1) Acquiring up-to-date school
library media resources, including
books.
(2) Acquiring and using advanced
technology, incorporated into the
curricula of the school, to develop and
enhance students’ skills in retrieving
and making use of information and in
critical thinking.
(3) Facilitating Internet links and
other resource-sharing networks among
schools and school library media
centers, and public and academic
libraries.
(4) Providing professional
development (as described in the notice
of final clarification of eligible local
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activities published April 5, 2004, in the
Federal Register (69 FR 17894)), for
school library media specialists that is
designed to improve literacy in grades
K–3, and for school library media
specialists as described in section
1222(d)(2) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6383),
and providing activities that foster
increased collaboration between school
library media specialists, teachers, and
administrators.
(5) Providing students with access to
school libraries during non-school
hours, including the hours before and
after school, during weekends, and
during summer vacation periods.
(d) Use of scientifically based
research (10 points). How well the
applicant will use programs and
materials that are grounded in
scientifically based research, as defined
in section 9101(37) of the ESEA (20
U.S.C. 7801(37)), in carrying out one or
more of the activities described under
criterion (c).
(e) Broad-based involvement and
coordination (10 points). How well the
applicant will extensively involve
school library media specialists,
teachers, administrators, and parents in
the proposed project activities and
effectively coordinate the funds and
activities provided under this program
with other literacy, library, technology,
and professional development funds
and activities.
(f) Evaluation of quality and impact
(10 points). How well the applicant will
collect and analyze data on the quality
and impact of the proposed project
activities, including data on the extent
to which the availability of, the access
to, and the use of up-to-date school
library media resources in the
elementary schools and secondary
schools served by the applicant increase
and on the impact of the project on
improving the reading skills of students.
(g) Quality of project personnel (10
points). The quality of the personnel
who will carry out the proposed project,
including the following factors: (1) The
extent to which the applicant
encourages applications for employment
from persons who are members of
groups that have traditionally been
underrepresented based on race, color,
national origin, gender, age, or
disability. (2) The qualifications,
including relevant training and
experience, of the project director or
principal investigator.
2. Review and Selection Process: An
additional factor we consider in
selecting an application for an award is
the equitable distribution of grants
across geographic regions and among
LEAs serving urban and rural areas (20
U.S.C. 6383(e)(3)).
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VI. Award Administration Information:
1. Award Notices: If your application
is successful, we notify your U.S.
Representative and U.S. Senators and
send you a Grant Award Notice (GAN).
We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or
not selected for funding, we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy
requirements in the application package
and reference these and other
requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining
the terms and conditions of an award in
the Applicable Regulations section of
this notice and include these and other
specific conditions in the GAN. The
GAN also incorporates your approved
application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your
project period, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial
information, as directed by the
Secretary. The Secretary may also
require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For
specific requirements on reporting,
please go to https://www.ed.gov/fund/
grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: In response
to the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the
Department developed three measures
for evaluating the overall effectiveness
of the Improving Literacy Through
School Libraries program. These
measures gauge improvement in student
achievement and resources in the
schools and LEAs served by the program
by assessing: (1) The percentage of
students in schools served by the
Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries program who are proficient in
reading; (2) The number of books and
media resources purchased per student,
pre- and post-grant, compared to the
national average; and (3) The difference
in the number of purchases of school
library materials (books and media
resources) between schools participating
in the Improving Literacy Through
School Libraries program and the
national average. The Department will
collect data for these measures from
grantees’ final performance reports and
other data sources.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Irene Harwarth, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 3E244, Washington, DC 20202–
6200. Telephone: (202) 401–3751 or by
e-mail: irene.harwarth@ed.gov.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:52 Jan 05, 2009
Jkt 217001
If you use a TDD, call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–
877–8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or computer diskette)
on request to the program contact
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of
this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document:
You can view this document, as well as
all other documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register, in
text or Adobe Portable Document
Format (PDF) on the Internet at the
following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/
fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which is available free
at this site. If you have questions about
using PDF, call the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–
888–293–6498; or in the Washington,
DC, area at (202) 512–1530.
Note: The official version of this document
is the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code
of Federal Regulations is available on GPO
Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: December 31, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and
Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8–31460 Filed 1–5–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education; High School Equivalency
Program
CFDA No. 84.141A
Department of Education.
ACTION: Correction; Notice inviting
applications for new awards for fiscal
year (FY) 2009.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: On December 23, 2008, we
published in the Federal Register (73
FR 78751) a notice inviting applications
for new awards for FY 2009 under the
High School Equivalency Program. We
are correcting the notice to specify the
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review
of applications submitted in this
competition.
On page 78751, first column, under
DATES:, after ‘‘Deadline for Transmittal
of Applications: February 23, 2009.’’
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
441
add ‘‘Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: April 24, 2009.’’.
On page 78752, first column, under 3.
Submission Dates and Times:, after
‘‘Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: February 23, 2009.’’ add
‘‘Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: April 24, 2009.’’.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David DeSoto, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 3E344, Washington, DC 20202–
6135. Telephone: (202) 260–8103.
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 this document in an accessible
format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
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: https://www.ed.gov/news/
fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which is available free
at this site. If you have questions about
using PDF, call the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–
888–293–6498; or in the Washington,
DC, area at (202) 512–1530.
Note: The official version of this document
is the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code
of Federal Regulations is available on GPO
Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: December 31, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and
Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8–31464 Filed 1–5–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
E:\FR\FM\06JAN1.SGM
06JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 437-441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31460]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview
Information; Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Competition;
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.364A.
DATES: Applications Available: January 6, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 6, 2009.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 5, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to improve
student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students
with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-
equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and
well-trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists.
Eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) may use funds for the
following activities: purchasing up-to-date school library media
resources, including books; acquiring and using advanced technology
that is integrated into the curricula of the school to develop and
enhance the information literacy, information retrieval, and critical-
thinking skills of students; facilitating Internet links and other
resource-sharing networks; providing professional development for
school library media specialists and providing activities that foster
increased collaboration among library specialists, teachers, and
administrators; and providing students with access to school libraries
during non-school hours, including before and after school, weekends,
and summer vacations. (20 U.S.C. 6383(g))
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6383.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final clarification of
eligible local activities, published in the Federal Register on April
5, 2004 (69 FR 17894).
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$19,145,000 for awards for the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries program for FY 2009, of which we intend to use an estimated
$18,547,901 for this competition. The actual level of funding, if any,
depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2010 from the list of
unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000-$500,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $231,849
Estimated Number of Awards: 80.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs, including charter schools and State-
administered schools that are considered LEAs under State law, in which
at least 20 percent of the students served by the LEA are from families
with incomes below the poverty line based on the most recent
satisfactory data available from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time
this notice is published. These data are Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates for school districts for income year 2007. A list of LEAs
with their family poverty rates (based on these Census Bureau data) is
posted on our Web site at https://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/
eligibility.html.
Note: Charter schools and State-administered schools must
include
[[Page 438]]
documentation from their State educational agency (SEA) confirming
eligibility for this program.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Funds made available under this program
must be used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and
local funds expended to carry out activities relating to library,
technology, or professional development activities (20 U.S.C. 6383(i)).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use either of the
following addresses: https://www.grants.gov or https://www.ed.gov/
programs/lsl/applicant.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.
Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: https://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.364A.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition. Page
Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address
the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application.
You must limit the application narrative to no more than 15 pages,
using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget
section, including the narrative budget justification; the one-page
abstract; the other attachments, including the resumes and the
endnotes, if applicable; and the assurances and certifications.
However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative
section. The SEA documentation of eligibility is not counted toward the
page limit.
Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that
exceed the page limit. Appendices to the narrative are not permitted,
with the exception of resumes and endnotes. None of the material sent
as appendices to the narrative, with the exception of resumes and
endnotes, will be sent to the reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: January 6, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 6, 2009.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 5, 2009.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under
Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this
competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries competition, CFDA number 84.364A, must be submitted
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http:/
/www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy
of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and
submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a
grant application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Improving
Literacy Through School Libraries competition at https://www.Grants.gov.
You must search for the downloadable application package for this
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.364, not 84.364A).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time
[[Page 439]]
stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at https://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see https://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp ). These steps include
(1) Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see https://www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a.DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Irene Harwarth, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E244,
Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 260-8969.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
[[Page 440]]
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.364A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.364A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The maximum score for all of these criteria
is 110 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in
parentheses. The selection criteria for this competition are from
section 1251 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 6383) and 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows:
(a) Meeting the purpose of the statute (10 points). How well the
proposed project addresses the intended outcome of the statute to
improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing
students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials;
a well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media center;
and well-trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists.
(b) Need for school library resources (10 points). How well the
applicant demonstrates the need for school library media improvement,
based on the age and condition of school library media resources,
including: book collections; access of school library media centers to
advanced technology; and the availability of well-trained,
professionally certified school library media specialists in schools
served by the applicant.
(c) Use of funds (50 points). How well the applicant will use the
funds made available through the grant to carry out one or more of the
following activities that meet its demonstrated needs:
(1) Acquiring up-to-date school library media resources, including
books.
(2) Acquiring and using advanced technology, incorporated into the
curricula of the school, to develop and enhance students' skills in
retrieving and making use of information and in critical thinking.
(3) Facilitating Internet links and other resource-sharing networks
among schools and school library media centers, and public and academic
libraries.
(4) Providing professional development (as described in the notice
of final clarification of eligible local activities published April 5,
2004, in the Federal Register (69 FR 17894)), for school library media
specialists that is designed to improve literacy in grades K-3, and for
school library media specialists as described in section 1222(d)(2) of
the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6383), and providing activities that foster
increased collaboration between school library media specialists,
teachers, and administrators.
(5) Providing students with access to school libraries during non-
school hours, including the hours before and after school, during
weekends, and during summer vacation periods.
(d) Use of scientifically based research (10 points). How well the
applicant will use programs and materials that are grounded in
scientifically based research, as defined in section 9101(37) of the
ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7801(37)), in carrying out one or more of the
activities described under criterion (c).
(e) Broad-based involvement and coordination (10 points). How well
the applicant will extensively involve school library media
specialists, teachers, administrators, and parents in the proposed
project activities and effectively coordinate the funds and activities
provided under this program with other literacy, library, technology,
and professional development funds and activities.
(f) Evaluation of quality and impact (10 points). How well the
applicant will collect and analyze data on the quality and impact of
the proposed project activities, including data on the extent to which
the availability of, the access to, and the use of up-to-date school
library media resources in the elementary schools and secondary schools
served by the applicant increase and on the impact of the project on
improving the reading skills of students.
(g) Quality of project personnel (10 points). The quality of the
personnel who will carry out the proposed project, including the
following factors: (1) The extent to which the applicant encourages
applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that
have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability. (2) The qualifications, including
relevant training and experience, of the project director or principal
investigator.
2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider
in selecting an application for an award is the equitable distribution
of grants across geographic regions and among LEAs serving urban and
rural areas (20 U.S.C. 6383(e)(3)).
[[Page 441]]
VI. Award Administration Information:
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notice
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. The Secretary may also require more frequent
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements
on reporting, please go to https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/
appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: In response to the Government Performance
and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department developed three measures
for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Improving Literacy
Through School Libraries program. These measures gauge improvement in
student achievement and resources in the schools and LEAs served by the
program by assessing: (1) The percentage of students in schools served
by the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program who are
proficient in reading; (2) The number of books and media resources
purchased per student, pre- and post-grant, compared to the national
average; and (3) The difference in the number of purchases of school
library materials (books and media resources) between schools
participating in the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
program and the national average. The Department will collect data for
these measures from grantees' final performance reports and other data
sources.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irene Harwarth, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E244, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-3751 or by e-mail: irene.harwarth@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free,
at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/.
Dated: December 31, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-31460 Filed 1-5-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
