Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; School Leadership Grant Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, 6007-6012 [2010-2561]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 24 (Friday, February 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6007-6012]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2561]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
School Leadership Grant Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.363A.

DATES: Applications Available: February 9, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: March 8, 2010.
    Date of Pre-Application Meetings: February 19, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 6, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 7, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The School Leadership Grant Program (SLP) is 
designed to assist high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) in 
recruiting and training principals (including assistant principals) 
through such activities as:
     Providing financial incentives to aspiring new principals.
     Providing stipends to principals who mentor new 
principals.
     Carrying out professional development programs in 
instructional leadership and management.
     Providing incentives that are appropriate for teachers or 
individuals from other fields who want to become principals and that 
are effective in retaining new principals.
    Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly interested 
in applications that address the following three invitational 
priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2010, these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an 
application that meets the invitational priorities a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    1. Projects that develop and implement, enhance, or expand 
innovative programs to build the capacity of principals (including 
assistant principals) to lead and achieve teaching and learning gains 
in persistently lowest-achieving schools.
    2. Projects that demonstrate evidence of the LEA's commitment to 
identify, implement, and support school conditions that facilitate 
efforts by the principals (including assistant principals) prepared by 
this program to improve persistently lowest-achieving schools.
    3. Projects that collect and use student achievement data to assess 
the effect of principals (including assistant principals) prepared 
through this program on student learning and for continuous program 
improvement.

    Note: Applicants are encouraged to describe their methods or 
strategies for collecting and using data to assess the impact of 
participants prepared through the project on student learning in the 
participants' schools. Applicants also are strongly encouraged to 
describe how these data will be used for continuous program 
improvement.

    Background: The Secretary has set an ambitious goal of turning 
around the nation's 5,000 lowest-achieving schools over the next five 
years, as part of a broader strategy to reduce the dropout rate, 
improve the high school graduation rate, and increase the number of 
students who graduate prepared for success in college and their 
careers. Principals are a major driver of school improvement and 
teacher quality, and second only to teachers in their impact on student 
achievement.\1\ A strong principal can have a positive impact on 
teachers' instructional practice, and on the learning outcomes of 
hundreds of students. In school ``turnaround'' models and instructional 
programs, a consistently recognized determinant of success is not only 
the quality of the model or program but the school leader's ability to 
implement the model or program effectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Leithwood, Kenneth et al. ``How Leadership Influences 
Student Learning.'' Wallace Foundation, 2004.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Despite their importance, school leaders are often denied the 
autonomy, resources, or support they need to implement models and 
programs and lead their schools effectively. To recruit and retain 
highly talented school leaders to serve in underperforming schools, 
district leaders must remove obstacles and give these individuals real 
flexibility over money, time, operations, and staffing to enable them 
to lead their schools.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ Calkins, Andrew et al. ``The Turnaround Challenge: Why 
America's best opportunity to dramatically improve student 
achievement lies in our worst-performing schools.'' 2007.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the past, the SLP has funded projects that have focused on 
creating alternative pathways for principal certification or licensure 
and providing professional development to improve the skills of 
existing principals in schools in high-need LEAs. In this notice, the 
Secretary encourages applicants to look beyond preparation pathways and 
to promote district conditions that support these school leaders in 
leading and turning around the persistently lowest-achieving schools in 
the participating LEAs. In addition, the Secretary encourages 
applications for projects that will collect and use data to determine 
the effect of these school leaders on student learning in the schools 
in which they serve and for continuous program improvement.

[[Page 6008]]

    For the purpose of these invitational priorities, the term 
``persistently lowest-achieving school'' is defined as it is under the 
Department's State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program (74 FR 58436, 
58487), School Improvement Grants (74 FR 65618, 65652), and Race to the 
Top Fund (74 FR 59836, 59840).
    The definition of persistently lowest-achieving school is in this 
notice under Section III: Eligibility Information (3) Other.
    Addressing one or more of these priorities will not give an 
applicant an advantage over another applicant who does not choose to 
respond to the invitational priorities.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6651(b).
    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 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $11,000,000
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 15-20.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: High-need LEAs; consortia of high-need 
LEAs; and partnerships of high-need LEAs, non-profit organizations 
(which may be a community- or faith-based organization), and 
institutions of higher education. Applicants must identify and confirm 
in their applications that the participating LEAs meet the definition 
of high-need LEA in section 2102(3) of the ESEA.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: Definitions of High-Need LEA and Persistently Lowest-
Achieving Schools, and Other Eligibility Information. As defined in 
section 2102(3) of the ESEA, the term high-need LEA means an LEA--
    (a)(1) That serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families 
with incomes below the poverty line, or (2) for which not less than 20 
percent of the children served by the LEA are from families with 
incomes below the poverty line; and
    (b) For which there is (1) a high percentage of teachers not 
teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels the teachers were 
trained to teach, or (2) a high percentage of teachers with emergency, 
provisional, or temporary certification or licensing.
    So that the Department may be able to confirm the eligibility of 
the LEAs that projects propose to serve, applicants are expected to 
include information in their applications that demonstrates that each 
participating LEA in the project is a high-need LEA, as defined in 
section 2102(3) of the ESEA. This information should be based on the 
most recent available data on the number of children from families with 
incomes below the poverty line that the LEA serves. When presenting 
evidence to support that each participating LEA meets the ESEA 
definition of a high-need LEA, an applicant should consider the 
following:
    The Department is not aware of any reliable data that are available 
to LEAs--other than the data periodically gathered by the U.S. Census 
Bureau--that would show that an LEA serves the required number or 
percentage of children (individuals ages 5 through 17) from families 
below the poverty line (as defined in section 9101(33) of the ESEA).

    Note: The data that many LEAs collect on the number or 
percentage of children eligible for free- and reduced-priced meal 
subsidies may not be used to satisfy the requirements under 
component (a) of the ESEA definition of high-need LEA. Those data do 
not reflect children from families with incomes below the poverty 
line, as defined in section 9101(33) of the ESEA.

    Therefore, absent a showing of alternative LEA data that reliably 
show the number of children from families with incomes below the 
poverty line that are served by the LEA, the eligibility of an LEA as a 
high-need LEA under component (a) would be determined on the basis of 
the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. U.S. Census Bureau data are 
available for all school districts with geographic boundaries that 
existed when the U.S. Census Bureau collected its information. The link 
to the census data is: https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/data/.
    The Department also makes these data available at its Web site at: 
https://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html. (Although the 
Department posted this listing specifically for the Improving Literacy 
through School Libraries program, these same data apply to the ESEA 
definition of a high-need LEA used for purposes of determining 
eligibility under the SLP.)
    With regard to component (b)(1) of the ESEA definition of high-need 
LEA, the Department interprets the phrase ``a high percentage of 
teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels that the 
teachers were trained to teach'' as being equivalent to ``a high 
percentage of teachers teaching out of field.'' The Department expects 
that LEAs that rely on component (b)(1) of the ESEA definition of high-
need LEA will demonstrate that they have a high percentage of teachers 
teaching out of field. The Department is not aware of any specific data 
that would demonstrate a ``high percentage'' of teachers teaching out 
of field. Accordingly, the Department will review this aspect of an 
LEA's proposed eligibility on a case-by-case basis. To decrease the 
level of uncertainty, an applicant might choose instead to demonstrate 
that each participating LEA meets the eligibility test for a high-need 
LEA under component (b)(2) of the ESEA definition.
    For component (b)(2) of the ESEA definition of high-need LEA, the 
data that LEAs likely will find most readily available on the 
percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary 
certification or licensing are the data they provide to their States 
for inclusion in the reports on the quality of teacher preparation that 
the States provide to the Department in October of each year as 
required by section 207 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(HEA). In these reports, States provide the percentage of teachers in 
their LEAs teaching on waivers of State certification, both on a 
statewide basis and in high-poverty LEAs. As reflected in the State 
reports the Department most recently received in October 2008, the 
national average percentage of teachers on waivers in high-poverty LEAs 
is 1.3 percent.
    Persistently lowest-achieving school: For the purpose of the 
invitational priorities in this notice, a persistently lowest-achieving 
school is, as determined by the State, (1) any Title I school in 
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that is (a) 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 (b) a high school 
that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is 
less than 60 percent over a number of years; and (2) any secondary 
school that

[[Page 6009]]

is eligible for, but does not receive, Title I funds that is (a) 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 (b) a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined 
in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of 
years.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: ED PUBS, U.S. Department 
of Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll 
free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703) 605-6794. 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.EDPubs.gov or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.363A.
    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 program. Page 
Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address 
the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate and score your 
application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit the 
application narrative to the equivalent of no more than 50 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 application cover sheet; the 
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the 
assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, 
the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page limit 
does apply to all of the application narrative section.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 9, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: March 8, 2010.
    Date of Pre-Application Meetings: February 19, 2010.
    The Department will hold two pre-application meetings for 
prospective applicants on February 19, 2010. The first meeting will be 
held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the second meeting (a repeat of 
the morning meeting) will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the 
U.S. Department of Education, Barnard Auditorium, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20202. Interested parties are invited to 
participate in this meeting to discuss the purpose of the SLP, 
invitational priorities, selection criteria, application content, 
submission requirements, and reporting requirements. This site is 
accessible by Metro on the Blue, Orange, Green, and Yellow lines at the 
Seventh Street and Maryland Avenue exit of the L'Enfant Plaza station.
    Individuals interested in attending this meeting are encouraged to 
pre-register by e-mailing their name, organization, and contact 
information with the subject heading ``PRE-APPLICATION MEETING'' to 
Schoolleadershipmatters@ed.gov. There is no registration fee for 
attending this meeting. For further information contact Beatriz Ceja, 
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, 
room 4W210, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: 
(202) 205-5009 or by e-mail: Schoolleadershipmatters@ed.gov.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Pre-Application 
Meeting

    The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If 
you will need an auxiliary aid or service to participate in the meeting 
(e.g., interpreting service, assistive listening device, or materials 
in an alternate format), notify the contact person listed in section 
VII of this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting 
date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after that 
date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid 
or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 6, 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.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: June 7, 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 program.
    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 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 SLP--CFDA Number 84.363A must be 
submitted electronically using e-Application, accessible through the 
Department's e-Grants Web site at:  https://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

[[Page 6010]]

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 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 a.m. 
Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until 8 p.m. Sunday, 
Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of maintenance, the 
system is unavailable between 8 p.m. on Sundays and 6 a.m. on Mondays, 
and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, 
DC time. Any modifications to these hours are posted on the e-Grants 
Web site. (Special Note: Due to internal database configuration 
changes, e-application will be closed from February 11-16, 2010; this 
does not affect the application deadline published in this notice.)
     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
     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: Beatriz Ceja, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W210, 
Washington, DC 20202. FAX: (202) 401-8466.
    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 84.363A), LBJ Business 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.

[[Page 6011]]

    (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 84.363A), 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: The selection criteria for this program are 
from 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all of the selection criteria 
is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in 
parentheses. Each criterion also includes the factors that the 
reviewers will consider in determining how well an application meets 
the criterion. Any notes following a selection criterion are intended 
to provide guidance to help applicants in preparing their applications 
only, and are not statutory or regulatory requirements for this 
competition. The criteria are as follows:
    A. Quality of the project design (45 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. The extent to which there is a conceptual framework underlying 
the proposed research or demonstration activities and the quality of 
that framework.
    2. The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a 
coherent, sustained program of training in the field.
    3. The extent to which the proposed project is part of a 
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support 
rigorous academic standards for students.
    4. The extent to which the design for implementing and evaluating 
the proposed project will result in information to guide possible 
replication of project activities or strategies, including information 
about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the 
project.
    5. The extent to which project participants are to be selected on 
the basis of academic excellence.

    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to address this 
criterion by discussing the overall project framework. The applicant 
is encouraged to identify its proposed partner or partners; its 
capacity to prepare leaders for schools in high-need LEAs; criteria 
for selecting and assessing program participants; and implementation 
strategies including the processes, tools, and protocols to be used 
in selecting, preparing, assessing, and supporting leaders to 
significantly improve schools in high-need LEAs. The Secretary also 
encourages applicants to describe their proposed program delivery 
strategies, such as (1) Plans for participants to have school-based 
work experiences or serve as residents with experienced, highly 
effective school leaders, (2) plans for participants to receive 
intensive induction support, including mentoring and coaching, and 
(3) placement and retention strategies that include follow-up 
support.

    B. Quality of the project evaluation (25 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    1. 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.
    2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.

    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to consider how this 
criterion may affect both their annual performance reports and the 
final evaluation submitted under 34 CFR 75.590. In addition, the 
Secretary encourages applicants to address this criterion by 
including proposed benchmarks for assessing both short- and long-
term progress toward the specific project objectives and outcome 
measures they would use to assess the project's impact on teaching 
and learning or other important outcomes for project participants. 
Applicants may consider the use of ``logic models'' to identify the 
project's inputs, outputs, and outcomes.

    Questions to consider when responding to the evaluation criterion 
might include:
     What types of data will be collected?
     When will the data be collected?
     What evaluation instruments will be developed and when?
     How will the data be analyzed?
     How will the applicant use the data to monitor progress of 
the funded project and to provide accountability information both about 
the success at the initial site or sites and about effective strategies 
for replication in other settings?
    C. Significance (20 points). The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance 
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. The potential contribution of the proposed project to increased 
knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues, or 
effective strategies.
    2. The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system 
change or improvement.
    3. The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to 
be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.

    Note: Applicants are encouraged to describe how the proposed 
project will affect teaching and student learning in the proposed 
service area, and, in particular, how it will enable the LEA to meet 
its need for principals who have the skills and competencies 
necessary to significantly improve schools in high-need LEAs.

    D. 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:

[[Page 6012]]

    1. 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.
    2. How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives 
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including 
those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of 
disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of 
services, or others, as appropriate.
    3. The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.

    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to address this 
criterion by providing such information as:
     The title, responsibilities, and time commitment of 
each key individual helping implement the project's goals and 
objectives.
     A year-to-year timeline for undertaking important 
project activities, with benchmarks for determining whether the 
project is achieving its stated goals and objectives.
     The strategies for monitoring whether or not the 
project is meeting its goals and objectives, and for making mid-
course corrections, as appropriate.
     The strategies for including the identified partners 
and other stakeholders in meeting the project's goals and 
objectives.
     Evidence of committed engagement by identified 
partners.

    2. Applicant's Past Performance and Compliance History: In 
accordance with 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3)(ii), the Secretary may consider an 
applicant's past performance and compliance history when evaluating 
applications and in making funding decisions.

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 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. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. 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: The Secretary has established two 
performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of the SLP: (1) 
the percentage of participants who become certified principals 
including assistant principals who are then placed and retained in 
schools in high-need LEAs, and (2) the percentage of principals 
including assistant principals who participate in professional 
activities, show an increase in their pre-post scores on a standardized 
measure of principal skills, and are retained in their positions in 
schools in high-need LEAs for at least two years. Grantees will be 
expected to provide data on each component of the two measures.

VII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beatriz Ceja, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W210, Washington, DC 20202-
5960. Telephone: (202) 205-5009 or by e-mail: 
Schoolleadershipmatters@ed.gov.
    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: https://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: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/.


    Dated: February 2, 2010.
James H. Shelton, III,
 Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2010-2561 Filed 2-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P