Promise Neighborhoods Program, 13152-13168 [2011-5543]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 47 (Thursday, March 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13152-13168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5543]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1855-ZA07


Promise Neighborhoods Program

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215P.

AGENCY: Office of Innovation and Improvement, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and 
selection criteria.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (Secretary) proposes priorities, 
requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the legislative 
authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Education Program (FIE), 
title V, part D, subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The 
Secretary may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria for Promise Neighborhoods 
competitions for fiscal year (FY) 2011 and later years.
    We take this action to focus Federal assistance on projects that 
are designed to create a comprehensive continuum of solutions, 
including education programs and family and community supports, with 
great schools at the center. The continuum of solutions must be 
designed to significantly improve the educational and developmental 
outcomes of children and youth, from birth through college and to a 
career. We intend that these projects support organizations that focus 
on serving high-need neighborhoods, have a strategy to build a 
continuum of solutions, and have the capacity to achieve results.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 11, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this notice to Jill Staton, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W245, 
Washington, DC 20202-5970.
    If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following 
address: pn2011comments@ed.gov. You must include the term ``PN--
Comments on FY 2011 Proposed Priority'' in the subject line of your 
electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Staton. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 
or by e-mail: pn2011comments@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding 
this notice. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in 
developing the notice of final priorities, requirements, definitions, 
and selection criteria, we urge you to identify clearly the specific 
proposed priority, requirement, definition, or selection criterion that 
each comment addresses.
    We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of 
reducing regulatory burden that might result from the proposed 
priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. Please 
let us know of any further ways we could reduce potential costs or 
increase potential benefits while preserving the effective and 
efficient administration of the program.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about this notice in room 4W335, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.
    Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please

[[Page 13153]]

contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Purpose of Program: The Promise Neighborhoods program is carried 
out under the legislative authority of the FIE, title V, part D, 
subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7243-
7243b). FIE supports nationally significant programs to improve the 
quality of elementary and secondary education at the State and local 
levels and to help all children meet challenging State academic content 
and student academic achievement standards.
    The purpose of the Promise Neighborhoods program is to 
significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of 
children and youth in our most distressed communities, and to transform 
those communities by--
    (1) Identifying and increasing the capacity of eligible 
organizations (as defined in this notice) that are focused on achieving 
results for children and youth throughout an entire neighborhood;
    (2) Building a complete continuum of cradle-through-college-to-
career solutions (continuum of solutions) (as defined in this notice) 
of both educational programs and family and community supports (both as 
defined in this notice), with great schools at the center;
    (3) Integrating programs and breaking down agency ``silos'' so that 
solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies;
    (4) Developing the local infrastructure of systems and resources 
needed to sustain and scale up proven, effective solutions across the 
broader region beyond the initial neighborhood; and
    (5) Learning about the overall impact of the Promise Neighborhoods 
program and about the relationship between particular strategies in 
Promise Neighborhoods and student outcomes, including through a 
rigorous evaluation of the program.
    Background: The vision of this program is that all children and 
youth growing up in Promise Neighborhoods have access to great schools 
and strong systems of family and community support that will prepare 
them to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to 
college and a career.
    A Promise Neighborhood is both a place and a strategy. A place 
eligible to become a Promise Neighborhood is a geographic area that is 
distressed, often facing inadequate access to high-quality early 
learning programs and services, struggling schools, low high-school and 
college graduation rates, high unemployment, crime, and indicators of 
poor health. These conditions contribute to and intensify the negative 
outcomes associated with children and youth living in poverty. Children 
who are from low-income families and grow up in neighborhoods of 
concentrated poverty face educational and life challenges above and 
beyond the challenges faced by children who are from low-income 
families who grow up in neighborhoods without a high concentration of 
poverty. A Federal evaluation of the reading and mathematics outcomes 
of elementary students in 71 schools in 18 districts and 7 States found 
that even when controlling for individual student poverty, there is a 
significant negative association between school-level poverty and 
student achievement.\1\ The evaluation found that students have lower 
academic outcomes when a higher percentage of their same-school peers 
qualify for free and reduced-priced lunch (FRPL) compared to when a 
lower percentage of their same-school peers qualify for FRPL. The 
compounding effects of neighborhood poverty continue later in life: 
Another study found that, for children with similar levels of family 
income, growing up in a neighborhood where the number of families in 
poverty was between 20 and 30 percent increased the chance of downward 
economic mobility--moving down the income ladder relative to their 
parents--by more than 50 percent compared with children who grew up in 
neighborhoods with under 10 percent of families in poverty.\2\
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    \1\ Westat and Policy Studies Associate. The longitudinal 
evaluation of school change and performance (LESCP) in title I 
schools. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education. Available 
January 2010 online at https://www.policystudies.com/studies/school/lescp_vol2.pdf.
    \2\ Sharkey, Patrick. ``Neighborhoods and the Black-White 
Mobility Gap.'' Economic Mobility Project: An Initiative of The Pew 
Charitable Trusts, 2009.
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    A Promise Neighborhood is also a strategy for addressing the issues 
in distressed communities. Promise Neighborhoods are led by 
organizations that work to ensure that all children and youth in the 
target geographic area have access to the continuum of solutions needed 
to graduate from high school college- and career-ready. For this 
reason, each Promise Neighborhood grant must have several core 
features: Significant need in the neighborhood the grant serves, a 
strategy to build a continuum of solutions with strong schools at the 
center, and the capacity to achieve results.
    While there are a number of organizations and communities that are 
working on developing Promise Neighborhoods strategies, these entities 
are at different stages of readiness to create a Promise Neighborhood. 
Therefore, we are proposing priorities, requirements, definitions, and 
selection criteria for both planning and implementation grants. The 
proposed priorities, requirements, and selection criteria are different 
for planning grant and implementation grant applicants, while the 
proposed definitions apply to both groups of applicants.
    Planning grants would support eligible organizations that need to 
develop feasible plans to create a continuum of solutions with the 
potential to significantly improve the educational and developmental 
outcomes of children and youth in a neighborhood. These grants would 
support eligible organizations that demonstrate the need for 
implementation of a Promise Neighborhood strategy in the geographic 
areas they are targeting, a sound strategy for developing a feasible 
plan, and the capacity to develop the plan.
    Under proposed Absolute Priority 1 for planning grants, Promise 
Neighborhoods planning grantees would undertake the following 
activities during the planning year:
    (1) Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and segmentation 
analysis (as defined in this notice) of children and youth in the 
neighborhood.
    (2) Develop a plan to deliver a continuum of solutions with the 
potential to drive results. This includes building community support 
for and involvement in the development of the plan.
    (3) Establish effective partnerships both to provide solutions 
along the continuum and to commit resources to sustain and scale up 
what works.
    (4) Plan, build, adapt, or expand a longitudinal data system that 
will provide information that the grantee will use for learning, 
continuous improvement, and accountability.
    (5) Participate in a community of practice (as defined in this 
notice).
    Implementation grants would support eligible organizations in 
carrying out their plans to create a continuum of solutions that will 
significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of 
children and youth in the target neighborhood. These grants would aid 
eligible organizations that have developed a plan that demonstrates the 
need for implementation of a Promise Neighborhood strategy in the 
geographic area they are targeting, a sound strategy, and the capacity 
to implement the plan. Specifically, grantees would use implementation 
grant funds to develop

[[Page 13154]]

the administrative capacity necessary to successfully implement a 
continuum of solutions, such as managing partnerships, integrating 
multiple funding sources, and supporting the data system. The majority 
of resources to provide solutions within the continuum of solutions 
would come from existing public and private funding sources that are 
integrated and aligned with the Promise Neighborhoods strategy.
    Under proposed Absolute Priority 1 for implementation grants, 
Promise Neighborhoods implementation grantees would undertake the 
following activities during the implementation years:
    (1) Implement a continuum of solutions that addresses neighborhood 
challenges, as identified in a needs assessment and segmentation 
analysis, and that will improve results for children and youth in the 
neighborhood.
    (2) Continue to build and strengthen partnerships that will provide 
solutions along the continuum of solutions and that will commit 
resources to sustain and scale up what works.
    (3) Collect data on indicators at least annually, and use and 
improve a data system for learning, continuous improvement, and 
accountability.
    (4) Demonstrate progress on goals for improving systems, such as by 
making changes in policies and organizations, and by leveraging 
resources to sustain and scale up what works.
    (5) Participate in a community of practice.
    The intent of these priorities is to ensure that program funds are 
used by organizations with the capacity to achieve a core set of 
results for children and youth, improve systems to support achievement 
of the results, and leverage these and other resources to sustain and 
scale up what works. We are also proposing definitions that would 
clarify some of the terms used in the priorities and selection 
criteria, and selection criteria that would be used by peer reviewers 
to evaluate (a) The need in a neighborhood that would be served through 
a proposed project, (b) an organization's strategy to build a continuum 
of solutions, and (c) an organization's capacity to do the work 
effectively and efficiently. We are interested in receiving comments 
about the proposed priorities, definitions, and selection criteria. In 
particular, we are interested in whether the proposed indicators of 
need (as defined in this notice) in Absolute Priority 1 and in the 
selection criteria are the most appropriate indicators for ensuring 
that grantees serve neighborhoods with significant educational and 
family and community support needs. We also are interested in your 
comments about how to ensure that grantees implement strategies that 
address the needs in the targeted neighborhood; implement solutions 
that are based on the best available evidence; drive results for 
children and youth; and improve broader systems in the city and region 
to support the results. Finally, we are interested in your comments 
about how to ensure that projects include a management plan that will 
build an organization's capacity to use data, leverage resources, break 
down agency ``silos,'' and create a local infrastructure to sustain and 
scale up the project beyond the initial neighborhood.
    Consistent with the approach of the Promise Neighborhoods program, 
we believe that it is important for communities to develop a 
comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy that addresses 
neighborhood assets (as defined in this notice) that are essential to 
transforming distressed neighborhoods into healthy and vibrant 
communities of opportunity. Although not a proposed requirement for 
planning or implementation applicants, we believe that a Promise 
Neighborhood will be most successful when it is part of, and 
contributing to, an area's broader neighborhood revitalization 
strategy. We believe that only through the development of such 
comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans that embrace the 
coordinated use of programs and resources in order to effectively 
address the interrelated needs within a community will the broader 
vision of neighborhood transformation occur.
    Because a diverse group of communities could benefit from the 
Promise Neighborhoods program, the Secretary proposes an absolute 
priority for applications that propose to serve one or more rural 
communities only (as defined in this notice) and an absolute priority 
for applications that propose to serve one or more Indian tribes (as 
defined in this notice). Child poverty rates in rural areas are higher 
than in urban areas,\3\ and more than one-fifth of the Nation's nearly 
2,000 ``dropout factories,'' in which the graduation rate is less than 
60 percent, are located in rural areas.\4\ Compared to White students, 
American Indian students have lower academic outcomes and higher 
poverty rates.\5\ Moreover, American Indian and Alaska Native students 
have a graduation rate of less than 50 percent nationally.\6\
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    \3\ American Community Survey, 2006.
    \4\ Balfanz, Robert, Letgers, N. Locating the Dropout Crisis: 
Which High Schools Produce the Nation's Dropouts? Johns Hopkins 
University, 2004.
    \5\ Institute for Education Sciences. Status and Trends in the 
Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2008.
    \6\ The Civil Rights Project. The Dropout/Graduation Crisis 
Among American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Failure to Respond 
Places the Future of Native Peoples at Risk, 2010.
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    The Secretary also recognizes that a broad set of solutions is 
required to improve academic and developmental outcomes for children 
and youth and to transform communities. For that reason, the Secretary 
proposes priorities for applicants that propose to enhance, expand, or 
coordinate comprehensive and high-quality local early learning 
networks, include strategies to increase internet connectivity, improve 
access to the arts and humanities, or increase the availability of 
quality affordable housing as part of a strategy that is integrated 
with neighborhood transformation efforts. In recognition of the 
important role that adults play in the educational development of 
children, the Secretary proposes to include, in the FY 2011 
competition, a priority for proposals that include a focus on family 
engagement in learning through adult education.
    Finally, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is interested in reviewing 
the applications of Promise Neighborhoods implementation grantees that 
address public safety concerns through strategies that include 
prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry of offenders back 
into communities upon release from prison and jail. Further, subject to 
the availability of FY 2011 funds, DOJ intends to provide some Promise 
Neighborhoods implementation grantees with additional resources from 
the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program, to pursue their public 
safety strategies. We anticipate that applicants for a Promise 
Neighborhoods implementation grant that are also interested in being 
considered for funding by DOJ will be required to complete application 
materials for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program. Additional 
details regarding the application process and requirements for the 
Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program will be provided in the 
Promise Neighborhoods notice inviting applications.

Proposed Priorities

    Types of Priorities: The Secretary proposes priorities for Promise 
Neighborhoods planning and implementation grants. The Department may 
choose to use one or more of these

[[Page 13155]]

priorities in any year in which we hold a competition for the Promise 
Neighborhoods program. We propose to require that all applicants for 
planning and implementation grants indicate in their application 
whether they are applying under Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 
2, or Absolute Priority 3. An applicant that applies under Absolute 
Priority 2 but is not eligible for funding under Absolute Priority 2, 
or applies under Absolute Priority 3 but is not eligible for funding 
under Absolute Priority 3, would be considered for funding under 
Absolute Priority 1.
    If one or more of proposed Planning Priorities 4 through 8 or 
proposed Implementation Priorities 4 through 8 are included in a notice 
inviting applications, the priority or priorities that are included in 
the notice would be designated as absolute, competitive preference, or 
invitational priorities in that notice for the purposes of the 
competition for which the notice is inviting applications. We may 
choose, in the notice of final priorities, requirements, definitions, 
and selection criteria, to include the substance of these priorities in 
the selection criteria.
    Under an absolute priority, as specified by 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we 
would consider only applications that meet the priority. Under a 
competitive preference priority, we would give competitive preference 
to an application by (1) awarding additional points, depending on how 
well the application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or 
(2) selecting an application that meets the priority over an 
application of comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(ii)). With an invitational priority, we would signal our 
interest in receiving applications that meet the priority; however, 
consistent with 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we would not give an application 
that meets an invitational priority preference over other applications.
    For purposes of notices inviting applications, we are considering 
whether to limit the total number of competitive preference priority 
points awarded to an applicant in a grant competition or whether to 
limit the total number of competitive preference priorities we will 
review and score in a grant competition. We invite comments on these 
issues to ensure that we are considering a wide variety of perspectives 
in determining our approach.

Proposed Planning Grant Priorities

Proposed Planning Grant Priority 1 (Absolute): Proposal To Develop a 
Promise Neighborhood Plan
    We propose establishing a priority for an applicant to submit a 
proposal for how it will plan to create a Promise Neighborhood. This 
proposal must describe the need in the neighborhood, a strategy to 
build a continuum of solutions, and the applicant's capacity to achieve 
results. Specifically, an applicant must--
    (1) Describe the geographically defined area to be served and the 
level of distress in that area based on indicators of need and other 
relevant indicators. Applicants may propose to serve multiple, non-
contiguous geographically defined areas. In cases where target areas 
are not contiguous, the applicant must explain its rationale for 
including non-contiguous areas;
    (2) Describe how it will plan to build a continuum of solutions 
based on the best available evidence including, where available, strong 
or moderate evidence (as defined in this notice) designed to 
significantly improve educational outcomes and to support the healthy 
development and well-being of children and youth in the 
neighborhood.\7\ The success of the strategy will be based on the 
results, measured against the project indicators as defined in this 
notice and described in Table 1 and Table 2. The strategy must describe 
how the applicant will determine which solutions within the continuum 
of solutions to implement, and must include--
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    \7\ For the purposes of this notice, the Department uses the 
terms ``neighborhood'' and ``geographic area'' interchangeably.
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    (a) High-quality early learning programs and services designed to 
improve outcomes across multiple domains of early learning (as defined 
in this notice) for children from birth through third grade;
    (b) Ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive education reforms that 
are linked to improved educational outcomes for children and youth in 
preschool through the 12th grade. Public schools served through the 
grant may include persistently lowest-achieving schools (as defined in 
this notice) or low-performing schools (as defined in this notice) that 
are not also persistently lowest-achieving schools. An applicant may 
serve an effective school or schools (as defined in this notice) but 
only if the applicant also serves at least one low-performing school 
(as defined in this notice) or persistently lowest-achieving school (as 
defined in this notice). An applicant must identify in its application 
the public school or schools that it would serve and the current status 
of reforms in the school or schools, including, if applicable, the type 
of intervention model being implemented. In cases where an applicant 
operates a school or partners with a school that does not serve all 
students in the neighborhood, the applicant must partner with at least 
one additional school or schools that also serves students in the 
neighborhood. An applicant proposing to work with a persistently 
lowest-achieving school must implement one of the four school 
intervention models (turnaround model, restart model, school closure, 
or transformation model) described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top 
notice inviting applications for new awards for FY 2010, 74 FR 59836, 
59866 (November 18, 2009).
    An applicant proposing to work with a low-performing school must 
implement ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive interventions to 
assist, augment, or replace schools, which may include implementing one 
of the four school intervention models, or may include another model of 
sufficient ambition, rigor, and comprehensiveness to significantly 
improve academic and other outcomes for students. An applicant 
proposing to work with a low-performing school must use an intervention 
that addresses the effectiveness of teachers and leaders and the 
school's use of time and resources, which may include increased 
learning time (as defined in this notice);

    Note regarding school reform strategies: So as not to penalize 
an applicant from working with a local educational agency (LEA) that 
has implemented rigorous reform strategies prior to the publication 
of this notice, an applicant is not required to propose a new reform 
strategy in place of an existing reform strategy in order to be 
eligible for a Promise Neighborhoods planning grant. For example, an 
LEA might have begun to implement improvement activities that meet 
many, but not all, of the elements of a transformation model of 
school intervention. In this case, the applicant could propose, as 
part of its Promise Neighborhood strategy, to work with the LEA as 
the LEA continues with its reforms;
    (c) Programs that prepare students to be college- and career-
ready; and
    (d) Family and community supports (as defined in this notice).

    To the extent feasible and appropriate, the plan to be developed by 
the applicant must describe how the applicant and its partners will 
leverage and integrate high-quality programs, related public and 
private investments, and existing neighborhood assets into the 
continuum of solutions.

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    Applicants must also describe how they will identify Federal, 
State, or local policies, regulations, or other requirements that would 
impede the applicant in achieving its goals and will report on those 
impediments to the Department and other relevant agencies.
    As part of the description of how they will plan to build a 
continuum of solutions, applicants must describe how they will 
participate in, organize, or facilitate, as appropriate, communities of 
practice (as defined in this notice) for Promise Neighborhoods.
    (3) Specify how it will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment 
and segmentation analysis of children and youth in the neighborhood 
during the planning grant project period and explain how it will use 
this needs assessment and segmentation analysis to determine the 
children with the highest needs and ensure that those children receive 
the appropriate services from the continuum of solutions. This 
explanation must include identifying and describing in the application 
both the educational indicators and the family and community support 
indicators that the applicant will use in conducting the needs 
assessment during the planning year. During the planning year, 
applicants must--
    (a) Collect data for the educational indicators listed in Table 1 
and use them as both program and project indicators;
    (b) Collect data for the family and community support indicators in 
Table 2 and use them as program indicators; and
    (c) Collect data for unique family and community support 
indicators, developed by the applicant, that align with the goals and 
objectives of projects and use them as project indicators or use the 
indicators in Table 2 as project indicators.

    Note:  Planning grant applicants are not required to propose 
solutions in their applications; however, they are required to 
describe how they will identify solutions, including the use of 
available evidence, during the planning year that will result in 
improvements on the project indicators.


 Table 1--Education Indicators and Results They Are Intended to Measure
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                  Indicator                              Result
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-- and % of children birth to         Children enter
 kindergarten entry who have a place where      kindergarten ready to
 they usually go, other than an emergency       succeed in school.
 room, when they are sick or in need of
 advice about their health.
-- and % of three-year-olds and
 children in kindergarten who demonstrate at
 the beginning of the program or school year
 age-appropriate functioning across multiple
 domains of early learning (as defined in
 this notice) as determined using
 developmentally-appropriate early learning
 measures (as defined in this notice).
-- & % of children, from birth to
 kindergarten entry, participating in center-
 based or formal home-based early learning
 settings or programs, which may include
 Early Head Start, Head Start, child care, or
 publicly funded preschool
-- & % of students at or above grade  Students are proficient
 level according to State mathematics and       in core academic
 reading or language arts assessments in at     subjects.
 least the grades required by the ESEA (3rd
 through 8th and once in high school).
--Attendance rate of students in 6th, 7th,     Students successfully
 8th, and 9th grade.                            transition from middle
                                                school grades to high
                                                school.
--Graduation rate (as defined in this notice)  Youth graduate from high
                                                school.
-- & % of Promise Neighborhood        High school graduates
 students who graduate with a regular high      obtain a postsecondary
 school diploma, as defined in 34 CFR           degree, certification,
 200.19(b)(1)(iv), and obtain postsecondary     or credential.
 degrees, vocational certificates, or other
 industry-recognized certifications or
 credentials without the need for remediation
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            Table 2--Family and Community Support Indicators and Results They Are Intended To Measure
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                                   Indicator                                                 Result
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-- & % of children who participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate  Students are healthy.
 to vigorous physical activity daily and consume five or more servings of
 fruits and vegetables daily; or
--possible second indicator, to be determined (TBD) by applicant
-- & % of students who feel safe at school and traveling to and from   Students feel safe at school and
 school, as measured by a school climate needs assessment (as defined in this    in their community.
 notice); or
--possible second indicator, TBD by applicant.
--Student mobility rate (as defined in this notice); or                         Students live in stable
                                                                                 communities.
--possible second indicator, TBD by applicant.
--For children six months to kindergarten entry, the  and % of         Families and community members
 parents or family members who report that they read to their child three or     support learning in Promise
 more times a week;                                                              Neighborhood schools.
--For children in kindergarten through the eighth grade, the  and %
 of parents or family members who report encouraging their child to read books
 outside of school; and
--For children in the ninth through twelfth grades, the  and % of
 parents or family members who report talking with their child about the
 importance of college and career; or
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant.
-- & % of students who have school and home access (and % of the day   Students have access to 21st
 they have access) to broadband internet (as defined in this notice) and a       century learning tools.
 connected computing device; or
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note: The indicators in Table 1 and Table 2 are not intended to 
limit an applicant from collecting and using data for additional 
indicators. Examples of additional indicators are--
    (i) The  and % of children who participate in high-
quality learning activities during out-of-school hours or in the 
hours after the traditional school day ends;

[[Page 13157]]

    (ii) The  and % of children who are suspended or 
receive discipline referrals during the school year;
    (iii) The share of housing stock in the geographically defined 
area that is rent-protected, publicly assisted, or targeted for 
redevelopment with local, State, or Federal funds; and
    (iv) The  and % of children who are homeless or in 
foster care and who have an assigned adult advocate.


    Note: While the Department believes there are many programmatic 
benefits of collecting data on every child in the proposed 
neighborhood, the Department will consider requests to collect data 
on only a sample of the children in the neighborhood for some 
indicators so long as the applicant describes in its application how 
it would ensure the sample would be representative of the children 
in the neighborhood;

    (4) Describe the experience and lessons learned, and describe how 
the applicant will build the capacity of its management team and 
project director in all of the following areas:
    (a) Working with the neighborhood and its residents, including with 
the schools described in paragraph (2) of this priority; the LEA in 
which the schools described in paragraph (2) are located; Federal, 
State, and local government leaders; and other service providers.
    (b) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making, 
learning, continuous improvement, and accountability. The applicant 
must describe--
    (i) Its proposal to plan to build, adapt, or expand a longitudinal 
data system that integrates student-level data from multiple sources in 
order to measure progress on educational and family and community 
support indicators for all children in the neighborhood, disaggregated 
by the subgroups listed in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA;
    (ii) How the applicant will link the longitudinal data system to 
school-based, LEA, and State data systems; make the data accessible to 
program partners, researchers, and evaluators while abiding by Federal, 
State, and other privacy laws and requirements; and manage and maintain 
the system;
    (iii) How the applicant will use rapid-time (as defined in this 
notice) data both in the planning year and, once the Promise 
Neighborhood strategy is implemented, for continuous program 
improvement; and
    (iv) How the applicant will document the planning process, 
including by describing lessons learned and best practices;
    (c) Creating formal and informal partnerships, for such purposes as 
providing solutions along the continuum of solutions and attaining 
resources to sustain and scale up what works. An applicant, as part of 
its application, must submit a preliminary memorandum of understanding, 
signed by each organization or agency with which it would partner in 
planning the proposed Promise Neighborhood. The preliminary memorandum 
of understanding must describe--
    (i) Each partner's financial and programmatic commitment; and
    (ii) How each partner's existing vision, theory of change (as 
defined in this notice), theory of action (as defined in this notice), 
and existing activities align with those of the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood strategy;
    (d) The governance structure proposed for the Promise Neighborhood, 
including how the eligible entity's governing board or advisory board 
is representative of the geographic area proposed to be served (as 
defined in this notice), and how residents of the geographic area would 
have an active role in the organization's decision-making; and
    (e) Securing and integrating funding streams from multiple public 
and private sources from the Federal, State, and local level. Examples 
of public funds include Federal resources from the U.S. Department of 
Education, such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program 
and title I of the ESEA, and from other Federal agencies, such as the 
U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban 
Development, Justice, Labor, and Treasury.
    (5) Describe the applicant's commitment to work with the Department 
and with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure that 
data collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct 
a rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods program and 
of specific solutions and strategies pursued by individual grantees. 
This commitment must include, but need not be limited to--
    (a) Ensuring that, through memoranda of understanding with 
appropriate entities, the national evaluator and the Department have 
access to relevant program and project data (e.g., administrative data 
and program and project indicator data), including data on a quarterly 
basis if requested by the Department;
    (b) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, an 
evaluation strategy, including identifying a credible comparison group; 
and
    (c) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, a plan 
for identifying and collecting reliable and valid baseline data for 
both program participants and a designated comparison group of non-
participants.
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 2 (Absolute): Promise Neighborhoods in 
Rural Communities
    We propose establishing a priority for applicants proposing to 
develop a plan for implementing a Promise Neighborhood strategy that 
(1) meets all of the requirements in Absolute Priority 1; and (2) 
proposes to serve one or more rural communities only.
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 3 (Absolute): Promise Neighborhoods in 
Tribal Communities
    We propose establishing a priority for applicants proposing to 
develop a plan for implementing a Promise Neighborhood strategy that 
(1) meets all of the requirements in Absolute Priority 1; and (2) 
proposes to serve one or more Indian tribes (as defined in this 
notice).
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 4: Comprehensive Local Early Learning 
Network
    We propose a priority for applicants proposing to develop a plan to 
expand, enhance, or modify an existing network of early learning 
programs and services to ensure that they are high-quality and 
comprehensive for children from birth through the third grade. The plan 
must also ensure that the network establishes a high standard of 
quality across early learning settings and is designed to improve 
health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes of young children. 
Distinct from the early learning solutions described in paragraph (2) 
of Absolute Priority 1, this priority would support proposals to 
develop plans that coordinate all early learning services and programs 
in the neighborhood, i.e., school-based early learning programs; 
district- or State-funded preschool programs; Early Head Start and Head 
Start; the local child care resource and referral agency, if 
applicable; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) services 
and programs; services through private providers; home visiting 
programs; and family, friend, or neighbor care in the Promise 
Neighborhood.
    The coordinated local early learning network must address, or 
incorporate ongoing State-level efforts regarding, the major components 
of high-quality early learning programs and services, such as early 
learning and development standards, program quality standards, 
comprehensive assessment systems, workforce and professional 
development systems, health promotion, family and community engagement, 
a coordinated data

[[Page 13158]]

infrastructure, and a method of measuring, monitoring, evaluating, and 
improving program quality. For example, an applicant might address how 
the Promise Neighborhoods project will use the State's early learning 
standards, as applicable, and Head Start Child Development and Early 
Learning Framework (Framework), as applicable, to define the 
expectations of what children should know and be able to do before 
entering kindergarten. The Framework is available on the Office of Head 
Start's Web site at: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ecdh/eecd/Assessment/Child%20Outcomes/HS_Revised_Child_Outcomes_Framework.pdf. Similarly, an applicant that addresses this priority 
must discuss, where applicable, how the State's Quality Rating and 
Improvement System (QRIS), professional development and workforce 
infrastructure, and other State efforts would be incorporated into the 
Promise Neighborhood's plan for a comprehensive local early learning 
network.
    The proposal to develop a plan for a high-quality and comprehensive 
local early learning network must describe the governance structure and 
how the applicant will use the planning year to plan solutions that 
address the major components of high-quality early learning programs 
and services as well as establish goals, strategies, and benchmarks to 
provide early learning programs and services that result in improved 
outcomes across multiple domains of early learning (as defined in this 
notice). An applicant addressing this priority must designate an 
individual responsible for overseeing and coordinating the early 
learning initiatives and must include a resume or position description 
and other supporting documentation to demonstrate that the individual 
designated, or individual hired to fill that designation, possesses the 
appropriate State certification, and has experience and expertise in 
managing and administering high-quality early learning programs, 
including in coordinating across various high-quality early learning 
programs and services.
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 5: Quality Internet Connectivity
    We propose a priority for applicants proposing to develop plans to 
ensure that almost all students in the geographic area proposed to be 
served have broadband internet access (as defined in this notice) at 
home and at school, the knowledge and skills to use broadband internet 
access effectively, and a connected computing device to support 
schoolwork.
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 6: Arts and Humanities
    We propose a priority for applicants proposing to develop plans to 
include opportunities for children and youth to experience and 
participate actively in the arts and humanities in their community so 
as to broaden, enrich, and enliven the educational, cultural, and civic 
experiences available in the neighborhood. Applicants may propose to 
develop plans for offering these activities in school and in out-of-
school settings and at any time during the calendar year.
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 7: Quality Affordable Housing
    We propose a priority for applicants proposing to serve geographic 
areas that were the subject of an affordable housing transformation 
pursuant to a Choice Neighborhoods or HOPE VI grant awarded by the U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development during FY 2009 or later 
years. Applicants eligible for this priority must either (1) have 
received a Choice Neighborhoods or HOPE VI grant or (2) provide a 
memorandum of understanding with a recipient of Choice Neighborhoods or 
HOPE VI grant. The memorandum must indicate a commitment on the part of 
both grantees to coordinate planning and align resources to the 
greatest extent practicable.
Proposed Planning Grant Priority 8: Family Engagement in Learning 
Through Adult Education
    We propose a priority for applicants proposing to develop plans 
that are coordinated with adult education providers serving 
neighborhood residents, such as those funded through the Adult 
Education and Family Literacy Act, as amended. Coordinated services may 
include adult basic and secondary education and programs that provide 
training and opportunities for family members and other members of the 
community to support student learning and establish high expectations 
for student educational achievement. Examples of services and programs 
include preparation for the General Education Development (GED) test; 
English literacy, family literacy, and work-based literacy training; or 
other training that prepares adults for postsecondary education and 
careers or supports adult engagement in the educational success of 
children and youth in the neighborhood.

Proposed Implementation Grant Priorities

Proposed Implementation Grant Priority 1 (Absolute): Submission of 
Promise Neighborhood Plan
    We propose establishing a priority for applicants that submit a 
plan to create a Promise Neighborhood. The plan must describe the need 
in the neighborhood, a strategy to build a continuum of solutions, and 
the applicant's capacity to achieve results. Specifically, an applicant 
must--
    (1) Describe the geographically defined area to be served and the 
level of distress in that area based on indicators of need and other 
relevant indicators. The statement of need in the neighborhood must be 
based, in part, on results of a comprehensive needs assessment and 
segmentation analysis (as defined in this notice). Applicants may 
propose to serve multiple, non-contiguous geographically defined areas. 
In cases where target areas are not contiguous, the applicant must 
explain its rationale for including non-contiguous areas;
    (2) Describe the applicant's strategy for building a continuum of 
solutions that addresses neighborhood challenges as identified in the 
needs assessment and segmentation analysis. The continuum of solutions 
must be based on the best available evidence including, where 
available, strong or moderate evidence (as defined in this notice), and 
be designed to significantly improve educational outcomes and to 
support the healthy development and well-being of children and youth in 
the neighborhood. The success of the strategy will be measured by the 
results and project indicators as defined in this notice and described 
in Table 1 and Table 2. The applicant must propose clear and measurable 
annual goals during the grant period against which improvements will be 
measured using the indicators. The strategy must--
    (a) Identify each solution that the project will implement within 
the proposed continuum of solutions, and must include--
    (i) High-quality early learning programs and services designed to 
improve outcomes across multiple domains of early learning (as defined 
in this notice) for children from birth through third grade;
    (ii) Ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive education reforms that 
are linked to improved educational outcomes for children and youth in 
preschool through the 12th grade. Public schools served through the 
grant may include persistently lowest-achieving schools (as defined in 
this

[[Page 13159]]

notice) or low-performing schools (as defined in this notice) that are 
not also persistently lowest-achieving schools. An applicant may serve 
an effective school or schools (as defined in this notice) but only if 
the applicant also serves at least one low-performing school (as 
defined in this notice) or persistently lowest-achieving school (as 
defined in this notice). An applicant must identify in its application 
the public school or schools it would serve and describe the current 
status of reforms in the school or schools, including, if applicable, 
the type of intervention model being implemented. In cases where an 
applicant operates a school or partners with a school that does not 
serve all students in the neighborhood, the applicant must partner with 
at least one additional school that also serves students in the 
neighborhood. An applicant proposing to work with a persistently 
lowest-achieving school must implement one of the four school 
intervention models (turnaround model, restart model, school closure, 
or transformation model) described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top 
notice inviting applications for new awards for FY 2010, 74 FR 59836, 
59866 (November 18, 2009).
    An applicant proposing to work with a low-performing school must 
implement ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive interventions to 
assist, augment, or replace schools, which may include implementing one 
of the four school intervention models, or may include another model of 
sufficient ambition, rigor, and comprehensiveness to significantly 
improve academic and other outcomes for students. An applicant 
proposing to work with a low-performing school must use an intervention 
that addresses the effectiveness of teachers and leaders and the 
school's use of time and resources, which may include increased 
learning time (as defined in this notice);

    Note regarding school reform strategies: So as not to penalize 
an applicant from working with an LEA that has implemented rigorous 
reform strategies prior to the publication of this notice, an 
applicant is not required to propose a new reform strategy in place 
of an existing reform strategy in order to be eligible for a Promise 
Neighborhoods implementation grant. For example, an LEA might have 
begun to implement improvement activities that meet many, but not 
all, of the elements of a transformation model of school 
intervention. In this case, the applicant could propose, as part of 
its Promise Neighborhood strategy, to work with the LEA as the LEA 
continues with its reforms;

    (iii) Programs that prepare students to be college- and career-
ready; and
    (iv) Family and community supports (as defined in this notice).
    To the extent feasible and appropriate, the plan must describe how 
the applicant and its partners will leverage and integrate high-quality 
programs, related public and private investments, and existing 
neighborhood assets into the continuum of solutions. An application 
must also include an appendix that summarizes the evidence supporting 
each proposed solution and describes how the solution is based on the 
best available evidence, including, where available, strong or moderate 
evidence (as defined in this notice). In addition, an applicant must 
describe how the solution will be implemented; the partners that will 
participate in the implementation of each solution (in any case in 
which the applicant does not implement the solution directly); the 
estimated per-child cost, including administrative costs, to implement 
each solution; the estimated number of children, by age, in the 
neighborhood who will be served by each solution and how a segmentation 
analysis was used to target the children and youth to be served; and 
the source of funds that will be used to pay for each solution. In the 
description of the estimated number of children to be served, the 
applicant must include the percentage of all children of the same age 
group within the neighborhood proposed to be served by each solution.
    Applicants must also describe how they will identify Federal, 
State, or local policies, regulations, or other requirements that would 
impede the applicant in achieving its goals and will report on those 
impediments to the Department and other relevant agencies.
    As part of the description of their strategy to build a continuum 
of solutions, applicants must describe how they will participate in, 
organize, or facilitate, as appropriate, communities of practice for 
Promise Neighborhoods.
    (b) Establish clear, annual goals for evaluating progress in 
improving systems, such as changes in policies, environments, or 
organizations that affect children and youth in the neighborhood. 
Examples of systems change could include a new school district policy 
to measure the results of family and community support programs, a new 
funding resource to support the Promise Neighborhoods strategy, or a 
cross-sector collaboration at the city level to break down municipal 
agency ``silos'' and partner with local philanthropic organizations to 
drive achievement of a set of results; and
    (c) Establish clear, annual goals for evaluating progress in 
leveraging resources, such as the amount of monetary or in-kind 
investments from public or private organizations to support the Promise 
Neighborhoods strategy. Examples of leveraging resources are securing 
new or existing dollars to sustain and scale up what works in the 
Promise Neighborhood or integrating high-quality programs in the 
continuum of solutions. Applicants may consider, as part of their plans 
to scale up their Promise Neighborhood strategy, serving a larger 
geographic area by partnering with other applicants to the Promise 
Neighborhoods program from the same city or region;
    (3) Explain how it used its needs assessment and segmentation 
analysis to determine the children with the highest needs and explain 
how it will ensure that each child in the neighborhood receives the 
appropriate services from the continuum of solutions. This includes 
identifying and describing in its application the educational 
indicators and family and community support indicators that the 
applicant used to conduct the needs assessment. Whether or not the 
implementation grant applicant received a Promise Neighborhoods 
planning grant, the applicant should describe how it--
    (a) Collected data for the educational indicators listed in Table 1 
and used them as both program and project indicators;
    (b) Collected data for the family and community support indicators 
in Table 2 and used them as program indicators; and
    (c) Collected data for unique family and community support 
indicators, developed by the applicant, that align with the goals and 
objectives of the project and used them as project indicators or used 
the indicators in Table 2 as project indicators.
    An applicant must also describe how it will collect at least annual 
data on the indicators in Tables 1 and 2 and report those data to the 
Department.

[[Page 13160]]



 Table 1--Education Indicators and Results They Are Intended to Measure
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Indicator                              Result
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- and % of children birth to         Children enter
 kindergarten entry who have a place where      kindergarten ready to
 they usually go, other than an emergency       succeed in school.
 room, when they are sick or in need of
 advice about their health.
-- and % of three-year-olds and
 children in kindergarten who demonstrate at
 the beginning of the program or school year
 age-appropriate functioning across multiple
 domains of early learning (as defined in
 this notice) as determined using
 developmentally-appropriate early learning
 measures (as defined in this notice).
-- & % of children, from birth to
 kindergarten entry, participating in center-
 based or formal home-based early learning
 settings or programs, which may include
 Early Head Start, Head Start, child care, or
 publicly funded preschool.
-- & % of students at or above grade  Students are proficient
 level according to State mathematics and       in core academic
 reading or language arts assessments in at     subjects.
 least the grades required by the ESEA (3rd
 through 8th and once in high school).
--Attendance rate of students in 6th, 7th,     Students successfully
 8th, and 9th grade.                            transition from middle
                                                school grades to high
                                                school.
--Graduation rate (as defined in this notice)  Youth graduate from high
                                                school.
-- & % of Promise Neighborhood        High school graduates
 students who graduate with a regular high      obtain a postsecondary
 school diploma, as defined in 34 CFR           degree, certification,
 200.19(b)(1)(iv), and obtain postsecondary     or credential.
 degrees, vocational certificates, or other
 industry-recognized certifications or
 credentials without the need for remediation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


            Table 2--Family and Community Support Indicators and Results They Are Intended To Measure
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Indicator                                                 Result
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- & % of children who participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate  Students are healthy.
 to vigorous physical activity daily and consume five or more servings of
 fruits and vegetables daily; or
--possible second indicator, to be determined (TBD) by applicant.
-- & % of students who feel safe at school and traveling to and from   Students feel safe at school and
 school, as measured by a school climate needs assessment (as defined in this    in their community.
 notice); or
--possible second indicator, TBD by applicant.
--Student mobility rate (as defined in this notice); or                         Students live in stable
--possible second indicator, TBD by applicant                                    communities.
--For children six months to kindergarten entry, the  and % of         Families and community members
 parents or family members who report that they read to their child three or     support learning in Promise
 more times a week;                                                              Neighborhood schools.
--For children in the kindergarten through eighth grades, the  and %
 of parents or family members who report encouraging their child to read books
 outside of school; and
--For children in the ninth through twelfth grades, the  and % of
 parents or family members who report talking with their child about the
 importance of college and career; or
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant.
-- & % of students who have school and home access (and % of the day   Students have access to 21st
 they have access) to broadband internet (as defined in this notice) and a       century learning tools.
 connected computing device; or
--possible second indicator TBD by applicant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note: The indicators in Table 1 and Table 2 are not intended to 
limit an applicant from collecting and using data for additional 
indicators. Examples of additional indicators are--
    (i) The  and % of children who participate in high-
quality learning activities during out-of-school hours or in the 
hours after the traditional school day ends;
    (ii) The  and % of students who are suspended or 
receive discipline referrals during the year;
    (iii) The share of housing stock in the geographically defined 
area that is rent-protected, publicly assisted, or targeted for 
redevelopment with local, State, or Federal funds; and
    (iv) The  and % of children who are homeless or in 
foster care and who have an assigned adult advocate.


    Note:  While the Department believes there are many programmatic 
benefits of collecting data on every child in the proposed 
neighborhood, the Department will consider requests to collect data 
on only a sample of the children in the neighborhood for some 
indicators so long as the applicant describes in its application how 
it would ensure the sample would be representative of the children 
in the neighborhood.

    (4) Describe the experience, lessons learned, and a plan to build 
capacity of the applicant's management team and project director in all 
of the following areas:
    (a) Working with the neighborhood and its residents; the schools 
described in paragraph (2) of this priority; the LEA in which those 
schools are located; Federal, State, and local government leaders; and 
other service providers.
    (b) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making, 
learning, continuous improvement, and accountability. The applicant 
must describe--
    (i) Its longitudinal data system that integrates student-level data 
from multiple sources in order to measure progress on educational and 
family and community support indicators for all children in the 
neighborhood, disaggregated by the subgroups listed in section 
1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA;
    (ii) How the applicant has linked the longitudinal data system to 
school-based, LEA, and State data systems; made the data accessible to 
program partners, researchers, and evaluators while abiding by Federal, 
State, and other privacy laws and requirements; and managed and 
maintained the system;
    (iii) How the applicant has used rapid-time (as defined in this 
notice) data in prior years and, how it will continue to use those data 
once the Promise Neighborhood strategy is implemented, for continuous 
program improvement; and
    (iv) How the applicant will document the implementation process, 
including

[[Page 13161]]

by describing lessons learned and best practices.
    (c) Creating and strengthening formal and informal partnerships, 
for such purposes as providing solutions along the continuum of 
solutions and committing resources to sustaining and scaling up what 
works. Each applicant must submit, as part of its application, a 
memorandum of understanding, signed by each organization or agency with 
which it would partner in implementing the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood. The memorandum of understanding must describe--
    (i) Each partner's financial and programmatic commitment; and
    (ii) How each partner's existing vision, theory of change (as 
defined in this notice), theory of action (as defined in this notice), 
and current activities align with those of the proposed Promise 
Neighborhood;
    (d) The governance structure proposed for the Promise Neighborhood, 
including how the eligible entity's governing board or advisory board 
is representative of the geographic area proposed to be served (as 
defined in this notice), and how residents of the geographic area would 
have an active role in the organization's decision-making.
    (e) Integrating funding streams from multiple public and private 
sources from the Federal, State, and local level. Examples of public 
funds include Federal resources from the U.S. Department of Education, 
such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and title I 
of the ESEA, and from other Federal agencies, such as the U.S. 
Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban 
Development, Justice, Labor, and Treasury.
    (5) Describe the applicant's commitment to work with the Department 
and with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure that 
data collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct 
a rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods program and 
of specific solutions and strategies pursued by individual grantees.