Funding Priorities, Requirements, and Definitions, 19980-19984 [2011-8461]
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19980
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2011 / Notices
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Comments
A 60-day public comment Notice was
published in the Federal Register on
February 4, 2011. This comment period
ended April 5, 2011. No public
comments were received from this
Notice.
Description: The Corporation seeks to
renew and revise the current
AmeriCorps State and National
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Application Instructions. The
Application Instructions are being
revised for increased clarity and to
comply with new requirements
regarding performance measurement set
forth in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve
America Act. The Application
Instructions will be used in the same
manner as the existing Application
Instructions. The Corporation also seeks
to continue using the current
Application Instructions until the
revised Application Instructions are
approved by OMB. The current form is
due to expire on May 31, 2012.
Type of Review: Renewal.
Agency: Corporation for National and
Community Service.
Title: AmeriCorps State and National
Application Instructions.
OMB Number: 3045–0047.
Agency Number: None.
Affected Public: Nonprofit
organizations, State, Local and Tribal.
Total Respondents: 654 applicants.
Frequency: Annually.
Average Time per Response: 24 hours
to apply.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 15,696
hours.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
None.
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintenance): None.
Dated: April 5, 2011.
Lois Nembhard,
Deputy Director, AmeriCorps State and
National.
[FR Doc. 2011–8554 Filed 4–8–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050–$$–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA Number: 84.184Y]
Funding Priorities, Requirements, and
Definitions
Office of Safe and Drug-Free
Schools, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities,
requirements, and definitions.
AGENCY:
The Assistant Deputy
Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free
Schools proposes priorities,
requirements, and definitions under the
Safe and Supportive Schools program.
The Assistant Deputy Secretary may use
one or more of these priorities,
requirements, and definitions for
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2011
and later years. The Assistant Deputy
Secretary intends to use the priorities,
requirements, and definitions to awards
grants to State educational agencies
(SEAs) to support statewide
measurement of, and targeted
SUMMARY:
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programmatic interventions to improve,
conditions for learning in order to help
schools improve student safety and
health.
We must receive your comments
on or before May 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about
this notice to Bryan Williams, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza,
Room 10120, Washington, DC 20202–
6450.
If you prefer to send your comments
by e-mail, use the following address:
bryan.williams@ed.gov. Please include
the term ‘‘Safe and Supportive
Schools—Comments on FY 2011
Proposed Priorities’’ in the subject line
of your message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bryan Williams (202) 245–7883 or by email: bryan.williams@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,
and definitions, we urge you to identify
clearly the specific proposed priority,
requirement, or definition 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
these proposed priorities, requirements,
and definitions. Please let us know of
any further opportunities we should
take to 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 10120, 550
12th Street, 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
DATES:
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contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Purpose of Program: Through the Safe
and Supportive Schools program, the
Department awards grants to SEAs to
support statewide measurement of, and
targeted programmatic interventions to
improve, conditions for learning in
order to help schools improve student
safety and health. Program Authority: 20
U.S.C. 7131. Applicable Regulations: (a)
The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84,
85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations
in 34 CFR part 299.
Proposed Priorities
This notice contains three proposed
priorities. Background: Our Nation’s
schools should be safe and secure
settings where children can learn and
grow to their full potential.
Unfortunately, data suggests that
significant levels of violence, bullying,
and other problems in schools create
conditions that negatively affect
learning. The most recent data on school
crime and safety indicate that while the
incidence of violent crimes in schools
decreased from 1992 to 2008, students
are now more likely to experience nonfatal crimes (including theft, simple
assault, aggravated assault, rape, and
sexual assault) in school than outside of
school.1 During the 2007–2008 school
year, 85 percent of public schools in the
United States reported that at least one
crime occurred at their school.2 In
addition, based on more recently
reported data, 25 percent of public
schools reported that bullying occurred
among students on a daily or weekly
basis, and 34 percent of teachers agreed
or strongly agreed that student
misbehavior interfered with their
teaching.3
Disruptive aggressive behaviors such
as bullying and violence create a hostile
school environment that can interfere
with the academic performance and
mental health of students who are
victims of or witnesses to such
aggressive behaviors. Students who are
exposed to high levels of aggressive
behavior and violence at school are
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1 U.S.
Department of Education. National Center
for Education Statistics. Indicators of School Crime
and Safety: 2010.
2 Dinkes, R., Kemp, J., Baum, K. and Snyder, T.D.
(2009). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010
(NCES 2011–012/NCJ 230812) National Center for
Education Statistics, Institute for Education
Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington,
DC: US Government Printing Office.
3 U.S. Department of Education. National Center
for Education Statistics. Indicators of School Crime
and Safety: 2010.
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more likely to disengage from school 4
and to experience clinical levels of
mental and emotional disorders than are
students who experience either no or
low levels of violence at school.5
Students who are bullied are also more
likely to become truant from school 6
and have lower academic performance.7
Research also indicates that the majority
of school shooters had been previously
bullied.8 Disruptive and aggressive
behaviors in the classroom, and the
resulting suspensions and expulsions,
also diminish teachers’ instructional
time and students’ learning time. Of the
271,800 serious disciplinary actions that
were taken during the 2007–2008 school
year for physical attacks or fights, 79
percent were out-of-school suspensions
lasting five days or more.9
Preparing students for success
requires learning environments that
help all students to be engaged in their
classrooms, schools, and communities.
Students learn best when they are in a
school environment with, among other
things, positive relationships between
adults and students; the absence of
violence, bullying, harassment, and
substance abuse; and readily available
physical and mental health supports
and services. Research has shown that
students who report high levels of
school connectedness also report lower
levels of emotional distress, violence,
suicide attempts, and drug use.10
Safe and supportive school
environments also provide greater
opportunities for family and community
engagement in students’ learning and
strengthening the role of schools as
centers of communities.
To ensure that schools are safe places
for students to learn and to formulate
4 Bowen, N.K. & Bowen, G.L. (1999). Effects of
crime and violence in neighborhoods and schools
on the school behaviors and performance of
adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 14,
319–342.
5 Flannery, D.J., Wester, K.L. & Singer, M.I.
(2004). Impact of exposures to violence in school
on child and adolescent mental health and
behavior. Journal of Community Psychology. 32,
559–573.
6 Smith, P.K. & Sharp, S. (1994). The problem of
school bullying. In P.K. Smith & S. Sharp (Eds.)
School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. New
York, NY: Routledge, pp. 1–19.
7 Glew, G., Fan, F., Katon, W., Rivara, F., Kernic,
M. (2005). Bullying, psychosocial adjustment, and
academic performance in elementary school. Arch
Pediatr Adolesc Med, 159, 1026–1031.
8 Leary, M.R., Kowalski, R.M., Smith, L., &
Phillips, S. (2003). Teasing, rejection, and violence:
Case studies of the school shootings. Aggressive
Behavior, 29, 202–214.
9 U.S. Department of Education. National Center
for Education Statistics. 2007–2008 Survey on
Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2008.
10 Blum, R.W & Libbey, H.P. (2004). School
Connectedness—Strengthening Health and
Education Outcomes for Teenagers. Journal of
School Health. 74, 231–232.
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intervention and prevention strategies,
schools should understand the issues
they face and the conditions that may
influence student risk behaviors. As
such, comprehensive needs assessments
of conditions for learning—including
assessments of school engagement,
school safety, and the school
environment—can provide educators
with the data needed to design and
target interventions to improve
conditions in schools.
Safe and Supportive Schools grants
were first implemented in FY 2010,
using priorities similar to the priorities
proposed in this notice. Our experience
with grantees from this cohort is that
developing a comprehensive approach
to improving conditions for learning is
critical to helping all students be safe,
healthy, and supported in their
classrooms, schools, and communities.
We propose the following priorities to
increase the capacity of States, local
educational agencies (LEAs), and
schools to create safe, healthy, and
supportive learning environments.
Proposed Priority 1—Grants to States To
Improve Conditions for Learning
Under this proposed priority the
Department supports grants to SEAs for
projects that take a systematic approach
to improving conditions for learning in
eligible schools (as defined in this
notice) through (a) an improved
measurement system that assesses
conditions for learning, which must
include school safety, and (b) the
implementation of programmatic
interventions that address problems
identified by data.
Proposed Priority 2—Inclusion of
School Engagement and School
Environment in Needs Assessments
Measuring Conditions for Learning
To meet this proposed priority, the
applicant must propose to implement a
measurement system that uses valid and
reliable instruments to gather
comprehensive data on school
engagement and the school environment
from students in order to assess
conditions for learning.
Proposed Priority 3—Family and Staff
Inclusion in Needs Assessments
Measuring School Engagement
To meet this proposed priority, the
applicant must propose to implement a
measurement system that uses valid and
reliable instruments to gather
comprehensive data from school staff
and from students’ families or guardians
that can be used to assess school
engagement.
Types of Priorities:
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When inviting applications for a
competition using one or more
priorities, we designate the type of each
priority as absolute, competitive
preference, or invitational through a
notice in the Federal Register. The
effect of each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute
priority, we consider only applications
that meet the priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority:
Under a competitive preference priority,
we give competitive preference to an
application by (1) awarding additional
points, depending on the extent to
which 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)).
Invitational priority: Under an
invitational priority, we are particularly
interested in applications that meet the
priority. However, we do not give an
application that meets the priority a
preference over other applications (34
CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
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Proposed Requirements
Background: The purpose of the Safe
and Supportive Schools program is to
support SEAs in the statewide
measurement of, and targeted
programmatic interventions to improve,
conditions for learning in order to help
schools improve student safety and
health. Schools need complete and
accurate data to determine where
resources are most needed and to design
effective programs. For example, while
incident data can be used to determine
the frequency of safety incidents, they
cannot fully measure perceptions or
attitudes, and those data are usually
limited to those incidents that come to
the attention of school personnel. In
addition, these data rarely include
students, staff, and parent perceptions
of school safety, student engagement,
and the learning environment.
We believe that supplementing
incident data with survey or other data
is critical to informing and guiding
efforts to improve conditions for
learning. Many States and LEAs already
use a variety of surveys to track Statelevel or LEA-level trends; however,
improvements are needed to ensure that
the survey measures are valid and
reliable and that the surveys provide
schools with sufficient data to inform
decision making.
In order to improve conditions for
learning, we believe that sufficient highquality data are required to identify
need, allocate resources, and implement
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and expand effective programs that meet
the needs of students.
Proposed Requirements:
The Assistant Deputy Secretary for
Safe and Drug-Free Schools proposes
the following program, application,
administrative, and eligibility
requirements for this program. We may
apply one or more of these requirements
in any year in which this program is in
effect.
Program Requirements:
1. Measurement System.
(a) Each grantee must implement a
measurement system that—
(1) Collects survey data and incident
data (as defined in this notice) from
participating LEAs that have a
combined student enrollment of no less
than 20 percent of the State’s total
student enrollment;
(2) Collects student survey data from
eligible schools (as defined in this
notice) to assess conditions for learning,
which include, at a minimum, data on
school safety;
(3) Uses survey sampling procedures
that collect data from a representative
sample of the students in grades 9 and
above within the eligible schools
surveyed;
(4) Uses valid and reliable survey
instruments (as defined in this notice);
(5) Collects the required survey data
from all eligible schools in participating
LEAs within the first 12 months of the
project period and again during the final
12 months of the project period;
(6) Collects the required survey data
from each eligible school selected to
implement programmatic interventions
(as defined in this notice) in each year
of the project period;
(7) Collects incident data (as defined
in this notice) from all eligible schools
in participating LEAs in each year of the
project period; and
(8) Provides data that can be
summarized in ways that will engage
school staff and families or guardians in
discussions of the results.
2. School Safety Scores.
(a) Each grantee must generate a
school safety score (as defined in this
notice) for each eligible school in its
participating LEAs, using student
survey data and incident data (as
defined in this notice) both of which are
disaggregated by school, within the first
12 months of the project period and
again during the final 12 months of the
project period;
(b) Additionally, each grantee must
generate a school safety score for each
eligible school selected to implement
programmatic interventions (as defined
in this notice), using student survey
data and incident data (as defined in
this notice) both of which are
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disaggregated at the school level, in
each year of the project period; and
(c) Each grantee must publicly report
school safety scores for each eligible
school in its participating LEAs after the
initial year and after the final year of the
project period, and for each year of the
project period, for eligible schools
selected to implement programmatic
interventions. To satisfy this
requirement, each grantee must—
(i) Prior to the start of each school
year, post school safety scores,
generated from current data, on the
Internet in a manner that is easily
accessible to the general public; and
(ii) Within the first 12 months of the
project period, post the formula used to
generate school safety scores on the
Internet in a manner that is easily
accessible to the general public.
3. Implementing Programmatic
Interventions and Technical Assistance
Strategies. Each grantee must—
(a) In consultation with its
participating LEAs, and using criteria
that incorporate student survey data and
incident data from the measurement
system, the list of persistently lowestachieving schools (as defined in this
notice), or both, select eligible schools
in need of programmatic interventions
(as defined in this notice);
(b) In consultation with its
participating LEAs, implement
programmatic interventions (as defined
in this notice) in a number of eligible
schools, located in participating LEAs,
totaling no more than 20 percent of the
total number of eligible schools in the
State, to ensure that programmatic
interventions are of sufficient size and
scope;
(c) Provide its participating LEAs and
eligible schools with technical
assistance in using survey data to drive
school improvement, including on using
data to assess areas in need of
improvement, and on identifying
programmatic interventions to address
these areas; and
(d) Use at least 80 percent of the grant
funds awarded in project years two,
three, and four to carry out
programmatic interventions (as defined
in this notice) and related technical
assistance.
Note: For the purposes of these proposed
program requirements, grantees may
implement programmatic interventions that
serve any student within an eligible school,
including students in grades 8 and below.
Grantees are not required to survey students
in grades 8 and below.
Application Requirements:
In its application, an applicant must—
(a) Identify the LEAs that will
participate in the proposed project. If
the LEAs that will participate have not
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been identified by the time the
application is submitted, the applicant
must provide a description of the
process it will use to select LEAs to
participate;
(b) Describe the process it will use to
consult with participating LEAs in
developing a formula to be used in
generating school safety scores required
under the program;
(c) Describe its plan to maintain,
improve, or build State-level capacity to
conduct the following activities:
(1) Developing, adapting, or adopting
valid and reliable survey instruments.
(2) Administering surveys using
established sampling and
administration methodologies that
ensure adequate school-level
representation and high response rates.
(3) Tracking costs by major
component (e.g., student survey data
collection).
(4) Safeguarding the privacy and
confidentiality of the survey
respondents and complying with the
requirements of the Protection of Pupil
Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. 1232h; 34
CFR part 98 in collecting survey data
and with the requirements of the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20
U.S.C. 1232g; and 34 CFR part 99 in
collecting any survey or incident data
containing personally identifiable
information;
(d) Provide a brief description of the
specific constructs to be included on
any survey instruments;
(e) Explain the strategies it will use to
identify and address any anticipated
challenges (including statutory or
regulatory requirements) involved in
collecting the required data in the
participating LEAs. At a minimum, each
applicant must identify and address
anticipated barriers to obtaining high
response rates for surveys;
(f) Describe how it will use the
summaries of the data collected from
the measurement system and the school
safety scores to engage families and
guardians in a discussion of the
findings; to examine how a school’s
setting, policies, and practices promote
or inhibit student safety from physical
violence; and to examine how a school’s
setting, policies, and practices might
reduce disruptive behaviors and
suspensions and expulsions;
(g) Describe how it will provide
technical assistance to participating
LEAs and their schools on the use,
meaning, and application of required
survey data and incident data (as
defined in this notice);
(h) Describe the strategies it will use
to consult with participating LEAs in
order to identify and implement
programmatic interventions (as defined
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in this notice) in identified schools that
respond to needs identified through the
analysis of data collected through the
measurement system; and
(i) Comply with the requirements of
any evaluation of the program
conducted by the Department, including
by sharing all data collected through the
measurement system with the
Department or an evaluator selected by
the Department.
Administrative Requirement:
Although programmatic interventions
will be delivered at the LEA level, the
SEA must retain administrative
direction and fiscal control for the
project.
Eligibility Requirements:
Eligible applicants under this program
are SEAs, as defined by section 9101(41)
of the ESEA.
Proposed Definitions:
The Assistant Deputy Secretary for
Safe and Drug-Free Schools proposes
the following definitions for this
program. We may apply one or more of
these definitions in any year in which
this program is in effect.
Conditions for learning means the
school setting, which includes, at a
minimum, school safety, and which
may include school environment and
school engagement.
Eligible school means any school that
includes 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th
grade, or 12th grade.
Incident data means data from
incident reports by school officials
including, but not limited to, truancy
rates; the frequency, seriousness, and
incidence of violence and drug-related
offenses resulting in suspensions and
expulsions; and the incidence and
prevalence of drug use and violence by
students in schools.
Moderate evidence means evidence
from previous studies whose designs
can support causal conclusions (i.e.,
studies with high internal validity) but
have limited generalizability (i.e.,
moderate external validity), or studies
with high external validity but moderate
internal validity.
Persistently lowest-achieving schools
means, as determined by the State, (a)(1)
any Title I school in improvement,
corrective action, or restructuring that
(i) is among the lowest-achieving five
percent of Title I schools in
improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring or the lowest-achieving
five Title I schools in improvement,
corrective action, or restructuring in the
State, whichever number of schools is
greater; or (ii) is a high school that has
had a graduation rate 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 is eligible for,
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but does not receive, Title I funds that
(i) is among the lowest-achieving five
percent of secondary schools or the
lowest-achieving five secondary schools
in the State that are eligible for, but do
not receive, Title I funds, whichever
number of schools is greater; or (ii) is a
high school that has had a graduation
rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that
is less than 60 percent over a number of
years.
To identify the persistently lowestachieving schools, a State must take into
account both: (i) The academic
achievement of the ‘‘all students’’ group
in a school in terms of proficiency on
the State’s assessments under section
1111(b)(3) of the ESEA in reading/
language arts and mathematics
combined; and (ii) the school’s lack of
progress on those assessments over a
number of years for the ‘‘all students’’
group.
Programmatic intervention means any
program, strategy, activity, service, or
policy for school or community settings
that prevents and reduces youth crime,
violence, harassment, bullying, and the
illegal use of drugs, alcohol, and
tobacco; creates positive relationships
between students and adults; promotes
parent and community engagement;
promotes the character, social, and
emotional development of students;
provides or improves access to social
services; enables school communities to
manage student behaviors effectively
while lowering suspensions and
expulsions; promotes readiness and
emergency management for schools; or
provides other needed social and
emotional supports for students.
Programmatic interventions should be
based on the best available evidence,
including, where available, strong
evidence (as defined in this notice) or
moderate evidence (as defined in this
notice).
School engagement means
participation in school-related activities,
and the quality of school relationships,
which may include relationships
between and among administrators,
teachers, parents, and students.
School environment means the school
setting relating to the physical plant, the
fairness and adequacy of disciplinary
procedures, the academic environment,
and student health, including the
available physical and mental health
supports and services, as supported by
relevant research and an assessment of
validity.
School safety means the safety of
school settings, such as the incidence of
harassment, bullying, violence, and
substance use, as supported by relevant
research and an assessment of validity.
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School safety score means a number
calculated with a formula, developed by
the State in consultation with LEAs and
applied uniformly to all eligible schools
in participating LEAs within the State,
that uses survey data and incident data
(as defined in this notice) collected by
a measurement system and that can be
used to make school comparisons.
Strong evidence means evidence from
previous studies whose designs can
support causal conclusions (i.e., studies
with high internal validity), and studies
that in total include enough of the range
of participants and settings to support
scaling up to the State, regional, or
national level (i.e., studies with high
external validity).
Valid and reliable survey instruments
mean intact sets of survey questions that
have been demonstrated statistically to
produce results that are both
consistently and accurately measuring
appropriate concepts of interest for the
age groups surveyed.
Final Priorities, Requirements, and
Definitions:
We will announce the final priorities,
requirements, and definitions in a
notice in the Federal Register. We will
determine the final priorities,
requirements, and definitions after
considering responses to this notice and
other information available to the
Department. This notice does not
preclude us from proposing additional
priorities, requirements, and definitions
subject to meeting applicable
rulemaking requirements.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Note: This notice does not solicit
applications. In any year in which we choose
to use one or more of these proposed
priorities, requirements, and definitions, we
invite applications through a notice in the
Federal Register.
Executive Order 12866: This notice
has been reviewed in accordance with
Executive Order 12866. Under the terms
of the order, we have assessed the
potential costs and benefits of this
proposed regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with
this proposed regulatory action are
those resulting from statutory
requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for
administering this program effectively
and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and
benefits—both quantitative and
qualitative—of this proposed regulatory
action, we have determined that the
benefits of the proposed priorities,
requirements, and definitions justify the
costs.
We have determined, also, that this
proposed regulatory action does not
unduly interfere with State, local, and
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:49 Apr 08, 2011
Jkt 223001
tribal governments in the exercise of
their governmental functions.
Discussion of Costs and Benefits:
The potential costs associated with
the proposed priorities and
requirements are minimal while the
potential benefits are significant.
Grantees may anticipate costs related
to developing and implementing a
measurement system, including data
collection, analysis, and reporting.
Grantees may also anticipate costs in
implementing programs in schools, and
providing training and technical
assistance to staff in participating LEAs.
Finally, grantees will experience costs
when traveling to mandatory training
events sponsored by the Department.
However, all of these costs may be
included in the grant budget and,
therefore, will have little or no financial
impact on the applicant.
The benefit of the proposed priorities,
definitions, and requirements is that
grantees will develop a measurement
system that uses incident and survey
data to support statewide measurement
of conditions for learning. The grantee
can use this information to identify and
support the most at-risk schools and
communities, thereby improving school
safety and increasing the likelihood of
academic success for students in these
schools. Grantees will be able to tailor
their approach based on the specific
needs of each school, using data from
the measurement system to drive
resource and programming decisions.
Training and technical assistance will
be provided for staff, and will increase
the grantee’s overall performance and
sustainability efforts. In summary, a
comprehensive effort to improve
conditions for learning will help to
promote student safety, health, and
well-being, and increase our capacity to
create safe, healthy, and drug-free
learning environments.
Intergovernmental Review: This
program is subject to Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR
part 79. One of the objectives of the
Executive order is to foster an
intergovernmental partnership and a
strengthened federalism. The Executive
order relies on processes developed by
State and local governments for
coordination and review of proposed
Federal financial assistance.
This document provides early
notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or computer diskette)
on request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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/
index.html.
Dated: April 5, 2011.
Kevin Jennings,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and DrugFree Schools.
[FR Doc. 2011–8461 Filed 4–8–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Advisory Commission on Accessible
Instructional Materials in
Postsecondary Education for Students
With Disabilities
U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Advisory
Commission on Accessible Instructional
Materials in Postsecondary Education
for Students with Disabilities.
ACTION: Notice of an open meeting and
public hearing.
AGENCY:
The notice sets forth the
schedule and agenda of the meeting of
the Advisory Commission on Accessible
Instructional Materials in Postsecondary
Education for Students with Disabilities.
The notice also describes the functions
of the Commission. Notice of the
meeting is required by section 10(a)(2)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act
and is intended to notify the public of
its opportunity to attend.
DATES: Open Meeting: May 3–4, 2011.
Public Hearing: May 4, 2011.
TIME: May 3, 2011: The open meeting
will occur from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. May 4,
2011: The open meeting will occur from
8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. The public hearing
will take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The Blackwell Inn and
Conference Center, 2110 Tuttle Park
Place, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth Shook, Program Specialist,
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, United States
Department of Education, 550 12th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202;
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM
11APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 69 (Monday, April 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19980-19984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8461]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA Number: 84.184Y]
Funding Priorities, Requirements, and Definitions
AGENCY: Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities, requirements, and definitions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools
proposes priorities, requirements, and definitions under the Safe and
Supportive Schools program. The Assistant Deputy Secretary may use one
or more of these priorities, requirements, and definitions for
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and later years. The Assistant
Deputy Secretary intends to use the priorities, requirements, and
definitions to awards grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to
support statewide measurement of, and targeted programmatic
interventions to improve, conditions for learning in order to help
schools improve student safety and health.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before May 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this notice to Bryan Williams,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Potomac Center
Plaza, Room 10120, Washington, DC 20202-6450.
If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following
address: bryan.williams@ed.gov. Please include the term ``Safe and
Supportive Schools--Comments on FY 2011 Proposed Priorities'' in the
subject line of your message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Williams (202) 245-7883 or by e-
mail: bryan.williams@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, and
definitions, we urge you to identify clearly the specific proposed
priority, requirement, or definition 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 these proposed
priorities, requirements, and definitions. Please let us know of any
further opportunities we should take to 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 10120, 550 12th Street, 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 19981]]
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Purpose of Program: Through the Safe and Supportive Schools
program, the Department awards grants to SEAs to support statewide
measurement of, and targeted programmatic interventions to improve,
conditions for learning in order to help schools improve student safety
and health. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131. Applicable Regulations:
(a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The
regulations in 34 CFR part 299.
Proposed Priorities
This notice contains three proposed priorities. Background: Our
Nation's schools should be safe and secure settings where children can
learn and grow to their full potential. Unfortunately, data suggests
that significant levels of violence, bullying, and other problems in
schools create conditions that negatively affect learning. The most
recent data on school crime and safety indicate that while the
incidence of violent crimes in schools decreased from 1992 to 2008,
students are now more likely to experience non-fatal crimes (including
theft, simple assault, aggravated assault, rape, and sexual assault) in
school than outside of school.\1\ During the 2007-2008 school year, 85
percent of public schools in the United States reported that at least
one crime occurred at their school.\2\ In addition, based on more
recently reported data, 25 percent of public schools reported that
bullying occurred among students on a daily or weekly basis, and 34
percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior
interfered with their teaching.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education
Statistics. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010.
\2\ Dinkes, R., Kemp, J., Baum, K. and Snyder, T.D. (2009).
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010 (NCES 2011-012/NCJ
230812) National Center for Education Statistics, Institute for
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of
Justice. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
\3\ U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education
Statistics. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disruptive aggressive behaviors such as bullying and violence
create a hostile school environment that can interfere with the
academic performance and mental health of students who are victims of
or witnesses to such aggressive behaviors. Students who are exposed to
high levels of aggressive behavior and violence at school are more
likely to disengage from school \4\ and to experience clinical levels
of mental and emotional disorders than are students who experience
either no or low levels of violence at school.\5\ Students who are
bullied are also more likely to become truant from school \6\ and have
lower academic performance.\7\ Research also indicates that the
majority of school shooters had been previously bullied.\8\ Disruptive
and aggressive behaviors in the classroom, and the resulting
suspensions and expulsions, also diminish teachers' instructional time
and students' learning time. Of the 271,800 serious disciplinary
actions that were taken during the 2007-2008 school year for physical
attacks or fights, 79 percent were out-of-school suspensions lasting
five days or more.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Bowen, N.K. & Bowen, G.L. (1999). Effects of crime and
violence in neighborhoods and schools on the school behaviors and
performance of adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 319-
342.
\5\ Flannery, D.J., Wester, K.L. & Singer, M.I. (2004). Impact
of exposures to violence in school on child and adolescent mental
health and behavior. Journal of Community Psychology. 32, 559-573.
\6\ Smith, P.K. & Sharp, S. (1994). The problem of school
bullying. In P.K. Smith & S. Sharp (Eds.) School Bullying: Insights
and Perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 1-19.
\7\ Glew, G., Fan, F., Katon, W., Rivara, F., Kernic, M. (2005).
Bullying, psychosocial adjustment, and academic performance in
elementary school. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 159, 1026-1031.
\8\ Leary, M.R., Kowalski, R.M., Smith, L., & Phillips, S.
(2003). Teasing, rejection, and violence: Case studies of the school
shootings. Aggressive Behavior, 29, 202-214.
\9\ U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education
Statistics. 2007-2008 Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preparing students for success requires learning environments that
help all students to be engaged in their classrooms, schools, and
communities. Students learn best when they are in a school environment
with, among other things, positive relationships between adults and
students; the absence of violence, bullying, harassment, and substance
abuse; and readily available physical and mental health supports and
services. Research has shown that students who report high levels of
school connectedness also report lower levels of emotional distress,
violence, suicide attempts, and drug use.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ Blum, R.W & Libbey, H.P. (2004). School Connectedness--
Strengthening Health and Education Outcomes for Teenagers. Journal
of School Health. 74, 231-232.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safe and supportive school environments also provide greater
opportunities for family and community engagement in students' learning
and strengthening the role of schools as centers of communities.
To ensure that schools are safe places for students to learn and to
formulate intervention and prevention strategies, schools should
understand the issues they face and the conditions that may influence
student risk behaviors. As such, comprehensive needs assessments of
conditions for learning--including assessments of school engagement,
school safety, and the school environment--can provide educators with
the data needed to design and target interventions to improve
conditions in schools.
Safe and Supportive Schools grants were first implemented in FY
2010, using priorities similar to the priorities proposed in this
notice. Our experience with grantees from this cohort is that
developing a comprehensive approach to improving conditions for
learning is critical to helping all students be safe, healthy, and
supported in their classrooms, schools, and communities. We propose the
following priorities to increase the capacity of States, local
educational agencies (LEAs), and schools to create safe, healthy, and
supportive learning environments.
Proposed Priority 1--Grants to States To Improve Conditions for
Learning
Under this proposed priority the Department supports grants to SEAs
for projects that take a systematic approach to improving conditions
for learning in eligible schools (as defined in this notice) through
(a) an improved measurement system that assesses conditions for
learning, which must include school safety, and (b) the implementation
of programmatic interventions that address problems identified by data.
Proposed Priority 2--Inclusion of School Engagement and School
Environment in Needs Assessments Measuring Conditions for Learning
To meet this proposed priority, the applicant must propose to
implement a measurement system that uses valid and reliable instruments
to gather comprehensive data on school engagement and the school
environment from students in order to assess conditions for learning.
Proposed Priority 3--Family and Staff Inclusion in Needs Assessments
Measuring School Engagement
To meet this proposed priority, the applicant must propose to
implement a measurement system that uses valid and reliable instruments
to gather comprehensive data from school staff and from students'
families or guardians that can be used to assess school engagement.
Types of Priorities:
[[Page 19982]]
When inviting applications for a competition using one or more
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute,
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal
Register. The effect of each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by (1)
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which 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)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority.
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority a
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Proposed Requirements
Background: The purpose of the Safe and Supportive Schools program
is to support SEAs in the statewide measurement of, and targeted
programmatic interventions to improve, conditions for learning in order
to help schools improve student safety and health. Schools need
complete and accurate data to determine where resources are most needed
and to design effective programs. For example, while incident data can
be used to determine the frequency of safety incidents, they cannot
fully measure perceptions or attitudes, and those data are usually
limited to those incidents that come to the attention of school
personnel. In addition, these data rarely include students, staff, and
parent perceptions of school safety, student engagement, and the
learning environment.
We believe that supplementing incident data with survey or other
data is critical to informing and guiding efforts to improve conditions
for learning. Many States and LEAs already use a variety of surveys to
track State-level or LEA-level trends; however, improvements are needed
to ensure that the survey measures are valid and reliable and that the
surveys provide schools with sufficient data to inform decision making.
In order to improve conditions for learning, we believe that
sufficient high-quality data are required to identify need, allocate
resources, and implement and expand effective programs that meet the
needs of students.
Proposed Requirements:
The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools
proposes the following program, application, administrative, and
eligibility requirements for this program. We may apply one or more of
these requirements in any year in which this program is in effect.
Program Requirements:
1. Measurement System.
(a) Each grantee must implement a measurement system that--
(1) Collects survey data and incident data (as defined in this
notice) from participating LEAs that have a combined student enrollment
of no less than 20 percent of the State's total student enrollment;
(2) Collects student survey data from eligible schools (as defined
in this notice) to assess conditions for learning, which include, at a
minimum, data on school safety;
(3) Uses survey sampling procedures that collect data from a
representative sample of the students in grades 9 and above within the
eligible schools surveyed;
(4) Uses valid and reliable survey instruments (as defined in this
notice);
(5) Collects the required survey data from all eligible schools in
participating LEAs within the first 12 months of the project period and
again during the final 12 months of the project period;
(6) Collects the required survey data from each eligible school
selected to implement programmatic interventions (as defined in this
notice) in each year of the project period;
(7) Collects incident data (as defined in this notice) from all
eligible schools in participating LEAs in each year of the project
period; and
(8) Provides data that can be summarized in ways that will engage
school staff and families or guardians in discussions of the results.
2. School Safety Scores.
(a) Each grantee must generate a school safety score (as defined in
this notice) for each eligible school in its participating LEAs, using
student survey data and incident data (as defined in this notice) both
of which are disaggregated by school, within the first 12 months of the
project period and again during the final 12 months of the project
period;
(b) Additionally, each grantee must generate a school safety score
for each eligible school selected to implement programmatic
interventions (as defined in this notice), using student survey data
and incident data (as defined in this notice) both of which are
disaggregated at the school level, in each year of the project period;
and
(c) Each grantee must publicly report school safety scores for each
eligible school in its participating LEAs after the initial year and
after the final year of the project period, and for each year of the
project period, for eligible schools selected to implement programmatic
interventions. To satisfy this requirement, each grantee must--
(i) Prior to the start of each school year, post school safety
scores, generated from current data, on the Internet in a manner that
is easily accessible to the general public; and
(ii) Within the first 12 months of the project period, post the
formula used to generate school safety scores on the Internet in a
manner that is easily accessible to the general public.
3. Implementing Programmatic Interventions and Technical Assistance
Strategies. Each grantee must--
(a) In consultation with its participating LEAs, and using criteria
that incorporate student survey data and incident data from the
measurement system, the list of persistently lowest-achieving schools
(as defined in this notice), or both, select eligible schools in need
of programmatic interventions (as defined in this notice);
(b) In consultation with its participating LEAs, implement
programmatic interventions (as defined in this notice) in a number of
eligible schools, located in participating LEAs, totaling no more than
20 percent of the total number of eligible schools in the State, to
ensure that programmatic interventions are of sufficient size and
scope;
(c) Provide its participating LEAs and eligible schools with
technical assistance in using survey data to drive school improvement,
including on using data to assess areas in need of improvement, and on
identifying programmatic interventions to address these areas; and
(d) Use at least 80 percent of the grant funds awarded in project
years two, three, and four to carry out programmatic interventions (as
defined in this notice) and related technical assistance.
Note: For the purposes of these proposed program requirements,
grantees may implement programmatic interventions that serve any
student within an eligible school, including students in grades 8
and below. Grantees are not required to survey students in grades 8
and below.
Application Requirements:
In its application, an applicant must--
(a) Identify the LEAs that will participate in the proposed
project. If the LEAs that will participate have not
[[Page 19983]]
been identified by the time the application is submitted, the applicant
must provide a description of the process it will use to select LEAs to
participate;
(b) Describe the process it will use to consult with participating
LEAs in developing a formula to be used in generating school safety
scores required under the program;
(c) Describe its plan to maintain, improve, or build State-level
capacity to conduct the following activities:
(1) Developing, adapting, or adopting valid and reliable survey
instruments.
(2) Administering surveys using established sampling and
administration methodologies that ensure adequate school-level
representation and high response rates.
(3) Tracking costs by major component (e.g., student survey data
collection).
(4) Safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of the survey
respondents and complying with the requirements of the Protection of
Pupil Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. 1232h; 34 CFR part 98 in collecting
survey data and with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232g; and 34 CFR part 99 in collecting any
survey or incident data containing personally identifiable information;
(d) Provide a brief description of the specific constructs to be
included on any survey instruments;
(e) Explain the strategies it will use to identify and address any
anticipated challenges (including statutory or regulatory requirements)
involved in collecting the required data in the participating LEAs. At
a minimum, each applicant must identify and address anticipated
barriers to obtaining high response rates for surveys;
(f) Describe how it will use the summaries of the data collected
from the measurement system and the school safety scores to engage
families and guardians in a discussion of the findings; to examine how
a school's setting, policies, and practices promote or inhibit student
safety from physical violence; and to examine how a school's setting,
policies, and practices might reduce disruptive behaviors and
suspensions and expulsions;
(g) Describe how it will provide technical assistance to
participating LEAs and their schools on the use, meaning, and
application of required survey data and incident data (as defined in
this notice);
(h) Describe the strategies it will use to consult with
participating LEAs in order to identify and implement programmatic
interventions (as defined in this notice) in identified schools that
respond to needs identified through the analysis of data collected
through the measurement system; and
(i) Comply with the requirements of any evaluation of the program
conducted by the Department, including by sharing all data collected
through the measurement system with the Department or an evaluator
selected by the Department.
Administrative Requirement:
Although programmatic interventions will be delivered at the LEA
level, the SEA must retain administrative direction and fiscal control
for the project.
Eligibility Requirements:
Eligible applicants under this program are SEAs, as defined by
section 9101(41) of the ESEA.
Proposed Definitions:
The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools
proposes the following definitions for this program. We may apply one
or more of these definitions in any year in which this program is in
effect.
Conditions for learning means the school setting, which includes,
at a minimum, school safety, and which may include school environment
and school engagement.
Eligible school means any school that includes 9th grade, 10th
grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade.
Incident data means data from incident reports by school officials
including, but not limited to, truancy rates; the frequency,
seriousness, and incidence of violence and drug-related offenses
resulting in suspensions and expulsions; and the incidence and
prevalence of drug use and violence by students in schools.
Moderate evidence means evidence from previous studies whose
designs can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high
internal validity) but have limited generalizability (i.e., moderate
external validity), or studies with high external validity but moderate
internal validity.
Persistently lowest-achieving schools means, as determined by the
State, (a)(1) any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring that (i) is among the lowest-achieving five percent of
Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or
the lowest-achieving five Title I schools in improvement, corrective
action, or restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is
greater; or (ii) is a high school that has had a graduation rate 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 is eligible for, but does
not receive, Title I funds that (i) is among the lowest-achieving five
percent of secondary schools or the lowest-achieving five secondary
schools in the State that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I
funds, whichever number of schools is greater; or (ii) is a high school
that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is
less than 60 percent over a number of years.
To identify the persistently lowest-achieving schools, a State must
take into account both: (i) The academic achievement of the ``all
students'' group in a school in terms of proficiency on the State's
assessments under section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA in reading/language
arts and mathematics combined; and (ii) the school's lack of progress
on those assessments over a number of years for the ``all students''
group.
Programmatic intervention means any program, strategy, activity,
service, or policy for school or community settings that prevents and
reduces youth crime, violence, harassment, bullying, and the illegal
use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; creates positive relationships
between students and adults; promotes parent and community engagement;
promotes the character, social, and emotional development of students;
provides or improves access to social services; enables school
communities to manage student behaviors effectively while lowering
suspensions and expulsions; promotes readiness and emergency management
for schools; or provides other needed social and emotional supports for
students. Programmatic interventions should be based on the best
available evidence, including, where available, strong evidence (as
defined in this notice) or moderate evidence (as defined in this
notice).
School engagement means participation in school-related activities,
and the quality of school relationships, which may include
relationships between and among administrators, teachers, parents, and
students.
School environment means the school setting relating to the
physical plant, the fairness and adequacy of disciplinary procedures,
the academic environment, and student health, including the available
physical and mental health supports and services, as supported by
relevant research and an assessment of validity.
School safety means the safety of school settings, such as the
incidence of harassment, bullying, violence, and substance use, as
supported by relevant research and an assessment of validity.
[[Page 19984]]
School safety score means a number calculated with a formula,
developed by the State in consultation with LEAs and applied uniformly
to all eligible schools in participating LEAs within the State, that
uses survey data and incident data (as defined in this notice)
collected by a measurement system and that can be used to make school
comparisons.
Strong evidence means evidence from previous studies whose designs
can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal
validity), and studies that in total include enough of the range of
participants and settings to support scaling up to the State, regional,
or national level (i.e., studies with high external validity).
Valid and reliable survey instruments mean intact sets of survey
questions that have been demonstrated statistically to produce results
that are both consistently and accurately measuring appropriate
concepts of interest for the age groups surveyed.
Final Priorities, Requirements, and Definitions:
We will announce the final priorities, requirements, and
definitions in a notice in the Federal Register. We will determine the
final priorities, requirements, and definitions after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing additional
priorities, requirements, and definitions subject to meeting applicable
rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use one or more of these proposed priorities,
requirements, and definitions, we invite applications through a
notice in the Federal Register.
Executive Order 12866: This notice has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this proposed regulatory
action.
The potential costs associated with this proposed regulatory action
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and
efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this proposed regulatory action, we have determined
that the benefits of the proposed priorities, requirements, and
definitions justify the costs.
We have determined, also, that this proposed regulatory action does
not unduly interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the
exercise of their governmental functions.
Discussion of Costs and Benefits:
The potential costs associated with the proposed priorities and
requirements are minimal while the potential benefits are significant.
Grantees may anticipate costs related to developing and
implementing a measurement system, including data collection, analysis,
and reporting. Grantees may also anticipate costs in implementing
programs in schools, and providing training and technical assistance to
staff in participating LEAs. Finally, grantees will experience costs
when traveling to mandatory training events sponsored by the
Department. However, all of these costs may be included in the grant
budget and, therefore, will have little or no financial impact on the
applicant.
The benefit of the proposed priorities, definitions, and
requirements is that grantees will develop a measurement system that
uses incident and survey data to support statewide measurement of
conditions for learning. The grantee can use this information to
identify and support the most at-risk schools and communities, thereby
improving school safety and increasing the likelihood of academic
success for students in these schools. Grantees will be able to tailor
their approach based on the specific needs of each school, using data
from the measurement system to drive resource and programming
decisions. Training and technical assistance will be provided for
staff, and will increase the grantee's overall performance and
sustainability efforts. In summary, a comprehensive effort to improve
conditions for learning will help to promote student safety, health,
and well-being, and increase our capacity to create safe, healthy, and
drug-free learning environments.
Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
this site.
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: April 5, 2011.
Kevin Jennings,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 2011-8461 Filed 4-8-11; 8:45 am]
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