Applications for New Awards; Project Prevent Grant Program, 26082-26088 [2019-11677]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26082-26088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11677]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Project Prevent Grant Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice 
inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2019 for the Project Prevent 
grant program, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 
84.184M. This notice relates to the approved information collection 
under OMB control number 1894-0006.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: June 5, 2019.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 15, 2019.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 13, 2019.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an 
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to 
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the 
Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), and available at 
www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicole A. White, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E326, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 453-6729. Email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Project Prevent grant program provides 
grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to increase their capacity 
to help schools in communities with pervasive violence to better 
address the needs of affected students and to break the cycle of 
violence in those communities.
    Background: Children's exposure to violence, whether as victims or 
witnesses, is often associated with long-term physical, psychological, 
and emotional harms. These harms include, among others, depression, 
anxiety, and post-traumatic disorders; failing or having difficulty in 
school; and delinquency or criminal behavior, including violent 
acts.\1\
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    \1\ https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/227744.pdf.
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    In December 2018, the Federal Commission on School Safety (FCSS) 
released its final report.\2\ The report offers several recommendations 
for States, local communities, and the Federal government to improve 
school safety. The Project Prevent grant program supports activities 
directly linked with recommendations identified in the FCSS. Under this 
program, grantees may use funds to address some of those FCSS 
recommendations in their local districts as they develop approaches to 
improving school engagement, school safety, and the school environment 
for all students.
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    \2\ https://www2.ed.gov/documents/school-safety/school-safety-report.pdf.
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    Project Prevent grants will enable LEAs to increase their capacity 
to identify, assess, and serve students exposed to pervasive violence, 
helping LEAS to offer affected students mental health services for 
trauma or anxiety; support conflict resolution programs; and implement 
other school-based violence prevention strategies in order to reduce 
the likelihood that these students will later commit violent acts.
    Priorities: This competition includes one absolute priority and two 
competitive preference priorities. We are establishing the absolute 
priority and Competitive Preference Priority 1 for the FY 2019 grant 
competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the 
list of unfunded

[[Page 26083]]

applications from this competition, in accordance with section 
437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 
1232(d)(1). In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), Competitive 
Preference Priority 2 is from the Department's Notice of Final 
Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant 
Programs (Supplemental Priorities), published in the Federal Register 
on March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096).
    Absolute Priority: This priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 
CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Expanding the Capacity of LEAs to Assist Schools in Communities 
With Pervasive Violence to Break the Cycle of Violence by Better 
Meeting the Needs of Affected Students.
    Under this priority, we provide funding for projects to expand the 
capacity of LEAs to more effectively assist impacted schools in 
communities with pervasive violence to better meet the needs of 
students directly or indirectly exposed to pervasive violence.
    Applicants must address each of the following four subparts of this 
absolute priority. Projects must offer students: (1) Access to school-
based counseling services, or referrals to community-based counseling 
services, for assistance in coping with trauma or anxiety; (2) school-
based social emotional and behavioral supports for students to help 
address the effects of violence; (3) conflict resolution and other 
school-based strategies to prevent future violence; and (4) activities 
designed to promote a safer and improved school environment, which may 
include activities designed to decrease the incidence of harassment, 
bullying, fighting, gang participation, sexual assault, and substance 
abuse.
    Projects funded under this priority may use up to 12 months during 
the first year of the project period for program planning. Applicants 
that propose to use this option must provide sufficient justification 
for why this program planning time is necessary, provide the intended 
outcomes of program planning in Year 1, and include a description of 
the proposed strategies and activities to be supported, such as 
developing baseline Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 data 
as described in the Performance Measures section of this notice.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: These priorities are competitive 
preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(1), we award an 
additional eight points to an application that meets Competitive 
Preference Priority 1, and we award up to an additional two points to 
an application, depending on how well the application meets Competitive 
Preference Priority 2, for a maximum of ten possible additional points 
under the competitive preference priorities. An applicant must clearly 
indicate in the abstract section of its application that it is 
addressing a competitive preference priority or priorities, including 
which of the priorities its application addresses.
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1--Collaboration With a Local 
Mental Health Agency (up to 8 points).
    An application that includes a memorandum of agreement (MOA) or 
memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the authorized 
representative of a local mental health agency that agrees to 
collaborate with the applicant on the proposed project and provide 
resources and/or administer services that are likely to substantially 
contribute to positive outcomes for the proposed project.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2--Fostering Knowledge and 
Promoting the Development of Skills That Prepare Students To Be 
Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Individuals and Citizens (up to 2 
points).
    Supporting projects likely to improve student academic performance 
and better prepare students for employment, responsible citizenship, 
and fulfilling lives, including by preparing children or students to do 
one or more of the following:
    (i) Develop positive personal relationships with others.
    (ii) Develop determination, perseverance, and the ability to 
overcome obstacles.
    (iii) Develop self-esteem through perseverance and earned success.
    (iv) Develop problem-solving skills.
    (v) Develop self-regulation in order to work toward long-term 
goals.
    Requirements: We are establishing these application requirements 
for the FY 2019 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this 
competition, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 
1232(d)(1).
    Application Requirements: Applicants must describe the following in 
their applications:
    (a) The severity and magnitude of the problem and identification of 
schools to be served by the proposed project.
    Applicants must identify the schools to be served by project 
activities and describe how pervasive violence in the community is 
specifically affecting students in those schools. Applicants must 
describe the nature of the problem for the LEA, based on information 
such as, but not limited to, incidents of community domestic violence 
or violent crime; rates of child abuse and neglect; school crime and 
safety data; student mental health screenings or assessments; surveys 
of school climate; surveys of student engagement; or other relevant 
data and information. The description may also include demographic data 
provided by U.S. Census surveys. In order to assess the magnitude of 
the problem and ensure the schools selected have the greatest need, 
school data cited must be compared to similar data at the State or 
local level, and on a per capita basis (such as homicides per 100,000 
persons) when available.
    (b) Collaboration and coordination with related Federal, State, and 
local initiatives.
    Applicants must describe how they intend to work collaboratively 
with Federal, State, and local juvenile justice, mental health, public 
health, child welfare, or other community agencies to achieve project 
goals and objectives. Applicants must also describe proposed 
coordination with existing federally funded efforts related to youth 
violence prevention and mental health promotion (such as other violence 
prevention-related grants administered by the U.S. Department of 
Justice, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention \3\), if applicable. 
Evidence of collaboration and coordination must be provided through 
letters of support or MOAs/MOUs from local or State agencies and other 
federally funded projects, if applicable. Finally, applicants must 
describe how they will use Project Prevent grant program funds to 
supplement, rather than supplant, existing, ongoing, or new efforts to 
reduce youth violence and mitigate the effects of pervasive violence on 
students.
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    \3\ See, for example, https://www.justice.gov/ovw, https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence, https://www.ovc.gov/, https://www.samhsa.gov/grants, and https://www.cdc.gov/grants/.
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    (c) Building greater and more effective family engagement in the 
education of their children or students.
    Applicants must describe how the proposed project will encourage or 
improve family engagement.
    (d) Creating or expanding partnerships with community-based 
organizations to provide supports and services to students and 
families.
    Applicants must describe how they will partner with community-based

[[Page 26084]]

organizations (e.g., local civic or community service organizations, 
local faith-based organizations, or local foundations or non-profit 
organizations) to provide support to students and families.
    (e) Activities that will expand and improve LEA capacity to serve 
students exposed to pervasive violence and ensure affected students 
receive mental health services.
    Applicants must describe the specific activities they will conduct 
to expand and improve LEA capacity to serve students exposed to 
pervasive violence and to ensure that affected students receive 
appropriate mental health services. To meet this requirement, the 
applicant must propose to conduct three or more of the following:
    (1) Professional development opportunities for LEA and school 
mental health staff (e.g., counselors, psychologists, and social 
workers) on how to screen for and respond to violence-related trauma 
and implement appropriate school-based mitigation strategies or trauma-
informed care.
    (2) Activities designed to improve the range, availability, and 
quality of school-based mental health services by hiring school and 
clinical psychologists, school counselors, or school social workers 
with expertise or training in violence prevention and trauma-informed 
care and qualified to respond to the mental health needs of students 
who have experienced trauma as a result of exposure to violence.
    (3) Training for school staff (e.g., teachers, administrators, and 
support staff), community partners, youth, and parents on the problem 
of student exposure to pervasive violence, as well as the importance of 
screening students and providing interventions to help students cope 
with traumatic events.
    (4) Activities that address the needs of students in affected 
schools by developing or improving processes to better target services 
to these students and developing or improving processes to assess 
students who are exposed to pervasive violence and who may be 
experiencing resulting mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.
    (5) Activities designed to enhance linkages between LEA mental 
health services and community mental health systems to ensure affected 
students receive referrals to treatment as appropriate.
    (f) The delivery of a tiered continuum of evidence-based programs 
and practices in selected schools to promote conflict resolution, 
improve school climate and safety, and implement other school-based 
strategies to break the cycle of violence.
    Applicants must describe the continuum of evidence-based programs 
and practices that will be implemented at the school level and how 
these programs and practices will be organized to provide 
differentiated support based on student need and to break the cycle of 
violence. These programs and practices must include all of the 
following:
    (1) Interventions and activities that are available to all students 
in a school, regardless of risk level, with the goal of preventing 
negative or violent behavior (such as harassment, bullying, fighting, 
gang participation, sexual assault, and substance abuse) and enhancing 
student knowledge and skills regarding positive behavior (such as 
expected school behavior and conflict resolution).
    (2) Interventions and activities (such as those related to anger 
management, conflict resolution, promotion of positive behavior, and 
development of protective factors) that target individual students or a 
sub-group of students whose risk of developing mental or behavioral 
disorders is significantly higher than average.
    (3) Interventions and services that target individual students who 
are at risk for, and have shown signs of, mental, emotional, or 
behavioral disorders; exhibit aggressive, violent, or disruptive 
behavior; or participate in gangs.
    To meet this requirement, applicants must discuss the research and 
evidence supporting the proposed programs and practices and the 
expected effects on the target population. Applicants may use the 
Federal registries listed in the application package for identifying 
such programs and practices.
    (g) The framework for planning, implementation, and sustainability.
    Applicants must describe how the proposed project is integrated and 
aligned with the mission and vision of the LEA, including a description 
of the relationship of the project to the LEA's existing school safety 
or related plan. Applicants must include a description of anticipated 
challenges to success of the project and how they will be addressed, 
such as mitigating turnover at the LEA leadership, school leadership, 
and staff levels. Applicants must also include a timeline of activities 
for--
    (1) Planning, which includes: Conducting a needs assessment that is 
comprehensive and examines areas for improvement related to learning 
conditions that create a safe and healthy environment for students, 
creating a logic model, completing resource mapping, selecting 
evidence-based programs, developing evaluation plans, and engaging 
partners and stakeholders;
    (2) Implementation, which includes: Training on evidence-based 
programs, executing evidence-based programs, continuing engagement with 
stakeholders, communicating and collaborating strategically with 
community partners, and evaluating program implementation; and
    (3) Sustainability, which includes: Further developing and 
expanding on the project's successes beyond the end of the grant, at 
the school and community levels, in alignment with other related 
efforts.
    Definitions: We are establishing the definition of ``school 
engagement'' in this notice for the FY 2019 grant competition and any 
subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded 
applications from this competition, in accordance with section 
437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). The definition of ``local 
educational agency'' is from 20 U.S.C. 7801(30). The definitions of 
``ambitious,'' ``baseline,'' ``evidence-based,'' ``experimental 
study,'' ``logic model,'' ``project component,'' ``promising 
evidence,'' ``quasi-experimental design study,'' ``relevant outcome,'' 
and ``What Works Clearinghouse Handbook'' are from 34 CFR 77.1.
    These definitions are:
    Ambitious means promoting continued, meaningful improvement for 
program participants or for other individuals or entities affected by 
the grant, or representing a significant advancement in the field of 
education research, practices, or methodologies. When used to describe 
a performance target, whether a performance target is ambitious depends 
upon the context of the relevant performance measure and the baseline 
for that measure.
    Baseline means the starting point from which performance is 
measured and targets are set.
    Evidence-based means the proposed project component is supported by 
promising evidence.
    Experimental study means a study that is designed to compare 
outcomes between two groups of individuals (such as students) that are 
otherwise equivalent except for their assignment to either a treatment 
group receiving a project component or a control group that does not. 
Randomized controlled trials, regression discontinuity design studies, 
and single-case design studies are the specific types of experimental 
studies that, depending on their design and implementation (e.g., 
sample attrition in randomized controlled trials and regression 
discontinuity design studies), can meet What Works

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Clearinghouse (WWC) standards without reservations as described in the 
WWC Handbook:
    (a) A randomized controlled trial employs random assignment of, for 
example, students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to receive the 
project component being evaluated (the treatment group) or not to 
receive the project component (the control group).
    (b) A regression discontinuity design study assigns the project 
component being evaluated using a measured variable (e.g., assigning 
students reading below a cutoff score to tutoring or developmental 
education classes) and controls for that variable in the analysis of 
outcomes.
    (c) A single-case design study uses observations of a single case 
(e.g., a student eligible for a behavioral intervention) over time in 
the absence and presence of a controlled treatment manipulation to 
determine whether the outcome is systematically related to the 
treatment.
    Local educational agency (LEA) means:
    (a) A public board of education or other public authority legally 
constituted within a State for either administrative control or 
direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary 
schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school 
district, or other political subdivision of a State, or of or for a 
combination of school districts or counties that is recognized in a 
State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or 
secondary schools.
    (b) The term includes any other public institution or agency having 
administrative control and direction of a public elementary school or 
secondary school.
    (c) The term includes an elementary school or secondary school 
funded by the Bureau of Indian Education but only to the extent that 
including the school makes the school eligible for programs for which 
specific eligibility is not provided to the school in another provision 
of law and the school does not have a student population that is 
smaller than the student population of the local educational agency 
receiving assistance under the ESEA with the smallest student 
population, except that the school shall not be subject to the 
jurisdiction of any State educational agency other than the Bureau of 
Indian Education.
    (d) The term includes educational service agencies and consortia of 
those agencies.
    (e) The term includes the State educational agency in a State in 
which the State educational agency is the sole educational agency for 
all public schools.
    Logic model (also referred to as a theory of action) means a 
framework that identifies key project components of the proposed 
project (i.e., the active ``ingredients'' that are hypothesized to be 
critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the 
theoretical and operational relationships among the key project 
components and relevant outcomes.
    Project component means an activity, strategy, intervention, 
process, product, practice, or policy included in a project. Evidence 
may pertain to an individual project component or to a combination of 
project components (e.g., training teachers on instructional practices 
for English learners and follow-on coaching for these teachers).
    Promising evidence means that there is evidence of the 
effectiveness of a key project component in improving a relevant 
outcome, based on a relevant finding from one of the following:
    (a) A practice guide prepared by WWC reporting a ``strong evidence 
base'' or ``moderate evidence base'' for the corresponding practice 
guide recommendation;
    (b) An intervention report prepared by the WWC reporting a 
``positive effect'' or ``potentially positive effect'' on a relevant 
outcome with no reporting of a ``negative effect'' or ``potentially 
negative effect'' on a relevant outcome; or
    (c) A single study assessed by the Department, as appropriate, 
that--
    (1) Is an experimental study, a quasi-experimental design study, or 
a well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with 
statistical controls for selection bias (e.g., a study using regression 
methods to account for differences between a treatment group and a 
comparison group); and
    (2) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive 
(i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome.
    Quasi-experimental design study means a study using a design that 
attempts to approximate an experimental study by identifying a 
comparison group that is similar to the treatment group in important 
respects. This type of study, depending on design and implementation 
(e.g., establishment of baseline equivalence of the groups being 
compared), can meet WWC standards with reservations, but cannot meet 
WWC standards without reservations, as described in the WWC Handbook.
    Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) or other outcome(s) 
the key project component is designed to improve, consistent with the 
specific goals of the program.
    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.
    What Works Clearinghouse Handbook (WWC Handbook) means the 
standards and procedures set forth in the WWC Procedures and Standards 
Handbook, Version 3.0 or Version 2.1 (incorporated by reference, see 34 
CFR 77.2). Study findings eligible for review under WWC standards can 
meet WWC standards without reservations, meet WWC standards with 
reservations, or not meet WWC standards. WWC practice guides and 
intervention reports include findings from systematic reviews of 
evidence as described in the Handbook documentation.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities, definitions, and 
requirements. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, allows the Secretary 
to exempt from rulemaking requirements regulations governing the first 
grant competition under a new or substantially revised program 
authority. This is the first grant competition for this program under 
section 4631(a)(1)(B) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7281) and therefore 
qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, 
the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on the priorities, 
definitions, and requirements under section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These 
priorities, definitions, and requirements will apply to the FY 2019 
grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from 
the list of unfunded applications from this competition.
    Program Authority: Section 4631(a)(1)(B) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 
7281).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 97, 
98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to 
Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 
2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department 
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3474. (d) The Supplemental Priorities.

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II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $10,000,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2020 and subsequent 
years from the list of unfunded applications from the competition 
announced in this notice.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000 to $1,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 20.
    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs, including charter schools that are 
considered LEAs under State law.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award 
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities 
described in its application.
    4. Limitation on Awards: The Department will award only one grant 
per LEA.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to 
follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of 
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal 
Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), and available at 
www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf, which 
contain requirements and information on how to submit an application.
    2. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    3. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all selection criteria is 100 
points. The points or weights assigned to each criterion are indicated 
in parentheses. Non-Federal peer reviewers will evaluate and score each 
application program narrative against the following selection criteria:
    (a) Need for project (15 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the need for the project.
    (2) In determining the need for the project, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or 
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project. (10 points)
    (ii) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses. (5 points)
    (b) Significance (15 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed 
project.
    (2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project is likely 
to build local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that 
address the needs of the target population.
    (c) Quality of the project design (15 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the 
proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs. (5 points)
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed project will integrate with 
or build on similar or related efforts to improve relevant outcomes (as 
defined in this notice), using existing funding streams from other 
programs or policies supported by community, State, and Federal 
resources. (5 points)
    (iii) The extent to which the proposed project is supported by 
promising evidence (as defined in this notice). (5 points)
    (d) Quality of the project services (25 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be 
provided by the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and 
sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for 
eligible project participants who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (3) In addition, the Secretary considers the extent to which the 
training or professional development services to be provided by the 
proposed project are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to 
lead to improvements in practice among the recipients of those 
services.
    (e) Quality of the management plan (15 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for 
the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the adequacy of the 
management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on 
time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, 
timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.
    (f) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be 
conducted of the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past 
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as 
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and 
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider 
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or 
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.205, before awarding grants under this program the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
3474.10, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, in 
appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant if the 
applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of 
unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system 
that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200 subpart D; has not

[[Page 26087]]

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not 
responsible.
    4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this 
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project 
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently 
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your 
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal 
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make 
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that 
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as 
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System 
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may 
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal 
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
    Please note that, if the total value of your currently active 
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the 
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity 
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal 
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to 
access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, 
also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you 
are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to 
openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in 
part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of 
modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those 
modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent 
that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or 
other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works. 
Additionally, a grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant 
funds must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables. 
This dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your 
application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional 
information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR 
3474.20.
    4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, 
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and 
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply 
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
    (b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final 
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the 
Secretary. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual 
performance report that provides the most current performance and 
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    5. Performance Measures: The Department has established the 
following Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 performance 
measures for the Project Prevent grant program:
    (a) Annual decrease in violent, aggressive, and disruptive behavior 
in schools served by the grant.
    (b) Annual increase in the number of students in schools served by 
the grant receiving school-based and community-based mental health 
services to address student needs resulting from exposure to violence.
    (c) Annual increase in the school engagement (as defined in this 
notice) of students served by the grant.
    (d) Quality of family engagement and grantee engagement with 
community-based organization(s), as defined and measured by the 
grantee.
    These measures constitute the Department's indicators of success 
for this program. Consequently, we advise an applicant for a grant 
under this program to give careful consideration to these measures in 
conceptualizing the approach and evaluation for its proposed project. 
Each grantee will be required to provide, in its annual performance and 
final reports, data about its progress in meeting these measures. This 
data will be considered by the Department in making continuation 
awards.
    Consistent with 34 CFR 75.591, grantees funded under this program 
must comply with the requirements of any evaluation of the program 
conducted by the Department or an evaluator selected by the Department.
    Baseline data: Applicants must provide baseline data (as defined in 
this notice) for each of the performance measures listed above and 
explain why each baseline is valid; or, if the applicant has determined 
that there are no established baseline data for a particular 
performance measure, explain why there is no established baseline and 
explain how and when, during the project period, the applicant will 
establish a valid baseline for the performance measure.
    Performance measure targets: In addition, applicants must propose 
annual targets for the measures listed above in their application. 
Applicants must also provide the following information as directed 
under 34 CFR 75.110(b) and (c):
    (1) Why each proposed performance target is ambitious (as defined 
in this notice) yet achievable compared to the baseline for the 
performance measure.
    (2) (a) The data collection and reporting methods the applicant 
would use and why those methods are likely to yield reliable, valid, 
and meaningful performance data; and (b) the applicant's capacity to 
collect and report reliable, valid, and meaningful performance data, as 
evidenced by high-quality data collection, analysis, and reporting in 
other projects or research.

    Note: If the applicant does not have experience with collection 
and reporting of performance data through other projects or 
research, the applicant should provide other evidence of capacity to 
successfully carry out data collection and reporting for its 
proposed project, which may include contracting with providers who 
have relevant expertise.

    The reviewers of each application will score related selection 
criteria on the basis of how well an applicant has considered these 
measures in conceptualizing the approach and evaluation of the project.
    All grantees must submit an annual performance report and final 
performance report with information

[[Page 26088]]

that is responsive to these performance measures.
    6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 
75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee 
has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of 
the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is 
consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the 
Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the 
performance targets in the grantee's approved application.
    In making a continuation award, the Secretary also considers 
whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in 
its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil 
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities 
receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

VII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at: www.govinfo.gov. At this site 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). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

Frank T. Brogan,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2019-11677 Filed 6-4-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P