Department of Education August 31, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act), the Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice of a new system of records entitled ``Evaluation of Conversion Magnet Schools'' (18-13-18). The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance at the Department's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) commissioned this evaluation. IES awarded a contract to American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Berkeley Policy Associates (BPA) in September 2006 to conduct this evaluation. IES has been collaborating with the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) to plan and implement the study of the relationship between magnet school conversion and student outcomes at the elementary school level. The study will occur in two phases during which the following questions will be addressed: (1) Are sufficient data available from the 2004 and 2007 Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grantees to conduct an evaluation of elementary conversion magnet schools and provide descriptive analyses of such schools? (2) What is the relationship of magnet school conversion to (i) The educational achievement of students attending the magnet schools that are their neighborhood schools (resident students); (ii) the reduction of minority group isolation in the magnet schools and corresponding district; and, (iii) the educational achievement of non-resident students who apply for admission to over-subscribed magnet programs? The system will contain information about elementary school students who attend approximately (i) 50 conversion magnet schools and (ii) 100 elementary schools that are not magnet schools that will serve as comparison elementary schools for the purposes of this study. The total number of elementary school students included in this system of records will be approximately 15,000 per year for the years 2004-2005 through 2009-2010 and approximately 7,500 per year for the years 2001- 2002 through 2003-2004. The 50 magnet schools in the study are drawn from school districts that were awarded MSAP grants by OII in 2004 and/or 2007. For each conversion magnet school and its comparison schools, data will be collected for the three years before and for at least the three years after the conversion date. The system of records will include information about students who attend the elementary schools participating in the evaluation including demographic information (such as race/ethnicity, gender, age, and language status); attendance zone; grade level; and annual English language arts and mathematics test scores.

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services proposes certain funding priorities for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program administered by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Specifically, this notice proposes 10 priorities for DRRPs, 11 priorities for RRTCs, and 6 priorities for RERCs. The Assistant Secretary may use these priorities for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2008 and later years. We take this action to focus research attention on areas of national need. We intend these priorities to improve rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.