Department of Education 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of an upcoming meeting of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (the Council) and is intended to notify the general public of the meeting. This notice also describes the functions of the Council. Notice of the Council's meetings is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and by the Council's charter. Agenda: The purpose of the meeting will be for the Council to receive a briefing on three reports: Parts I and II of the National Indian Education Study and The Status and Trends of Indian Education Report, and to receive informational updates on State initiatives by selected State Indian Education Directors. Date and Time: July 7, 2008; 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mountain Daylight Savings Time. This notice is appearing in the Federal Register less than 15 days before the date of the meeting due to scheduling difficulties within the agency and with the Council. Location: Holiday Inn, Rapid City, South Dakota. Public Comment: Time is scheduled on the agenda to receive public comment at approximately 4:45 p.m. Mountain Daylight Savings Time. Oral comments will be limited to not more than 10 minutes per individual or group. Written comments will also be accepted at the meeting or may be submitted until the time of the meeting via e-mail to: Cathie.Carothers@ed.gov.

The Secretary amends title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations to establish regulations for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program. The TEACH Grant program is a non-need-based grant program that provides up to $4,000 per year to students who are enrolled in an eligible program and who agree to teach in a high-need field, at a low-income elementary or secondary school for at least four years within eight years of completing the program for which the TEACH Grant was awarded. If the grant recipient fails to complete the required teaching service, the TEACH Grant is treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan (Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan). The Secretary also amends the regulations related to the Student Assistance General Provisions; the General Provisions for the Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Work- Study Program, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program; the Federal Perkins Loan Program; the Federal Work-Study Program; the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program; the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program; the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program; and the Federal Pell Grant Program to implement the TEACH Grant program. These regulations are needed to implement provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA).

The Acting Leader, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

We correct the Applications Available and Deadline for Transmittal of Applications dates in the notice published on June 4, 2008 (73 FR 31840-31845).

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Secretary announces deadline dates for the receipt of documents and other information from institutions and applicants for the Federal student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, for the 2007-2008 award year. The Federal student aid programs include the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Family Education Loan, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan, Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) programs. These programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), provide financial assistance to students attending eligible postsecondary educational institutions to help them pay their educational costs. Deadline and Submission Dates: See Tables A and B at the end of this notice.

Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish the deadline for submission of fiscal year (FY) 2008 SRSA grant applications. An eligible LEA that is required to submit an application must do so electronically by the deadline in this notice. If it submits its application after this deadline, the LEA will receive a grant award only to the extent that funds are available after the Department awards grants to other eligible LEAs under the program. Application Deadline: June 30, 2008, 4:30 p.m. Washington, DC time.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority under the Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP) to fund regional Technical Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE) centers. The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2008 and later years. We take this action to improve the quantity and quality of employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities through enhanced technical assistance (TA) and continuing education (CE) for State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and agency partners that cooperate with State VR agencies in providing VR and other rehabilitation services (e.g., Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Client Assistance Programs (CAPs), and Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs)).

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Education (Department) gives notice that on December 5, 2007, an arbitration panel rendered a decision in the matter of Calvin Scott v. Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (Case No. R-S/06-8). This panel was convened by the Department under the Randolph-Sheppard Act, 20 U.S.C. 107d-1(a), after the Department received a complaint filed by the petitioner, Calvin Scott.

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services proposes two 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 a priority for a DRRP for a Research and Technical Assistance Center on Vocational Rehabilitation Program Management, and a priority for a DRRP entitled Center on the Effective Delivery of Rehabilitation Technology by State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies To Improve Employment Outcomes. 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 employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Secretary announces the annual updates to the tables that will be used in the statutory ``Federal Need Analysis Methodology'' to determine a student's expected family contribution (EFC) for award year 2009-2010 for the student financial aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). An EFC is the amount a student and his or her family may reasonably be expected to contribute toward the student's postsecondary educational costs for purposes of determining financial aid eligibility. The Title IV programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant, National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Family Education Loan, and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Programs (Title IV, HEA Programs).

This notice is being published in the Federal Register consistent with section 457(b)(2) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). Section 457 of GEPA authorizes the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) to enter into a compliance agreement with a recipient that is failing to comply substantially with Federal program requirements, and for whom the Department determines that full compliance is not feasible until a future date. Section 457(b)(2) requires the Department to publish written findings leading to a compliance agreement, with a copy of the compliance agreement, in the Federal Register. If a recipient fails to comply with the terms and conditions of a compliance agreement, the Secretary may take any action authorized by law with respect to the recipient. On December 17, 2007, the Department entered into a three-year compliance agreement (the Agreement) with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) and the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) because PRDE was failing to comply substantially with numerous Federal education program requirements, and it was clear to the Department from all available information that PRDE would not be able to come into full compliance with applicable Federal requirements for the administration of Department programs until a future date. PRDE receives grant funds under a number of programs administered by the Department, including programs authorized under Titles I, II, and IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA), Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As a result of program monitoring and audits, the Department has identified numerous program areas requiring corrective action by PRDE. Specifically, the Agreement applies to grant funds awarded to Puerto Rico and PRDE by the Department under Titles I, II, and IV of ESEA, Title IV of HEA, and IDEA. The purpose of the Agreement is to improve education for the students of Puerto Rico by bringing Puerto Rico and PRDE into full compliance with the Department's program requirements.