[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 131 (Friday, July 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44742-44758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16130]
[[Page 44741]]
Vol. 81
Friday,
No. 131
July 8, 2016
Part IV
Department of Education
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Applications for New Awards; Promise Neighborhoods Program--
Implementation Grant Competition; Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 131 / Friday, July 8, 2016 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Promise Neighborhoods Program--
Implementation Grant Competition
AGENCY: Office of Innovation and Improvement, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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Overview Information:
Promise Neighborhoods Program--Implementation Grant Competition.
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2016.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215N
(Implementation).
DATES: Applications Available: July 8, 2016.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: July 25, 2016.
Date of Pre-Application Webinars: The Promise Neighborhoods team
intends to hold Pre-Application Webinars to provide technical
assistance to interested applicants. Detailed information regarding
these Webinar times will be provided on the Promise Neighborhoods' Web
site at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/index.htm.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 6, 2016.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: November 7, 2016.
Note: Due to a scheduled systems shutdown, applicants will not be
able to submit applications for the Promise Neighborhoods competition
between 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 until 6:00 a.m. on
Monday, July 25, 2016 and from 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, 2016
until 6:00 a.m. on Monday, August 1, 2016.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Promise Neighborhoods program is carried
out under the legislative authority of the Fund for the Improvement of
Education (FIE), title V, part D, subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as
amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. 7243-7243b).
FIE supports nationally significant programs to improve the quality of
elementary and secondary education at the State and local levels and to
help all children meet challenging State academic content and student
academic achievement standards.
On December 10, 2015, the President signed into law the Every
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Public Law 114-95, which reauthorized the
ESEA. Beginning in FY 2017, the ESEA, as amended by the ESSA, will
serve as the statutory authority for future Promise Neighborhoods
competitions.
The purpose of the Promise Neighborhoods program is to
significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of
children and youth in our most distressed communities and to transform
those communities by--
(1) Identifying and increasing the capacity of eligible
organizations (as defined in this notice) that are focused on achieving
results for children and youth throughout an entire neighborhood;
(2) Building a complete continuum of cradle-through-college-to-
career solutions (continuum of solutions) (as defined in this notice)
of both education programs and family and community supports (both as
defined in this notice), with great schools at the center. All
strategies in the continuum of solutions must be accessible to children
with disabilities (CWD) (as defined in this notice) and English
learners (ELs) (as defined in this notice);
(3) Integrating programs and breaking down agency ``silos'' so that
solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies;
(4) Developing the local infrastructure of systems and resources
needed to develop, implement, and sustain effective interventions to
improve education outcomes and enhance family and community well-being
across the broader region beyond the initial neighborhood; and
(5) Learning about the overall impact of the Promise Neighborhoods
program and about the relationship between particular strategies in
Promise Neighborhoods and student outcomes, including through an
evaluation of the program, particular elements within the continuum of
solutions, or both.
Background
The vision of the Promise Neighborhoods program is that all
children and youth living in our most distressed communities have
access to great schools and strong systems of family and community
support that will prepare them to attain an excellent education and
successfully transition to college and a career.
A Promise Neighborhood is both a place and a strategy. A place
eligible to become a Promise Neighborhood is a geographic area \1\ that
is distressed, often facing inadequate access to high-quality early
learning programs and services, with struggling schools, low high
school and college graduation rates, high rates of unemployment, high
rates of crime, and indicators of poor health. These conditions
contribute to and intensify the negative outcomes associated with
children and youth living in poverty.
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\1\ For the purpose of this notice, the Department uses the
terms ``geographic area'' and ``neighborhood'' interchangeably.
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Children and youth who are from low-income families and grow up in
neighborhoods of concentrated poverty face educational and life
challenges above and beyond the challenges faced by children who are
from low-income families who grow up in neighborhoods without a high
concentration of poverty. A Federal evaluation of the reading and
mathematics outcomes of elementary students in 71 schools in 18
districts and 7 States found that even when controlling for individual
student poverty, there is a significant negative association between
school-level poverty and student achievement.\2\ The evaluation found
that students have lower academic outcomes when a higher percentage of
their same-school peers qualify for free and reduced-priced lunch
(FRPL) compared to when a lower percentage of their same-school peers
qualify for FRPL. The compounding effects of neighborhood poverty
continue later in life. Another study found that for children with
similar levels of family income, growing up in a neighborhood where the
number of families in poverty was between 20 and 30 percent increased
the chance of downward economic mobility--moving down the income ladder
relative to their parents--by more than 50 percent compared with
children who grew up in neighborhoods with under 10 percent of families
in poverty.\3\ Furthermore, the effects of poverty and distressed
neighborhoods are closely connected to children's long-term economic
and social mobility. One recent study found that there is a wide
variety across cities in the likelihood of children moving from the
bottom quintile of earners to the top quintile over the course of their
lifetimes.\4\ This implies that the
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magnitude of the impact of growing up in a distressed neighborhood
varies by region, thereby suggesting that it is particularly important
to focus attention and resources on addressing a unique set of needs
within specific distressed communities. Researchers also identify
school quality as one of the key factors in upward mobility, which
suggests that we can improve children's likelihood of success by
improving the schools in their communities.\5\ Although education can
improve mobility, there are often complex institutional and contextual
barriers that prevent communities from making comprehensive
improvements.
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\2\ M Lacour, LD Tissington (July 2011). The effects of poverty
on academic achievement. Educational Research and Reviews. Available
online at www.academicjournals.org/article/article1379765941_Lacour%20and%20Tissington.pdf.
\3\ Sharkey, Patrick. ``Neighborhoods and the Black-White
Mobility Gap.'' Economic Mobility Project: An Initiative of The Pew
Charitable Trusts, 2009.
\4\ ``Socioeconomic Mobility in the United States: New Evidence
and Policy Lessons,'' Raj Chetty in Shared Prosperity in America's
Communities, Edited by Susan M. Wachter and Lei Ding, pg 13, 2016.
Available online at: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=84uTCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=chetty&ots=kHLEtwQhgH&sig=sRfcE3Kj-cMvOSmpYrhtWIfEXe4#v=onepage&q=raj%20chettychetty&f=false.
\5\ Ibid.
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A Promise Neighborhood strategy addresses the complex,
interconnected issues in the distressed community it serves. Promise
Neighborhoods are led by organizations that work to ensure that all
children and youth in the target geographic area have access to
services that lead to improved educational and developmental outcomes
from cradle-to-career; are based on the best available evidence and
designed to learn about the impact of approaches, for which there is
less evidence; are linked and integrated seamlessly; and include
education programs as well as programs that provide family and
community supports. Promise Neighborhoods enable children and youth
within targeted distressed communities to participate in the full range
of cradle-to-career supports that are necessary for them to realize
their potential. Our expectation is that over time, a greater
proportion of the neighborhood residents receive these supports, and
that ultimately neighborhood indicators show significant progress. For
this reason, each Promise Neighborhood must demonstrate several core
features: (1) Significant need in the neighborhood; (2) a strategy to
build a continuum of solutions with strong schools at the center; and
(3) the organizational and relational capacity to achieve results.
In developing strategies to build a continuum of solutions,
communities face the challenge of implementing a comprehensive suite of
interconnected services that ensure continuous engagement with
community members. Since its inception in 2010, the Promise
Neighborhoods program has supported planning and implementation efforts
in 47 communities across the country. In particular, the experiences of
the 12 Promise Neighborhoods implementation grantees provide valuable
information about the conditions that are most critical for successful
implementation of a Promise Neighborhoods strategy. To date, Promise
Neighborhoods grantees have provided meaningful service coordination
across a range of public and private entities; in so doing, they are
building out the ongoing community-based infrastructure necessary to
coordinate supports and transform outcomes over time. These successes
have helped validate the core value of a comprehensive neighborhood
approach.
While they have had success in many areas, Promise Neighborhoods
grantees have struggled to collect the full range of data necessary to
effectively employ comprehensive case and longitudinal data management
systems and conduct meaningful evaluation activities. Such data systems
are critical to effectively coordinating a range of services for high-
need students and their families within a Promise Neighborhood. In
order to address this challenge, we encourage applicants to carefully
consider the data-related expectations for Promise Neighborhood
grantees outlined in this notice, and in particular, to commit to
establishing the conditions for effective data management at the onset
of the grant period.
In order to help all applicants understand how to effectively set
up and utilize appropriate data systems that are critical to grantee
success, the Department's applicant outreach materials and Webinars
associated with this year's competition--all of which will be made
publicly available on our Web site--will discuss effective practices
for data collection and management. In addition, recognizing the prior
difficulties associated with collecting and managing data related to
Promise Neighborhoods, the Department has developed recommended data
collection and management strategies for Promise Neighborhoods
grantees. These recommendations are intended to guide Promise
Neighborhoods grantees in meeting the program's data expectations. This
document is available on the Department's Web site at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/resources.html.
There are four competitive preference priorities for this
competition. Given the Promise Neighborhoods program's focus on
coordinating education and community services, this competition
prioritizes applicants that are focused on driving greater
collaboration within their communities through the competitive
preference priorities. Building on prior Promise Neighborhoods
grantees' work to enhance high-quality early learning opportunities,
this year's competition includes a competitive preference priority
intended to improve coordination among early learning providers and
ensure alignment between early learning systems and elementary
education systems. We continue to recognize and highlight solutions for
catalyzing change in distressed communities through the Neighborhood
Revitalization Initiative (NRI). Thus, we prioritize applicants or an
applicant's partner who received a Choice or HOPE VI grant from the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) via a
competitive preference priority focused on Quality Affordable Housing.
The NRI is a place-based approach to help neighborhoods in distress
transform themselves into neighborhoods of opportunity. Additional
information pertaining to the NRI may be found at https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oua/initiatives/neighborhood-revitalization.
In addition, we also include a competitive preference priority that
gives preference to applicants working in designated Promise Zones.\6\
This competitive preference priority recognizes that Promise Zones
represent a network of commitment and collaboration between local
public and private sector partners to address community members'
interrelated needs within high-poverty regions, and such coordination
may better enable the successful implementation of a Promise
Neighborhoods grant. The 22 Promise Zones that have been designated as
of June 6, 2016 are located in Atlanta, Georgia; Camden City, New
Jersey; the Chocktaw Nation of Oklahoma; East Indianapolis, Indiana;
Evansville, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California; the
Lowlands of South Carolina; Minneapolis, Minnesota; North Hartford,
Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pine Ridge, South Dakota;
Sacramento, California; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California;
South Los Angeles, California; Southeast Florida Regional Planning
Commission; Southeastern Kentucky; St. Louis, Missouri; Spokane Tribe
of Indians, Washington; Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians,
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Rolette County, North Dakota; and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
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\6\ Promise Zones are high-poverty urban, rural, and tribal
communities that the Federal government will partner with and invest
in to accomplish the following goals: Create jobs, leverage private
investment, increase economic activity, expand educational
opportunities, and reduce violent crime. Each designated Promise
Zone will be asked to identify a set of outcomes they will pursue to
revitalize their communities, develop a strategy supporting those
outcomes, and realign resources accordingly.
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As Promise Neighborhoods grantees implement comprehensive
transformation plans in their communities, we expect them to build out
the full continuum of cradle through college to career solutions. We
emphasize the importance of robust strategies for the college and
career portion of the Promise Neighborhoods pipeline and for this
reason, we include a fourth competitive preference priority for
applicants that choose to prioritize postsecondary or technical
education and career development. In proposing strategies, we encourage
applicants to be mindful of the importance of ensuring that all
students and their families have an opportunity to benefit from the
services and supports provided.
Priorities: This competition includes three absolute priorities and
four competitive preference priorities. Absolute Priority 1, Absolute
Priority 2, Absolute Priority 3, and Competitive Preference Priority 2
are from the Promise Neighborhoods notice of final priorities,
requirements, definitions, and selection criteria published in the
Federal Register on July 6, 2011 (76 FR 39590) (2011 Promise
Neighborhoods NFP). Competitive Preference Priority 1 and Competitive
Preference Priority 4 are from the notice of final supplemental
priorities and definitions for discretionary grant programs, published
in the Federal Register on December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425)
(Supplemental Priorities). Competitive Preference Priority 3 is from
the Promise Zones notice of final priority published in the Federal
Register on March 27, 2014 (79 FR 17035) (2014 Promise Zones NFP)
(Promise Zones NFP).
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2016 and any subsequent year in which
we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this
competition, these priorities are absolute priorities.
Note: Applicants must indicate in their application whether they
are applying under Absolute Priority 1 Absolute Priority 2, or Absolute
Priority 3. If an applicant applies under Absolute Priority 2 or
Absolute Priority 3 and is deemed ineligible, it still may be
considered for funding under Absolute Priority 1. For applications
addressing Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 2, and Absolute
Priority 3, the Secretary prepares a rank order of applications for
each absolute priority based solely on the evaluation of their quality
according to the selection criteria.
Each of the three absolute priorities constitutes its own funding
category. Assuming that applications in each funding category are of
sufficient quality, the Secretary intends to award grants under each
absolute priority. These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1--Submission of Promise Neighborhood Plan.
To meet this priority, an applicant must submit a plan to create a
Promise Neighborhood. The plan must describe the need in the
neighborhood, a strategy to build a continuum of solutions, and the
applicant's capacity to achieve results. Specifically, an applicant
must--
(1) Describe the geographically defined area (neighborhood) to be
served and the level of distress in that area based on indicators of
need (as defined in this notice) and other relevant indicators. The
statement of need in the neighborhood must be based, in part, on
results of a comprehensive needs assessment and segmentation analysis
(as defined in this notice). Applicants may propose to serve multiple,
non-contiguous geographically defined areas. In cases where target
areas are not contiguous, the applicant must explain its rationale for
including non-contiguous areas;
(2) Describe the applicant's strategy for building a continuum of
solutions over time that addresses neighborhood challenges as
identified in the needs assessment and segmentation analysis. The
applicant must also describe how it has built community support for and
involvement in the development of the plan. The continuum of solutions
must be based on best available evidence including, where available
strong or moderate evidence (as defined in this notice), and be
designed to significantly improve educational outcomes and to support
the healthy development and well-being of children and youth in the
neighborhood. The strategy must be designed to ensure that over time, a
greater proportion of children and youth in the neighborhood who attend
the target school or schools have access to a complete continuum of
solutions, and must ensure that over time, a greater proportion of
children and youth in the neighborhood who do not attend the target
school or schools have access to solutions within the continuum of
solutions. The strategy must also ensure that, over time, students not
living in the neighborhood who attend the target school or schools have
access to solutions within the continuum of solutions.
The success of the applicant's strategy to build a continuum of
solutions will be based on the results of the project, as measured
against the project indicators as defined in this notice and described
in Table 1 and Table 2. In its strategy, the applicant must propose
clear and measurable annual goals during the grant period against which
improvements will be measured using the indicators. The strategy must--
(a) Identify each solution that the project will implement within
the proposed continuum of solutions, and must include--
(i) High-quality early learning programs and services designed to
improve outcomes across multiple domains of early learning (as defined
in this notice) for children from birth through third grade;
(ii) Ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive education reforms that
are linked to improved educational outcomes for children and youth in
preschool through the 12th grade. Public schools served through the
grant may include persistently lowest-achieving schools (as defined in
this notice) or low-performing schools (as defined in this notice) that
are not also persistently lowest-achieving schools. An applicant (or
one or more of its partners) may serve an effective school or schools
(as defined in this notice) but only if the applicant (or one or more
of its partners) also serves at least one low-performing school (as
defined in this notice) or persistently lowest-achieving school (as
defined in this notice). An applicant must identify in its application
the public school or schools it would serve and describe the current
status of reforms in the school or schools, including, if applicable,
the type of intervention model being implemented. In cases where an
applicant operates a school or partners with a school that does not
serve all students in the neighborhood, the applicant must partner with
at least one additional school that also serves students in the
neighborhood. An applicant proposing to work with a persistently
lowest-achieving school must include in its strategy one of the four
school intervention models (turnaround model, restart model, school
closure, or transformation model) described in Appendix C of the Race
to the Top (RTT) notice inviting applications for new awards for FY
2010 that was published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2009
(74 FR 59836, 59866).
An applicant proposing to work with a or low-performing school must
include in its strategy ambitious, rigorous, and comprehensive
interventions to assist, augment, or replace schools, which may include
implementing one of the four school intervention models, or may include
another model of sufficient ambition, rigor, and comprehensiveness to
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significantly improve academic and other outcomes for students. An
applicant proposing to work with a low-performing school must include
in its strategy an intervention that addresses the effectiveness of
teachers and leaders and the school's use of time and resources, which
may include increased learning time (as defined in this notice);
Note regarding school reform strategies: So as not to penalize an
applicant for proposing to work with an LEA that has implemented
rigorous reform strategies prior to the publication of this notice, an
applicant is not required to propose a new reform strategy in place of
an existing reform strategy in order to be eligible for a Promise
Neighborhoods implementation grant. For example, an LEA might have
begun to implement improvement activities that meet many, but not all,
of the elements of a transformation model of school intervention. In
this case, the applicant could propose, as part of its Promise
Neighborhood strategy, to work with the LEA as the LEA continues with
its reforms.
(iii) Programs that prepare students to be college- and career-
ready; and
(iv) Family and community supports (as defined in this notice).
To the extent feasible and appropriate, the applicant must
describe, in its plan, how the applicant and its partners will leverage
and integrate high-quality programs, related public and private
investments, and existing neighborhood assets into the continuum of
solutions. An applicant must also include in its application an
appendix that summarizes the evidence supporting each proposed solution
and describes how the solution is based on the best available evidence,
including, where available, strong or moderate evidence (as defined in
this notice). An applicant must also describe in the appendix how and
when--during the implementation process--the solution will be
implemented; the partners that will participate in the implementation
of each solution (in any case in which the applicant does not implement
the solution directly); the estimated per-child cost, including
administrative costs, to implement each solution; the estimated number
of children, by age, in the neighborhood who will be served by each
solution and how a segmentation analysis was used to target the
children and youth to be served; and the source of funds that will be
used to pay for each solution. In the description of the estimated
number of children to be served, the applicant must include the
percentage of all children of the same age group within the
neighborhood proposed to be served with each solution, and the annual
goals required to increase the proportion of children served to reach
scale over time.
An applicant must also describe in its plan how it will identify
Federal, State, or local policies, regulations, or other requirements
that would impede its ability to achieve its goals and how it will
report on those impediments to the Department and other relevant
agencies.
As appropriate, considering the time and urgency required to
dramatically improve outcomes of children and youth in our most
distressed neighborhoods and to transform those neighborhoods,
applicants must establish both short-term and long-term goals to
measure progress.
As part of the description of its strategy to build a continuum of
solutions, the applicant must also describe how it will participate in,
organize, or facilitate, as appropriate, communities of practice for
Promise Neighborhoods;
(b) Establish clear, annual goals for evaluating progress in
improving systems, such as changes in policies, environments, or
organizations that affect children and youth in the neighborhood.
Examples of systems change could include a new school district policy
to measure the results of family and community support programs, a new
funding resource to support the Promise Neighborhoods strategy, or a
cross-sector collaboration at the city level to break down municipal
agency ``silos'' and partner with local philanthropic organizations to
drive achievement of a set of results; and
(c) Establish clear, annual goals for evaluating progress in
leveraging resources, such as the amount of monetary or in-kind
investments from public or private organizations to support the Promise
Neighborhoods strategy. Examples of leveraging resources are securing
new or existing dollars to sustain and scale up what works in the
Promise Neighborhood or integrating high-quality programs in the
continuum of solutions. Applicants may consider, as part of their plans
to scale up their Promise Neighborhood strategy, serving a larger
geographic area by partnering with other applicants to the Promise
Neighborhoods program from the same city or region;
(3) Explain how it used its needs assessment and segmentation
analysis to determine the children with the highest needs and explain
how it will ensure that children in the neighborhood receive the
appropriate services from the continuum of solutions. In this
explanation of how it used the needs assessment and segmentation
analysis, the applicant must identify and describe in its application
the educational indicators and family and community support indicators
that the applicant used to conduct the needs assessment. Whether or not
the implementation grant applicant received a Promise Neighborhoods
planning grant, the applicant must describe how it--
(a) Collected data for the educational indicators listed in Table 1
and used them as both program and project indicators;
(b) Collected data for the family and community support indicators
in Table 2 and used them as program indicators; and
(c) Collected data for unique family and community support
indicators, developed by the applicant, that align with the goals and
objectives of the project and used them as project indicators or used
the indicators in Table 2 as project indicators.
An applicant must also describe how it will collect at least annual
data on the indicators in Tables 1 and 2; establish clear, annual goals
for growth on indicators; and report those data to the Department.
Table 1--Education Indicators and Results They Are Intended To Measure
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Indicator Result
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--Number and percentage of children Children enter kindergarten
from birth to kindergarten entry who ready to succeed in school.
have a place where they usually go,
other than an emergency room, when
they are sick or in need of advice
about their health.
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--Number and percentage of three-year-
olds and children in kindergarten who
demonstrate at the beginning of the
program or school year age-appropriate
functioning across multiple domains of
early learning (as defined in this
notice) as determined using
developmentally appropriate early
learning measures (as defined in this
notice).
--Number and percentage of children,
from birth to kindergarten entry,
participating in center-based or
formal home-based early learning
settings or programs, which may
include Early Head Start, Head Start,
child care, or preschool.
--Number and percentage of students at Students are proficient in core
or above grade level according to academic subjects.
State mathematics and reading or
language arts assessments in at least
the grades required by the ESEA (3rd
through 8th and once in high school).
--Attendance rate of students in 6th, Students successfully
7th, 8th, and 9th grade. transition from middle school
grades to high school.
--Graduation rate (as defined in this Youth graduate from high
notice). school.
--Number and percentage of Promise High school graduates obtain a
Neighborhood students who graduate postsecondary degree,
with a regular high school diploma, as certification, or credential.
defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1)(iv),
and obtain postsecondary degrees,
vocational certificates, or other
industry-recognized certifications or
credentials without the need for
remediation.
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Table 2--Family and Community Support Indicators and Results They Are
Intended To Measure
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Indicator Result
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--Number and percentage of children who Students are healthy.
participate in at least 60 minutes of
moderate to vigorous physical activity
daily; and
--Number and percentage of children who
consume five or more servings of fruits
and vegetables daily; or
--possible third indicator, to be
determined (TBD) by applicant.
--Number and percentage of students who Students feel safe at school
feel safe at school and traveling to and and in their community.
from school, as measured by a school
climate needs assessment (as defined in
this notice); or
--possible second indicator, TBD by
applicant.
--Student mobility rate (as defined in Students live in stable
this notice); or communities.
--possible second indicator, TBD by
applicant.
--For children from birth to kindergarten Families and community
entry, the number and percentage of members support learning in
parents or family members who report that Promise Neighborhood
they read to their child three or more schools.
times a week;
--For children in the kindergarten through
eighth grades, the number and percentage
of parents or family members who report
encouraging their child to read books
outside of school; and
--For children in the ninth through
twelfth grades, the number and percentage
of parents or family members who report
talking with their child about the
importance of college and career; or
--possible fourth indicator TBD by
applicant.
--Number and percentage of students who Students have access to 21st
have school and home access (and century learning tools.
percentage of the day they have access)
to broadband internet (as defined in this
notice) and a connected computing device;
or
--possible second indicator TBD by
applicant.
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Note: The indicators in Tables 1 and 2 are not intended to limit an
applicant from collecting and using data for additional indicators.
Examples of additional indicators are--
(i) The number and percentage of children who participate in high-
quality learning activities during out-of-school hours or in the hours
after the traditional school day ends;
(ii) The number and percentage of students who are suspended or
receive discipline referrals during the year;
(iii) The share of housing stock in the geographically defined area
that is rent-protected, publicly assisted, or targeted for
redevelopment with local, State, or Federal funds; and
(iv) The number and percentage of children who are homeless or in
foster care and who have an assigned adult advocate.
Note: While the Department believes there are many programmatic
benefits of collecting data on every child in the proposed
neighborhood, the Department will consider requests to collect data on
only a sample of the children in the neighborhood for some indicators
so long as the applicant describes in its application how it would
ensure the sample would be representative of the children in the
neighborhood.
(4) Describe the experience and lessons learned, and describe how
the applicant will build the capacity of its management team and
project director in all of the following areas:
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(a) Working with the neighborhood and its residents, including
parents and families that have children or other members with
disabilities or ELs, as well as with the schools described in paragraph
(2) of this priority; the LEA in which the school or schools are
located; Federal, State, and local government leaders; and other
service providers.
(b) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making,
learning, continuous improvement, and accountability. The applicant
must describe--
(i) Progress towards developing, launching, and implementing a
longitudinal data system that integrates student-level data from
multiple sources in order to measure progress on educational and family
and community support indicators for all children in the neighborhood,
disaggregated by the subgroups listed in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of
the ESEA;
(ii) How the applicant has linked or made progress to link the
longitudinal data system to school-based, LEA, and State data systems;
made the data accessible to parents, families, community residents,
program partners, researchers, and evaluators while abiding by Federal,
State, and other privacy laws and requirements; and managed and
maintained the system;
(iii) How the applicant has used rapid-time (as defined in this
notice) data in prior years and, how it will continue to use those data
once the Promise Neighborhood strategy is implemented, for continuous
program improvement; and
(iv) How the applicant will document the implementation process,
including by describing lessons learned and best practices.
(c) Creating and strengthening formal and informal partnerships,
for such purposes as providing solutions along the continuum of
solutions and committing resources to sustaining and scaling up what
works. Each applicant must submit, as part of its application, a
memorandum of understanding, signed by each organization or agency with
which it would partner in implementing the proposed Promise
Neighborhood. The memorandum of understanding must describe--
(i) Each partner's financial and programmatic commitment; and
(ii) How each partner's existing vision, theory of change (as
defined in this notice), theory of action (as defined in this notice),
and current activities align with those of the proposed Promise
Neighborhood; and
(d) The governance structure proposed for the Promise Neighborhood,
including a system for holding partners accountable, how the eligible
entity's governing board or advisory board is representative of the
geographic area proposed to be served (as defined in this notice), and
how residents of the geographic area would have an active role in the
organization's decision-making.
(e) Integrating funding streams from multiple public and private
sources from the Federal, State, and local level. Examples of public
funds include Federal resources from the U.S. Department of Education,
such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and title I
of the ESEA, and from other Federal agencies, such as the U.S.
Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban
Development, Justice, Labor, and Treasury.
(5) Describe the applicant's commitment to work with the
Department, and with a national evaluator for Promise Neighborhoods or
another entity designated by the Department, to ensure that data
collection and program design are consistent with plans to conduct a
rigorous national evaluation of the Promise Neighborhoods program and
of specific solutions and strategies pursued by individual grantees.
This commitment must include, but need not be limited to--
(a) Ensuring that, through memoranda of understanding with
appropriate entities, the national evaluator and the Department have
access to relevant program and project data sources (e.g.,
administrative data and program and project indicator data), including
data on a quarterly basis if requested by the Department;
(b) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, an
evaluation strategy, including identifying a credible comparison group
(as defined in this notice); and
(c) Developing, in consultation with the national evaluator, a plan
for identifying and collecting reliable and valid baseline data for
both program participants and a designated comparison group of non-
participants.
Absolute Priority 2--Promise Neighborhoods in Rural Communities.
To meet this priority, an applicant must propose to implement a
Promise Neighborhood strategy that (1) meets all of the requirements in
Absolute Priority 1; and (2) serves one or more rural communities only.
Absolute Priority 3--Promise Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities.
To meet this priority, an applicant must propose to implement a
Promise Neighborhood strategy that (1) meets all of the requirements in
Absolute Priority 1; and (2) serves one or more Indian tribes (as
defined in this notice).
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2016 and any subsequent
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications
from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award two additional points
to applications that meet Competitive Preference Priority 1, two
additional points for applications that meet Competitive Preference
Priority 2, two additional points for applications that meet
Competitive Preference Priority 3, and two additional points for
applications that meet Competitive Preference Priority 4. Applicants
may address more than one of the competitive preference priorities.
Therefore, an applicant must identify in the project narrative section
of its application the priority or priorities it wishes the Department
to consider for purposes of earning the competitive preference priority
points.
Note: The Department will not review or award points under any
competitive preference priority for an application that fails to
clearly identify the competitive preference priority or priorities it
wishes the Department to consider for purposes of earning the
competitive preference priority points.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1--Improving Early Learning
Development and Outcomes (0 or 2 points).
Projects that are designed to improve early learning and
development outcomes across one or more of the essential domains of
school readiness (as defined in this notice) for children from birth
through third grade (or for any age group within this range) through a
focus on improving the coordination and alignment among early learning
and development systems and between such systems and elementary
education systems, including coordination and alignment in engaging and
supporting families and improving transitions for children along the
birth-through-third grade continuum, in accordance with applicable
privacy laws.
Competitive Preference Priority 2--Quality Affordable Housing (0 or
2 points).
To meet this priority, an applicant must propose to serve
geographic areas that were the subject of an affordable housing
transformation pursuant to a Choice Neighborhoods or HOPE VI grant
awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during
FY 2009 or later years. To be eligible under this priority, the
applicant must either: (1) Be able to demonstrate that it
[[Page 44748]]
has received a Choice Neighborhoods or HOPE VI grant; or (2) provide,
in its application, a memorandum of understanding between it and a
partner that is a recipient of a Choice Neighborhoods or HOPE VI grant.
The memorandum must indicate a commitment on the part of the applicant
and partner to coordinate implementation and align resources to the
greatest extent practicable.
Competitive Preference Priority 3--Promise Zones (0 or 2 points).
This priority is for projects that are designed to serve and
coordinate with a federally designated Promise Zone.
Note: As a participant in the Administration's Promise Zone
Initiative, the Department is cooperating with the Departments of
Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture (USDA),
and nine other Federal agencies to support comprehensive revitalization
efforts in 20 high-poverty urban, rural, and tribal communities across
the country. Each application for Promise Neighborhoods funds that is
accompanied by a Certification of Consistency with Promise Zone Goals
and Implementation (HUD Form 50153) signed by an authorized
representative of the lead organization of a Promise Zone designated by
HUD or USDA supporting the application will receive two point. An
application for Promise Neighborhoods grant funds that is not
accompanied by a signed certification (HUD Form 50153) will receive
zero points. To view the list of designated Promise Zones and lead
organizations please go to www.hud.gov/promisezones. The certification
form is available at//portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=HUD_Form_50153.pdf.
Competitive Preference Priority 4--High School and Transition to
College (0 or 2 points).
Increasing the number and proportion of high-need students (as
defined in this notice) who are academically prepared for, enroll in,
or complete on time college, other postsecondary education, or other
career and technical education.
Definitions
The definitions of ``large sample,'' ``logic model,'' ``multi-site
sample,'' ``moderate evidence of effectiveness,'' ``relevant
outcomes,'' ``strong theory,'' and ``What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
Evidence Standards'' are from 34 CFR 77.1. The definitions of
``essential domains of school readiness,'' ``high-minority school,''
``high-need students,'' and ``regular high school diploma'' are from
the Supplemental Priorities. All other definitions are from the 2011
Promise Neighborhoods NFP. We may apply these definitions in any year
in which this program is in effect.
The following definitions apply to this program:
Children with disabilities or CWD means individuals who meet the
definition of child with a disability in 34 CFR 300.8, infant or
toddler with a disability in 34 CFR 300.25, handicapped person in 34
CFR 104.3(j), or disability as it pertains to an individual in 42
U.S.C. 12102.
Community of practice means a group of grantees that agrees to
interact regularly to solve a persistent problem or improve practice in
an area that is important to them and the success of their projects.
Establishment of communities of practice under Promise Neighborhoods
will enable grantees to meet, discuss, and collaborate with each other
regarding grantee projects.
Continuum of cradle-through-college-to-career solutions or
continuum of solutions means solutions that--
(1) Include programs, policies, practices, services, systems, and
supports that result in improving educational and developmental
outcomes for children from cradle through college to career;
(2) Are based on the best available evidence, including, where
available, strong or moderate evidence (as defined in this notice);
(3) Are linked and integrated seamlessly (as defined in this
notice); and
(4) Include both education programs and family and community
supports.
Credible comparison group includes a comparison group formed by
matching project participants with non-participants based on key
characteristics that are thought to be related to outcomes. These
characteristics include, but are not limited to: (1) Prior test scores
and other measures of academic achievement (preferably the same
measures that will be used to assess the outcomes of the project); (2)
demographic characteristics, such as age, disability, gender, English
proficiency, ethnicity, poverty level, parents' educational attainment,
and single- or two-parent family background; (3) the time period in
which the two groups are studied (e.g., the two groups are children
entering kindergarten in the same year as opposed to sequential years);
and (4) methods used to collect outcome data (e.g., the same test of
reading skills administered in the same way to both groups).
Developmentally appropriate early learning measures means a range
of assessment instruments that are used in ways consistent with the
purposes for which they were designed and validated; appropriate for
the ages and other characteristics of the children being assessed;
designed and validated for use with children whose ages, cultures,
languages spoken at home, socioeconomic status, abilities and
disabilities, and other characteristics are similar to those of the
children with whom the assessments will be used; used in conformance
with the recommendations of the National Research Council reports on
early childhood; \7\ and used in compliance with the measurement
standards set forth by the American Educational Research Association
(AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National
Council for Measurement in Education (NCME) in the 1999 Standards for
Educational and Psychological Testing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ One example of these reports is referenced here. National
Research Council (2008). Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and
How. Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young
Children, C.E. Snow and S.B. Van Hemel, Editors. Board on Children,
Youth, and Families, Board on Testing and Assessment, Division of
Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press. Available at: www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12446.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Education programs means programs that include, but are not limited
to--
(1) High-quality early learning programs or services designed to
improve outcomes across multiple domains of early learning for young
children. Such programs must be specifically intended to align with
appropriate State early learning and development standards, practices,
strategies, or activities across as broad an age range as birth through
third grade so as to ensure that young children enter kindergarten and
progress through the early elementary school grades demonstrating age-
appropriate functioning across the multiple domains;
(2) For children in preschool through the 12th grade, programs,
inclusive of related policies and personnel, that are linked to
improved educational outcomes. The programs--
(a) Must include effective teachers and effective principals;
(b) Must include strategies, practices, or programs that encourage
and facilitate the evaluation, analysis, and use of student
achievement, student growth (as defined in this notice), and other data
by educators, families, and other stakeholders to inform decision-
making;
(c) Must include college- and career-ready standards, assessments,
and practices, including a well-rounded
[[Page 44749]]
curriculum, instructional practices, strategies, or programs in, at a
minimum, core academic subjects as defined in section 9101(11) of the
ESEA, that are aligned with high academic content and achievement
standards and with high-quality assessments based on those standards;
and
(d) May include creating multiple pathways for students to earn
regular high school diplomas (e.g., using schools that serve the needs
of over-aged, under-credited, or other students with an exceptional
need for flexibility regarding when they attend school or the
additional supports they require; awarding credit based on demonstrated
evidence of student competency; or offering dual-enrollment options);
and
(3) Programs that prepare students for college and career success,
which may include programs that--
(a) Create and support partnerships with community colleges, four-
year colleges, or universities and that help instill a college-going
culture in the neighborhood;
(b) Provide dual-enrollment opportunities for secondary students to
gain college credit while in high school;
(c) Provide, through relationships with businesses and other
organizations, apprenticeship opportunities to students;
(d) Align curricula in the core academic subjects with requirements
for industry-recognized certifications or credentials, particularly in
high-growth sectors;
(e) Provide access to career and technical education programs so
that individuals can attain the skills and industry-recognized
certifications or credentials for success in their careers;
(f) Help college students, including CWD and ELs from the
neighborhood to transition to college, persist in their academic
studies in college, graduate from college, and transition into the
workforce; and
(g) Provide opportunities for all youth (both in and out of school)
to achieve academic and employment success by improving educational and
skill competencies and providing connections to employers. Such
activities may include opportunities for on-going mentoring, supportive
services, incentives for recognition and achievement, and opportunities
related to leadership, development, decision-making, citizenship, and
community service.
Effective school means a school that has--
(1) Significantly closed the achievement gaps between subgroups of
students (as identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA)
within the school or district; or
(2)(a) Demonstrated success in significantly increasing student
academic achievement in the school for all subgroups of students (as
identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the ESEA) in the school;
and (b) made significant improvements in other areas, such as
graduation rates (as defined in this notice) or recruitment and
placement of effective teachers and effective principals.
Eligible organization means an organization that:
(1) Is representative of the geographic area proposed to be served;
(2) Is one of the following:
(a) A nonprofit organization that meets the definition of a
nonprofit under 34 CFR 77.1(c), which may include a faith-based
nonprofit organization.
(b) An institution of higher education as defined by section 101(a)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
(c) An Indian tribe (as defined in this notice);
(3) Currently provides at least one of the solutions from the
applicant's proposed continuum of solutions in the geographic area
proposed to be served; and
(4) Operates or proposes to work with and involve in carrying out
its proposed project, in coordination with the school's LEA, at least
one public elementary or secondary school that is located within the
identified geographic area that the grant will serve.
English learners or ELs means individuals who meet the definition
of limited English proficient, as defined in section 9101(25) of the
ESEA.
Essential domains of school readiness means the domains of language
and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge (including
early mathematics and early scientific development), approaches toward
learning (including the utilization of the arts), physical well-being
and motor development (including adaptive skills), and social and
emotional development.
Family and community supports means:
(1) Child and youth health programs, such as physical, mental,
behavioral, and emotional health programs (e.g., home visiting
programs; Early Head Start; programs to improve nutrition and fitness,
reduce childhood obesity, and create healthier communities);
(2) Safety programs, such as programs in school and out of school
to prevent, control, and reduce crime, violence, drug and alcohol use,
and gang activity; programs that address classroom and school-wide
behavior and conduct; programs to prevent child abuse and neglect;
programs to prevent truancy and reduce and prevent bullying and
harassment; and programs to improve the physical and emotional security
of the school setting as perceived, experienced, and created by
students, staff, and families;
(3) Community stability programs, such as programs that--
(a) Increase the stability of families in communities by expanding
access to quality, affordable housing, providing legal support to help
families secure clear legal title to their homes, and providing housing
counseling or housing placement services;
(b) Provide adult education and employment opportunities and
training to improve educational levels, job skills and readiness in
order to decrease unemployment, with a goal of increasing family
stability;
(c) Improve families' awareness of, access to, and use of a range
of social services, if possible at a single location;
(d) Provide unbiased, outcome-focused, and comprehensive financial
education, inside and outside the classroom and at every life stage;
(e) Increase access to traditional financial institutions (e.g.,
banks and credit unions) rather than alternative financial institutions
(e.g., check cashers and payday lenders);
(f) Help families increase their financial literacy, financial
assets, and savings; and
(g) Help families access transportation to education and employment
opportunities;
(4) Family and community engagement programs that are systemic,
integrated, sustainable, and continue through a student's transition
from K-12 school to college and career. These programs may include
family literacy programs and programs that provide adult education and
training and opportunities for family members and other members of the
community to support student learning and establish high expectations
for student educational achievement; mentorship programs that create
positive relationships between children and adults; programs that
provide for the use of such community resources as libraries, museums,
television and radio stations, and local businesses to support improved
student educational outcomes; programs that support the engagement of
families in early learning programs and services; programs that provide
guidance on how to navigate through a complex school system and how to
advocate for more and improved learning opportunities; and programs
[[Page 44750]]
that promote collaboration with educators and community organizations
to improve opportunities for healthy development and learning; and
(5) 21st century learning tools, such as technology (e.g.,
computers and mobile phones) used by students in the classroom and in
the community to support their education. This includes programs that
help students use the tools to develop knowledge and skills in such
areas as reading and writing, mathematics, research, critical thinking,
communication, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Graduation rate means the four-year or extended-year adjusted
cohort graduation rate as defined by 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1).
Note: This definition is not meant to prevent a grantee from also
collecting information about the reasons why students do not graduate
from the target high school, e.g., dropping out or moving outside of
the school district for non-academic or academic reasons.
High-minority school means a school as that term is defined by a
local educational agency, which is consistent with its State Teacher
Equity Plan, as required by section 1111(b)(8)(c) of the ESEA. The
applicant must provide the definition(s) of high-minority schools used
in its application.
High-need students means students who are at risk of educational
failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as
students who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools
(as defined in this notice), who are far below grade level, who have
left school before receiving a regular high school diploma (as defined
in this notice), who are at risk of not graduating with a diploma on
time, who are homeless, who are in foster care, who have been
incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are English learners.
Increased learning time means using a longer school day, week, or
year to significantly increase the total number of school hours. This
strategy is used to redesign the school's program in a manner that
includes additional time for (a) instruction in core academic subjects
as defined in section 9101(11) of the ESEA; (b) instruction in other
subjects and enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded
education, including, for example, physical education, service
learning, and experiential and work-based learning opportunities that
are provided by partnering, as appropriate, with other organizations;
and (c) teachers to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional
development within and across grades and subjects.
Indian tribe means any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation,
pueblo, village or community that the Secretary of the Interior
acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe, 25 U.S.C. 479a and 479a-1 or
any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined
in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act,
43 U.S.C. 1601, et seq., that is recognized as eligible for the special
programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because
of their status as Indians. The term ``Indian'' means a member of an
Indian tribe.
Indicators of need means currently available data that describe--
(1) Education need, which means--
(a) All or a portion of the neighborhood includes or is within the
attendance zone of a low-performing school that is a high school,
especially one in which the graduation rate (as defined in this notice)
is less than 60 percent or a school that can be characterized as low-
performing based on another proxy indicator, such as students' on-time
progression from grade to grade; and
(b) Other indicators, such as significant achievement gaps between
subgroups of students (as identified in section 1111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of
the ESEA) within a school or LEA, high teacher and principal turnover,
or high student absenteeism; and
(2) Family and community support need, which means--
(a) Percentages of children with preventable chronic health
conditions (e.g., asthma, poor nutrition, dental problems, obesity) or
avoidable developmental delays;
(b) Immunization rates;
(c) Rates of crime, including violent crime;
(d) Student mobility rates;
(e) Teenage birth rates;
(f) Percentage of children in single-parent or no-parent families;
(g) Rates of vacant or substandard homes, including distressed
public and assisted housing; or
(h) Percentage of the residents living at or below the Federal
poverty threshold.
Large sample means an analytic sample of 350 or more students (or
other single analysis units), or 50 or more groups (such as classrooms
or schools) that contain 10 or more students (or other single analysis
units).
Linked and integrated seamlessly, with respect to the continuum of
solutions, means solutions that have common outcomes, focus on similar
milestones, support transitional time periods (e.g., the beginning of
kindergarten, the middle grades, or graduation from high school) along
the cradle-through-college-to-career continuum, and address time and
resource gaps that create obstacles for students in making academic
progress.
Logic model (also referred to as theory of action) means a well-
specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the
proposed process, product, strategy, or practice (i.e., the active
``ingredients'' that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the
relevant outcomes) and describes the relationships among the key
components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally.
Low-performing schools means schools receiving assistance through
title I of the ESEA, that are in corrective action or restructuring in
the State, as determined under section 1116 of the ESEA, and the
secondary schools (both middle and high schools) in the State that are
equally as low-achieving as these Title I schools and are eligible for,
but do not receive Title I funds.
Note: A State that received ESEA flexibility was not required to
identify schools in corrective action or restructuring under Section
1116 of the ESEA; rather, the State identified priority and focus
schools. Moreover, with the enactment of the ESSA, and State, beginning
in the 2017-2018 school year, will no longer identify schools in
corrective action or restructuring under section 1116 of the ESEA or
identify schools as priority and focus schools under ESEA flexibility.
Therefore, consistent with Section 5(c)(2) of the ESSA, ED will allow
applicants to consider the following schools as low-performing schools:
(1) Elementary and secondary schools identified, at the time of
submission of an application under this competition, as in need as in
need of corrective action or restructuring under the ESEA, as
authorized amended by the NCLB; (2), elementary and secondary schools
identified, at the time of submission of an application under this
competition, as a priority or focus school by a State under ESEA
flexibility; and, (3) secondary (both middle and high schools) in a
State that are, at the time of submission of an application under this
competition, equally as low-achieving as these Title I schools above
and are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds.
Moderate evidence means evidence from previous studies with designs
that can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal
validity) but have limited generalizability (i.e., moderate external
validity) or from studies with high external validity but moderate
internal validity.
[[Page 44751]]
Neighborhood assets means--
(1) Developmental assets that allow residents to attain the skills
needed to be successful in all aspects of daily life (e.g., educational
institutions, early learning centers, and health resources);
(2) Commercial assets that are associated with production,
employment, transactions, and sales (e.g., labor force and retail
establishments);
(3) Recreational assets that create value in a neighborhood beyond
work and education (e.g., parks, open space, community gardens, and
arts organizations);
(4) Physical assets that are associated with the built environment
and physical infrastructure (e.g., housing, commercial buildings, and
roads); and
(5) Social assets that establish well-functioning social
interactions (e.g., public safety, community engagement, and
partnerships with youth, parents, and families).
Persistently lowest-achieving school means, as determined by the
State--
(1) Any school receiving assistance through Title I that is in
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring and that--
(a) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools
or the lowest-achieving five Title I schools in in the State, whichever
number of schools is greater; or
(b) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate, that is less
than 60 percent over a number of years.
Note: The Department will also consider any school a persistently
lowest-achieving school that, at the time of submission of an
application under this competition, meets the definition of ``lowest-
performing schools'' set out in the Secretary's Final Supplemental
Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs
(Supplemental Priorities), 79 FR 73425 (Dec. 10, 2014). The definition
of ``lowest-performing schools'' in the Supplemental Priorities is as
follows:
Lowest-performing schools means--
For a State with an approved request for flexibility under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA),
Priority Schools or Tier I and Tier II Schools that have been
identified under the School Improvement Grants program. For any other
State, Tier I and Tier II Schools that have been identified under the
School Improvement Grants program. 79 FR 73425, 73454 (Dec. 10, 2014).
We are providing this flexibility because a State that received
ESEA flexibility was not required to identify schools in corrective
action or restructuring under the ESEA; but rather, the State
identified priority and focus schools. Moreover, consistent with final
regulations issued under the School Improvement Grants program (80 FR
7223), the definition of Tier I and Tier II Schools includes
persistently lowest-achieving schools.
Program indicators are indicators that the Department will use only
for research and evaluation purposes and for which an applicant is not
required to propose solutions.
Project indicators are indicators for which an applicant proposes
solutions intended to result in progress on the indicators.
Public officials means elected officials (e.g., council members,
aldermen and women, commissioners, State legislators, Congressional
representatives, members of the school board), appointed officials
(e.g., members of a planning or zoning commission, or of any other
regulatory or advisory board or commission), or individuals who are not
necessarily public officials, but who have been appointed by a public
official to serve on the Promise Neighborhoods governing board or
advisory board.
Rapid-time, in reference to reporting and availability of locally-
collected data, means that data are available quickly enough to inform
current lessons, instruction, and related education programs and family
and community supports.
Regular high school diploma means the standard high school diploma
that is awarded to students in the State and that is fully aligned with
the State's academic content standards or a higher diploma and does not
include a General Education Development credential, certificate of
attendance, or any alternative award.
Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) (or the ultimate
outcome if not related to students) the proposed process, product,
strategy, or practice is designed to improve; consistent with the
specific goals of a program.
Representative of the geographic area proposed to be served means
that residents of the geographic area proposed to be served have an
active role in decision-making and that at least one-third of the
eligible entity's governing board or advisory board is made up of--
(1) Residents who live in the geographic area proposed to be
served, which may include residents who are representative of the
ethnic and racial composition of the neighborhood's residents and the
languages they speak;
(2) Residents of the city or county in which the neighborhood is
located but who live outside the geographic area proposed to be served,
and who are low-income (which means earning less than 80 percent of the
area's median income as published by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development);
(3) Public officials (as defined in this notice) who serve the
geographic area proposed to be served (although not more than one-half
of the governing board or advisory board may be made up of public
officials); or
(4) Some combination of individuals from the three groups listed in
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this definition.
Rural community means a neighborhood that--
(1) Is served by an LEA that is currently eligible under the Small
Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program or the Rural and Low-Income
School (RLIS) program authorized under Title VI, Part B of the ESEA.
Applicants may determine whether a particular LEA is eligible for these
programs by referring to information on the following Department Web
sites. For the SRSA program: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligible10/index.html. For the RLIS program: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/eligible10/index.html; or
(2) Includes only schools designated with a school locale code of
42 or 43. Applicants may determine school locale codes by referring to
the following Department Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/
.
School climate needs assessment means an evaluation tool that
measures the extent to which the school setting promotes or inhibits
academic performance by collecting perception data from individuals,
which could include students, staff, or families.
Segmentation analysis means the process of grouping and analyzing
data from children and families in the geographic area proposed to be
served according to indicators of need (as defined in this notice) or
other relevant indicators.
Note: The analysis is intended to allow grantees to differentiate
and more effectively target interventions based on what they learn
about the needs of different populations in the geographic area.
Strong evidence means evidence from studies with designs that 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).
[[Page 44752]]
Strong theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product,
strategy, or practice that includes a logic model.
Student achievement means--
(1) For tested grades and subjects:
(a) A student's score on the State's assessments under the ESEA;
and, as appropriate,
(b) Other measures of student learning, such as those described in
paragraph (2) of this definition, provided they are rigorous and
comparable across classrooms and programs.
(2) For non-tested grades and subjects: alternative measures of
student learning and performance, such as student scores on pre-tests
and end-of-course tests; student performance on English language
proficiency assessments; and other measures of student achievement that
are rigorous and comparable across classrooms.
Student growth means the change in achievement data for an
individual student between two or more points in time. Growth may also
include other measures that are rigorous and comparable across
classrooms.
Student mobility rate is calculated by dividing the total number of
new student entries and withdrawals at a school, from the day after the
first official enrollment number is collected through the end of the
academic year, by the first official enrollment number of the academic
year.
Note: This definition is not meant to limit a grantee from also
collecting information about why students enter or withdraw from the
school, e.g., transferring to charter schools, moving outside of the
school district for non-academic or academic reasons.
Theory of action means an organization's strategy regarding how,
considering its capacity and resources, it will take the necessary
steps and measures to accomplish its desired results.
Theory of change means an organization's beliefs about how its
inputs, and early and intermediate outcomes, relate to accomplishing
its long-term desired results.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7243-7243b.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79 81, 82,
84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB 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 2011 Promise
Neighborhoods NFP. (e) The 2014 Promise Zones NFP. (f) The Supplemental
Priorities.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $29,800,000.
These estimated available funds are only for Implementation grants
under the Promise Neighborhoods program. Contingent upon the
availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make
additional awards in FY2017 from the list of unfunded applications from
this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $4,000,000 to $6,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $5,000,000.
Maximum Award: $6,000,000.
The maximum award amount is $6,000,000 per 12-month budget period.
We will not fund an annual budget exceeding $6,000,000 per 12-month
budget period.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3-5.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: An applicant must be an eligible
organization (as defined in this notice). For purposes of Absolute
Priority 3--Promise Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities, an eligible
applicant is an eligible organization that partners with an Indian
tribe or is an Indian tribe that meets the definition of an eligible
organization.
2. Cost-Sharing or Matching: To be eligible for a grant under this
competition, an applicant must demonstrate that it has established a
commitment from one or more entities in the public or private sector,
which may include Federal, State, and local public agencies,
philanthropic organizations, private businesses, or individuals, to
provide matching funds for the implementation process. An applicant for
an implementation grant must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations
equal to at least 100 percent of its grant award, except that an
applicant proposing a project that meets Absolute Priority 2--Promise
Neighborhoods in Rural Communities or Absolute Priority 3--Promise
Neighborhoods in Tribal Communities must obtain matching funds or in-
kind donations equal to at least 50 percent of the grant award.
Eligible sources of matching include sources of funds used to pay
for solutions within the continuum of solutions, such as Head Start
programs, initiatives supported by the LEA, or public health services
for children in the neighborhood. At least 10 percent of an
implementation applicant's total match must be cash or in-kind
contributions from the private sector, which may include philanthropic
organizations, private businesses, or individuals.
Implementation applicants must demonstrate a commitment of matching
funds in the applications. The applicants must specify the source of
the funds or contributions and in the case of a third-party in-kind
contribution, a description of how the value was determined for the
donated or contributed goods or service. Applicants must demonstrate
the match commitment by including letters in their applications
explaining the type and quantity of the match commitment with original
signatures from the executives of organizations or agencies providing
the match. The Secretary may consider decreasing the matching
requirement in the most exceptional circumstances, on a case-by-case
basis.
An applicant that is unable to meet the matching requirement must
include in its application a request to the Secretary to reduce the
matching requirement, including the amount of the requested reduction,
the total remaining match contribution, and a statement of the basis
for the request. An applicant should review the Department's cost-
sharing and cost-matching regulations, which include specific
limitations, in 2 CFR 200.306 and the cost principles regarding
donations, capital assets, depreciations and allowable costs, set out
in subpart E of 2 CFR part 200.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet, from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), or from the program office.
To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following address:
www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 22207,
[[Page 44753]]
Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703)
605-6794. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or
a text telephone (TTY), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EdPubs.gov or at
its email address: [email protected].
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this program as follows: CFDA number 84.215N. To obtain a copy from the
program office, contact: Adrienne Hawkins, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4W256, Washington, DC 20202-
5970. Telephone: (202) 453-5638 or by email:
[email protected]. If you use a TDD or TTY, call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or compact disc) by contacting the program contact person listed in
this section.
2.a. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Notice of Intent to Apply: July 25, 2016.
The Department will be able to develop a more efficient process for
reviewing grant applications if it has a better understanding of the
number of entities that intend to apply for funding under this
competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly encourages each
potential applicant to notify the Department of the applicant's intent
to submit an application for funding by completing a Web-based form.
When completing this form, applicants will provide (1) the applicant
organization's name and address, and (2) information on the competitive
preference priority or priorities under which the applicant intends to
apply. Applicants may access this form online at https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/parental-options/promise-neighborhoods-pn/
. Applicants that do not complete this form may still apply for
funding. Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the
application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection
criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You are
strongly encouraged to limit the application narrative to no more than
75 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative. Text in charts, tables, figures,
and graphs may be single-spaced.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Use one of the following fonts is strongly encouraged:
Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.
Include page numbers at the bottom of each page in your
application narrative.
The suggested page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet;
Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-
page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of
support. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application
narrative section.
2.b. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of
projects that may be proposed in applications for the Promise
Neighborhoods program, your application may include business
information that you consider proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define
``business information'' and describe the process we use in determining
whether any of that information is proprietary and, thus, protected
from disclosure under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. 552, as amended).
Because we plan to make successful applications available to the
public, you may wish to request confidentiality of business
information.
Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your
application any information that you believe is exempt from disclosure
under Exemption 4. In the appropriate Appendix section of your
application, under ``Other Attachments Form,'' please list the page
number or numbers on which we can find this information. For additional
information please see 34 CFR 5.11(c).
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 8, 2016.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: July 25, 2016.
Date of Pre-Application Webinar: Promise Neighborhoods intends to
hold Pre-Application Webinars to provide technical assistance to
interested applicants. Detailed information regarding Pre-Application
Webinar times will be provided on the Web site at https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/parental-options/promise-neighborhoods-pn/
.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 6, 2016.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to Other Submission Requirements in section
IV of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements. Please note, due to a scheduled systems
shutdown, applicants will not be able to submit applications for the
Promise Neighborhoods competition between 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July
20, 2016 until 6:00 a.m. on Monday, July 25, 2016 and from 9:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, July 27, 2016 until 6:00 a.m. on Monday, August 1, 2016.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 26, 2016.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under
Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this
competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR
280.41. We reference additional regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must--
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contract Registry), the
Government's primary registrant database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
[[Page 44754]]
d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet at the
following Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number can be
created within one to two business days.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.
The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the
completeness and accuracy of the data you enter in to the SAM database.
Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial
assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow
sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We
strongly recommend that you register early.
Note: Once your SAM registration is active, it may be 24 to 48
hours before you can access the information in, and submit an
application through, Grants.gov.
If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov,
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
Promise Neighborhoods must be submitted electronically unless you
qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under Promise Neighborhoods, CFDA number
84.215N, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide
Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be
able to download a copy of the application package, complete it
offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not email
an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Promise
Neighborhoods program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the
downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number.
Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g.,
search for 84.215, not 84.215N).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for Promise Neighborhoods to ensure
that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5
system home page at www.G5.gov. In addition, for specific guidance and
procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov, please
refer to the Grants.gov Web site at: www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms: The
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
You must upload any narrative sections and all other
attachments to your application as files in a read-only, non-modifiable
Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not upload an interactive or
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only,
non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a
password-protected file, we will not review that material. Please note
that this could result in your application not being considered for
funding because the material in question--for example, the project
narrative--is critical to a meaningful review of your proposal. For
that reason it is important to allow yourself adequate time to upload
all material as PDF files. The Department will not convert material
from other formats to PDF.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
[[Page 44755]]
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt
by the Department. Grants.gov will also notify you automatically by
email if your application met all the Grants.gov validation
requirements or if there were any errors (such as submission of your
application by someone other than a registered Authorized Organization
Representative, or inclusion of an attachment with a file name that
contains special characters). You will be given an opportunity to
correct any errors and resubmit, but you must still meet the deadline
for submission of applications.
Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the
Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you
an email with a unique PR/Award number for your application.
These emails do not mean that your application is without any
disqualifying errors. While your application may have been successfully
validated by Grants.gov, it must also meet the Department's application
requirements as specified in this notice and in the application
instructions. Disqualifying errors could include, for instance, failure
to upload attachments in a read-only, non-modifiable PDF; failure to
submit a required part of the application; or failure to meet applicant
eligibility requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that your
submitted application has met all of the Department's requirements.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will
contact you after we determine whether your application will be
accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only
to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov
system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully
register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the
application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you
experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Adrienne Hawkins, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4W256,
Washington, DC 20202-5970. FAX: (202) 453-5638.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.215N), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
We will not consider applications postmarked after the application
deadline date.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.215N), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail
or hand deliver your application to the Department--
[[Page 44756]]
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the
Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your
application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days from the application deadline
date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application
Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria are from 34 CFR
75.210 and the 2011 Promise Neighborhood NFP (76 FR 39590). All of the
selection criteria are listed in this section and in the application
package. The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100
points. The maximum score for each criterion is included in parentheses
following the title of the specific selection criterion. Each criterion
also includes the factors that reviewers will consider in determining
the extent to which an applicant meets the criterion.
Points awarded under these selection criteria are in addition to
any points an applicant earns under the competitive preference
priorities in this notice. The maximum score that an application may
receive under the competitive preference priorities and the selection
criteria is 108 points.
(a) Need for the Project (15 points).
The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers:
(1) The magnitude or severity of the problems to be addressed by
the proposed project as described by indicators of need (as defined in
this notice) and other relevant indicators identified in part by the
needs assessment and segmentation analysis. (2011 Promise Neighborhoods
NFP)
(2) The extent to which the geographically defined area has been
described. (2011 Promise Neighborhoods NFP)
(3) 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. (34 CFR 75.210); and
(b) Quality of Project Design (30 points).
The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of
the project design. In determining the quality of the design of the
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the applicant describes an implementation
plan to create a complete continuum of solutions, including early
learning through grade 12, college- and career-readiness, and family
and community supports, without time and resource gaps, that will
prepare all children in the neighborhood to attain an excellent
education and successfully transition to college and a career, and that
will significantly increase the proportion of students in the
neighborhood that are served by the complete continuum to reach scale
over time (2011 Promise Neighborhoods NFP);
(2) The extent to which the applicant documents that proposed
solutions are based on the best available evidence including, where
available, strong or moderate evidence (2011 Promise Neighborhoods
NFP);
(3) The extent to which the applicant identifies existing
neighborhood assets and programs supported by Federal, State, local,
and private funds that will be used to implement a continuum of
solutions (2011 Promise Neighborhoods NFP);
(4) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and
qualitative data to the extent possible (34 CFR 75.210); and
(5) The extent to which the proposed project is supported by strong
theory (as defined in this notice). (34 CFR 75.210)
(c) Quality of Project Services (20 points).
The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided
by the proposed project. In determining the quality of the project
services, the Secretary considers:
(1) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed
project will lead to improvement in the achievement of students as
measured against rigorous academic standards. (34 CFR 75.210)
(2) Creating formal and informal partnerships, including the
alignment of the visions, theories of action, and theories of change
described in its memorandum of understanding, and creating a system for
holding partners accountable for performance in accordance with the
memorandum of understanding. (2011 Promise Neighborhoods NFP);
(d) Quality of the Management Plan (20 points).
The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) Working with the neighborhood and its residents; the schools
described in paragraph (2)(b) of Absolute Priority 1; the LEA in which
those schools are located; Federal, State, and local government
leaders; and other service providers (2011 Promise Neighborhoods NFP).
(2) Collecting, analyzing, and using data for decision-making,
learning, continuous improvement, and accountability, including whether
the applicant has a plan to build, adapt, or expand a longitudinal data
system that integrates student-level data from multiple sources in
order to measure progress while abiding by privacy laws and
requirements (2011 Promise Neighborhoods NFP); and
(e) Adequacy of Resources (15 points).
The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project. In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers:
(1) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the
number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and
benefits (34 CFR 75.210).
(2) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that it has the
resources to operate the project beyond the length of the grant,
including a multi-year financial and operating model and accompanying
plan; the demonstrated commitment of any partners; evidence of broad
support from stakeholders (e.g., LEAs, city government, other
nonprofits) critical to the project's long-term success; or more than
one of these types of evidence (34 CFR 75.210).
2. Review and Selection Process: The Department will screen
applications submitted in accordance with the requirements in this
notice, and will determine which applications have met eligibility and
other statutory requirements.
The Department will use independent reviewers from various
backgrounds and professions including: Pre-kindergarten-12 teachers and
principals, college and university educators, researchers and
evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy consultants, grant makers
and managers, and others with community development and education
expertise. The Department will thoroughly screen all reviewers for
conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and competitive review process.
Reviewers will read, prepare a written evaluation, and score the
applications assigned to their panel, using the
[[Page 44757]]
selection criteria provided in this notice.
For applications addressing Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority
2, and Absolute Priority 3, the Secretary prepares a rank order of
applications for each absolute priority based solely on the evaluation
of their quality according to the selection criteria. The Department
may use more than one tier of reviews in determining grantees,
including possible site visits for Implementation grant applicants.
Additional information about the review process will be posted on the
Department's Web site.
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
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
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
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Risk Assessment and Special Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.205, before awarding grants under this competition the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
3474.10, the Secretary may impose special 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
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not
responsible.
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. 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.
4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the
following performance indicator for Promise Neighborhoods: the
percentage of implementation grantees that attain or exceed the annual
goals that they establish and that are approved by the Secretary for--
(a) Project indicators;
(b) Improving systems; and
(c) Leveraging resources.
All grantees will be required to submit annual performance reports
documenting their contribution in assisting the Department in measuring
the performance of the program against this indicator as well as other
information requested by the Department.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award, 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. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne Hawkins, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4W256, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: (202) 453-5638 or by email: [email protected].
If you use a TDD or TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.
VIII. 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
in section VII of this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 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 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
[[Page 44758]]
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.
Dated: July 1, 2016.
Nadya Chinoy Dabby,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2016-16130 Filed 7-7-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P