Grants and cooperative agreements; availability, etc.: Postsecondary education— Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs,

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Federal Register: March 2, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 40)NoticesPage 10190-10191From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr02mr99-94

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

CFDA NO. 84.334Office of Postsecondary Education; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1999--Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs--GEAR UP

Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to give more low-income students the skills, motivation, and preparation needed to pursue postsecondary education. Through early college preparation and awareness activities, eligible students are provided comprehensive mentoring, counseling, outreach and supportive services, including information to students and their parents about the benefits of postsecondary education and the availability of Federal financial assistance to attend college. Through the scholarship component, which is mandatory for State grants and optional for Partnership grants, eligible students are provided scholarships for higher education.

Eligible Applicants

1. Partnerships with at least--

<bullet> One institution of higher education. This may be any degree-granting two-year or four-year college or university;

<bullet> One local educational agency (school district) on behalf of one or more schools with a 7th grade and the high school(s) that the students at these middle schools would normally attend. Generally, at least 50 percent of the students attending the participating school with a 7th grade must be eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. However, as an alternative, Partnerships may choose to work with one or more grade levels of students, beginning not later than the 7th grade, who reside in public housing; and

<bullet> Two additional organizations, such as businesses, professional associations, community-based organizations, State Agencies, elementary schools, philanthropic organizations, religious groups, and other public or private organizations.

2. State Agencies as designated by the State's Governor, one per State.

Applications Available: February 19, 1999.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 30, 1999.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 30, 1999.

Available Funds: $120,000,000.

Estimated Average Awards: No minimum, maximum or average award has been established for Partnership grants. The size of each Partnership grant will depend on the number of students served. However, there is a maximum annual Federal contribution of $800 per student for Partnership grants.

For State grants. the estimated average award is $1.5 million to $2 million with a $5 million maximum and no minimum award.

Estimated Number of Awards: We estimate that the Department will make approximately 20-30 State grant awards and between 300 to 700 Partnership grant awards, depending on the size and configuration of each Partnership.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months unless the Department announces that Congress has passed a technical amendment to the contrary.

Selection Criteria

The Secretary uses the selection criteria in accordance with 34 CFR 75.209 and 75.210 to evaluate applications for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. The application package includes selection criteria and the points assigned to the criteria

Priorities

Competitive Priorities: Competitive Preference Priority--Prior Experience (For State grants only)--Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 694.16, the Secretary gives preference to applications that meet the following competitive priority. The Secretary awards up to five (5) bonus points to a State grant application depending upon how well the application meets the priority. These bonus points are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection criteria for the program. Under this program the Secretary gives competitive preference to any State grant applicant that--

  (1) As of October 6, 1998, carried out successful educational opportunity programs under the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership Program; and

  (2) has a prior, demonstrated commitment to early intervention leading to college access through collaboration and replication of successful strategies.

Competitive Preference Priority--Providing Program Services in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community (For Partnership or State grants)--Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 694.17(a), the Secretary gives competitive preference to an application for a Partnership or State grant that serves a substantial number or percentage of students who reside in an Empowerment Zone, a Supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an Enterprise Community.

The Secretary will select an application that meets this priority over an application of comparable merit that does not meet the priority.

Invitational Priority--Scholarships (For Partnerships grants only)--Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) and 34 CFR 694.17(b) the Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet the invitations priority for establishing or maintaining a financial assistance program that awards scholarships to students either in accordance with section 404E of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, or in accordance with 34 CFR 694.12.

However, an application that meets this invitational priority does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

For Applications or Information Contact: Karen W. Johnson by mail at: Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 6252, Portals Building, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone 1-800-USA-LEARN, email gearup@ed.gov, or fax your request to (202) 260-4269. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain the GEAR UP application in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) upon request to Karen W. Johnson, whose contact information is listed in the preceding paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package.

Technical Assistance Workshops

The Department plans to conduct eleven (11) workshops, sponsored by the Ford Foundation. At these workshops, Department of Education staff, with the assistance of the National Center for Urban Partnerships, will offer technical assistance at a series of one-day regional workshops. These workhops will feature:

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<bullet> Information about how to plan, establish, and develop effective college-school partnerships;

<bullet> Guidance about where to obtain additional information about educational partnerships, best practices, research studies, and program evaluation;

<bullet> Technical assistance to prospective applicants on how to prepare the GEAR UP Partnership and State grant applications; and

<bullet> Budget information for GEAR UP projects.

To register on-line, visit the NCUP website at http:// www.gearup.org and click on the workshop you would like to attend. For more information, call Johnson Niba at (202) 619-0741. The dates, times, and locations of the workshops are as follows (all workshops will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.):

<bullet> Monday, March 1, 1999, Miami, Florida, Wyndham Hotel 4833 Collins Avenue, contact Oscar Gomez (305) 535-2034.

<bullet> Wednesday, March 3, 1999, Atlanta, Georgia, Clark Atlanta University.

<bullet> Thursday, March 4, 1999, Albuquerque, New Mexico, The Pyramid Crowne Plaza, 5151 San Francisco Road, N.E., contact Pam Yarmer (505) 821-3333.

<bullet> Friday, March 5, 1999, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sacred Heart University.

<bullet> Monday, March 8, 1999, Seattle, Washington, Sheraton Seattle, 1400 Sixth Avenue, contact Audrey Beavert (206) 447-5538.

<bullet> Tuesday, March 9, 1999, Houston, Texas, Braeswood Hotel, 2100 S. Braeswood, contact Dawn (713) 797-9000.

<bullet> Wednesday, March 10, 1999, St. Louis, Missouri, The Adams Mark Hotel, 4th and Chestnut, contact Brenda Roderick (314) 342-4675.

<bullet> Thursday, March 11, 1999, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Penn Tower, Civic Center Boulevard at 34th Street, contact Ron Purndun (215) 898-1517.

<bullet> Friday, March 12, 1999, Boston, Massachusetts, Boston Park Plaza, 64 Arlington Street, contact Susan Foster (617) 456-2457.

<bullet> Friday, March 12, 1999, Los Angeles, California, Westin Bonaventure, 404 Figueroa Street, contact Rosanna (213) 624-1000.

<bullet> Monday, March 15, 1999, Denver, Colorado, Adams Mark Hotel, 1550 Court Place, contact Inga (303) 626-2518.

<bullet> Last week in March, workshop that will be broadcast across the country via teleconference. For more information about how to connect to the teleconference, call 1-800-USA-LEARN, email gearup@ed.gov, or check the GEARUP website.

Workshop sites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. An individual with a disability who will need an auxiliary aid or service to participate in the workshop (e.g. interpreting service, assistive listening device, or materials in an alternate format) should notify the contact persons listed for each workshop in this application notice at least two weeks before the scheduled workshop date. Although the Department will attempt to meet a request received after that date, the requested auxiliary aid or service may not be available because of insufficient time to arrange it.

Electronic Access to This Document: Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register in text or portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov.fedreg.htm, http://www.ed.gov/new.html, http:// www.ed.gov/gearup

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have any questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing Office at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free, at 1-888-293-6498. Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an electronic bulletin board of the Department. The telephone numbers are (202) 219- 1511 or toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases:

Note: The official version of a document is the document published in the Federal Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-21.

Dated: February 22, 1999. Maureen A. McLaughlin, Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

FR Doc. 99-4887Filed3-1-99; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 4000-01-M

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