[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2956-2957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-714]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Program--National
Research and Development Center
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority, selection criteria, and post-award
requirements.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a priority, selection criteria, and
post-award requirements for an award to support a national research and
development center to study the education of gifted and talented
children and youth. The work of the center is intended to increase
knowledge related to improving educational practices so that the
nation's most gifted and talented children and youth may better
contribute to the national welfare.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 27, 1995.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be
addressed to Judith Anderson, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New
Jersey Avenue NW., Room 611b, Washington, DC 20208-5573. Comments may
also be sent through the internet to ``Javits-Center@ed.gov.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judith Anderson. Telephone: (202) 219-
2079. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-
877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through
Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary seeks to improve the education
of gifted and talented children and youth and to use the methods and
materials developed in gifted and talented education programs to
improve education for all children. This is an integral part of
advancing the National Education Goals and GOALS 2000, which require
that all students must attain high standards of academic excellence.
Gifted and talented education programs and methods can contribute to
systemic reform, in which schoolwide efforts are used to coordinate
high standards, assessments, challenging curricula, and teacher
preparation to improve the education of all students. The Secretary
also believes that the educational needs of gifted and talented
students from populations historically underserved by gifted education
programs deserve particular attention.
Under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education
Act of 1994 (Javits Act) as authorized by the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 as amended, the Secretary seeks to provide
support for a national research and development center designed to
conduct sound and coherent education research programs on methods and
techniques for gifted and talented education. A deliberate, sustained,
and coordinated initiative must be undertaken to carry out research and
development activities related to improving the education of gifted and
talented students.
The Secretary plans to make the award under this competition as a
cooperative agreement. Applicants for the award must be institutions of
higher education, State educational agencies, or a combination of these
entities. The Secretary believes that this center can strengthen its
capacity to accomplish the work of its mission by involving partners
such as historically black colleges and universities, community
colleges, or state and local education research organizations. As
described in the Javits Act, the purpose of the center is to increase
the understanding of how to improve the education of gifted and
talented students, including those who may not be identified or served
through traditional assessment methods and programs, such as
economically disadvantaged individuals, individuals of limited-English
proficiency, and individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, the
Secretary believes that the experience and knowledge gained in
developing and implementing programs for gifted and talented students
can and should be used as a basis to develop rich and challenging
curricula for all students, and to design instructional strategies and
other means to improve all students' education. Finally, the Secretary
believes that educators should consider the schoolwide impact of gifted
and talented programs.
Proposed Priority
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority.
The Secretary proposes to fund only applications that meet this
absolute priority:
Each project must propose plans to establish a national research
and development center that--
Conducts research and development activities concerning
the [[Page 2957]] educational needs of children and youth who give
evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual,
creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic
fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided
by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities;
Contributes to increasing the capacity of educational
systems to provide all students with equal opportunities to learn to
high standards and achieve educational success;
Uses research methods in at least some of its studies that
involve advanced or innovative quantitative or qualitative techniques
of sampling, data gathering, conceptualization and measurement of
variables, data analyses, and interdisciplinary perspectives;
Conducts one or more definitive research studies that have
national implications and that will inform policy or practice across
the nation; i.e., use large representative samples and rigorous
scientific techniques that preclude biased results and support
generalizable, replicable findings concerning the education of sizable
populations of children or youth;
Includes research and development activities related to
the following topics:
(a) Identifying, teaching, and serving gifted and talented
students;
(b) Improving the education of gifted and talented students who may
not be identified and served through traditional assessment methods and
programs, (including economically disadvantaged individuals,
individuals of limited-English proficiency, and individuals with
disabilities);
(c) Using knowledge and experience gained in developing and
implementing gifted and talented programs and methods to serve all
students; and
(d) Understanding the effects of gifted education programs on the
educational achievement of students schoolwide; and
Documents, reports, and disseminates its research
activities in ways that will allow others to use the research results.
Proposed Selection Criteria
The Secretary proposes not to use the selection criteria set forth
in the Javits Gifted and Talented Program regulations, 34 CFR 791.21.
The Secretary proposes to use selection criteria set forth in this
notice to evaluate an application for the center award. The proposed
criteria are consistent with the provisions of the Educational
Research, Development, Dissemination and Improvement Act of 1994.
Selection Criteria: The Secretary plans to use the following
selection criteria to evaluate applications when a competition is
announced. The maximum score for all these criteria is 100 points. The
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
(a) Research Mission and Technical Soundness. (40 points)
The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality and
significance of the center's overall research agenda, definitive study
or studies, and other individual research projects, including--
(1) The coherence, significance, and technical merits of the
center's research projects and agenda, in the context of the current
state of the field; and
(2) The importance, quality of design and methodological rigor of
the center's definitive study or studies.
(b) Personnel. (30 points)
The Secretary reviews each application to determine the
qualifications and time commitments of the center's personnel,
including--
(1) The time commitment, experiences, and expertise of the primary
researchers enabling them to achieve the center's mission; and
(2) The qualifications of the Director and support staff, and
whether they will commit at least a majority of their time to center
activities.
(c) Institutional Arrangements. (30 points)
The Secretary reviews each application to evaluate the capacity of
the center's institutional structure and arrangements to support the
center's projects and objectives, including--
(1) The center's ability to respond to and provide leadership for
those who can use or benefit from the center's research;
(2) The center's plans to support, monitor, and complete research
projects that meet the highest standards of professional excellence;
and
(3) The center's ability to disseminate useful research findings
and other information to appropriate audiences in ways that will
maximize the benefits of its work.
PROPOSED POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS: The Secretary proposes the
following post-award requirements consistent with the Educational
Research, Development, Dissemination and Improvement Act of 1994. A
grantee receiving a center award shall--
(a) Provide OERI with information about center projects and
products and other appropriate research information so that OERI can
monitor center progress and maintain its inventory of funded research
projects. This information must be provided through media that include
an electronic network;
(b) Conduct and evaluate research projects in conformity to the
highest professional standards of research practice; and
(c) Reserve five percent of each budget period's funds to support
activities that fall within the center's mission, are designed and
mutually agreed to by both the center and OERI, and enhance OERI's
ability to carry out its mission. Such activities may include
developing research agendas, conducting research projects,
collaborating with other federally-supported entities, and engaging in
leadership and dissemination activities.
The Secretary believes that use of the proposed selection criteria
will improve the quality of applications, and that the proposed post-
award requirements will enhance the quality of the center's research,
development, and dissemination activities.
The Secretary will announce the final priority, selection criteria,
and post-award requirements in a notice in the Federal Register. The
final priority, selection criteria and post-award requirements will be
determined by responses to this notice, available funds, and other
considerations of the Department. Funding of a particular project will
depend on the availability of funds, the nature of the final priority,
and the quality of the applications received.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. A notice
inviting applications under this competition will be published in
the Federal Register concurrent with or following publication of the
notice of final priority, selection criteria, and post-award
requirements.
Program Authority: P.L. 103-382, Title X, Part B
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.206, Jacob K.
Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1994)
Dated: January 5, 1995.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 95-714 Filed 1-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
