[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2574-2576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1290]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Russian Civic Education: Curriculum Development and Teacher
Training
ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
announces an open competition for up to two assistance awards. Public
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described
in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to cooperate in the
planning and implementation of up to two curriculum development and
teacher training projects for civic education in Russia. The recipient
organization(s) will work with Russian partner organizations to be
selected by USIS Moscow to assist Russian educators to draft, review,
and field-test new teacher and student materials for secondary-level
civic education. The grant(s), to be carried out over approximately
eighteen months, will consist of three stages: (1) preliminary
assessment and preparation, (2) a U.S.-based curriculum development
workshop for a Russian materials development team, and (3) post-
workshop review and field-testing of materials. The cooperation with
USIA will include regular consultation with USIA officers in Russia
with regard to program development, implementation, and assessment.
Applicant organizations may propose to cooperate with USIA on either
one or both of these projects. Proposals should demonstrate expert
knowledge of Russia and Russian education, as well as significant
experience in civic education and curriculum development as practiced
in the U.S.
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries* * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United
States and other nations* * * and thus to assist in the development of
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States
and the other countries of the world.''
The funding authority for the program cited above is provided
through the Freedom Support Act legislation (FSA). Programs and
projects must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines outlined
in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and programs are subject to
the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/AS-96-04.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, April 1,
1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked April 1 but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received
by the above deadline. Proposals should plan for grant activities to
begin approximately by June 1996 and to be completed approximately by
December 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFROMATION, CONTACT: The Advising, Teaching, and
Specialized Programs Division, E/AS Room 256, U.S. Information Agency,
301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone number 202/619-
6038, fax
[[Page 2575]]
number 202/619-6790, Internet address skux@usia.gov'', to request a
Solicitation Package containing more detailed award criteria, required
application forms, and standard guidelines for preparing proposals,
including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget.
TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation
Package may also be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/ or from the Internet Gopher at gopher.usia.gov, under
``New RFPs on Educational and Cultural Exchanges.''
Please specify USIA Program Specialist Sally Kux on all inquiries
and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the complete
Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or submitting
proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff may not
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau
proposal review process has been completed.
SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Solicitation Package. The original and 10 copies of the application
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS-96-04, Office of
grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20547.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.4'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit
these files electronically to USIS Moscow for review, in order to
reduce the time of the Agency's grants review process.
DIVERSITY GUIDELINES: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation,
programs must maintain a non-political character and should be balanced
and representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense to encompass differences including, but not limited to ethnicity,
race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and
physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to
the advancement of this principle both in program administration and in
program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the `Support
for Diversity' section for specific suggestions on incorporating
diversity into the total proposal.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
The goal of theses projects is to build on current Russian efforts
to develop appropriate and up-to-date citizenship education programs
for use in Russian secondary schools. The project will assist educators
with the development and implementation of new civics materials in
Russian regions in which education officials have demonstrated a
commitment to civic education. The project's rationale is that
improving citizenship education at the secondary school level will
better prepare Russian students to participate actively in building a
pluralistic, democratic society, and will promote democratic relations
among members of the school community, including students, teachers,
school administrators, and parents. The recipient organization(s) will
work in partnership with the selected Russian organization(s) and must
be willing and able to respond to the needs of the Russian partner(s).
Program Description
Phase I
Representatives of the U.S. grantee organization(s) will make a
preliminary assessment visit to Russia. This trip will enable the U.S.
partner(s) to consult with their Russian counterpart(s) to identify
project objectives and the scope and themes of materials to be
developed. This visit will also enable them to become acquainted with
the local educational system through site visits to schools and
appointments with education officials. The Russian partner
organization(s) will select a curriculum development team of
approximately five practitioners (e.g., classroom teachers, curriculum
specialists, and/or educational officials) in consultation with the
recipient organization and USIS Moscow, and will undertake preliminary
work in Russia over a period of 3-6 months. During this time members of
the curriculum development team(s) will familiarize themselves with
issues and materials relevant to the project and will finalize the
choice of topics to be explored in the draft materials.
Phase II
Members of the curriculum development team(s) will spend
approximately two months in a highly structured U.S.-based workshop
sponsored and organized by the U.S. grantee organization(s). During the
workshop(s) the Russian team(s) will complete draft teacher and student
materials. Within the framework of the workshop, the grantee
organization(s) will be responsible for allowing adequate time for
participants to work individually and collectively on the materials.
The Russian team(s) should be provided access to leading U.S. civic
educators and a broad range of relevant resources to stimulate the work
of the team(s) on materials oriented toward the Russian situation. The
workshop(s) should include focused seminars on topics related to the
teaching of civics and such relevant field experiences as visits to
schools and professional associations.
Phase III
Upon completion, the draft materials will be reviewed by Russian
and American experts. In Russia, the curriculum development team(s)
will work with local teachers and, as appropriate, with U.S.
specialists to provide training for a group of practitioners in methods
for implementing and reviewing the draft materials on a pilot basis in
selected schools in each region.
Guidelines
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to
program specific guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation Package for
further details.
Budget
Applicants must submit a comprehensive as well as a summary budget
for each project. The award for each of the two projects will not
exceed $225,000. Budget submissions should delineate separately
administrative and program costs. For further clarification, applicants
may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,
location, or activity. Budgets should be presented in a multi-column
format that clearly identifies the following categories: line item,
amount of USIA support, and amount of cost-shared support. Any relevant
calculations or explanations that do not appear in the budget should be
included in budgetary notes. USIA is committed to containment of
administrative expenses consistent with overall program objectives and
sound management principles; total USIA-funded administrative expenses
for this project should not exceed 25% of the total USIA-funded budget.
Additional budget guidelines are provided in the Solicitation Package.
Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be
limited to $60,000. Please refer to the Solicitation Package for
complete
[[Page 2576]]
budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
Review Process
USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Office of
EEN and USIS Moscow. For the review of a proposal to be successful, it
will need to receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic desk
officers and overseas officers. Proposals may also be reviewed by the
Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Final
funding decisions rest with the USIA Associate Director for Educational
and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with an Agency grants
officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below.
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, relevance to Agency mission, and
responsiveness to the objectives and guidelines stated in this
solicitation. Proposals should demonstrate geographic and substantive
expertise.
2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity and should
adhere to the program overview and guidelines described above.
Proposals should include a plan for continuous and summative
evaluations.
3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet program objectives and how
continuous evaluation will be used to adjust program plans.
4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual
linkages.
5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate a commitment
to promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity with regard
to both program content and program administration.
6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
7. Institutional's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting
requirements for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of
Contracts. The Agency will consider the past performance of prior
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which ensures that
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
9. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
Notice: The terms and conditions published in this RFP are
binding and may not be modified by any USIA representative.
Explanatory information provided by the Agency that contradicts
published language will not be binding. Issuance of the RFP does not
constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government. The
Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal
budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the
availability of funds. Awards made will be subject to periodic
reporting and evaluation requirements.
Notification: Final awards cannot be made until funds have been
appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA
procedures.
Dated: January 19, 1996.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-1290 Filed 1-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
