2023-26008. Applications for New Awards; Education Research and Development Center Program

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Education Research and Development Center Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.305C. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 4040–0001.

DATES:

The dates when applications are available and the deadlines for transmittal of applications invited under this notice are indicated in the chart at the end of this notice and in the Request for Applications (RFA) that is posted at the following website: https://ies.ed.gov/​funding.

ADDRESSES:

For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at www.federalregister.gov/​documents/​2022/​12/​07/​2022-26554/​common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs. Please note that these Common Instructions supersede the version published on December 27, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

The contact person associated with a particular research competition is listed in the chart at the end of this notice, as well as in the relevant RFA and application package.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7–1–1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: In awarding the grants, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) intends to provide national leadership in expanding knowledge and understanding of (1) education outcomes for all learners from early childhood education through postsecondary and adult education, and

(2) employment and wage outcomes when relevant (such as for those engaged in career and technical, postsecondary, or adult education). IES research grant programs are designed to provide interested individuals and the general public with reliable and valid information about education practices that support learning and improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities for all learners. These interested individuals include parents, educators, learners, researchers, and policymakers. In carrying out its grant programs, IES provides support for programs of research in areas of demonstrated national need.

Competition in This Notice: The IES National Center for Education Research (NCER) is announcing one competition: the education research and development center program.

The Education Research and Development Center Program (ALN 84.305C). Under this competition, NCER will consider only applications that address one of the following topics:

• Improving Rural Education.
• Using Generative Artificial Intelligence to Augment Teaching and Learning in Classrooms.
• K–12 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Policy.
• Improving Outcomes in Elementary Science Education.

IES intends to fund four centers, each focused on one of the topics, subject to receiving applications of sufficient quality. The Education Research and Development Center for Improving Outcomes in Elementary Science Education will be supported in part with funding provided by the National Science Foundation's STEM Education Directorate.

Exemption from Proposed Rulemaking: Under section 191 of the Education Sciences Reform Act, 20 U.S.C. 9581, IES is not subject to section 437(d) of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d), and is therefore not required to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on matters relating to grants.

Program Authority:20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.,42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.

Note:

Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal civil rights laws.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. In addition, the regulations in 34 CFR part 75 are applicable, except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217(a)–(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, 75.230, and 75.250(a). (b) The 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.

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only.

Note:

The open licensing requirement in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not apply to these competitions.

II. Award Information

Types of Awards: Cooperative agreements.

Fiscal Information: Although Congress has not yet enacted an appropriation for FY 2024, IES is inviting applications for this competition now so that applicants can have adequate time to prepare their applications. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in subsequent years from the list of unfunded applications from this competition. IES may announce additional competitions later in FY 2024.

Estimated Range of Awards: See chart at the end of this notice. The size of the awards will depend on the scope of the projects proposed.

Estimated Number of Awards: We intend to fund not more than one grant under each of the four topics. However, the number of awards made under this competition will depend on the quality of the applications received for each topic in the competition and the availability of funds; and, in the special case that the peer review process results in a tie between two or more grant applications, making it impossible to adhere to that limit without funding only some of the equally ranked applications, IES may make a larger number of awards to include all applications of the same rank.

Maximum Award: The maximum award amount for each topic area in this competition is set out in the RFA. Three of the four centers will have maximum awards of $10,000,000. The fourth center, co-funded with the National Science Foundation (NSF), will have a maximum award of $15,000,000. Applications must include budgets no higher than the relevant maximum award. IES will not make an award exceeding the maximum award amount.

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

Project Period: The project period for each Education Research and Development Center is 5 years. This information is also included in the chart at the end of this notice.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Applicants that have the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous research are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, nonprofit and for-profit organizations and public and private agencies and institutions of higher education, such as colleges and universities.

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: These programs do not require cost sharing or matching.

b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This program uses an unrestricted indirect cost rate. For more information regarding indirect costs, or to obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate, please see www2.ed.gov/​about/​offices/​list/​ocfo/​intro.html.

3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee under this competition may award subgrants—to directly carry out project activities described in its application—to the following types of entities: nonprofit and for-profit organizations and public and private agencies and institutions of higher education. The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has identified in an approved application.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/​documents/​2022/​12/​07/​2022-26554/​common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs, which contain requirements and information on how to submit an application. Please note that these Common Instructions supersede the version published on December 27, 2021.

2. Other Information: Information regarding program and application requirements for the competition is in the IES Application Submission Guide (currently available) and in the NCER RFA (to be posted) on the IES website at: https://ies.ed.gov/​funding/​. The date on which the application package for this competition will be available is indicated in the chart at the end of this notice.

3. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application are contained in the RFA for this competition. The forms that must be submitted are in the application package for the specific competition.

4. Submission Dates and Times: The deadline date for transmittal of applications for this competition is indicated in the chart at the end of this notice and in the RFA for the competition.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

5. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

6. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: For all its grant competitions, IES uses selection criteria based on a peer review process that has been approved by the National Board for Education Sciences. The Peer Review Procedures for Grant Applications can be found on the IES website at https://ies.ed.gov/​director/​sro/​application_​review.asp.

For the 84.305C competition, peer reviewers will be asked to evaluate the significance of the focused program of research, the quality of the research plan for the focused program of research, the quality of the plans for leadership, capacity building and outreach activities, the quality of the management and institutional resources, and the qualifications and experience of the personnel. These criteria will be described in greater detail in the RFA.

2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, IES 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, compliance with the IES policy regarding public access to research, and compliance with grant conditions. IES 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, IES 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 (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 200.206, before awarding grants under this competition, the Department conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 200.208, IES may impose specific conditions and, under 2 CFR 3474.10, 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.

4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this competition to receive an award that over the course of the project period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards—that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant—before we make an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.

Please note that, if the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.

5. In General: In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget's guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice inviting applications in accordance with:

(a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the program objectives through an objective process of evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);

(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115—232) (2 CFR 200.216);

(c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR 200.322); and

(d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).

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 also notify you informally.

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. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for an annual meeting of up to three days for project directors to be held in Washington, DC.

4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under the competition announced in this notice, 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 IES. 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 IES under 34 CFR 75.118. IES 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.

5. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its education research grant programs, IES annually assesses the percentage of projects that result in peer-reviewed publications and the number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving learner education outcomes. Student academic outcomes include learning and achievement in academic content areas, such as reading, writing, math, and science, as well as outcomes that reflect students' successful progression through the education system, such as course and grade completion; high school graduation; and postsecondary enrollment, progress, and completion. Social and behavioral competencies include social and emotional skills, attitudes, and behaviors that are important to academic and post-academic success. Employment and earnings outcomes include hours of employment, job stability, and wages and benefits, and may be measured in addition to student academic outcomes.

6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 75.253, IES 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; whether a grantee is in compliance with the IES policy regarding public access to research; and if IES has established performance measurement requirements, whether the grantee has made substantial progress in achieving the performance targets in the grantee's approved application.

In making a continuation award, IES 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. Other Information

Accessible Format: On request to the relevant program contact person listed in the chart at the end of this notice, as well as in the relevant RFA and application package, individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the RFA in an accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.

Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register . You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. 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 Portable Document Format (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 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.

Mark Schneider,

Director, Institute of Education Sciences.

ALN and name	Application package available	Deadline for transmittal of applications	Estimated range of awards *	Project period	For further information contact
National Center for Education Research (NCER)
84.305C. Education Research and Development Center Program	On or before December 7, 2023	March 7, 2024	Up to 5 years.
Improving Rural Education			$1 to $2 million		Emily Doolittle, [e-mail], 202–987–0795.
K–12 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Policy			$1 to $2 million		Wai-Ying Chow, [e-mail], 202–245–8198.
Improving Outcomes in Elementary Science Education			$2 to $3 million		Jennifer Schellinger, [e-mail], 202–987–0765.
Using Generative Artificial Intelligence to Augment Teaching and Learning in Classrooms			$1 to $2 million		Christina Chhin, [e-mail], 202–245–7736.
* These estimates are annual amounts.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Note: If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7–1–1.