[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 236 (Thursday, December 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69060-69063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31967]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 3169]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Partners in Education
Program
NOTICE: Request for proposals.
SUMMARY: The Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs of the
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U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for the Partners
in Education (PiE) program assistance award, not to exceed $1,420,000.
Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions
described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to
administer a six-week professional internship program for approximately
115 English-language proficient secondary school teachers,
administrators, and teacher trainers from Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
and Kyrgyzstan, as well as a three-week program designed for 22 non-
English-speaking NIS school directors. The exchange should involve at
least 45 Russian, 40 Ukrainian, 20 Kyrgyzstani, and 10 Uzbekistani
teachers and administrators, and 12 Russian and 10 Ukrainian school
directors. Selection of participants is merit-based with a fair
representation of large and small oblasts. The U.S. grantee will also
be responsible for the consecutive exchange of 24 U.S. educators who
have hosted the NIS teachers, trainers, and administrators during their
stay in the United States for a two-week program to consult on best
practices and implement linkage activities designed to strengthen the
partnership between the U.S. and NIS schools.
The six-week internship program and three-week school director
programs should provide the NIS educators with thorough exposure to
civic education and the social sciences at the secondary school level.
Proposals relating to the teaching of English or English as a foreign
language (EFL) are not eligible. The program should encourage
participants to establish contacts in the U.S. that will foster ongoing
school and community partnerships upon their return to the NIS.
The proposed program will span three academic semesters, starting
in the spring of 2001. The contracted organization (grantee) will be
expected to recruit in Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan in
consultation with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and
the Office of Public Affairs within U.S. embassies in the NIS
countries.
The goal of the teacher/administrator component of the PiE program
is to provide NIS participants with opportunities to learn about
secondary-level curriculum development and civic education and social
science teaching methodologies in the U.S. After an academically-
focused orientation in Washington, DC, NIS grantees will be placed in
small groups at various school districts in the U.S. and provided with
internships at local high schools. The proposed internship activities
for the 115 teachers and administrators would include: observing social
science classrooms, civic education curriculum development, and
computer-based and other teaching methods; participating in at least
five days of professional development seminars that incorporate
computer-based teaching, designed by the host schools or by the local/
regional schools of education; delivering presentations to students and
faculty at the host schools and communities on NIS educational systems
and cultures, either alone or together with their NIS colleagues;
reviewing and collecting teaching materials for possible use in their
home schools; and collaborating with U.S. school administrators or
faculty of education to gain an understanding of the U.S. educational
system and local control of education in the U.S. Teachers and
administrators should also come to understand the relationship between
the community and the educational system. The teachers and
administrators would also engage in site visits to other local schools,
deliver presentations at those schools as well as to local civic and
community groups, and attend PTA and school board meetings.
The school director program should include 22 Russian and Ukrainian
non-English-speaking directors who will participate in a three-week
program that integrates the core civic education and social science
curriculum of the PiE teachers, as well as specific seminars and
workshops in community-based school governance. The school directors'
program may begin at the same time as the teachers', trainers', and
administrators' programs, or they may be programmed separately. To
maximize impact, the school directors should be recruited from existing
lists of NIS schools that have participated or from schools that are
about to participate in the PiE teacher/administrator program. The
applicant is encouraged to submit a proposal that provides a detailed
explanation of how the non-English-speaking participants and their NIS
schools will fully benefit from the U.S. exchange.
Program Information
Overview
The goal of the PiE program is to expose NIS educators to U.S.
teaching methodologies and curriculum development processes, and
establish professional partnerships with U.S. teachers and teacher-
trainers in schools, universities, and communities. The rationale of
the program is to promote democratic relations among members of NIS
school communities and build upon the Bureau's previous and existing
linkages with NIS secondary schools.
For the PiE teacher, administrator, teacher-trainer program, the
grantee should recruit English-speaking social science and civic
education teachers, faculty, and administrators from secondary schools
and pedagogical institutions, including educators who incorporate civic
education principles as part of a social science curriculum. These
educational leaders will be placed in clusters around the United
States, hosted by schools, school-university partnerships, or private-
sector institutions to experience U.S. educational communities and
related democratic institutions. The Bureau is interested in the
grantee soliciting U.S. host proposals that are academically oriented
and foster long-term linkages between U.S. high schools and comparable
schools in Russia, Ukraine, and other NIS countries. Where possible,
U.S. host proposals should include institutions that have provided
superior programming for other NIS secondary-level teacher training
programs (lists are available from the program office).
For the secondary school director program, the grantee should
develop a comprehensive, academically oriented program that will engage
the NIS school directors in democratic school reform issues and
community-school relations, as well as exposing the participants to the
teaching methodologies for civic education and the social sciences. The
school directors should travel in one or more groups and should be
provided with simultaneous translation. The Bureau will consider a
school director component that exposes the participants to up to two
U.S. communities or school districts during the three-week program.
The grantee will also be responsible for facilitating the exchange
of 24 U.S. teachers, preferably two U.S. host teachers from each host
site who were involved in the PiE teacher/administrator six-week
program. The U.S. educators will travel to the NIS community(ies) from
which the NIS teachers came, and will engage in a substantive two-week
program to be designed by the NIS participants in collaboration with
the grantee. The goal of the U.S. participants' program in the NIS is
to strengthen the partnerships established during the U.S.-based
program, build long-term linkages, and provide opportunities for the
U.S. educators to engage the educational communities of their NIS
colleagues. There is no commensurate NIS-based program for the U.S.
hosts of the school director component of the PiE program.
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Guidelines
Program Planning and Implementation
The grant should begin on or around June 5, 2000 and the grantee
should complete all exchange activities by December, 2002. The
recipient organization will be responsible for activities related to
recruitment, screening, orientation coordination, monitoring in the
U.S., program evaluation, and alumni activities. The grantee
organization will also be responsible for the competitive recruitment
of up to 12 U.S. host school districts for participation in the PiE
teacher/administrator program, as well as up to two sites for the
school director program. The recipient organization will maintain
overall oversight for the program. Please refer to additional program
specific guidelines in the Project Objectives, Goals, and
Implementation (POGI) document.
Budget Guidelines:
Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be
limited to $60,000.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive line-item budget for the
entire program based on the specific guidance in the Solicitation
Package. Awards may not exceed $1,420,000 for program and
administrative costs. There must be a summary budget as well as
breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program budgets.
Applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component,
phase, location, or activity to provide clarification. The summary and
detailed program administrative budgets should be accompanied by a
narrative which provides a brief rationale for each line item.
Administrative costs should be kept low; this will be an important
factor in grant competition.
Allowable costs for the program include the following:
I. Teacher/Administrator/Trainer Participant Costs: Total $6,700 (per
participant) x 115 participants: $770,500
II. U.S. Teachers Participant Costs: Total $3,000 (per participant) x
24 participants: $72,000
III. NIS School Directors Participant Costs: Total $6,900 (per
participant) x 22 participants: $186,300
IV. General Program Costs: Total: $68,000
This includes sub-contracts with U.S. host sites, fees for one
program curriculum advisor, costs for recruitment and advertising, and
alumni activities.
The per participant costs include administrative costs. Please
refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and
formatting instructions. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposed budget in accordance with the needs of the
program.
Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the
Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and the number
ECA/A/S/X-00-02.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Global Educational
Programs, Teacher Exchange Branch, ECA/A/S/X, Room 349, U.S. Department
of State, S.A. 44, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, tel.
202-619-4556 and fax 202-401-1433, dghebreab@usia.gov to request a
Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award
criteria, required application forms, specific budget instructions, and
standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify Office of
Global Educational Programs, Program Officer Dehab Ghebreab, on all
other inquiries and correspondence.
Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet: The entire
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at
http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before
downloading.
Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by
5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, February 28, 2000. Faxed
documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked on the
due date but received on a later date will not be accepted. Each
applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the above
deadline.
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and 10 copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/X-00-02, Program Management Staff, ECA/EX/PM,
Room 336, S.A. 44 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. The Bureau will
transmit these files electronically to the appropriate public affairs
offices at U.S. embassies for their review, with the goal of reducing
the time it takes to get posts' comments for the Bureau's grants review
process.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy 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 and 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. Public
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom
and democracy,'' the Bureau ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should reflect
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific
requirements including data exchange with the Bureau. The inability to
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could
result in grantees being required to return funds that have not been
accounted for properly.
The Bureau therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant
systems including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must
accurately process data and dates (calculating, comparing and
sequencing) both before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and
correctly adjust for leap years.
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Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
Review Process
The Bureau 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. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the program office, as well as the U.S. Department of
State's Office of the Senior Coordinator for the Newly Independent
States and the public affairs offices of U.S. embassies overseas, where
appropriate. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of Bureau
officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the
Department of State, Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Bureau
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the
Department of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural
Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards (grants or
cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's
mission, and responsiveness to the objectives and guidelines stated in
this solicitation. Proposals should demonstrate substantive experience
in the social sciences and civic education.
2. Program planning and ability to achieve program objectives:
Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive
undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda and plan should adhere to
the program overview and guidelines described above. Objectives should
be reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
3. 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.
4. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials
and follow-up activities).
5. Institutional Capacity and Record: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve
the program or project's goals. Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting
requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by the grants staff.
The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior recipients and
the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
6. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support) ensuring that
Bureau supported programs are not isolated events.
7. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original
project objectives are recommended. Successful applicants will be
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component is
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
8. Cost-effectiveness/Cost-sharing: 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. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
Authority: 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 above is provided through the Freedom for Russia and
Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1993
(Freedom Support Act).
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau 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 Department of State
procedures.
Dated: December 1, 1999.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-31967 Filed 12-8-99; 8:45 am]
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