94-3310. Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program; Notice DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 29 (Friday, February 11, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page 0]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-3310]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: February 11, 1994]
    
    
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    Part X
    
    
    
    
    
    Department of Education
    
    
    
    
    
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    Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program; 
    Notice
    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
    
     
    Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education 
    Program--State Content Standards for English, History, Geography, 
    Civics, Foreign Languages, and the Arts
    
    AGENCY: Department of Education.
    
    ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities for Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes absolute priorities for fiscal years 
    1994 and 1995 for the Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in 
    Education Program. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal 
    financial assistance on State content standards as the starting point 
    for systemic school improvement. The final priorities will assist 
    projects to develop and implement State content standards, kindergarten 
    through grade 12 (K-12), in English, history, geography, civics, 
    foreign languages, and the arts, together with new approaches to 
    teacher education and certification appropriate to the content 
    standards.
    
    DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 14, 1994.
    
    ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be 
    addressed to Bryan Gray, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey 
    Avenue, NW., room 522, Washington, DC 20208-5524.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seresa Simpson, U.S. Department of 
    Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 522, Washington, DC 20208-
    5524. Telephone: (202) 219-1496. Individuals who use a 
    telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Dual 
    Party Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., 
    Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fund for Innovation in Education 
    supports projects that show promise of identifying and disseminating 
    innovative educational approaches at the preschool, elementary, and 
    secondary levels. The program is authorized under Part F of Title IV of 
    the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the 
    Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and Secondary School 
    Improvement Amendments of 1988, Public Law 100-297.
        The proposed priorities in this notice support the National 
    Education Goal that calls for U.S. students to leave grades four, 
    eight, and twelve having demonstrated competency in challenging subject 
    matter.
        Defining what students in a State should learn is a critical step 
    in the process of ensuring that the State's students are prepared to 
    meet challenging standards. Certain States have already developed 
    challenging content standards in one or more subjects that provide 
    guidelines to local schools and districts for the content of what 
    should be taught. The Secretary has supported similar efforts in the 
    past in mathematics and science. Engaging more States in this process 
    will help to achieve a national consensus on the importance of 
    challenging standards for all students and prepare the way for students 
    to reach these standards.
        States, or States working with other entities of their own choice, 
    may apply for funding to support projects in one or more of the 
    disciplines cited in the proposed priorities. The Secretary believes 
    that States must participate as lead agents in the development of 
    content standards and related activities because they bear central 
    responsibility in matters of education. State leadership is essential 
    to coordinate efforts to raise standards for all students, to 
    disseminate content standards, to influence new directions in teacher 
    education and professional development, and to establish appropriate 
    criteria for teacher certification. In every case the development of 
    content standards must be accompanied by closely related plans for 
    teacher education and licensing or certification, as well as for 
    professional development and recertification. As States rethink their 
    policies regarding teacher certification and professional development, 
    they are urged to draw on relevant work of groups such as the National 
    Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the National Association of 
    State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, and the 
    National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
    
        Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
    applications. A notice inviting applications under these priorities 
    for fiscal year 1994 will be published in the Federal Register 
    concurrent with or following publication of the notice of final 
    priorities.
    
    Priorities
    
        Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
    absolute preference to applications that meet one of the following 
    priorities. The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only 
    applications that meet one of these absolute priorities:
    
    Absolute Priority 1--State Content Standards for English
    Absolute Priority 2--State Content Standards for History
    Absolute Priority 3--State Content Standards for Geography
    Absolute Priority 4--State Content Standards for Civics
    Absolute Priority 5--State Content Standards for Foreign Languages
    Absolute Priority 6--State Content Standards for the Arts
    Absolute Priority 7--State Content Standards for Two or More of the 
    Disciplines in Absolute Priorities 1-6
    
        To meet one of these seven priorities, an application must be for a 
    project in which a State, or a State in collaboration with other 
    entities, carries out all of the following activities:
        (a) Develops challenging State content standards, kindergarten 
    through grade 12 (K-12), that will be made available for use by local 
    schools and districts. The standards must be designed to serve as the 
    foundation for coherent, non-repetitive curricula carefully designed to 
    ensure that all children study challenging subject material in every 
    grade, K-12. The standards must cover English, History, Geography, 
    Civics, foreign languages or the arts, or a combination of two or more 
    of these disciplines. The development of the standards must involve 
    classroom teachers, university and school-based content specialists in 
    English, History, Geography, Civics, foreign languages, or the arts; 
    State and local school administrators, representatives of private 
    schools, specialists in teacher education, representatives of the State 
    legislature, the Governor's office, State and local boards of 
    education; representatives of business, labor, industry, the community 
    at large; parents, and other appropriate parties. The standards must 
    reflect a Statewide consensus.
        (b) Develops model guidelines for effective approaches to teacher 
    education and initial licensing or certification aligned with 
    challenging State content standards. The model guidelines must be 
    developed in cooperation with one or more institutions of higher 
    education in the State. The work of designing these model guidelines 
    must also involve collaboration among scholars and specialists, 
    teachers and administrators from public or private schools, and State 
    and local policymakers.
        (c) Develops criteria for teacher recertification, and designs and 
    pilot tests a model, cost-effective inservice professional development 
    program for teachers based on challenging State content standards. The 
    work of designing these programs must involve collaboration among 
    scholars and specialists, teachers and administrators from public or 
    private schools, and State and local policymakers. In addition, these 
    programs must be pilot-tested in a variety of schools throughout each 
    State.
        (d) Provides the Secretary with a copy of the evaluation conducted 
    under 34 CFR 75.590.
        To guide the activities of the project, each project must establish 
    an overall advisory committee that includes representatives of each of 
    the groups specified in (a) above.
    
    Intergovernmental Review
    
        This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
    12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The objective of the 
    Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a 
    strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and 
    local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
    financial assistance.
        In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
    early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
    this program.
    
        Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 3151.
        Dated: February 7, 1994.
    Sharon P. Robinson,
    Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
    (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.215E, Fund for 
    Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program)
    
    [FR Doc. 94-3310 Filed 2-10-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
02/11/1994
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Action:
Notice of Proposed Priorities for Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995.
Document Number:
94-3310
Dates:
Comments must be received on or before March 14, 1994.
Pages:
0-0 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: February 11, 1994