2010-7372. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Overview Information; Migrant Education Program (MEP) Consortium Incentive Grants Program; Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2010.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.144F.

Dates:

Applications Available: April 1, 2010.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 2010.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 9, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the MEP Consortium Incentive Grants program is to provide incentive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) that participate in consortia with another SEA or other appropriate entity to improve the delivery of services to migrant children whose education is interrupted. Through this program, the Department provides financial incentives to SEAs to participate in consortia that provide high-quality project designs and services to improve the intrastate and interstate coordination of migrant education programs by addressing key needs of migratory children who have their education interrupted.

Priorities: These priorities are from the notice of final requirements for this program, published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2004 (69 FR 10110) and from the notice of final priority, published in the Federal Register on March 12, 2008 (73 FR 13217).

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2010, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet one or more of these priorities. In order for an SEA to be considered for an incentive grant, an application from a proposed consortium in which an SEA would participate must address one or more of the following absolute priorities:

1. Services designed to improve the proper and timely identification and recruitment of eligible migratory children whose education is interrupted;

2. Services designed (based on a review of scientifically based research) to improve the school readiness of pre-school-aged migratory children whose education is interrupted;

3. Services designed (based on a review of scientifically based research) to improve the reading proficiency of migratory children whose education is interrupted;

4. Services designed (based on a review of scientifically based research) to improve the mathematics proficiency of migratory children whose education is interrupted;

5. Services designed (based on a review of scientifically based research) to decrease the dropout rate of migratory students whose education is interrupted and improve their high school completion rate;

6. Services designed (based on a review of scientifically based research) to strengthen the involvement of migratory parents in the education of migratory students whose education is interrupted;

7. Services designed (based on a review of scientifically based research) to expand access to innovative educational technologies intended to increase the academic achievement of migratory students whose education is interrupted; and

8. Services designed (based on review of scientifically based research) to improve the educational attainment of out-of-school migratory youth whose education is interrupted.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6398(d).

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75 (except 75.232), 76, 77, 79, 80 (except 80.40(b)), 82, 84, 85, and 99; (b) the notice of final requirements published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2004 (69 FR 10110); and (c) the notice of final priority published in the Federal Register on March 12, 2008 (73 FR 13217).

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Formula grants.

Estimated Available Funds: $3,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $85,000-$175,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $130,434.

Maximum Award: By statute, the maximum amount that we may award under this program is $250,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 23.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs receiving MEP Basic State Formula grants, in consortium with or SEAs or other appropriate entities.

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching.

b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-supplant funding requirements. Pursuant to the notice of final requirements published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2004 (69 FR 10110), the supplement-not-supplant provisions in sections 1120A(b) and 1304(c)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, are applicable to this program.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Michelle Moreno, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E257, LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-6135. Telephone: [phone] or by e-mail: [e-mail].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed in this section.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this program.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part IV of the application) is where you, the applicant, describe the proposed consortium, including how the consortium's proposed project addresses (1) the Application Requirements listed in the notice of final requirements published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2004 (69 FR 10110), (2) one or more of the eight absolute priorities, and (3) the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part IV to no more than 30 double-spaced pages, using the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
• Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
• For charts, tables, and graphs, use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch.

The page limit applies only to Part IV of the application. It does not apply to Parts I through III or Parts V through VII, or to any appendices, resumes, bibliography, or letters of support. However, an applicant must include all of the application narrative in Part IV.

Our reviewers will not read any pages of the Part IV narrative that exceed the page limit.

3. Submission Date and Times:

Applications Available: April 1, 2010.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 2010.

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted in paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements of this notice.

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

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 9, 2010.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this program.

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

6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted in paper format by mail or hand delivery.

a. Submission of Applications by Mail.

If you submit your application by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.144F), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your application.

Note:

The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

b. Submission of Applications by Hand Delivery.

If you submit your application by hand delivery, you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.144F), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications:

If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department—

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at [phone].

V. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are from 34 CFR part 75.210 and are listed in the application package.

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). We may notify you informally, also.

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. Reporting: Grant recipients under this program must submit the annual and final performance and financial reports specified in the notice of final requirements for this grant program published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2004 (69 FR 10110).

4. Performance Measures: Consortium grantees are required to report on their project's effectiveness based on the project objectives, performance measures, and scheduled activities outlined in the consortium's application.

In addition, all grantees are required, under 34 CFR 80.40(b), to report on the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) indicators as part of their Consolidated State Performance Report. The GPRA indicators established by the Department for the Migrant Education Program, of which the Consortium Incentive Grants are a component, are:

a. The percentage of migrant students at the elementary school level who meet or exceed the proficient level on State assessments in reading.

b. The percentage of migrant students at the middle school level who meet or exceed the proficient level on State assessments in reading.

c. The percentage of migrant students at the elementary school level who meet or exceed the proficient level on State assessments in mathematics.

d. The percentage of migrant students at the middle school level who meet or exceed the proficient level on State assessments in mathematics.

e. The percentage of migrant students who drop out from secondary school (grades 7-12).

f. The percentage of migrant students who graduate from high school.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Michelle Moreno, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E257, LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-6135. Telephone: [phone] or by e-mail: [e-mail].

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.

Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/​news/​fedregister. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.

You may also view this document in text at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/​about/​offices/​list/​oese/​ome/​index.html

Note:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/​nara/​index.html.

Dated: March 29, 2010.

Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.