[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 92 (Thursday, May 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25956-25958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-11974]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Secondary School Civic Education Curriculum Development Project
for Azerbaijan; Request for Proposals.
SUMMARY: The Advising, Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division of
the Office of Academic Programs of the United States Information
Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open
competition for a Secondary School Civic Education Curriculum
Development Project for Azerbaijan. Public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR
1.501(c) may submit proposals to cooperate with USIA in the
administration of a two-year project to support the development and
utilization of new curriculum units for a civic education course
entitled ``Man and Society'' for students in the tenth and eleventh
grades in Azerbaijan. The grant will award up to $250,000 to facilitate
the project.
The grantee will work with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education,
Department of Curriculum Development and Educational Reform, which is
the office of the Government of Azerbaijan directly responsible for
national education and teacher training issues. The program will
comprise three phases: (1) Preliminary consultations in Baku with a
curriculum development team of Azerbaijani educators; (2) a three-month
U.S.-based curriculum development workshop in which the team will
produce draft curriculum units; (3) follow-up consultations in
Azerbaijan to assist with the training of a larger group of Azerbaijani
practitioners in the review and field-testing of the draft curriculum
units. Upon the successful completion of Phases I-III, additional funds
may be available to the grantee organization for a fourth phase of
activity to cooperate with the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan,
Department of Curriculum Development and Educational Reform, and the
Azerbaijani curriculum development team to further review and revise
the draft materials as needed and to provide broader training of
Azerbaijani teachers and administrators for utilization of the revised
curriculum units in Azerbaijani classrooms.
USIA solicits detailed proposals from U.S. educational institutions
and public and private non-profit organizations to develop and
administer this project. Grantee organizations will consult regularly
with USIA and with USIA's office in Azerbaijan (the U.S. Information
Service in Baku) with regard to participant selection, program
implementation, direction, and assessment. Proposals should demonstrate
an understanding of the issues confronting education in Azerbaijan as
well as expertise in civic education and curriculum development.
The funding authority for the program cited above is provided
through the Freedom Support Act as well as USIA's base budget. 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.
Program Information
Overview: The goal of the project is to assist the Ministry of
Education, Department of Curriculum Development and Educational Reform
in Baku, Azerbaijan, to develop up-to-date curriculum units to be
taught at the tenth and eleventh grade levels and to assist in training
teachers for the utilization of these units. The rationale for this
project is that improving citizenship education at the secondary school
level will better prepare Azerbaijani 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. Applicants may
suggest topics to be developed by the Azerbaijani curriculum team in
their proposals; however, final determination of appropriate topics
will be made by the curriculum development team and the Ministry in
cooperation with the grantee organization during the first phase of the
project.
Guidelines
Program Planning and Implementation
Grants should begin on or around September 1, 1999, with Phase I of
the project, in which a curriculum development team of six
practitioners (e.g., classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and a
Ministry official who will serve as the project director) will be
selected by a Ministry-led selection committee in Azerbaijan in
consultation with the U.S. grantee organization and the U.S.
Information Service (USIS) in Baku. In Phase I, the team will undertake
preliminary work in Baku over a period of 3-6 months. Members of the
curriculum development team, in consultation with a specialist from the
grantee organization and the Azerbaijani Project Director, will
familiarize themselves with civics curricula and teaching materials
used in the U.S. and will select the topics to be explored in the draft
curriculum units.
In Phase II, members of the curriculum development team will spend
approximately three months in a highly structured U.S.-based workshop
to be sponsored and organized by the U.S. grantee organization, and
will attend focused curriculum seminars, observe relevant aspects of
the U.S. educational system, and draft teacher and student materials
for the curriculum units in consultation with U.S. specialists. The
grantee organization will be responsible for introducing the
Azerbaijani team to leading U.S. civic educators with expertise that is
pertinent to the topics to be explored, and to a broad range of
relevant resources. The workshop schedule should incorporate time for
both individual and group work on materials as well as intensive
training on specific approaches to the teaching of civic education
topics. In addition, the workshop should include field experiences
which are relevant to the materials being produced (such as visits to
schools and professional association meetings).
In Phase III, the curriculum development team will work in
Azerbaijan with Azerbaijani teacher trainers, Ministry of Education
officials and U.S. specialists from the grantee organization and other
U.S. organizations to provide introductory training for a larger group
of practitioners in methods for testing and
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utilizing the draft curriculum units in the civics classroom. During
this phase the Ministry of Education (MOE) will provide the following
assistance to the U.S. grantee:
(1) Facilitate the logistics of in-service training sessions for
teachers by providing appropriate space;
(2) Assist in the selection of pilot schools and teachers;
(3) provide leave time/leaves of absence for the curriculum
development team and Project Director during their stays in the U.S.
and the subsequent in-service training work;
(4) Provide appropriate office space and facilities to house both
the civic education reference collection and the materials produced by
the curriculum development team.
Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements
U.S. lecturers and consultants participating in the project must be
U.S. citizens. Programs must comply with
J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to Program Specific Guidelines
(POGI) in the Solicitation Package for further information.
Administration of the program must be in compliance with reporting and
withhold regulations for federal, state, and local taxes as applicable.
Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax regulation adherence in
the proposal narrative and budget.
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 budget for the entire
program. Awards may not exceed $250,000. 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
year, component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification.
The total administrative costs funded by USIA must be limited and
reasonable
Alllowable costs for the program include the following:
(1) Administrative Costs, including salaries and benefits, of
grantee organization.
(2) Program Costs, including general program costs and program
costs for each Azerbaijani participant in the U.S.-based curriculum
development seminar. Also included are program costs associated with
the field-testing of materials in Azerbaijan and with the initial
training of Azerbaijani teachers.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package (POGI and PSI) for
complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All correspondence with USIA concerning
this RFP should reference the above title and number E/ASU-99-16.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Office of Academic Programs,
Advising, Teaching and Specialized Programs Division, Specialized
Programs Branch, E/ASU, Room 349, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone number 202-619-4568 and
fax number 202-401-1433, e-mail address jceriale@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 USIA
Program Officer Jennifer K. Ceriale 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, Agency 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 USIA's
website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all
information before downloading.
To Receive a Solicitation Package Via Fax on Demand
The entire Solicitation Package may be requested from the Bureau's
Grants Information Fax on Demand System, which is accessed by calling
202/401-7616. The Table of Contents listing available documents and
order numbers should be the first order when entering the system.
Deadline for Proposals
All proposal copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency
by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Monday, July 19, 1999. Faxed documents
will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked 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. Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASU-99-16, Office of Grants
Management, E/X., Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 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. USIA will transmit
these file electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review, with
the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for the
Agency'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,'' USIA ``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 USIA. 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.
USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately
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process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequency) both
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust
for leap years.
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
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. All eligible proposals will be reviewed by the
program office, as well as by the USIA Office of East European and NIS
Affairs and the USIA post overseas. Eligible proposals will be
forwarded to panels of USIA officers for advisory review. Proposals may
also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other
Agency elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of
USIA's Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative
agreements) resides with the USIA 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, relevance to the Agency's mission,
and responsiveness to the objectives and guidelines states in this
solicitation. Proposals should demonstrate substantive expertise in
civic education.
2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda
and plan should adhere to the program overview described above.
3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
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 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).
6. Institutional Capacity and Record/Ability: 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 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.
7. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) to ensure ongoing
involvement with Azerbaijani curriculum development projects.
8. 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. The progress is the grant should be monitored closely. The
USIA Program Officer should be kept informed of the implementation of
each phase of the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other
technique plus description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to
original project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will
be expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component
is concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
9. Cost-effectiveness/Cost-sharing: The overhead and administrative
components of the proposals, including salaries and honoraria, should
be kept as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and
appropriate. Proposals should minimize cost-sharing through other
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
10. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects
should demonstrate the need, potential impact, and significance of the
project in the partner country.
Authority
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Pub. L. 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). 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.
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: May 5, 1999.
Judith Siegel,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-11974 Filed 5-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
