[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 169 (Thursday, September 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-21385]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 1, 1994]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Institute for Czech Secondary School Administrators
ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
announces an open competition for an assistance award program. Public
or private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in
IRS regulation 501(c)(3) may apply to conduct a four-week institute in
February 1995 for eight secondary school administrators from the Czech
Republic on school administration in a pluralistic, democratic society.
The purpose of the institute is to expose participants to secondary
school governance in the U.S. (public and private); in particular, the
way democratic practices affect school administration, school
philosophy, school activities, and school/community relationships. The
institute should demonstrate how democratic practices in schools can
support curricular reform, particularly in social studies and civic
education. Participants will be nominated by the United States
Information Service (USIS) post in the Czech Republic, will be fluent
in English, and will be involved in implementing reform in secondary
school education, including civic education, in the Czech Republic.
USIA solicits detailed proposals from U.S. educational institutions and
public and private non-profit organizations. Proposals demonstrating
both expertise in training secondary school administrators and an
understanding of the issues facing Czech educators will be more
competitive.
The funding authority for the program cited above is provided
through the Support for Eastern European Democracies Act (SEED).
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Application Package. USIA projects and
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/AS-94-01.
DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, October
14, 1994. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked on October 14, but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received
by the above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of Academic Programs, Advising, Teaching and Specialized
Programs Division, E/AS (Room 252), U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone number: 202/619-4557, fax
number: 202/619-6970, e-mail: skux@usia.gov, to request an Application
Package, which includes more detailed award criteria; all application
forms; and guidelines for preparing proposals, including specific
criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Please specify the
USIA Program Specialist Sally Kux on all inquiries and correspondences.
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register
announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office of Academic
Programs or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP deadline has
passed, the Office of Academic Programs may not discuss this
competition in any way with applicants until after the Bureau proposal
review process has been completed.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Application Package and send only complete applications to: U.S.
Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS-94-01, Office of Grants Management, E/
XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.
Overview
The goal of the Institute for Czech Secondary School Administrators
is to assist Czech secondary school administrators to develop
strategies for restructuring secondary schools in the Czech Republic.
If the substantive reform of secondary school curricula is to take
hold, it must be accompanied by reforms in the structure of school
administration. Although the Czech educational system has been and will
remain very different from the U.S. system, exposure to a variety of
administrative methods utilized in U.S. schools will enable Czech
administrators to consider ways to respond to their increasing
autonomy. The Institute should address such topics as: Strategies for
school administrators to use in their relations with government
officials, particularly with regard to proposals for reform; the
involvement of faculty in administrative decision-making; ways to
motivate faculty to develop and teach new curricula; and the
participation of students and parents in school-related issues. These
are among the new concerns of educators in the Czech Republic, who have
a growing opportunity to influence educational policy and school
management. As a result of this program, participants will be better
equipped to initiate reforms in their own schools and to advocate
reform effectively with administrators and colleagues both at the Czech
Ministry of Education and at schools throughout the Czech Republic.
Participants
The program should be designed for a group of eight secondary
school administrators. The participants will all be involved in
education reform and will be fluent in English. They will be chosen by
USIA and the USIS post in Prague, in consultation with the Institute
for Educational Development at Charles University, Prague, according to
such criteria as the candidate's potential to implement reforms in
administrative practice and the candidate's ability to influence other
secondary school administrators in the Czech Republic.
Program Description
The program should consist primarily of seminars and workshops on
topics in secondary school administration that have relevance to Czech
educators. Topics might include: Decision-making, conflict resolution,
negotiation and compromise, the budgeting of time and money, curricular
development, school-government relations (at both the local and
national levels), faculty-administration relations, student- and
parent-administration relations, parent-teacher relations, and such co-
curricular activities as student government, school newspapers, etc.
The program should emphasize the practical application of skills and
techniques by balancing the presentations of seminar leaders with
sessions in which participants explore ways to adapt these skills and
techniques to their institutional contexts at home. A general
introduction to the U.S. educational system would provide useful
background to the seminars and workshops on specific topics.
While selected observations and meetings would be critical to this
institute, they should be limited in number and should be organized to
complement and reinforce the academic program and its emphasis on
practical knowledge. Relevant visits might be made to local schools,
schools in another locale (to demonstrate the diversity of approaches
within the American system), school board meetings, faculty meetings,
parent-teacher conferences, student government sessions, etc.
Consultations with appropriate professional organizations may also be
integrated into the program and money should be allocated for relevant
subscriptions and memberships.
The program should incorporate a Washington component, perhaps as
the final portion, to include substantive meetings with national
professional and educational associations, as well as cultural
activities.
Proposals should elaborate a detailed daily schedule for the entire
program.
Orientation/Debriefing
To prepare participants for this project, the office strongly
encourages the recipient to develop and/or procure material to be sent
via USIS Prague for distribution to participants prior to their
departure for the U.S. This material might include a project schedule
and outline with suggested goals and objectives, relevant background
information, details about U.S. institutions and individuals involved
in the program, as well as introductory readings. Upon arrival, it is
strongly recommended that participants attend an orientation session
which would address administrative details, in addition to providing
general information about U.S. society and culture to facilitate
participants' understanding of and adjustment to daily life in the U.S.
The schedule should include time for summation and evaluation by
participants at the program's conclusion. In addition to written
reports, it would be useful to organize an activity such as a round-
table, where participants could review the program and discuss plans to
use the ideas and materials resulting from this institute.
Program Administration
All programming, administrative logistics, travel (international
and domestic), management of the academic program, as well as any
cultural component, will be the responsibility of the project director.
A project assistant should be assigned to carry out administrative and
clerical duties necessary for the program, from the planning stages to
the completion of a final report to USIA. Staff escorts traveling under
USIA cooperative agreement support must be U.S. citizens with
demonstrated qualifications for this service.
The proposal must clearly demonstrate the capability of program
staff to manage the residential and travel components of the program.
Proposals incorporating participant site visits will be more
competitive if letters committing prospective host institutions to
support these efforts are provided.
USIA will be responsible for all communications with USIS Prague
regarding participant selection.
Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations; program
participants must carry the requisite level of health and accident
insurance. The recipient organization should budget for insurance
expenses and is responsible for ensuring that participants have
adequate insurance coverage. Please refer to program-specific
guidelines in the Application Package for further details.
Administration of the program must be in compliance with reporting and
withholding regulations for federal, state, and local taxes as
applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax regulation
adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.
Proposed Budget
Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget for which
specific details and guidelines are available in the Application
Package. Total program and administrative costs funded by USIA may not
exceed $85,000 for eight participants; within the assistance award,
total institutional administrative costs funded by USIA may not exceed
$17,000.
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
Application Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be
reviewed by the budget and contracts offices, as well as the USIS
Office of East European and NIS Affairs and USIS Prague. Proposals may
also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other
Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for grant awards resides with the USIA grants
officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the following criteria:
1. Overall quality:
a. The content, significance, definition, organization and academic
rigor of the proposed program and its appropriateness to program
objectives and guidelines;
b. Evidence of careful planning in all substantive and logistical
aspects of the program;
c. Demonstrated knowledge of the Czech cultural, educational, and
political context.
2. 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.
3. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
4. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate the
experience of the institution and designated staff with foreign
educators and international 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.
5. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposal should demonstrate the
program's efforts to expose participants to pertinent subject matter
and innovative tools which may be applied to administrative problems
and to encourage participants to share the experience and insights
gained on this program with other Czech colleagues.
6. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan for an
evaluation at the conclusion of the institute and will be more
competitive if they also incorporate an evaluative component in weekly
program activities to enable timely response to participants'
suggestions. Recipient will submit a final report to USIA.
7. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide for follow-on
activity (without USIA support), such as continued contact with
participants and facilitation of participants' access to U.S. scholarly
organizations, publications, and other appropriate resources to
encourage the sharing of information and the development of long-term
institutional and invidual relations.
8. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity throughout the program. This can be accomplished throughout
documentation (such as a written statement of account) summarizing past
and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of
diversity within both the organization and the program activities.
9. Cost-effectiveness: 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.
10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
11. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and
overseas officers of program need, potential impact, and significance
in the partner country.
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 needs of the program may require the
award to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made
until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed
through internal USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about November 28, 1994. Awards made will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: August 24, 1994.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-21385 Filed 8-31-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
