[July 06, 2011] Promise Neighborhoods Program Tweet Jul 06, 2011 (Education Department Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (Secretary) announces priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the legislative authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Education Program (FIE), title V, part D, subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The Secretary may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for Promise Neighborhoods competitions for fiscal year (FY) 2011 and later years. We take this action to focus Federal assistance on projects that are designed to create a comprehensive continuum of solutions, including education programs and family and community supports, with great schools at the center. The continuum of solutions must be designed to significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of children and youth, from birth through college and to a career. We intend that these projects support organizations that focus on serving high-need neighborhoods, have a strategy to build a continuum of solutions, and have the capacity to achieve results. DATES: Effective Date: These priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria are effective August 5, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Hodgdon, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W220, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 or by e-mail: [email protected]. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Program: The Promise Neighborhoods program is carried out under the legislative authority of the FIE, title V, part D, subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7243-7243b). FIE supports nationally significant programs to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education at the State and local levels and to help all children meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards. The purpose of the Promise Neighborhoods program is to significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of children and youth in our most distressed communities, and to transform those communities by-- (1) Identifying and increasing the capacity of eligible organizations (as defined in this notice) that are focused on achieving results for children and youth throughout an entire neighborhood; (2) Building a complete continuum of cradle-through-college-to-career solutions (continuum of solutions) (as defined in this notice) of both educational programs and family and community supports (both as defined in this notice), with great schools at the center. All solutions in the continuum of solutions must be accessible to children with disabilities (CWD) (as defined in this notice) and English learners (ELs) (as defined in this notice). (3) Integrating programs and breaking down agency "silos" so that solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies; (4) Developing the local infrastructure of systems and resources needed to sustain and scale up proven, effective solutions across the broader region beyond the initial neighborhood; and (5) Learning about the overall impact of the Promise Neighborhoods program and about the relationship between particular strategies in Promise Neighborhoods and student outcomes, including through a rigorous evaluation of the program. Applicable Program Regulations: The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. We published a notice of proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria in the Federal Register on March 10, 2011 (76 FR 13152) (NPP). That notice contained background information and our reasons for proposing the particular priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. There are differences between the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria in the NPP and these final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria, as discussed in the Analysis of Comments and Changes section elsewhere in this notice. Public Comment: In response to our invitation in the NPP, 37 parties submitted comments on the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes. In addition, we do not address general comments that raised concerns not directly related to the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. Analysis of Comments and Changes: An analysis of the comments and of any changes in the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria since publication of the NPP follows. Note about General Comments and Comments Outside the Scope of the NPP: We received many comments expressing general support or making general recommendations for this program. In most cases, these general comments and recommendations were similar to the comments that supported specific provisions or made specific recommendations for the program's proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection criteria, which we discuss in the sections that follow. We, therefore, do not include a separate discussion of the general comments and recommendations. We also received a number of comments relating to issues that may have been discussed in communications from the Department or in the application and review process for the FY 2010 Promise Neighborhoods competition, but were not proposed as part of the NPP. These issues include: The length of discretionary grant periods, the application process, and technical assistance for applicants. We do not address comments on these issues here. We note, however, that information on these issues will be made available through other Department documents, including the notice inviting applications for this program. General Comment: Two commenters made recommendations and requested clarification regarding whether implementation grantees must use funds for developing the administrative capacity of the eligible organization or whether they could use the funds to provide solutions for children and youth in the neighborhood. One commenter recommended that the Department provide maximum flexibility for applicants to determine how the funds are to be used and not require that funds be used to develop administrative capacity. Another commenter requested greater clarification about the percentage of implementation grant funds that could be used to develop administrative capacity, on the one hand, and to provide solutions for children and youth, on the other. Discussion: The Department expects implementation grantees to use grant funds for two primary purposes: (1) To develop the administrative capacity necessary to successfully implement a continuum of solutions; and (2) to provide solutions within the continuum of solutions to children and youth in the neighborhood. We anticipate that a majority of implementation grant funds would be used to develop a grantee's administrative capacity and that other public and private sources would be used to provide solutions. However, we believe that each applicant is best positioned to determine the allocation of funds between the two purposes given its needs assessment and plans to build its organizational capacity. Changes: None. Comment: None. Discussion: The Department seeks to clarify that Promise Neighborhoods planning and implementation grantees must take into consideration the unique needs of CWD, ELs, and their families in designing the planning process, conducting the needs assessment, identifying the continuum of services, and developing the implementation plan for Promise Neighborhoods. Changes: The Department has revised language throughout the notice of final priorities to highlight the importance of considering the unique needs of CWD, ELs, and their families in the planning for and implementation of a continuum of services designed to improve academic outcomes for all children and youth. References can be found in paragraph (4) of Final Planning Priority 1 and Final Implementation Priority 1, Final Planning Priority 4 and Final Implementation Priority 4, and the definition of education programs. In addition, we have added definitions for both children with disabilities and English learners to the Final Definitions section of this notice. These definitions are consistent with how the terms are defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the ESEA, and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Priorities Priorities--General for Final Planning Priorities and Final Implementation Priorities Comment: Several commenters recommended that the Department not designate any priorities as competitive preference priorities. Two commenters recommended that if the Department designates priorities as competitive preference priorities, the number of competitive preference priorities to which an applicant may apply should be limited, or the competitive preference priorities should be used as tie breakers. Two of the commenters recommended designating priorities 4 through 8 as invitational priorities. Another commenter recommended eliminating priorities 4 through 8 altogether. --This is a summary of a Federal Register article originally published on the page number listed below-- Notice of final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. RIN Number: "RIN 1855-ZA07" Citation: "76 FR 39590" Document Number: "CFDA: 84.215P" Federal Register Page Number: "39590" "Notices" [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]