Promise Neighborhood Program Draft Notice

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Innovation and Improvement

Overview Information

Promise Neighborhoods Program.

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2010.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215?.

Dates:

Applications Available: [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: [INSERT DATE 30 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Date of Pre-Application Meetings: The Department of Education (Department) will hold pre-application meetings for prospective applicants. We will make available information on the dates, times, and locations of these meetings through a notice published in the Federal Register and through the Department of Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/promise/index.html.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: [INSERT DATE 70 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: [INSERT DATE 130 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 provided funds and directed the Department of Education (ED) to hold a competition for the Promise Neighborhoods Program under the legislative authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Education Program (FIE), Title V, Part D, Subpart 1, sections 5411-5413, 20 U.S.C. 7423-7423b of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as reauthorized. FIE supports nationally significant programs to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education at the State and local levels and help all children meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards. The purpose of the Promise Neighborhoods Program, which is funded under FIE, is to improve significantly the educational and developmental outcomes of children in our most distressed communities and to transform those communities by (1) supporting efforts to improve child outcomes that are shared, communicated, and analyzed on an on-going basis by leaders and members of the community; (2) identifying and increasing the capacity of community-based organizations, as defined in this notice, that are focused on achieving results for children from the cradle through college and career; (3) building a continuum of academic programs and community supports, as defined in this notice, with a strong school or schools at the center; (4) integrating programs and breaking down agency “silos” so that solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies; and (5) working with local governments to build the infrastructure of policies, practices, systems, and resources to sustain and scale up proven, effective solutions across the broader region beyond the initial Promise Neighborhood. Requirements are included throughout this notice consistent with the House and Senate Appropriations Committee reports on the FY 2010 Department of Education, Appropriations Act. See H.R. REP. 111-120 at 215 (July 22, 2009-_ and S. REP. 111-66 at 192 (August 4, 2009).

Program Background: A growing body of research on promising, place-based education models demonstrates the power of high-performing schools and effective neighborhood services as a means to significantly improve the life outcomes of children. For children with similar levels of family income, growing up in a poor neighborhood without these resources rather than in a wealthier neighborhood with strong systems of support and high-performing schools increases the children’s chances of downward economic mobility by more than 50 percent.¹ To be effective, schools and programs should be data-driven and designed to work together in a community to improve outcomes for children from the cradle to college and career. Academic programs and community supports should be managed, directly or indirectly, by a leader and an organization that engages the community and is accountable for results. These programs also should be integrated seamlessly, without time and resource gaps that contribute to children missing academic and developmental milestones. Promise Neighborhoods are communities that include these and other components, and involve a place-based approach to improving the likelihood that all children will succeed academically and professionally .

This notice invites eligible applicants to apply for a grant to support the development of a plan to implement a Promise Neighborhood, including establishing the necessary partnerships, commitments, and programinfrastructure necessary for successful implementation. In subsequent years and contingent on the availability of funds, the Department intends to provide competitive implementation grants, as well as additional planning grants for new, proposed Promise Neighborhoods. While all communities that meet Promise Neighborhood eligibility requirements will be able to apply for implementation grants, communities that have effectively carried out the planning activities described in this notice, whether independently or with a Promise Neighborhood planning grant, are likely to be well positioned with the plan, commitments, data, and demonstrated organizational leadership necessary to develop a successful application for an implementation grant.

Communities eligible to become Promise Neighborhoods are geographically defined areas with multiple signs of distress, which may include low-performing schools as defined in this notice, where there are significant achievement gaps among the subgroups of students defined in section 111(b)(3)(C)(xiii) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA); high dropout rates; significant levels of child poverty; unstable families; and prevalent indicators of poor health, such as asthma, poor nutrition, and obesity.To address these challenges, in a Promise Neighborhood, a community-based organization partners with at least one school and may partner with other stakeholders to address signs of distress and significantly improve academic and developmental outcomes for children in the community. In a Promise Neighborhood, all children have access to a continuum of cradle-through-college-and-career solutions (continuum of solutions), as defined in this notice, designed to improve academic achievement and college and career success. High-quality, accessible programs; high-performing schools; and community supports are coordinated with the goal that each child, regardless of background or need, will succeed academically and professionally.

In fiscal year 2010, the Department intends to award one-year planning grants to eligible entities to conduct the extensive planning and preparation necessary to create a Promise Neighborhood. The primary expected output during the planning year is a feasible plan to implement a continuum of solutions that will significantly improve results for children. Accordingly, the Secretary expects that aspiring Promise Neighborhoods that receive planning grants will undertake the following activities during the planning year: (1) conduct a needs assessment of the cradle-through-college-and-career continuum, including collecting baseline data for the academic and community support indicators described elsewhere in this notice, for all children in the proposed Promise Neighborhood; and conduct a segmentation analysis, as defined in this notice, of the needs in the neighborhood to better target solutions for the children in that neighborhood; (2) build community involvement and support for their plan; (3) work with public and private agencies, organizations (including philanthropic organizations), and individuals to gather and leverage resources to support the financial sustainability of their plan; (4) identify strategies to leverage high-quality academic programs and community supports, as well as existing and anticipated investments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and in neighborhood revitalization efforts from other Federal agencies such as the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and Justice; examples of these initiatives include programs such as Choice Neighborhoods, Community Health Centers, and Weed and Seed; (5) obtain commitments from the partners to work long-term to help ensure continued programmatic success of their plan; (6) begin to build the continuum of solutions that address the challenges identified through the needs assessment and segmentation analysis; (7) plan, build, or expand a comprehensive, longitudinal data management system for all indicators; and (8) participate in a community of practice, as described in this notice.

The Secretary expects that applicants will be at different points of readiness when they begin the planning process. As a result, applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate throughout the application their: (a) current organizational capacity to plan for and implement a Promise Neighborhood, including the expertise of their management team and partners; (b) prior experience in carrying out neighborhood revitalization or school improvement initiatives, placing emphasis on the applicant’s past performance and impact of their work; and (c) ability to ensure ongoing sustainability of Promise Neighborhood activities.

Priorities: We are establishing these priorities for the FY 2010 grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).

Absolute Priority: This priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.

This priority is:

Applicants must submit a proposal for how they will plan to create a Promise Neighborhood. This proposal must:

1. Focus on serving all children in a distressed neighborhood that is a defined geographic area. Applicants must describe the geographically defined area and the level of distress in the neighborhood to be served according to indicators of need, as defined in this notice, and other relevant information.

2. Describe how the applicant will plan to build a continuum of solutions designed to improve significantlyeducational outcomes and to support the healthy development and well-being of all children in the neighborhood. Solutions (programs, policies, practices, services, systems, supports, etc.) that drive the indicators described in paragraph 7 will be selected by each applicant.

1. As the core component of its continuum of solutions, applicants must describe their strategy or a plan to develop a strategy to either

1. Turn around one or more low-performing schools in the neighborhood through whole-school reform or targeted approaches to reform, bothas defined in this notice; or

2. Leverage, support, and sustain one or more effective schools, as defined in this notice, in the neighborhood to enhance current efforts to improve the academic achievement of children in the neighborhood.

Whichever strategy is pursued, it should leverage and integrate existing high-quality programs in the neighborhood into the continuum of solutions and ensure that all children have access to community supports, as defined in this notice;

2. As part of the description, applicants must

   1. propose evidence-based (as defined in this notice) solutions;

   2. describe the evidence associated with each solution; and

   3. identify one or more partners associated with the implementation of each solution (as applicable). There may be more than one solution for each indicator and a single solution may drive more than one indicator.

3. In cases where not every child in the neighborhood will receive services, the applicant must explain how it will determine that some children are not in need of services.

3. Describe the applicant’s organizational capacity to plan and implement a Promise Neighborhood, including the applicant’s experience and lessons learned in

1. Partnering with the low-performing or effective school or schools described in paragraph 2, the local educational agency (LEA), State and local government leaders, and other service providers;

2. Collecting and using data for decision-making and ongoing improvement;

3. Creating alliances through formal and informal relationships, and community support to achieve results;

4. Securing and integrating funding streams from multiple public and private sources; and

5. Implementing efforts similar or related to the proposed Promise Neighborhood. In the case of a newly-created community-based organization, the applicant should describe the prior performance of its management team in developing and managing projects or programs similar to the proposed Promise Neighborhood.

4. Describe how the applicant will plan to sustain and scale up the proposed Promise Neighborhood over time. This must include a description of how the applicant will estimate during the planning phase the start-up and operating costs, including indirect and administrative costs, to serve each child by each solution proposed in its application, and how the applicant will measure these costs during the implementation phase.

5. Describe the commitment the applicant anticipates receiving from key stakeholders by—

1. Providing a preliminary memorandum of understanding, signed by each organization or agency with which it will partner in planning the proposed Promise Neighborhood, that describes

1. each partner’s commitment;

2. how each partner’s vision, theory of action, and existing activities align with those of the proposed Promise Neighborhood; and

3. The governance structure of the proposed Promise Neighborhood.

2. Describinghow they will plan to secure a commitment from local and State government leaders to develop an infrastructure of policies, practices, systems, and resources that supports the continuum of solutions in the proposed Promise Neighborhood and scales up those elements of the continuum that are proven effective.

6. Describe how the applicant will use data to manage program implementation, drive decision-making, engage stakeholders, and measure success. This description must include—

1. A proposal to plan, build, or expand a longitudinal data system that measures academic and community support indicators for all children in the neighborhood, disaggregated by subgroups defined in section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA;

2. A description of how the applicant will plan and implement the system, including how the applicant will link the system to school-based data systems, make the data accessible to program partners while abiding by privacy laws and requirements, and manage and maintain the system;

3. A description of how the applicant plans to work with an independent evaluator during the planning year to collect reliable baseline indicator data, and gather real-time data both in the planning year and once the Promise Neighborhood is implemented, for continuous program improvement; and

4. A description of how the applicant will document the planning process.

7. Identify and describe the academic and community support indicators that the applicant will use for baseline data collection during the planning year. The 10 common indicators (academic and community support) prescribed by the Department in this notice and up to five additional locally-defined community support indicators will allow the Secretary to compare the progress of various Promise Neighborhood projects while also providing flexibility for Promise Neighborhood grantees to determine the most important community support indicators in their neighborhood. Applicants--

1. Must use the five academic indicators, which the Secretary has prescribed for both accountability and monitoring;

2. Must collect baseline data for the five community support indicators prescribed by the Department for monitoring; and

3. May develop and use their own community support indicator(s) or use the indicator(s) prescribed by the Secretary for accountability.

The academic indicators and results they are intended to measure are:

RESULT	INDICATOR
Children are prepared for kindergarten.	- Number(#) and percentage (%) of three-year-olds and children in kindergarten who demonstrate at the beginning of the school year age appropriate functioning across multiple domains of early learning (as defined in this notice) as determined by developmentally-appropriate early learning measures (as defined in this notice)
Students are proficient in core academic subjects.	- # & % of students at or above grade level according to State mathematics and English Language Arts assessments in at least the grades required by the ESEA (3rd through 8th and once in high school)
Students successfully transition from middle grades to high school.	- Average daily attendance rate of students in 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade
Youth graduate from high school.	- Graduation rate (as defined in this notice)
High school graduates attain a postsecondary degree or training.	- # & % of Promise Neighborhood graduates with a regular high school diploma, as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b)(iv), who attain postsecondary degrees, vocational certificates, or other postsecondary training

The community support indicators and results they are intended to measure are:

RESULT	INDICATOR2
Students are healthy.	- # & % of children who participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily and consume fruits and vegetables five or more times per day; or - possible second indicator, to be determined (TBD) by applicant
Students feel safe at school and in their community.	- # & % of students who feel safe at school and traveling to and from school as measured by a school climate survey (as defined in this notice); or - possible second indicator, TBD by applicant
Students live in stable communities.	- Student mobility rate (as defined in this notice); or - possible second indicator, TBD by applicant
Families and community members support learning in Promise Neighborhood schools.	- # & % of students who say they have a caring adult in their home, school, and community; or - possible second indicator TBD by applicant
Students have access to 21st century learning tools	- # & % of students who have school and home access (and % of the day they have access) to broadband internet (as defined in this notice) and a connected computing device; or - possible second indicator TBD by applicant

These indicators are not meant to limit an applicant from collecting data for additional indicators, including such leading and intermediate indicators as enrollment in quality early learning programs in the neighborhood or the percent of young children who are read to frequently by family members, to measure the academic and community support results.

Competitive Preference Priorities: These priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.102(c)(2)(1) we award up to an additional 2 points to an application, depending on how well the application meets competitive preference priority 1, and an additional 1 point per priority for competitive preference priorities 2, 3, and 4,, depending on how well the application meets the priority.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1—Promise Neighborhoods in Rural Communities.

The Secretary establishes a priority = for projects proposing to develop plans in rural communities, as defined in this notice.

Competitive Preference Priority 2—Quality Internet Connectivity.

The Secretary establishes a priority for projects proposing to develop plans to ensure that all students in the proposed Promise Neighborhood have broadband internet access (as defined in this notice) at home and at school, a connected computing device, and the knowledge and skills to effectively use broadband internet access and a connected computing device to support schoolwork.

Competitive Preference Priority 3—Civic Engagement.

The Secretary establishes a priority for projects proposing to develop plans to include meaningful civic engagement opportunities for the community (e.g., efforts to increase the participation of residents in decisions that affect their community and may improve school performance and to use the perspectives of residents in shaping and evaluating programs, and service-learning programs for students and families that address specific challenges in the Promise Neighborhood).

Competitive Preference Priority 4—Access to the Arts and Humanities.

The Secretary establishes a priority for projects proposing to develop plans to include opportunities for residents to experience and participate actively in the arts and humanities in their community to broaden, enrich, and enliven the educational, cultural, and civic experiences available in the neighborhood. The arts and humanities as part of a complete education for all early learners, elementary students, and secondary students, may include but are not limited to drama, music, writing, visual art, dance, media art, and foreign languages. Proposals may include programs that offer these disciplines in school and out-of-school settings, and at any time during the calendar year.

Definitions: We are establishing these definitions for the FY 2010 grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).

Academic programs means programs that include, but are not limited to--

1. High-quality early learning programs designed to improve outcomes in multiple domains of early learning (as defined in this notice) for young children. Such programs are specifically intended to align standards practices, strategies, or programs across as broad an age range as birth through 3^rd grade to ensure that young children enter kindergarten demonstrating age-appropriate functioning across the multiple domains;

2. Programs, policies, and personnel used in effective schools (as defined in this notice) that are linked to high academic outcomes, including

1. Effective teachers and principals (as defined in this notice);

2. Strategies, practices, or programs that encourage and facilitate the evaluation, analysis, and use of student achievement, student growth, and other data by educators, families, and other stakeholders to inform decision-making; and

3. College- and career-readiness standards and assessments, including curricular and instructional practices, strategies, or programs in core academic subjects as defined in section 9101 of the ESEA that are aligned with high academic content and achievement standards and with high-quality assessments based on those standards.

3. Preparing students for college and career success, including programs that

1. Create and support partnerships with community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities and that help instill a college-going culture in the neighborhood (as defined in this notice);

2. Provide dual-enrollment opportunities for secondary students to gain college credit while in high school; work with businesses and other institutions to provide apprenticeship programs to students; and

3. Align curricula in the core academic subjects with requirements for industry-recognized certifications or credentials in 21^st century careers, particularly in high-growth sectors; and provide access to career and technical education programs so that individuals can attain the skills necessary for success in postsecondary training programs and career choices.

Broadband internet access means internet access that is sufficient so that community members have the internet available when and where they need it and for the use they require.

College-going culture means a local culture that includes an expectation that all students in the proposed Promise Neighborhood will have the academic preparation, financial resources, and other supports necessary to go to college or pursue other postsecondary training. The expectation is apparent in the attitudes, experiences, practices, beliefs, and values of individuals in the community.

Community-based organization means an entity that

1. is representative of the proposed Promise Neighborhood (as defined in this notice);

2. is one of the following—

1. a nonprofit organization that meets the definition of a nonprofit under 34 CFR. 77.1(c), which may include a faith-based organization, or the definition of an institution of higher education as defined by section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended; or

2. a charter school as defined by section 5210(1) of the ESEA; and

3. currently provides at least one of the solutions from the applicant’s continuum of solutions in the geographic area proposed as a Promise Neighborhood.

Community supports means:

1. Student health programs such as mental and physical health programs, and programs to improve nutrition and fitness, reduce childhood obesity, and create healthier communities;

2. Safety programs such as programs in school and out of school to prevent, control, and reduce crime, drug abuse, and gang activity, programs that prevent child abuse and neglect, and programs to prevent truancy, and reduce and prevent bullying;

3. Community stability programs such asprograms that

1. Increase the stability of families in communities by expanding access to quality, affordable housing; programs that provide legal support to help families secure clear legal title to their homes;

2. Provide employment opportunities, training to improve job skills and readiness, and decrease unemployment;

3. Improve families’ awareness of, access to, and the use of a range of social services, if possible at a single location;

4. Provide unbiased, outcome-focused, and comprehensive financial education, inside and outside the classroom and at every life stage;

5. Increase access to traditional financial institutions (e.g., banks and credit unions) vis-à-vis alternative financial institutions (e.g., check cashers and payday lenders);

6. Help families increase their financial assets and savings; and

7. Help families access transportation to education and employment opportunities.

4. Parent and community engagement programs such as programs that provide training and opportunities for parents and other members of the community to support student learning, mentorship programs that create positive relationships between children and adults, and programs that provide for the use of such community resources as libraries, museums, and local businesses to support successful academic outcomes; and

5. 21^st century learning tools such as programs and resources that bring technology directly to students for use in the classroom and the community, and that support them in their education. These programs allow students to access tools and resources that help them develop skills in such areas as reading and writing, mathematics, research, critical thinking, communication, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Continuum of cradle-through-college-and-career solutions means solutions that are evidence-based (as defined in this notice), linked and integrated seamlessly (as defined in this notice) and include both academic programs and community supports.

Developmentally appropriate early learning measures means a range of assessment instruments that are used in ways consistent with the purposes for which they were designed and validated; appropriate for the ages and other characteristics of the children being assessed; designed and validated for use with children whose ages, cultures, home languages, socioeconomic status, abilities and disabilities, and other characteristics are similar to those of the children with whom the assessments will be used; and in compliance with the measurement standards set forth by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME) in the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.

Effective principal means a principal whose students, overall and for each subgroup, as defined in section 111(b)(2) of the ESEA, achieve acceptable rates (e.g., at least one grade level in an academic year) of student growth (as defined in this notice). This definition must include multiple measures, provided that principal effectiveness is evaluated, in significant part, by student growth.Supplemental measures may include, for example, high school graduation rates and college enrollment rates, as well as evidence of providing supportive teaching and learning conditions, strong instructional leadership, and positive family and community engagement.

Effective school means a public school that has--

1. Significantly closed the achievement gaps between subgroups of students within the school or district defined in section 111(b)(3)(C)(xiii)of the ESEA, (i.e., economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students with limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities); or

2. (i) Demonstrated success in significantly increasing student academic achievement for all subgroups of students in the school described in section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA; and

2. Made significant improvements in other areas, such as graduation rates (as defined in this notice) or increased recruitment and placement of effective teachers and effective principals (as defined in this notice).

Effective teacher means a teacher whose students achieve acceptable rates (e.g., at least one grade level in an academic year) of student growth (as defined in this notice). This definition must include multiple measures, provided that teacher effectiveness is evaluated, in significant part, by student growth. Supplemental measures may include, for example, multiple observation-based assessments of teacher performance.

Evidence-based means--

1. Strong evidence, which is evidence from previous studies with designs that can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal validity);

2. Moderate evidence, which means evidence from previous studies with designs that can support causal conclusions (i.e., studies with high internal validity) but have limited generalizability (i.e., moderate external validity) or studies with high external validity but moderate internal validity; or

3. A reasonable hypothesis, which is based (1) on research findings, including related research or theories in education and other sectors or (2) evidence that a proposed practice, strategy, or program, or one similar to it, has been attempted previously, on a limited scale or in a limited setting, and yielded promising results that suggest that more formal and systematic study is warranted.

Graduation rate means the four-year or extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate as defined by 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1). This definition is not meant to limit a grantee from also collecting information about the reasons why students do not graduate from the target high school, e.g., , dropping out or moving outside of the school district for non-academic or academic reasons. 

Increased learning time means a program that uses a longer school day, week, or year schedule to increase significantly the total number of school hours. It is used to redesign the school’s program in a manner that includes additional time for (a) instruction in core academic subjects as defined in section 9101 of the ESEA; (b) instruction in other subjects and enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded education, including, for example, physical education, service learning, and experiential and work-based learning opportunities that are provided by partnering, as appropriate, with other organizations; and (c) teachers to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development within and across grades and subjects.

Indicators of need mean currently available data that describe:

1. Academic need:

   1. All or a portion of the neighborhood includes or is within the attendance zone of a low-performing school that is a high school, especially one in which the graduation rate (as defined in this notice) is less than 60 percent; or other proxy indicator such as students’ on-time progression from grade to grade; and

   2. Other indicators of academic need such as significant achievement gaps between subgroups of students as described in Section 111(b)(3)(C)(xiii)of the ESEA,, or other proxy indicator of academic need such as high teacher and principal turnover, or high student absenteeism; and

2. Community support need:

   1. Percentages of children with preventable chronic health conditions (e.g., lead poisoning, poor nutrition, obesity) or avoidable developmental delays;

   2. Crime rates;

   3. The student mobility rate;

   4. Teen pregnancy rates;

   5. Percentage of children in single-parent or no-parent families; or

   6. Percentage of the residents living in at or below the federal poverty threshold.

Linked and integrated seamlessly, with respect to the continuum of solutions, means solutions that share outcomes, focus on similar milestones, support transitional time periods such as the beginning of kindergarten or graduation from high school, along the continuum of cradle-through-college-and-career, and, address time and resource gaps that create obstacles for students in making academic progress.

Low performing schools means Title I schools in corrective action or restructuring in the State, as determined by section 1116 of the ESEA, and the secondary schools (both middle and high schools) in the State that are equally as low-achieving as these Title I schools and are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds.

Multiple domains of early learning means physical well-being and motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to learning; language development, including emergent literacy; and cognition and general knowledge, including mathematics and science.

Representative of the proposed Promise Neighborhood means that community members have an active role in decision-making and that at least one third of the community-based organization’s governing board or advisory board is made up of--

1. Residents who live in the neighborhood,

2. Residents of the city or county who are low-income (which means earning less than 80 percent of the area’s median income as published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development),

3. Elected officials who represent the neighborhood (although not more than one third of the governing board or advisory board may be made up of representatives from the public sector), or

4. Some combination of the three groups.

Rural community means a community that is served by an LEA that is eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program or the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized under Title VI, Part B of the ESEA. Applicants may determine whether a particular LEA is eligible for these programs by referring to information on the following Department Web sites. For the SRSA: www.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligible08/index.html. For the RLIS: www.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/eligibility.html.

Segmentation analysis means the process of grouping children and families in the Promise Neighborhood according to indicators of need, as defined in this notice, or other relevant information to differentiate and better target interventions.

School climate survey means a survey that uses student, staff, and family perception data to evaluate how school connectedness, school safety, and the school environment promote or inhibit student academic performance.

Student achievement means—

1. For tested grades and subjects:

1. A student’s score on the State’s assessments under the ESEA; and, as appropriate,

2. other measures of student learning, such as those described in paragraph (b) of this definition, provided they are rigorous and comparable across classrooms.

2. For non-tested grades and subjects: alternative measures of student learning and performance such as student scores on pre-tests and end-of-course tests; student performance on English language proficiency assessments; and other measures of student achievement that are rigorous and comparable across classrooms.

Student growth means the change in achievement data for an individual student between two or more points in time. Growth may also include other measures that are rigorous and comparable across classrooms.

Student mobility rate is calculated by dividing the total number of new student entries and withdrawals at a school during the academic year by the first official enrollment number of the academic year. This definition is not meant to limit a grantee from also collecting information about why students enter or withdraw from the school, e.g., transferring to charter schools, moving outside of the school district for non-academic or academic reasons. 

Targeted approaches to reform include, but are not limited to--

1. Providing increased learning time, as defined in this notice;

2. Integrating student supports to address non-academic barriers to student achievement, especially ensuring that students have access to community supports as described in the results and indicators section of this notice; or

3. Creating multiple pathways for students to earn regular high school diplomas (e.g., schools that serve the needs of over-aged and under credited students and other students with exceptional need for flexibility, awarding credit based on demonstrated evidence of student competency, offering dual-enrollment options).

Whole-school reform means comprehensive interventions to assist, augment, or replace low-performing schools. This may include implementing one of the four school intervention models (school turnaround, restart, closure, or transformation models of intervention) described in Appendix C of the Race to the Top Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 10, 74 FR 59836, 59866 (November 18, 2009).

Note regarding whole-school reform: To fully support efforts by an applicant and LEA to intervene in low-performing schools, the Secretary believes there is a need for flexibility in interventions. So as not to penalize an applicant from working with an LEA that has implemented rigorous reform strategies prior to the publication of this notice, an applicant is not required to propose a new whole-school reform strategy over an existing whole-school reform strategy in order to be eligible for a Promise Neighborhoods planning grant. For example, an LEA might have begun to implement improvement activities that meet many, but not all of the elements of a transformation model school intervention. In this case, the applicant could propose, as part of its Promise Neighborhoods project to work with the LEA as the LEA continues with its transformation model intervention.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements and regulations governing the first grant competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant competition for Promise Neighborhood planning grants and, therefore, qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on the priorities, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria under section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities, definitions, requirements, and selection criteria will apply to the FY 2010 grant competition only.

Program Authority: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 provided funds and directed the Department of Education (ED) to hold a competition for the Promise Neighborhoods program under the legislative authority of FIE, , ESEA Title V, Part D, Subpart 1, sections 5411-5413, 20 U.S.C. 7243-7423b.

Applicable 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.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes. Note: The regulations in part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only. II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds: $10,000,000

Estimated Range of Awards: $400,000 - $500,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $450,000.

Maximum Award: The maximum award amount is $500,000. We may choose not to further consider or review applications with budget requests that exceed this amount, if we conclude, during our initial review of the application, that the proposed goals and objectives cannot be obtained with the specified maximum award amount.

Estimated Number of Awards: 20.

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

Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: In order to receive funding, an applicant must be a community-based organization that partners with at least one school in a proposed Promise Neighborhood with the explicit permission of the school’s LEA, or charter authorizer if the school is a charter school. Eligible applicants may also partner with an LEA, State and local government leaders, and providers of community supports. Partnering with such entities is strongly encouraged but is not required.

2. Cost-Sharing or Matching: To be eligible for an award, an applicant must demonstrate that it has established a commitment from one or more entities in the public or private sector, which may include philanthropic organizations, to provide financial assistance, and that the entities will provide matching funds for the planning process. An applicant must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations for the planning process equal to at least 50 percent of its grant award, except that a rural community (as defined in this notice) must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations equal to at least 25 percent of the grant award. All applicants must demonstrate a commitment of matching funds in its application. The Secretary may consider decreasing the matching requirement in the most exceptional circumstances, on a case-by case basis. An applicant that is unable to meet the matching requirement must include in its application a request to the Secretary to reduce the matching level requirement, along with a statement of the basis for the request.

3. Participation in a Community of Practice: Grantees will be required to participate in, organize, or facilitate, as appropriate, communities of practice for the Promise Neighborhoods program. A community of practice is a group of grantees that agrees to interact regularly to solve a persistent problem or improve practice in an area that is important to them and the success of their project. Establishment of communities of practice under the Promise Neighborhoods Program will enable grantees to meet, discuss, and collaborate with each other regarding grantee projects.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Larkin Tackett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W338, LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-5970. 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.

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 competition.

Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending a short e-mail message indicating the applicant’s intent to submit an application for funding. The e-mail need not include information regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant’s intent to submit it. This e-mail notification should be sent to- [email protected] with “PN Intent to Apply” in the subject heading. Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still apply for funding.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application.

You must limit the application narrative (Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 35 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.

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the memorandum of understanding, or the match commitment.. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative section (Part III).

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: [INSERT DATE 30 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Date of Pre-Application Meetings: The Department will hold pre-application meetings for prospective applicants. We will make available information on the dates, times, and locations of these meetings through a notice published in the Federal Register and through the Department of Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: [INSERT DATE 70 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-Application) accessible through the Department’s e-Grants site. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, 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: [INSERT DATE 130 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

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 competition.

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 program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the Promise Neighborhood Program--CFDA Number 84.215? must be submitted electronically using e-Application, accessible through the Department’s e-Grants web site at http://e-grants.ed.gov.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

While completing your electronic application, you will be entering data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

Please note the following:

• You must complete the electronic submission of your grant application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this program after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process.

• The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.

• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

• You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: the Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified in this paragraph or submit a password protected file, we will not review that material.

• Your electronic application must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice.

• Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may wish to print a copy of it for your records.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number (an identifying number unique to your application).

• Within three working days after submitting your electronic application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control Center after following these steps:

(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.

(2) The applicant’s Authorizing Representative must sign this form.

(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.

(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 245-6272.

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on other forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because e-Application is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--

(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have initiated an electronic application for this competition; and

(2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date; or

(b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For Further Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through e-Application because––

• You do not have access to the Internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to e-Application;

and

• No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

Address and mail or fax your statement to: Larkin Tackett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W338, Washington, DC 20202. FAX: (202) 401-4123.

Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. 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 215?)

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.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You 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 215?)

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 4:30:00 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 grant notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: We are establishing selection criteria for the FY 2010 grant competition only in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). For this selection criteria, we rely in large part on the criteria in 34 CFR 75.210, with some minor modifications to tailor the criteria to this program.

1. The maximum score for all the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses with the criterion.The selection criteria are as follows: Need for project (up to 10 points).

   1. The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project.

   2. In determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers--

      1. The magnitude or severity of the problem(s) to be addressed by the proposed project; and

      2. The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses.

2. Significance (up to 10 points).

   1. The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.

   2. In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers--

      1. The likelihood that the proposed project will result in long-term systems change or improvement;

      2. The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the needs of the target population;

      3. The extent to which the proposed project involves the development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, or are alternatives to, existing strategies; and

      4. The potential to apply the model of the proposed project or strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation in a variety of settings.

3. Quality of the project design (up to 20 points).

   1. The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.

   2. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

      1. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable;

      2. The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, State, and Federal resources; and

      3. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

4. Quality of project services (up to 15 points).

   1. The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project.

   2. In determining the quality of the project services, the Secretary considers--

      1. The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice, including the extent to which the applicant describes the evidence associated with each solution, and

      2. The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as measured against rigorous academic standards.

5. Quality of project personnel (up to 25 points).

   1. The Secretary considers the quality of the project personnel who will carry out the proposed project.

   2. In determining the quality of the project personnel, the Secretary considers

      1. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of the applicant, including the project director and the prior performance of the applicant on similar or related efforts to the proposed Promise Neighborhood; and

      2. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.

6. Quality of the management plan (up to 20 points).

   1. The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.

   2. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers

      1. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks;

      2. How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate; and

      3. The potential for continued support of the project after Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated commitment of appropriate entities to such support.

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 in 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: At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html

4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established one performance indicator: the percentage of planning grantees that produce a high quality plan as measured by their receiving at least 90 percent of possible points in the competition for FY 2011 implementation grants. All grantees will be required to submit a final performance report documenting their contribution in assisting the Department in measuring the performance of the program against this indicator, as well as performance on project-specific indicators.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Larkin Tackett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W338, Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 453-6615 or by e-mail: [email protected]

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: www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.

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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html

Dated:

__________________________

James H. Shelton, III

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.

1 Sharkey, P. (2009). Neighborhood and the Black-White Mobility Gap. Philadelphia, PA: Economic Mobility Project: An Initiative of The Pew Charitable Trust.

2 The first community support indicator for each result is prescribed by the Department and used for monitoring. The second community support indicator may be selected by the applicant to be used for accountability. See the results and indicators described in the text for more information.

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