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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

84.336:  Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants

Objectives:  To improve student achievement; improve the quality of the current and future teaching force by improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities; hold institutions of higher education accountable for preparing teachers who have the necessary teaching skills and are highly competent in the academic content areas in which the teachers plan to teach, such as mathematics, science, English, foreign language, history, economics, art, civics, Government, and geography, including training in the effective uses of technology in the classroom; and recruit highly qualified individuals, including individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

84.336 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Eligible States and partnerships consist of high-need local educational agencies; this refers to an agency that serves an elementary school or secondary school located in an area containing: 1) A high percentage of individuals or families with incomes below the poverty line, 2) a high percentage of secondary teachers not teaching in the content area that they were trained to teach, or 3) a high teacher turnover rate. An accredited institution of higher education, with a teacher training program must demonstrate the following: (A) A graduate from the teacher training program exhibits strong performance on State-determined qualifying assessments for new teachers through demonstrating that 80 percent or more of the graduates of the program intending to enter the field of teaching have passed all of the applicable State qualification assessments for new teachers including an assessment of each prospective teacher's subject matter knowledge in the content area or areas in which the teacher intends to teach; (B) be ranked among the highest-performing teacher preparation programs in the State as determined by the State; (C) the teacher training program requires all the students of the program to participate in intensive clinical experience that meets high academic standards in the case of secondary candidates to successfully complete an academic major in the subject area in which the candidate intends to teach; (D) competence through a high level of performance in relevant content area; (F) successful completion of an academic major in the arts and sciences in the case of elementary school candidates, or (G) competence through a high level of performance in core academic subjects areas. (Note: Entities that may constitute a partnership are specifically listed in the Law.)

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Benefiting are students and communities within the high-need area.

Credentials/Documentation:  None.

84.336 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  This program is eligible under Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact their State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure:  In any fiscal year in which funds are available for new awards, the Department of Education publishes a notice in the Federal Register inviting applications and establishing a deadline date. An application package is available from the Office of Higher Education Programs. Copies are available on the web page and will also be mailed upon request. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:  Peer review panels composed of representatives from public and private higher education, State and local educational agencies with expertise in teacher education are designated to review applications.

Deadlines:  The deadline date is published in the Federal Register.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  Notification usually is made with 4 months of the deadline for submission of applicants.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  Applications for renewal of multi-year projects are processed and funded before those for new projects. Renewals are subject to the availability of funds.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Contact the Program Office for this information.

Examples of Funded Projects:  This is a new program; examples are not yet available.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  The fiscal year 1999 average award for State grants is $1,392,000; for partnership grants $1,336,000; and for teacher recruitment grants $344,000.

84.336 RELATED PROGRAMS:

84.336 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

84.336 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants (Discretionary).

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $77,212,000; FY 00 est $98,000,000; and FY 01 est $98,000,000.

Budget Account Number:  91-0201-0-1-502.

Authorization:  Higher Education Act of 1965, Title II, Public Law 105-244.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Contact the Program Office for additional information.

84.336 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Higher Education Programs, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20202. Contact: Louis Venuto. Phone: (202) 708-8596.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

84.336 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  This program has statutory requirements as follows: State applicants are required to match 50 percent of the grant. Partnership applicants are required to match at 25 percent the first year of the grants, 35 percent in the second year of grant, and 50 percent in the third through fifth years of the grant.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Grants may be awarded for up to 3 years for State applicants and for up to 5 years for partnership applicants, subject to the availability of funds.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Awards may be used to reform teacher preparation programs, reform certification and licensure requirements, provide alternatives to traditional preparation for teaching, create alternative routes to State certification, develop and implement effective mechanisms for recruitment, pay, and removal of teachers, address the problem of social promotion, and to recruit teachers.

84.336 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  A final performance report is required.

Audits:  In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a hear in Federal awards are exempt from Federal Audit requirements for that year, except as noted in circular No. A-133.

Records:  Records supporting claims under a grant must be maintained for 5 years after termination of the awards.