2021-11940.pdf

30292 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices collection and additional follow-up data collections beyond high school are also planned.

In preparation for the HS&B:22 Base- Year Full-Scale study (BYFS), scheduled to take place in the fall of 2022, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved (OMB# 1850– 0944 v.1–5) a request to conduct the HS&B:22 Base-Year Field Test (BYFT) and the BYFS sampling and state, school district, school, and parent recruitment activities, both of which began in the fall of 2019. These activities include collecting student rosters and selecting the BYFS sample.

BYFT activities ended in December 2019.

The study initially planned to conduct its BYFS data collection in the fall of 2020. Due to the COVID–19 pandemic, it was decided to postpone this collection by two years. OMB provided approval to adjust the schedule in June 2020, October 2020, and January 2021 (OMB# 1850–0944 v.6–8). The base year full-scale data collection will now take place in fall 2022. This submission requests approval to (1) freshen the school sample to account for the two-year delay after the sample was drawn; (2) add survey items related to the COVID–19 pandemic to the surveys; (3) track the field test sample; and (4) begin sampling and recruitment activities for the first follow-up field test. For the field test follow-up, students who participated in the base year field test will be tracked to inform the main study, but the field test follow-up data collection will occur one year later with a new sample of twelfth grade students.

Part A of this submission presents information on the basic design of HS&B:22. Part B discusses the statistical methods employed. Part C presents justification for the questionnaire content. Appendix A provides the communication materials to be used during state, school district, school, and parent BYFS recruitment and data collection activities. Appendix B provides the full-scale data collection instruments.

Dated: June 2, 2021.

Juliana Pearson, PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.

[FR Doc. 2021–11860 Filed 6–4–21; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards;

Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program—Mid-Phase Grants

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 for the EIR program—Mid-phase Grants, Assistance Listing Number 84.411B (Mid-phase Grants). This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1894–0006.

DATES:

Applications Available: June 7, 2021.

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:

June 28, 2021.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: July 7, 2021.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: September 7, 2021.

Pre-Application Information: The

Department will post additional competition information for prospective applicants on the EIR program website:

https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/ innovation-early-learning/education-innovation-and-research-eir/fy-2021-competition/.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768) and available at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019- 02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Yvonne Crockett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E344, Washington, DC 20202– 5900. Telephone: (202) 453–7122.

Email: eir@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1–800–877– 8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The EIR program, established under section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA), provides funding to create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and rigorously evaluate such innovations. The EIR program is designed to generate and validate solutions to persistent education challenges and to support the expansion of those solutions to serve substantially larger numbers of students.

The central design element of the EIR program is its multi-tier structure that links the amount of funding an applicant may receive to the quality of the evidence supporting the efficacy of the proposed project, with the expectation that projects that build this evidence will advance through EIR’s grant tiers: ‘‘Early-phase,’’ ‘‘Mid-phase,’’ and ‘‘Expansion.’’

The Department awards three types of grants under this program: ‘‘Early-phase’’ grants, ‘‘Mid-phase’’ grants, and ‘‘Expansion’’ grants. These grants differ in terms of the level of prior evidence of effectiveness required for consideration for funding, the expectations regarding the kind of evidence and information funded projects should produce, the level of scale funded projects should reach, and, consequently, the amount of funding available to support each type of project.

Mid-phase grants are supported by moderate evidence (as defined in this notice). The Department expects that Mid-phase grants will be used to fund implementation and a rigorous evaluation of a program that has been successfully implemented under an Early-phase grant or other effort meeting similar criteria, for the purpose of measuring the program’s impact and cost-effectiveness, if possible using existing administrative data.

This notice invites applications for Mid-phase grants only. The notice inviting applications for Expansion grants is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The notice inviting applications for Early-phase grants will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.

Background: While this notice is for the Mid-phase tier only, the premise of the EIR program is that new and innovative programs and practices can help to solve the persistent problems in education that prevent students, particularly high-need students, from succeeding. These innovations need to be evaluated, and, if sufficient evidence of effectiveness can be demonstrated, the intent is for these innovations to be replicated and tested in new populations and settings. EIR is not intended to provide support for practices that are already commonly implemented by educators, unless significant adaptations of such practices

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E S http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf mailto:eir@ed.gov https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/innovation-early-learning/education-innovation-and-research-eir/fy-2021-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/innovation-early-learning/education-innovation-and-research-eir/fy-2021-competition/

30293 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices warrant testing to determine if they can accelerate achievement, or greatly increase the efficiency and likelihood that they can be widely implemented in a variety of new populations and settings effectively.

As an EIR project is implemented, grantees are encouraged to learn more about how the practices improve student achievement and attainment;

and to develop increasingly rigorous evidence of effectiveness and new strategies to efficiently and cost-effectively scale to new school districts, regions, and States. We encourage applicants to develop a logic model (as defined in this notice), theory of action, or another conceptual framework that includes the goals, objectives, outcomes, and key project components (as defined in this notice) of the project.

All EIR applicants and grantees should also consider how they need to develop their organizational capacity, project financing, or business plans to sustain their projects and continue implementation and adaptation after Federal funding ends. The Department intends to provide grantees with technical assistance in their dissemination, scaling, and sustainability efforts.

EIR is designed to offer opportunities for States, districts, schools, and educators to develop innovations and scale effective practices that address their most pressing challenges.

Mid-phase projects are expected to refine and expand the use of practices with prior evidence of effectiveness in order to improve outcomes for high-need students. They are also expected to generate important information about an intervention’s effectiveness, including for whom and in which contexts a practice is most effective, as well as cost-effectiveness. Mid-phase projects are uniquely positioned to help answer critical questions about the process of scaling a practice to the regional or national levels (as defined in this notice) across geographies. Mid-phase grantees are encouraged to consider how the cost structure of a practice can change as the intervention scales.

Additionally, grantees may want to consider multiple ways to facilitate implementation fidelity without making scaling too onerous.

Mid-phase applicants are encouraged to design an evaluation that has the potential to meet the strong evidence (as defined in this notice) threshold. Mid-phase grantees should measure the cost effectiveness of their practices using administrative or other readily available data. These types of efforts are critical to sustaining and scaling EIR-funded effective practices after the EIR grant period ends, assuming that the practice has positive effects on important student outcomes. In order to support adoption or replication by other entities, the evaluation of a Mid-phase project should identify and codify the core elements of the EIR-supported practice that the project implements, and examine the effectiveness of the project for any new populations or settings that are included in the project. The Department intends to provide grantees and their independent evaluators with evaluation technical assistance. This evaluation technical assistance could include grantees and their independent evaluators providing to the Department or its contractor updated comprehensive evaluation plans in a format as requested by the technical assistance provider and using such tools as the Department may request. Grantees will be encouraged to update this evaluation plan at least annually to reflect any changes to the evaluation, with updates consistent with the scope and objectives of the approved application.

The FY 2021 Mid-phase competition includes four absolute priorities, one competitive preference priority, and two invitational priorities. All Mid-phase applicants must address Absolute Priority 1. Mid-phase applicants are also required to address one of the other three absolute priorities. Applicants addressing Absolute Priority 3 also have the option to address the competitive preference priority. Applicants have the option of addressing one or more of the invitational priorities and may opt to do so regardless of the absolute priority they select.

Absolute Priority 1—Moderate Evidence establishes the evidence requirement for this tier of grants. All Mid-phase applicants must submit prior evidence of effectiveness that meets the moderate evidence standard.

Absolute Priority 2—Field-Initiated Innovations—General allows applicants to propose projects that align with the intent of the EIR program statute: To create and take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment.

Absolute Priority 3—Field-Initiated Innovations—Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) is intended to support innovations to improve student achievement and attainment in the STEM field, consistent with efforts to ensure our Nation’s economic competitiveness by improving and expanding STEM learning and engagement, including computer science (as defined in this notice).

In Absolute Priority 3, the Department recognizes the importance of funding

Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) through grade 12 STEM education and anticipates that projects would expand opportunities for high-need students. Within this absolute priority, the Department includes a competitive preference priority that focuses on expanding opportunities in computer science for underserved populations such as minorities, girls, and youth from rural communities and low-income families, to help reduce achievement and attainment gaps in a manner consistent with nondiscrimination requirements contained in the U.S. Constitution and Federal civil rights laws.

Absolute Priority 4—Field-Initiated Innovations—Fostering Knowledge and Promoting the Development of Skills That Prepare Students To Be Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Individuals and Citizens, is intended to advance innovation, build evidence, and address the learning and achievement of high-need students beginning in Pre-K through grade 12. The priority promotes social and emotional learning (SEL) skills that prepare students to be informed, thoughtful, and productive individuals.

The two invitational priorities highlight the Administration’s acknowledgment of the timely and urgent needs in Pre-K–12 education related to addressing the impact of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID–19) and promoting equity.

Invitational Priority 1—Innovative Approaches to Addressing the Impact of COVID–19 on Underserved Students and Educators is intended to encourage applicants to propose projects that focus on the needs of underserved students most impacted by COVID–19. COVID– 19 has caused unprecedented disruption in schools across the country and drawn renewed attention to the ongoing challenges for underserved students. In response to the pandemic, educators have mobilized and continue to address the needs of all students. Researchers and educators are now working to understand and address the impact of inconsistent access to instruction, services, and supports, and other challenges.

State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and nonprofit organizations play essential roles in building capacity at the State and local level that both respond to current crises, and also create the systems and structures to support long-term change. The Department is interested in projects that develop and evaluate evidence-based, field-initiated innovations for addressing the impact of COVID–19 in ways that accelerate learning for students and address

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30294 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices students’ social, emotional, physical and mental health, and academic needs, with a focus on targeting resources and supports to underserved students. The EIR program statute refers to ‘‘high-needs students.’’ In addressing the needs of underserved students, the statutory requirement for serving ‘‘high-needs students’’ can also be addressed.

Projects that include collaboration with key stakeholders are particularly encouraged to understand and support students’ needs by addressing historical educational inequities and the impact of the COVID–19 pandemic (namely, the interruption of traditional patterns of education due to school closures and the disproportionate social, emotional, physical and mental health, and academic impacts on particular student groups). Examples might include re-engaging students by implementing and continuously improving student-centered, technology-enabled learning models, utilizing multi-tier systems of support, providing trauma-informed practice, leveraging embedded diagnostic or formative assessments to personalize learning, and providing other evidence-based supports and educational opportunities to accelerate grade-level student learning.

The Department seeks innovative strategies under this priority that support students’ success in the classroom; are delivered by qualified individuals (based on requirements established by the applicant) who receive adequate training and support;

and are aligned with students’ learning experiences in their classrooms. This includes incorporating those innovations and technology practices from the last year that have improved student’s learning experiences to supplementally support and enhance the return to in-person learning. As we work to transform the current crisis-driven response into a long-term, sustainable, and resilient learning ecosystem, technology will be an invaluable component to meet the needs of variable and diverse learners, support teachers, and provide school and district leaders with flexible models to support learning.

Invitational Priority 2—Promoting Equity and Adequacy in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities is intended to offer applicants the option of proposing projects that promote equity. Improving educational equity and adequacy is a priority for the Nation’s education system, with particular emphasis on supporting underserved students. For example, the Department’s 2018 news release on STEM course-taking reported that of students enrolled in Calculus courses, 8 percent were Black, when Black students represent 16 percent of high school enrollment. A similar trend exists for physics courses in which 12 percent of Black students were enrolled.

(U.S. Department of Education’s 2015– 16 Civil Rights Data Collect STEM Course Taking Report, 2018).

Additionally, during the 2015–16 school year, African American male students comprised 8 percent of students enrolled and 25 percent of students who received an out-of-school suspension. National data show that African American girls are 5.5 times more likely and Native American girls are 3 times more likely to be suspended from school than White girls (U.S.

Department of Education’s 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection School Climate and Safety Report, 2018).

Research shows, however, that these disparities are not the result of differences in behavior, but rather perceptions of student behavior. The Department is interested in projects that address these discipline disparities which contribute to missed learning opportunities.

Although multiple factors influence teacher impact on student achievement, data suggests that teacher experience and certification impact educational equity. Schools with high enrollments of students of color were four times as likely to employ uncertified teachers as were schools with low enrollment of students of color. Students in schools with high enrollments of students of color also have less access to experienced teachers. In these schools, nearly one in every six teachers is just beginning his or her career, compared to one in every 10 teachers in schools with low enrollment of students of color (Cardichon, et al., 2020). The Department is interested in projects that address disparities in teacher certification and experience given research indicating that fully certified and experienced teachers relate to student achievement (Boyd, et al., 2006;

Clotfelter, et al., 2007; Darling- Hammond, et al., 2005; Kini & Podolsky, 2016; Goe, 2007; Ladd & Sorenson, 2017; Podolsky, et al., 2019).

The Department seeks to support projects that propose innovative ways to address the various inequities in this country’s education system. This type of innovation will better enable educators to work toward closing achievement gaps and helping all students succeed in school and reach toward their future goals.

Underserved students have less access to the educational opportunities they need to succeed, including access to well-rounded and rigorous coursework;

the application of discipline policies;

and access to certified, experienced, and effective teachers.

The Department seeks projects that develop and evaluate evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to remedy the inequities in our country’s education system. This type of innovation will better enable students the access to the educational opportunities they need to succeed in school and reach their future goals.

We particularly welcome projects that focus on: Eliminating inequities in access to fully certified, experienced, and effective teachers; addressing inequities in access to and success in a rigorous, engaging, and culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning environment that prepares students for college and career;

including diverse stakeholders in State and local education decisions;

supporting resource and discipline equity; addressing disproportionality in special education or programs for English learners; and improving the quality of educational programs in juvenile justice facilities or supporting re-entry after release.

Through these priorities, the Department intends to advance innovation, build evidence, and address the learning and achievement of high-need students beginning in Pre-K through grade 12.

Priorities: This notice includes four absolute priorities and one competitive preference priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), Absolute Priority 1 is from 34 CFR 75.226(d)(2).

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), Absolute Priority 2 is from section 4611(a)(1)(A) of the ESEA.

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), Absolute Priorities 3 and 4 are from section 4611(a)(1)(A) of the ESEA and the Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096) (Supplemental Priorities). The competitive preference priority is from the Supplemental Priorities. We also include two invitational priorities.

In the Mid-phase grant competition, Absolute Priorities 2, 3, and 4 constitute their own funding categories. The Secretary intends to award grants under each of these absolute priorities provided that applications of sufficient quality are submitted. To ensure that applicants are considered for the correct type of grant, applicants must clearly identify the specific absolute priority that the proposed project addresses. If an entity is interested in proposing separate projects (e.g., one that

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30295 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices addresses Absolute Priority 2 and another that addresses Absolute Priority 3), separate applications must be submitted.

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2021 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are absolute priorities.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet Absolute Priority 1—Moderate Evidence, and one additional absolute priority (Absolute Priority 2, Absolute Priority 3, or Absolute Priority 4).

These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1—Moderate

Evidence.

Projects supported by evidence that meets the conditions in the definition of ‘‘moderate evidence.’’

Note: An applicant must identify up to two study citations to be reviewed against the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Handbooks (as defined in this notice) for the purposes of meeting the definition of ‘‘moderate evidence.’’ The studies may have been conducted by the applicant or by a third party. An applicant should clearly identify these citations in the Evidence form. An applicant must ensure that all citations are available to the Department from publicly available sources and provide links or other guidance indicating where it is available. The Department may not review a study citation that an applicant fails to clearly identify for review.

In addition to including up to two study citations, applicants should describe in the form information such as the following: (1) The positive student outcomes they intend to replicate under their Mid-phase grant and how the characteristics of students and the positive student outcomes in the study citations correspond with the characteristics of the high-need students to be served under the Mid-phase grant;

(2) the correspondence of practice(s) the applicant plans to implement with the practice(s) cited in the studies; and (3) the intended student outcomes that the proposed practice(s) attempts to impact.

If the Department determines that an applicant has provided insufficient information, the applicant will not have an opportunity to provide additional information. However, if the WWC determines that a study does not provide enough information on key aspects of the study design, such as sample attrition or equivalence of intervention and comparison groups, the WWC may submit a query to the study author(s) to gather information for use in determining a study rating.

Authors would be asked to respond to queries within 10 business days. Should the author query remain incomplete within 14 days of the initial contact to the study author(s), the study may be deemed ineligible under the grant competition. After the grant competition closes, the WWC will, for purposes of its own curation of studies, continue to include responses to author queries and make updates to study reviews as necessary. However, no additional information will be considered after the competition closes and the initial timeline established for response to an author query passes.

Absolute Priority 2—Field-Initiated Innovations—General.

Projects that are designed to create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students.

Absolute Priority 3—Field-Initiated Innovations—Promoting STEM Education, With a Particular Focus on Computer Science.

Projects that are designed to—

(1) Create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and

(2) Improve student achievement or other educational outcomes in one or more of the following areas: Science, technology, engineering, math, or computer science (as defined in this notice).

Competitive Preference Priority:

Within Absolute Priority 3, we give competitive preference to applications that address this competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional five points to an application, depending on how well the application addresses the competitive preference priority.

This priority is:

Projects designed to improve student achievement or other educational outcomes in computer science. These projects must address expanding access to and participation in rigorous computer science coursework for traditionally underrepresented students such as racial or ethnic minorities, women, students in communities served by rural local educational agencies (as defined in this notice), children or students with disabilities (as defined in this notice), or low-income individuals (as defined under section 312(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended).

Absolute Priority 4—Field-Initiated Innovations—Fostering Knowledge and Promoting the Development of Skills That Prepare Students To Be Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Individuals and Citizens.

Projects that are designed to—

(1) Create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and

(2) Improve student academic performance and better prepare students for employment, responsible citizenship, and fulfilling lives, including by preparing children or students to do one or more of the following:

(a) Develop positive personal relationships with others.

(b) Develop determination, perseverance, and the ability to overcome obstacles.

(c) Develop self-esteem through perseverance and earned success.

(d) Develop problem-solving skills.

(e) Develop self-regulation in order to work toward long-term goals.

Invitational Priorities: For FY 2021 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

These priorities are:

Invitational Priority 1—Innovative

Approaches to Addressing the Impact of COVID–19 on Underserved Students and Educators.

Projects that are designed to address the needs of underserved students most impacted by COVID–19.

Invitational Priority 2—Promoting Equity and Adequacy in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities.

Projects that are designed to promote equity and adequacy in access to critical resources in Pre-K–12 for underserved students.

Definitions: The definitions of ‘‘baseline,’’ ‘‘experimental study,’’ ‘‘logic model,’’ ‘‘moderate evidence,’’ ‘‘national level,’’ ‘‘nonprofit,’’ ‘‘performance measure,’’ ‘‘performance target,’’ ‘‘project component,’’ ‘‘quasi-experimental design study,’’ ‘‘regional level,’’ ‘‘relevant outcome,’’ ‘‘strong evidence,’’ and ‘‘What Works Clearinghouse Handbooks (WWC Handbooks)’’ are from 34 CFR 77.1. The definitions of ‘‘children or students with disabilities,’’ ‘‘computer science,’’ and ‘‘rural local educational agency’’ are from the Supplemental Priorities. The definitions of ‘‘local educational

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30296 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices agency’’ and ‘‘State educational agency’’ are from section 8101 of the ESEA.

Baseline means the starting point from which performance is measured and targets are set.

Children or students with disabilities means children with disabilities as defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or individuals defined as having a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) (or children or students who are eligible under both laws).

Computer science means the study of computers and algorithmic processes and includes the study of computing principles and theories, computational thinking, computer hardware, software design, coding, analytics, and computer applications.

Computer science often includes computer programming or coding as a tool to create software, including applications, games, websites, and tools to manage or manipulate data; or development and management of computer hardware and the other electronics related to sharing, securing, and using digital information.

In addition to coding, the expanding field of computer science emphasizes computational thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving to equip students with the skills and abilities necessary to apply computation in our digital world.

Computer science does not include using a computer for everyday activities, such as browsing the internet; use of tools like word processing, spreadsheets, or presentation software;

or using computers in the study and exploration of unrelated subjects.

Experimental study means a study that is designed to compare outcomes between two groups of individuals (such as students) that are otherwise equivalent except for their assignment to either a treatment group receiving a project component or a control group that does not. Randomized controlled trials, regression discontinuity design studies, and single-case design studies are the specific types of experimental studies that, depending on their design and implementation (e.g., sample attrition in randomized controlled trials and regression discontinuity design studies), can meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards without reservations as described in the WWC Handbooks:

(i) A randomized controlled trial employs random assignment of, for example, students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to receive the project component being evaluated (the treatment group) or not to receive the project component (the control group).

(ii) A regression discontinuity design study assigns the project component being evaluated using a measured variable (e.g., assigning students reading below a cutoff score to tutoring or developmental education classes) and controls for that variable in the analysis of outcomes.

(iii) A single-case design study uses observations of a single case (e.g., a student eligible for a behavioral intervention) over time in the absence and presence of a controlled treatment manipulation to determine whether the outcome is systematically related to the treatment.

Local educational agency (LEA) means:

(a) In General. A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or of or for a combination of school districts or counties that is recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools.

(b) Administrative Control and Direction. The term includes any other public institution or agency having administrative control and direction of a public elementary school or secondary school.

(c) Bureau of Indian Education Schools. The term includes an elementary school or secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Education but only to the extent that including the school makes the school eligible for programs for which specific eligibility is not provided to the school in another provision of law and the school does not have a student population that is smaller than the student population of the LEA receiving assistance under the ESEA with the smallest student population, except that the school shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of any SEA (as defined in this notice) other than the Bureau of Indian Education.

(d) Educational Service Agencies. The term includes educational service agencies and consortia of those agencies.

(e) State Educational Agency. The term includes the SEA in a State in which the SEA is the sole educational agency for all public schools.

Logic model (also referred to as a theory of action) means a framework that identifies key project components of the proposed project (i.e., the active ‘‘ingredients’’ that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the theoretical and operational relationships among the key project components and relevant outcomes.

Moderate evidence means that there is evidence of effectiveness of a key project component in improving a relevant outcome for a sample that overlaps with the populations or settings proposed to receive that component, based on a relevant finding from one of the following:

(i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks reporting a ‘‘strong evidence base’’ or ‘‘moderate evidence base’’ for the corresponding practice guide recommendation;

(ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks reporting a ‘‘positive effect’’ or ‘‘potentially positive effect’’ on a relevant outcome based on a ‘‘medium to large’’ extent of evidence, with no reporting of a ‘‘negative effect’’ or ‘‘potentially negative effect’’ on a relevant outcome;

or

(iii) A single experimental study or quasi-experimental design study reviewed and reported by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks, or otherwise assessed by the Department using version 4.1 of the WWC Handbook, as appropriate, and that—

(A) Meets WWC standards with or without reservations;

(B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive (i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome;

(C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a corresponding WWC intervention report prepared under version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks; and

(D) Is based on a sample from more than one site (e.g., State, county, city, school district, or postsecondary campus) and includes at least 350 students or other individuals across sites. Multiple studies of the same project component that each meet requirements in paragraphs (iii)(A), (B), and (C) of this definition may together satisfy this requirement.

National level describes the level of scope or effectiveness of a process, product, strategy, or practice that is able to be effective in a wide variety of communities, including rural and urban areas, as well as with different groups (e.g., economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic groups, migrant populations, VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:36 Jun 04, 2021 Jkt 253001 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1kh am m on d on

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30297 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices individuals with disabilities, English learners, and individuals of each gender).

Nonprofit, as applied to an agency, organization, or institution, means that it is owned and operated by one or more corporations or associations whose net earnings do not benefit, and cannot lawfully benefit, any private shareholder or entity.

Performance measure means any quantitative indicator, statistic, or metric used to gauge program or project performance.

Performance target means a level of performance that an applicant would seek to meet during the course of a project or as a result of a project.

Project component means an activity, strategy, intervention, process, product, practice, or policy included in a project.

Evidence may pertain to an individual project component or to a combination of project components (e.g., training teachers on instructional practices for English learners and follow-on coaching for these teachers).

Quasi-experimental design study means a study using a design that attempts to approximate an experimental study by identifying a comparison group that is similar to the treatment group in important respects.

This type of study, depending on design and implementation (e.g., establishment of baseline equivalence of the groups being compared), can meet WWC standards with reservations, but cannot meet WWC standards without reservations, as described in the WWC Handbooks.

Regional level describes the level of scope or effectiveness of a process, product, strategy, or practice that is able to serve a variety of communities within a State or multiple States, including rural and urban areas, as well as with different groups (e.g., economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic groups, migrant populations, individuals with disabilities, English learners, and individuals of each gender). For an LEA-based project, to be considered a regional-level project, a process, product, strategy, or practice must serve students in more than one LEA, unless the process, product, strategy, or practice is implemented in a State in which the SEA is the sole educational agency for all schools.

Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) or other outcome(s) the key project component is designed to improve, consistent with the specific goals of the program.

Rural local educational agency means a local educational agency that is eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program or the

Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized under Title V, Part B of the ESEA. Eligible applicants may determine whether a particular district is eligible for these programs by referring to information on the Department’s website at https:// oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/FY2021- Master-Eligibility-Spreadsheet-public- 04052021.xlsx.

State educational agency (SEA) means the agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of public elementary schools and secondary schools.

Strong evidence means that there is evidence of the effectiveness of a key project component in improving a relevant outcome for a sample that overlaps with the populations and settings proposed to receive that component, based on a relevant finding from one of the following:

(i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks reporting a ‘‘strong evidence base’’ for the corresponding practice guide recommendation;

(ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks reporting a ‘‘positive effect’’ on a relevant outcome based on a ‘‘medium to large’’ extent of evidence, with no reporting of a ‘‘negative effect’’ or ‘‘potentially negative effect’’ on a relevant outcome;

or

(iii) A single experimental study reviewed and reported by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks, or otherwise assessed by the Department using version 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks, as appropriate, and that—

(A) Meets WWC standards without reservations;

(B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive (i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome;

(C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a corresponding WWC intervention report prepared under version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 of the WWC Handbooks; and

(D) Is based on a sample from more than one site (e.g., State, county, city, school district, or postsecondary campus) and includes at least 350 students or other individuals across sites. Multiple studies of the same project component that each meet requirements in paragraphs (iii)(A), (B), and (C) of this definition may together satisfy the requirement in this paragraph (iii)(D).

What Works Clearinghouse Handbooks (WWC Handbooks) means the standards and procedures set forth in the WWC Standards Handbook, Versions 4.0 or 4.1, and WWC Procedures Handbook, Versions 4.0 or 4.1, or in the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Version 3.0 or Version 2.1 (all incorporated by reference, see § 77.2). Study findings eligible for review under WWC standards can meet WWC standards without reservations, meet WWC standards with reservations, or not meet WWC standards. WWC practice guides and intervention reports include findings from systematic reviews of evidence as described in the WWC Handbooks documentation.

Note: The What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbooks are available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/ Handbooks.

References

Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2006). How changes in entry requirements alter the teacher workforce and affect student achievement. Education Finance and Policy, 1(2), 176–216.

Cardichon, J., Darling-Hammond, L., Yang, M., Scott, C., Shields, P.M., & Burns, D.

(2020). Inequitable opportunity to learn student access to certified and experienced teachers. Learning Policy Institute. https:// learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/ files/product-files/CRDC_Teacher_ Access_REPORT.pdf.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., & Vigdor, J.L.

(2007). How and why do teacher credentials matter for student achievement? (NBER Working Paper 12828). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Darling-Hammond, L., Holtzman, D., Gatlin, S.J., & Vasquez Heilig, J. (2005). Does teacher preparation matter? Evidence about teacher certification, Teach for America, and teacher effectiveness.

Education Policy Analysis Archives, 13(42). DOI: https://doi.org/10.14507/ epaa.v13n42.2005.

Kini, T., & Podolsky, A. (2016). Does teaching experience increase teacher effectiveness? A review of the research.

Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.

https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/ product/does-teachingexperience-increase-teacher-effectiveness-review-research.

Goe, L. (2007). The link between teacher quality and student outcomes: A research synthesis. Washington, DC:

National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.

Ladd, H.F., & Sorensen, L.C. (2017). Returns to teacher experience: Student achievement and motivation in middle school. Education Finance and Policy, 12(2), 241–279.

Podolsky, A., Darling-Hammond, L., Doss, C., VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:36 Jun 04, 2021 Jkt 253001 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1kh am m on d on

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E S https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/CRDC_Teacher_Access_REPORT.pdf https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/CRDC_Teacher_Access_REPORT.pdf https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/CRDC_Teacher_Access_REPORT.pdf https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/CRDC_Teacher_Access_REPORT.pdf https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v13n42.2005 https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v13n42.2005 https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Handbooks https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Handbooks https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/FY2021-Master-Eligibility-Spreadsheet-public-04052021.xlsx https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/FY2021-Master-Eligibility-Spreadsheet-public-04052021.xlsx https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/FY2021-Master-Eligibility-Spreadsheet-public-04052021.xlsx https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/FY2021-Master-Eligibility-Spreadsheet-public-04052021.xlsx https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/does-teachingexperience-increase-teacher-effectiveness-review-research https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/does-teachingexperience-increase-teacher-effectiveness-review-research

30298 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Notices

& Reardon, S. (2019). California’s positive outliers: Districts beating the odds. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicy institute.org/product/positive-outliers-districts-beating-odds.

U.S. Department of Education’s 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection School Climate and Safety Report (2018).

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ school-climate-and-safety.pdf.

U.S. Department of Education 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection STEM Course Taking Report. (2018). www2.ed.gov/ about/offices/list/ocr/docs/stem-course-taking.pdf.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7261.

Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal civil rights laws.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The Supplemental Priorities.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education (IHEs) only.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds:

$180,000,000.

These estimated available funds are the total available for all three types of grants under the EIR program (Early-phase, Mid-phase, and Expansion grants).

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in subsequent years from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

Up to $8,000,000.

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $8,000,000 for a project period of 60 months. The Department intends to fund one or more projects under each of the EIR competitions, including Expansion (84.411A), Mid-phase (84.411B), and Early-phase (84.411C). Entities may submit applications for different projects for more than one competition

(Early-phase, Mid-phase, and Expansion). The maximum award amount a grantee may receive under these three competitions, taken together, is $15,000,000. If an entity is within funding range for multiple applications, the Department will award the highest scoring applications up to $15,000,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 10–15.

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

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Note: Under section 4611(c) of the ESEA, the Department must use at least 25 percent of EIR funds for a fiscal year to make awards to applicants serving rural areas, contingent on receipt of a sufficient number of applications of sufficient quality. For purposes of this competition, we will consider an applicant as rural if the applicant meets the qualifications for rural applicants as described in the Eligible Applicants section and the applicant certifies that it meets those qualifications through the application.

In implementing this statutory provision and program requirement, the Department may fund high-quality applications from rural applicants out of rank order in the Mid-phase competition.

In addition, for the FY 2021 Mid-phase competition, the Department intends to award an estimated $32 million in funds for STEM projects and $32 million in funds for SEL projects, contingent on receipt of a sufficient number of applications of sufficient quality.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants:

(a) An LEA;

(b) An SEA;

(c) The Bureau of Indian Education

(BIE);

(d) A consortium of SEAs or LEAs;

(e) A nonprofit organization; and

(f) An LEA,…