2023-12145.pdf

37222 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices

1 Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Efforts to Support Community Schools.

Available at: www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/ statements-releases/2023/01/18/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-efforts-to-support-community-schools/.

2 White House Toolkit: Federal Resources to Support Community Schools. Available at:

www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ 2023-01-13-WHITE-HOUSE-TOOLKIT_Federal- Resources-to-Support-Community-Schools.pdf.

3 Maier, A., Daniel, J., Oakes, J., & Lam, L.

(December 2017). Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence. Learning Policy Institute.

4 Maier, A., Daniel, J., Oakes, J., & Lam, L.

(December 2017). Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence. Learning Policy Institute.

5 Raise the Bar, U.S. Department of Education Call to Action. Available at: www.ed.gov/raisethebar/.

Electronic Access to This Document:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site 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). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.

You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at www.federalregister.gov.

Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.

James F. Lane, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Delegated the Authority to Perform the Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 2023–12144 Filed 6–6–23; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards; Full- Service Community Schools Program

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) 2023 for the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program, Assistance Listing Number 84.215J. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1894–0006.

DATES:

Applications Available: June 7, 2023.

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:

July 7, 2023.

Date of Pre-Application Meetings: The

Department will hold pre-application meetings via webinars for prospective applicants. Detailed information regarding these webinars will be provided on the FSCS website at https:// oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/ school-choice-improvement-programs/ full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 8, 2023.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 8, 2023.

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 December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045), and available at https:// www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs. Please note that these Common Instructions supersede the version published on December 27, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Hodgdon, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 4E246, Washington, DC 20202.

Telephone: 202–245–6057. Email:

FSCS@ed.gov.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7–1–1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description Purpose of Program: The FSCS program is authorized by sections 4621– 4623 and 4625 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). This program provides support for the planning, implementation, and operation of full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, particularly for children attending high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools.

Background: Meeting the needs of the whole child is essential to helping America’s students grow academically and improve their well-being. The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to increasing and supporting the adoption of community school models across the country has resulted in an increase in funding from $25 million in 2020 to $150 million in FY 2023, from 42 grantees in 2020 to 129 grantees in 2023, which includes 42 grants made to local educational agencies (LEAs) (as defined in this notice), nonprofit (as defined in this notice) organizations, institutions of higher education, and government organizations in FY 2022. To further demonstrate its commitment to community schools, the White House worked with nine Federal agencies to identify how funding across the Federal government can be used to support community schools. These efforts resulted in the publication of a Fact Sheet 1 and Toolkit 2 designed to assist community school leaders, coordinators, advocates, and other stakeholders to understand the current scope of Federal funding that can be used to support community schools.

Full-service community schools (as defined in this notice) meet the unique needs of the neighborhoods they serve by leveraging local nonprofit, private sector, and public partnerships to bring wraparound services into school buildings, such as mental health supports, dental services, and assistance with shelter and nutrition. They operate with the assistance of school staff who coordinate with school administrators, stakeholders, and local organizations to deliver these services and more to students, their families, and members of the community. Research 3 has shown that comprehensive community school interventions have increased student attendance, on-time grade progression, and high school graduation rates.

The growing interest at the State and local levels in community schools,4 known as full-service community schools, coincides with a moment in which schools are urgently focused on supporting students’ holistic needs as they help them recover from the COVID–19 pandemic and the Nation is grappling with violence in and around schools. In his January 2023 speech, Secretary Miguel Cardona encouraged all stakeholders to raise the bar in education. ‘‘Raise the Bar: Lead the World’’ 5 is the Department’s call to action to transform preschool through grade 12 education and unite around evidence-based (as defined in this notice) strategies that advance educational equity and excellence for all students. Raising the bar in education focuses on building the skills that all students need to thrive inside and

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Jun 06, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1lo tte r on

D S

K

X Q

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S http://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-13-WHITE-HOUSE-TOOLKIT_Federal-Resources-to-Support-Community-Schools.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-13-WHITE-HOUSE-TOOLKIT_Federal-Resources-to-Support-Community-Schools.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-13-WHITE-HOUSE-TOOLKIT_Federal-Resources-to-Support-Community-Schools.pdf http://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/ http://www.federalregister.gov https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs http://www.govinfo.gov mailto:FSCS@ed.gov https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/fy-2023-fscs-grant-competition/ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/18/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-efforts-to-support-community-schools/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/18/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-efforts-to-support-community-schools/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/18/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-efforts-to-support-community-schools/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/18/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-efforts-to-support-community-schools/

37223 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices

6 Horn, M.B., Freeland, J., Butler, S.M., & Brookings Institution. (2015). Schools as Community Hubs: Integrating Support Services to Drive Educational Outcomes. A Series of Discussion Papers on Building Healthy Neighborhoods. No. 3.

In Brookings Institution. Brookings Institution.

7 Maier, A., Daniel, J., Oakes, J., & Lam, I. (2017).

Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence.

Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.

8 Science of Learning and Development Alliance.

(2020). Science of Learning and Development:

Initial Findings. https://soldalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoLD-Science- Translation_May-2020_FNL.pdf.

9 Learning Policy Institute & Turnaround for Children. (2021). Design principles for schools:

Putting the science of learning and development into action.

10 Johnston, W., Engberg, J., Opper, I., Sontag- Padilla, L., and Xenakis, L. (2020). Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative. City of New York, www.rand.org/ pubs/research_reports/RR3245.html.

11 McCormick, M., MacDowell, C., Weiland, C., Hsueh, J., Maier, M., Pralica, M., Maves, S., Snow, C. & Sachs, J. (2023). Instructional Alignment is Associated with Sustained Benefits of PreK.

(EdWorkingPaper: 23–776). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https:// doi.org/10.26300/8s3g-tz1.

12 Ibid.

outside of school, and supporting students to excel in the classroom, in their careers, and in their enriched lives and communities, making a positive difference in the world, for generations to come.

In addition to the funding made available under FSCS, the ESEA offers flexibilities at the State and local levels to implement strategies supported by community schools, such as coordination of school and community resources (ESEA sections 1114(b)(5) and 1115(b)(2)) and after-school programming and support for a community school coordinator (ESEA section 4108(5)(H)). If a State educational agency (SEA) (as defined in this notice) or LEA lacks the resources to implement community schools at scale, it can productively begin in neighborhoods where community schools are most needed and, therefore, students are most likely to benefit.6 In addition to a community school approach being an allowable use of funding under title I of ESEA as an evidence-based approach to school improvement, full-service community schools have been well-positioned to respond to the COVID–19 pandemic and its impact on student’s academic needs and well-being, including by working closely with partner organizations to address community needs such as summer programming, food and nutrition programs, tutoring, mentoring, mental and physical health services, COVID–19 vaccine access, family engagement strategies, and opportunities to accelerate learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Accordingly, community schools are an allowable use of American Rescue Plan Act funds. In addition, through the FSCS program, the Department provides catalytic support for the planning and capacity building, development, implementation, operation, and coordination of effective services for children and families, particularly in urban and rural areas with high rates of poverty.

Research 7 shows that community schools that include certain design features show improvements in teaching, learning, and student outcomes. The evidence-based features, or pillars, include providing (1) integrated supports (e.g., social and emotional learning, access to health and nutrition services); (2) expanded and enriched learning time (e.g., after-school enrichment and summer school); (3) active family and community engagement; and (4) collaborative leadership and practices to support high-quality teaching. Full-service community schools should create and implement these evidence-based strategies as part of a comprehensive set of services that are designed to reflect and be tailored to local contexts. These four pillars are supported by the Science of Learning and Development Alliance 8 and can be used to address the needs of the whole child, including those children and youth whom schools and community partners determine to be most underserved. Continued inclusion of the four pillars in this year’s FSCS competition allows applicants to develop projects with greater fidelity to evidence-based practices 9 that have been shown to be associated with improvements in teaching, learning, and student outcomes, and prepares the FSCS program and its grantees for future national evaluation efforts. For example, in a January 2020 study of New York City community schools, assuming strong social capital, stable leadership, and a strong instructional program, community schools have been associated with improved attendance, on-time grade progression, student achievement in math, and fewer disciplinary incidents.10

Building upon the work and progress of the field, as well as the lessons learned from reviews and evaluations of community school strategies and implementation, the Department published a notice of final priority and requirements for the FSCS program elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register (2023 FSCS NFP). The final requirements are included in this notice and require that grantees under this competition commit to and participate in a national evaluation assessing the implementation of the FSCS program.

In this FSCS competition, through two competitive preference priorities, the Department seeks applications that consider how classroom practices and school designs that are focused on the whole learner can be incorporated into community school supports and strategies. Recognizing the impact of school and community safety on learning, the Department is also interested in projects that propose to coordinate across multiple agencies and organizations to address community violence prevention and intervention.

Through an invitational priority, the Department encourages projects that support effective transition practices, continuity of services and supports, and aligned instruction for students as they transition from preschool and other early childhood settings into kindergarten and from kindergarten into the early grades. Under the ESEA, FSCS grantees must provide pipeline services (as defined in this notice), which includes access to high-quality early childhood education programs. While FSCS grantees are also required to support a child’s transition between elementary, middle, and high schools, they are not required to support effective transitions between early childhood education and elementary school settings, which research suggests is a critical point for addressing the achievement gap before it is further entrenched.11 Furthermore, instructional alignment from prekindergarten to first grade is associated with a sustained benefit for a student’s language, literacy, and math skills through first grade.12 To facilitate a smooth transition to kindergarten and support educational continuity across the preschool to third grade continuum, we include the invitational priority.

Priorities: This notice contains five absolute priorities, two competitive preference priorities, and one invitational priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), Absolute Priority 1 is from section 4625(b)(1)(A) of the ESEA, and Absolute Priority 2 is from section 4625(b)(1)(A) and (B) of the ESEA. Absolute Priorities 3, 4, and 5 are from the notice of final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for this program published in the Federal Register on July 13, 2022

(87 FR 41675) (2022 FSCS NFP).

Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2 are from the Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Jun 06, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1lo tte r on

D S

K

X Q

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S https://soldalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoLD-Science-Translation_May-2020_FNL.pdf https://soldalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoLD-Science-Translation_May-2020_FNL.pdf https://soldalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoLD-Science-Translation_May-2020_FNL.pdf http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3245.html http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3245.html https://doi.org/10.26300/8s3g-tz1 https://doi.org/10.26300/8s3g-tz1

37224 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices

13 Unitary systems, such as the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, may apply under Absolute Priority 5 FSCS State Scaling Grants.

Discretionary Grants Programs published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2021 (86 FR 70612) (Supplemental Priorities).

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2023 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 or Absolute Priority 2 and one additional absolute priority (Absolute Priority 3, Absolute Priority 4, or Absolute Priority 5).

Absolute Priorities 3, 4, and 5 constitute their own funding categories under Absolute Priority 1 and under Absolute Priority 2. Consequently, there will be separate funding slates for each of the following categories of applications:

• Absolute Priorities 1 and 3;

• Absolute Priorities 1 and 4;

• Absolute Priorities 1 and 5;

• Absolute Priorities 2 and 3;

• Absolute Priorities 2 and 4; and

• Absolute Priorities 2 and 5.

The Secretary intends to award grants under each of these funding categories, 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 priorities that the proposed project addresses in the one-page abstract. If an entity is interested in proposing separate projects (e.g., one that addresses Absolute Priorities 1 and 3 and another that addresses Absolute Priorities 1 and 4), separate applications must be submitted.

These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1—Title IA

Schoolwide Program Eligibility.

To meet this priority, applicants must propose to serve a minimum of two or more full-service community schools eligible for a schoolwide program (as defined in this notice) under section 1114(b) of the ESEA, as part of a community- or district-wide strategy.

Absolute Priority 2—Title IA Schoolwide Program Eligibility and Rural Districts—Small and Rural or Rural and Low-Income.

To meet this priority, applicants must propose to: (1) serve a minimum of two or more full-service community schools eligible for a schoolwide program under section 1114(b) of the ESEA, as part of a community- or district-wide strategy;

and (2) include an LEA that satisfies the requirements of the Small Rural School Achievement program (ESEA section 5211(b)(1)(A), (B), or (C)) or the Rural and Low-Income School program (ESEA section 5221(b)(1)(A), (B), or (C)).

Note: Applicants may determine whether a particular LEA is eligible for these programs by referring to information on the following Department website: https:// oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/.

Note: An LEA includes a public charter school that operates as an LEA.

Absolute Priority 3—Capacity Building and Development Grants.

To meet this priority, applicants must propose projects to (a) conduct initial development and coordination activities, including extensive community engagement, that leverage the findings of their needs assessment— which may be completed during or before the grant period—to develop the infrastructure, activities, and partnerships to implement full-service community schools in two or more schools, and (b) gather data on performance indicators.

Absolute Priority 4—Multi-Local Educational Agency Grants.

To meet this priority, applicants must propose projects to implement and sustain full-service community schools in two or more LEAs. As outlined in section 4622(1)(B) of the ESEA, an eligible entity for any FSCS grant is a consortium of one or more LEAs or the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and one or more community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, or other public or private entities. The project must, with the exception of LEAs that oversee a single school, coordinate and provide services at two or more full-service community schools in each LEA.

Absolute Priority 5—FSCS State Scaling Grants.13

Applications submitted under Priority 5 must include a written commitment of the SEA to participate in the partnership and to sustain the program beyond 2 years after the term of the grant, which can be submitted in the required preliminary memorandum of understanding (MOU) that includes the roles and responsibilities of the SEA and other partners identified at the time of the application. The applicant, in partnership with the SEA, determines the number and percentage of State LEAs, and the number and percentage of schools across those LEAs, that will develop, support, and expand full-service community schools over the 5-year grant performance period.

Applications under Priority 5 must also identify or establish a State steering committee (which may be a previously existing body) that represents relevant community schools’ stakeholders, including educators and other school staff, community school initiative leaders, education union or association designees, family leaders participating in community school programs, community partners such as service providers, early childhood education providers such as Head Start, and community school coordinators from schools already implementing full-service community schools in the State.

In addition to serving as an advisory committee, the steering committee also has the authority to make decisions about the design, implementation, and evaluation for the grant, which may include identification or selection of LEAs that will partner in the development and implementation of two or more community schools in each LEA, with the exception of LEAs that oversee a single school. The roles and responsibilities of the steering committee must be included in the required preliminary MOU.

As outlined in section 4622(1)(B) of the ESEA, an eligible entity for any FSCS grant is a consortium of one or more LEAs or the BIE and one or more community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, or other public or private entities.

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2023 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 10 points to an application, depending on how well the application meets one or both of these priorities; the total possible points for each competitive preference priority are noted in parentheses. Applicants may apply under one, both, or none of the competitive preference priorities. If an applicant chooses to address one or both of the competitive preference priorities, the applicant must identify in the one-page abstract the competitive preference priorities they are addressing in order to receive those points. The applicant must respond to the competitive preference priorities it chooses to address in the application narrative section of its application.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1—

Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs. (up to 5 points)

Projects that are designed to improve students’ social, emotional, academic, and career development, with a focus on

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Jun 06, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1lo tte r on

D S

K

X Q

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/rural-insular-native-achievement-programs/rural-education-achievement-program/

37225 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices underserved students, through one or more of the following priority areas:

(1) Creating education or work-based settings that are supportive, positive, identity-safe, and inclusive with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status, through developing trusting relationships between students (including underserved students), educators, families, and community partners.

(2) Providing multi-tiered systems of supports that address learning barriers both in and out of the classroom, that enable healthy development and respond to students’ needs and which may include evidence-based trauma-informed practices and professional development for educators on avoiding deficit-based approaches.

(3) Creating and implementing comprehensive schoolwide frameworks (such as small schools or learning communities, advisory systems, or looping educators) that support strong and consistent student and educator relationships.

Competitive Preference Priority 2— Strengthening Cross-Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change. (up to 5 points)

The Secretary gives priority to projects that are designed to take a systemic evidence-based approach to improving outcomes for underserved students in coordinating efforts with Federal, State, or local agencies, or community-based organizations, that support students, to address community violence prevention and intervention.

Invitational Priority: For FY 2023 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications. If an applicant chooses to address the invitational priority, the applicant must identify so in the one-page abstract. The applicant must respond to the invitational priority in the application narrative section of its application.

This priority is:

Supporting Effective Transition

Practices, Continuity of Services and Supports, and Aligned Instruction for Students from Preschool and Other Early Childhood Settings into Kindergarten and from Kindergarten into the Early Grades (K–3).

The Secretary is particularly interested in projects that include policies and procedures informed by developmentally appropriate practices that support cross-sector collaboration and family engagement across early learning and early elementary grades to support continuity of relationships and services from preschool through grade three, designed to lead to increased and improved educational opportunities for students, and include implementation of one or more of the following: (1) early learning through early elementary grades instructional alignment and educator and school leader support to promote academic recovery; (2) promotion of effective and informed attendance strategies in early learning and the early elementary grades; and (3) capacity building to promote effective family engagement for students in early learning and the early elementary grades.

Application Requirements: For FY 2023 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, the following requirements apply. Applications for FSCS grant funds must address the following application requirements. Applicants must respond to the requirements that correspond to the absolute priority that they are addressing. The application requirements are from section 4625(a) of the ESEA, the 2022 FSCS NFP, and the 2023 FSCS NFP. The source of each requirement is provided in the parentheses following each requirement.

An applicant may choose to respond to each requirement separately or in the context of the applicant’s response to the selection criteria in Section V.1. of this notice.

Absolute Priority 3—Capacity Building and Development Grants.

In order to receive funding, applicants for grants under Absolute Priority 3 Capacity Building and Development Grants must address the following application requirements.

(1) A description of the eligible entity.

(4625(a)(1))

(2) A preliminary MOU among all partner entities of the eligible entity, identified at the time of application, that will assist the eligible entity to plan, develop, coordinate, provide, and evaluate pipeline services and that describes the roles and responsibilities that the partners, including the broadly representative consortium (as defined in this notice), will assume. (4625(a)(2) and 2022 FSCS NFP)

(3) A description of the capacity of the eligible entity to coordinate and provide pipeline services at two or more full-service community schools. (4625(a)(3))

(4) A comprehensive plan that includes descriptions of the following:

(A) The student, family, and school community to be served, including demographic information;

(4625(a)(4)(A))

(B) A plan for conducting the needs assessment that identifies the academic, physical, nonacademic, health, mental health, and other needs of students, families, and community residents;

(4625(a)(4)(B)) and 2022 FSCS NFP)

(C) A plan for developing annual measurable performance objectives and outcomes, including an increase in the number and percentage of families and students targeted for services each year of the program, in order to ensure that children are—

(i) Prepared for kindergarten;

(ii) Achieving academically; and

(iii) Safe, healthy, and supported by engaged parents. (4625(a)(4)(C) and

2022 FSCS NFP)

(D) A plan for identifying and developing pipeline services, including existing and additional pipeline services, to be coordinated and provided by the eligible entity and its partner entities, including an explanation of:

(i) Why such services have been selected;

(ii) How such services will improve student academic achievement; and

(iii) How such services will address the annual measurable performance objectives and outcomes established under paragraph (4)(C) of this requirement. (4625(a)(4)(D) and 2022

FSCS NFP)

(E) A description of the pillars of full-service community schools (as defined in this notice) that they have in place or how they will establish these pillars, or how they will implement these pillars with partners, including community-based organizations and collaborating with school leadership and staff. (2022

FSCS NFP)

(F) Plans to ensure that each full-service community school site has a full-time coordinator of pipeline services at such school, including a description of the applicable funding sources, plans for professional development for the personnel managing, coordinating, or delivering pipeline services, and plans for joint utilization and management of school facilities. (4625(a)(4)(E))

(G) Plans for an annual evaluation based upon attainment of the performance objectives and outcomes described in paragraph (4)(C) of this requirement.

An applicant must, in addition to providing the information and assurances required by section 4625(a)(4)(F) of the ESEA, commit to an independent evaluation that includes a design and implementation evaluation that will, at a minimum, (1) include annual evaluations of progress achieved

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Jun 06, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1lo tte r on

D S

K

X Q

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S

37226 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices with the grant; (2) be used to refine and improve activities carried out through the grant; (3) collect and report data that includes, but is not limited to, the following indicators: student chronic absenteeism rates; student discipline rates, including suspensions and expulsions; school climate information, which may come from student, parent, or teacher surveys; provision of integrated student supports and stakeholder services; expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities; family and community engagement efforts and impact;

information on the number, qualifications, and retention of school staff, including the number and percentage of fully certified teachers, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, rates of teacher turnover, and teacher experience; graduation rates; changes in school spending information;

collaborative leadership and practice strategies, which may include building the capacity of educators, principals, other school leaders, and other staff to lead collaborative school improvement structures, such as professional learning communities; regularly convening or engaging all initiative-level partners, such as LEA representatives, city or county officials, children’s and youth’s cabinets, nonprofit service providers, public housing agencies, and advocates;

regularly assessing program quality and progress through individual student data, participant feedback, and aggregate outcomes to develop strategies for improvement; and organizing school personnel and community partners into working teams focused on specific issues identified in the needs and assets assessment; and (4) make results of the evaluation publicly available. (2022

FSCS NFP)

(H) Plans for sustaining the programs and services described in section 4625(a) of the ESEA after the grant period. (4625(a)(4)(G))

(5) An assurance that the eligible entity and its partner entities will participate in a national evaluation assessing the implementation of the FSCS program, which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

(A) Completing surveys of grantee organizations (which may include service provider partners), grantee schools (which may include multiple individuals within each school such as the principal and the service coordinator), and potentially a sample of teachers within grantee schools;

(B) Participating in interviews of grantee organizations, grantee schools, and/or a sample of teachers within grantee schools;

(C) Providing administrative data, such as student absenteeism rates and high school graduation rates;

(D) Cooperating with data collection at several points during the grant period, such as shortly after grant award (baseline round of data collection), during the middle of the grant period (interim round of data collection), and toward the end of the grant period (final round of data collection); and

(E) Assisting in facilitating connections between each grantee’s local evaluator and the national evaluation of implementation to ensure efficiency and coordination between the evaluation efforts. (2023 FSCS NFP)

(6) An assurance that the eligible entity and its partner entities will focus services on schools eligible for a schoolwide program under section 1114(b) of the ESEA. (4625(a)(5))

Absolute Priority 4—Multi-Local Educational Agency Grants.

In order to receive funding, applicants for grants under Absolute Priority 4 Multi-Local Educational Agency Grants must address the following application requirements.

(1) A description of the eligible entity.

(4625(a)(1))

(2) A preliminary MOU among all partner entities of the eligible entity, identified at the time of the application, that will assist the eligible entity to plan, develop, coordinate, provide, and evaluate pipeline services and that describes the roles and responsibilities that the partners, including the broadly representative consortium, will assume.

(4625(a)(2) and 2022 FSCS NFP)

(3) A description of the capacity of the eligible entity to coordinate and provide pipeline services at two or more full-service community schools in each LEA.

(4625(a)(3) and 2022 FSCS NFP)

(4) A comprehensive plan that includes descriptions of the following:

(A) The student, family, and school community to be served, including demographic information.

(4625(a)(4)(A))

(B) A needs assessment that identifies the academic, physical, nonacademic, health, mental health, and other needs of students, families, and community residents. (4625(a)(4)(B))

(C) Annual measurable performance objectives and outcomes, including an increase in the number and percentage of families and students targeted for services each year of the program, in order to ensure that children are—

(i) Prepared for kindergarten;

(4625(a)(4)(C)(i))

(ii) Achieving academically;

(4625(a)(4)(C)(ii)) and

(iii) Safe, healthy, and supported by engaged parents. (4625(a)(4)(C)(iii))

(D) Pipeline services, including existing and additional pipeline services, to be coordinated and provided by the eligible entity and its partner entities, including an explanation of:

(i) Why such services have been selected;

(ii) How such services will improve student academic achievement; and

(iii) How such services will address the annual measurable performance objectives and outcomes established under paragraph (4)(C) of this requirement. (4625(a)(4)(D))

(E) A description of the pillars of full-service community schools that they have in place or how they will establish these pillars, or how they will implement these pillars with partners, including community-based organizations and collaborating with school leadership and staff. (2022 FSCS

NFP)

(F) Plans to ensure that each full-service community school site has a full-time coordinator of pipeline services at such school, including a description of the applicable funding sources, plans for professional development for the personnel managing, coordinating, or delivering pipeline services, and plans for joint utilization and management of facilities.

(4625(a)(4)(E))

(G) Plans for an annual evaluation based upon attainment of the performance objectives and outcomes described in paragraph (4)(C) of this requirement.

An applicant must, in addition to providing the information and assurances required by section 4625(a)(4)(F) of the ESEA, commit to an independent evaluation that includes a design and implementation evaluation that will, at a minimum, (1) include annual evaluations of progress achieved with the grant; (2) be used to refine and improve activities carried out through the grant; (3) collect and report data that includes, but is not limited to, the following indicators: student chronic absenteeism rates; student discipline rates, including suspensions and expulsions; school climate information, which may come from student, parent, or teacher surveys; provision of integrated student supports and stakeholder services; expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities; family and community engagement efforts and impact;

information on the number, qualifications, and retention of school staff, including the number and percentage of fully certified teachers, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, rates of teacher turnover, and teacher experience; graduation rates; changes in

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Jun 06, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1lo tte r on

D S

K

X Q

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E

37227 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices school spending information;

collaborative leadership and practice strategies, which may include building the capacity of educators, principals, other school leaders, and other staff to lead collaborative school improvement structures, such as professional learning communities; regularly convening or engaging all initiative-level partners, such as LEA representatives, city or county officials, children’s and youth’s cabinets, nonprofit service providers, public housing agencies, and advocates;

regularly assessing program quality and progress through individual student data, participant feedback, and aggregate outcomes to develop strategies for improvement; and organizing school personnel and community partners into working teams focused on specific issues identified in the needs and assets assessment; and (4) make results of the evaluation publicly available. (2022

FSCS NFP)

(H) Plans for sustaining the programs and services described in section 4624(a) of the ESEA after the grant period. (4625(a)(4)(G))

(5) An assurance that the eligible entity and its partner entities will participate in a national evaluation assessing the implementation of the FSCS program, which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

(A) Completing surveys of grantee organizations (which may include service provider partners), grantee schools (which may include multiple individuals within each school such as the principal and the service coordinator), and potentially a sample of teachers within grantee schools;

(B) Participating in interviews of grantee organizations, grantee schools, and/or a sample of teachers within grantee schools;

(C) Providing administrative data, such as student absenteeism rates and high school graduation rates;

(D) Cooperating with data collection at several points during the grant period, such as shortly after grant award (baseline round of data collection), during the middle of the grant period (interim round of data collection), and toward the end of the grant period (final round of data collection); and

(E) Assisting in facilitating connections between each grantee’s local evaluator and the national evaluation to ensure efficiency and coordination between the evaluation efforts. (2023 FSCS NFP)

(6) An assurance that the eligible entity and its partner entities will focus services on schools eligible for a schoolwide program under section 1114(b). (4625(a)(5))

Absolute Priority 5—State Scaling Grants.

In order to receive funding, applicants for grants under Absolute Priority 5 State Scaling Grants must address the following application requirements.

(1) A description of the eligible entity.

(4625(a)(1))

(2) A preliminary MOU among all partner entities of the eligible entity, identified at the time of the application, that will assist the eligible entity to plan, develop, coordinate, provide, and evaluate pipeline services and that describes the roles and responsibilities that the partners, including the broadly representative consortium, will assume.

(4625(a)(2) and 2022 FSCS NFP)

Applications submitted under Priority 5 FSCS State Scaling Grants must also include in the preliminary MOU a description of the State steering committee and the SEA’s commitment to and partnership in the consortium, including the roles, responsibilities, and commitment of the SEA to the partnership and the scaling of full-service community schools to a percentage of State LEAs implementing schoolwide Title IA programs and where there is a commitment to sustain the program beyond 2 years after the term of the grant. (4625(a)(2) and 2022

FSCS NFP)

(3) A description of the capacity of the eligible entity to coordinate and provide pipeline services at two or more full-service community schools in each of the LEAs included in the application.

(4625(a)(3) and 2022 FSCS NFP)

(4) A comprehensive plan that includes descriptions of the following:

(A) The student, family, and school community to be served, including demographic information.

(4625(a)(4)(A))

(B) A needs assessment that identifies the academic, physical, nonacademic, health, mental health, and other needs of students, families, and community residents. (4625(a)(4)(B))

(C) Annual measurable performance objectives and outcomes, including an increase in the number and percentage of families and students targeted for services each year of the program, in order to ensure that children are—

(i) Prepared for kindergarten;

(4625(a)(4)(C)(i))

(ii) Achieving academically;

(4625(a)(4)(C)(ii)) and

(iii) Safe, healthy, and supported by engaged parents. (4625(a)(4)(C)(iii))

(D) Pipeline services, including existing and additional pipeline services to be coordinated and provided by the eligible entity and its partner entities, including an explanation of:

(i) Why such services have been selected; (4625(a)(4)(D)(ii))

(ii) How such services will improve student academic achievement;

(4625(a)(4)(D)(ii)) and

(iii) How such services will address the annual measurable performance objectives and outcomes established under paragraph (4)(C) of this requirement. (4625(a)(4)(C)(iii))

(E) A description of the pillars of full-service community schools that they have in place or how they will establish these pillars, or how they will implement these pillars with partners, including community-based organizations and collaborating with school leadership and staff. (2022 FSCS

NFP)

(F) Plans to ensure that each full-service community school site has a full-time coordinator of pipeline services at such school, including a description of the applicable funding sources, plans for professional development for the personnel managing, coordinating, or delivering pipeline services, and plans for joint utilization and management of facilities.

(4625(a)(4)(E))

(G) Plans for an annual evaluation based upon attainment of the performance objectives and outcomes described in paragraph (4)(C) of this requirement.

An applicant must, in addition to providing the information and assurances required by section 4625(a)(4)(F) of the ESEA, commit to an independent evaluation that includes a design and implementation evaluation that will, at a minimum, (1) include annual evaluations of progress achieved with the grant; (2) be used to refine and improve activities carried out through the grant; (3) collect and report data that includes, but is not limited to, the following indicators: student chronic absenteeism rates; student discipline rates, including suspensions and expulsions; school climate information, which may come from student, parent, or teacher surveys; provision of integrated student supports and stakeholder services; expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities; family and community engagement efforts and impact;

information on the number, qualifications, and retention of school staff, including the number and percentage of fully certified teachers, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, rates of teacher turnover, and teacher experience; graduation rates; changes in school spending information;

collaborative leadership and practice strategies, which may include building the capacity of educators, principals, VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Jun 06, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1lo tte r on

D S

K

X Q

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E

37228 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / Notices other school leaders, and other staff to lead collaborative school improvement structures, such as professional learning communities; regularly convening or engaging all initiative-level partners, such as LEA representatives, city or county officials, children’s and youth’s cabinets, nonprofit service providers, public housing agencies, and advocates;

regularly assessing program quality and progress through individual student data, participant feedback, and aggregate outcomes to develop strategies for…