FY18 SUSI SecEd POGI.pdf

PROJECT OBJECTIVES, GOALS, AND IMPLEMENTATION (POGI)

FY 2018 Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA-ECAAE-18-009

Office of Academic Exchange Programs

Study of the U.S. Branch (ECA/A/E/USS)

The POGI guidelines apply specifically to the Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued by the

Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Study of the U.S. Branch, for the FY 2018 Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators. Proposals must conform to the NOFO, the Guidelines stated in this document, and the standard Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI). Applications not adhering to the conditions set forth herein may be deemed technically ineligible. These guidelines are specific to the program mentioned above and are IN ADDITION TO the Standard Guidelines outlined in the PSI. If there is a perceived disparity between the standard and program specific Guidelines and the program information supplied in the NOFO, the NOFO is to be the dominant reference.

I. STATEMENT OF WORK

In a cooperative agreement, the Study of the U.S. Branch is substantially involved in program activities above and beyond routine monitoring. The Branch may request that the recipient make modifications to the academic residency and/or educational travel components of the program. The recipient will be required to obtain approval of significant program changes in advance of their implementation. These activities and the roles and responsibilities of the Department and your organization are outlined below.

A. Award Recipient Responsibilities:

1. Designing and overseeing three five-week Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators at academic institutions in the United States;

2. Providing and monitoring subawards to selected host institutions to conduct the Institutes. Each host institution should not implement more than one Institute and the recipient may choose to implement one

Institute;

3. Providing overall coordination of the program including programmatic and administrative oversight and management of all three Institutes;

4. Providing syllabi and program calendars to ECA for all Institutes;

5. Issuing participant DS-2019 forms for Institute participants;

6. Enrolling the participants in an accident and sickness health benefits program for the duration of the

Institutes and issuing health benefits identification cards for each participant;

7. In coordination with U.S. embassies and consulates or Fulbright commissions, arranging and purchasing international round trip travel for participants as well as any travel related to visa issuance, and dispersing international travel allowances prior to departure to the United States;

8. Coordinating, in conjunction with host institutions, U.S. embassies and consulates, and Fulbright commissions, logistical and administrative arrangements for participants such as pre-departure information, airport pick-up and drop-off, lodging and meals, domestic travel, any medical treatment, and the disbursement of program funds;

9. Developing and implementing, in coordination with ECA, a media (including social media) outreach effort to publicize the program;

10. Providing participants with follow-on guidance and resources and facilitating continued interaction among participants after the conclusion of the program;

11. Conducting an evaluation program that links outcomes of the Institutes to stated program goals and objectives to ensure that all Institutes meet comparable and high levels of quality in fulfilling program goals;

12. Informing and consulting with ECA about any program or participant problems, emergencies, or other issues as well as the progress of necessary corrective action;

13. Managing ECA and other funds for this activity, including submitting required quarterly and final financial and program reports to ECA, as well as weekly updates to the program office during the

Institutes; and

14. Providing reasonable accommodations for participant needs, including disability accommodations if needed, in support of ECA’s commitment to diversity and the involvement of participants from traditionally underrepresented audiences (see budget template for guidance).

B. Department of State Responsibilities

1. Providing advice and assistance to the award recipient and sub-award Institute staff including final approvals of key project plans and activities;

2. Reviewing syllabi and program calendars for each Institute and providing input;

3. Coordinating all communications with participating U.S. embassies, consulates, and Fulbright commissions, including the recruitment and selection of participants. ECA will make final participant selections;

4. Issuing the participants’ J-1 visas;

5. Monitoring the Institutes through regular communication with the award recipient and host institutions and possibly one or more site visits;

6. Collaborating with the recipient on the media engagement plan and approving all promotional materials;

7. Assisting with participant emergencies and medical evacuations;

8. Liaising with relevant U.S. embassies, consulates, Fulbright commissions the recipient, host institutions, and other relevant parties as it relates to crisis management; and

9. Conducting formal debriefing sessions with the participants.

II. PROGRAM SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

A. Overview

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State invites proposal submissions for the design and implementation of three five-week Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary

Educators. Each program should be designed for a group of approximately 20 secondary educators

(administrators, curriculum developers, education ministry officials, teachers, teacher trainers, and textbook writers) from around the world as specified in the Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Two of the

Institutes will be for teachers; one Institute will be for administrators including but not limited to curriculum developers, ministry of education officials, teacher trainers, and textbook writers. Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators are designed to strengthen curricula and improve the quality of teaching about the

United States in secondary schools and academic institutions overseas.

Proposals should present a creative, thematically coherent program that draws upon institutional strengths, including faculty and other resources, and upon recognized scholars, educators, and other experts from throughout the United States. In addition to the academic focus of each Institute, the program should introduce the foreign educators to the history and evolution of U.S. culture, society, education, and values, and should allow participants to interact with a diverse group of Americans. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for this competition gives further direction on the substance of the program.

All aspects of the programs, including presentations and other class work such as: readings, research assignments, and site visits should be integrated so as to illuminate the overall Institute theme and contribute to the understanding of the United States. The conception and structure of the Institutes are the responsibility of the award recipient. It is essential that proposals provide a full, detailed, and comprehensive narrative describing how the recipient and/or host institutions will achieve the objectives of the Institutes. A tentative academic program, including lectures, discussions, presentations, etc. for each of the three Institutes should be included. Proposals will be reviewed on the basis of the review criteria in the NOFO.

B. Program Dates

The three Institutes should be approximately 36 days in length (including arrival and departure days). All FY

2018 base year Institutes will take place in summer 2018, and should begin no sooner than June 1, 2018 and end no later than August 15, 2018. To ensure adequate time for the award recipient to make pre-program arrangements, ECA will make every effort to award the approved cooperative agreement in a timely fashion, pending availability of FY 2018 funds.

C. Program Administration

Applicants must discuss their capacity to successfully manage international exchange programs, including institutional strengths such as experience, relevant departments, and major administrative units. Proposals should include a staffing pattern that details how staff will share responsibilities. The award recipient must designate a project director to oversee all of the Institutes. The project director will coordinate logistical and administrative arrangements, ensure an appropriate level of continuity among the various host institution programs, serve as the principal liaison between ECA and the host institutions, and serve as ECA’s primary point of contact. The project director will be required to attend a briefing in Washington, D.C. tentatively scheduled for April 2018.

The award recipient must also designate an academic director at each host institution who will be present throughout the academic programs in their entirety to ensure the continuity, coherence, and integration of all aspects of the academic program, including the study tour. The academic director will plan and implement the program at their respective host institution, oversee its day-to-day management, and monitor program participants. In addition, an administrative director or coordinator must be assigned at each host institution to oversee all student support services, including supervision of the program participants, budgetary, logistical, reporting, and other administrative arrangements. Other staff may be designated as appropriate. Program coordinators and/or graduate student assistants may be employed to carry out clerical duties and to assist with the day-to-day concerns and needs of participants, but should not be the principal point of contact for participants’ administrative concerns.

D. Participants

Each Institute will host approximately 20 experienced secondary school teachers or administrators, for a total of approximately 60 participants. Two of the Institutes will be comprised of teachers, most of whom teach English as a foreign language, social studies, or a related field; the third Institute will be comprised of administrators

(principals, vice principals, etc.), teacher trainers, textbook writers, curriculum developers, and ministry of education officials. Participants will come from all regions of the world and will be fluent or have advanced proficiency in English. They will be seeking to increase their knowledge of American life in order to enhance their professional knowledge and scholarship and to improve courses they may teach on the English language and/or the United States in secondary schools, universities, and other educational, training, and research institutions abroad.

Participants may come from educational institutions where the study of the United States is relatively well-developed, or they may come from areas where study of the English language and the United States has been limited. Participants will be varied in terms of age, professional position, and travel experience abroad and will have varied levels of experience teaching about the United States. In all cases, participants will be experienced educators who will be prepared to participate in an intellectually rigorous academic seminar that offers a collegial atmosphere conducive to the exchange of ideas.

The award recipient will NOT participate in the selection of candidates. U.S. embassies, consulates, and

Fulbright commissions will identify and nominate participants. ECA will make the final selections and will send the final list of participants for each Institute to the award recipient. Every effort will be made to select a balanced mix of male and female participants, and to recruit participants who are from non-elite or underprivileged backgrounds, from both rural and urban sectors, and have had little or no prior experience in the United States or elsewhere outside their home country. A final list of participants will be sent to the award recipient prior to the start of the Institutes. The recipient should provide participants with pre-departure orientation materials at least six weeks prior to the start of the Institutes.

E. Academic Residency Program

Each Institute should include a four-week academic residency component. The academic residency component should be a specially designed and well-integrated seminar that imaginatively combines lectures, panels, seminar discussions, readings, debates, site visits, and regional travel into a coherent program. It must not replicate an existing lecture course, survey, or graduate seminar designed for American degree candidates.

Applicants must provide a comprehensive narrative, no more than 20 double spaced pages in Times New

Roman 12 point font, describing the program objectives. There also should be a calendar or itinerary of all program activities for each of the three Institutes. The program description in the narrative and itinerary should be supported by a bibliography and a syllabus that indicates the subject of each class session and explains how assigned readings and other materials support the session. The readings should relate directly to each Institute’s theme. Course presenters should represent diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and occupational fields on the topics and issues to be explored.

In order to give participants a multi-dimensional view of U.S. society and institutions, presenters should include outstanding teachers, scholars, and other professional experts from throughout the United States, as appropriate.

This should include relevant professionals and practitioners outside the host institution such as experts from government, education, media, think tanks, professional and cultural organizations, and community and civic groups who can bring a special perspective to the issues being discussed. Efforts should be made to maximize interaction between participants and presenters both during and outside of each classroom session. Separate budget items (e.g. honorarium, per diem, travel) may be included for this purpose, per attached sample budget.

Early in the program, participants should have a formal opportunity to present or discuss their own research or teaching interests, work environments, and/or other educational issues in their home countries. The audience for these discussions should include other participants, host faculty, American peers, program presenters, and other members of the host institution and local community.

All sessions throughout each Institute should allot sufficient time for a collegial exchange of views among participants, lecturers, and panelists. Discussion should be encouraged not only through question and answer sessions but also through organized debates, roundtables, and other fora that allow participants to actively engage with presenters and each other on the ideas being presented.

F. Study Tour

All Institutes should include an integrated study tour of up to one week. Ideally, the study tour should include travel to another region of the United States outside of the location of the host institution location and should complement and reinforce the academic residency portion of the Institute. Participants should spend approximately three days in Washington, D.C., either as part of the study tour or during the program and should include a half day debriefing session, which will be programmed by ECA staff. The trip to Washington, D.C.

should also involve substantive briefings by professionals from relevant U.S. government agencies, public organizations, and private institutions. If appropriate, the study tour segment may be interspersed with the residency portion of the program, though the total time allotted for the study tour should not exceed one week.

The study tour must be arranged and conducted by the academic director and principal project staff. Staff taking part should be identified in the proposal to the greatest extent possible. Staff escorts travelling on the study tour must have demonstrated qualifications to accompany exchange visitors. The proposal must clearly specify the study tour cities or other destinations to be visited, as well as the specific sites. Day trips or optional weekend excursions to various local and nearby locations are encouraged but should not replace the study tour. The study tour should include travel to not more than two additional regions of the United States, one of which should be distinctly different in geography and culture from that of the host institution. Site visits and presentations included in the study tour must relate to the Institute’s academic objectives and subject matter.

If the Washington, D.C. visit or any other study tour city coincides with the end of the program, the host institution may organize for participants to return to their home countries directly from that site, without returning to the host institution. Such planning also might serve to reduce domestic travel costs.

Please note: The Study of the U.S. Branch may request that the award recipient modify the academic residency and/or study tour. Similarly, the award recipient, in consultation with the Study of the U.S. Branch, may also wish to make program modifications.

G. Independent Research/Free Time

Each Institute should provide opportunities for limited but well-directed independent research. Participants should have a limited amount of time each week to pursue individual research interests, curriculum development projects, or to catch up on assigned readings. Host institution faculty from departments related to the participants’ scholarly interests should be available to offer advice on their individual research projects, to help facilitate their access to resources, and act as peer mentors as appropriate. Given the likely demands of the

Institute schedule, participants will be made aware that opportunities for extensive research will be limited.

Participants should have sufficient free time outside the academic sessions to pursue individual interests, such as socializing with U.S. peers, exercising, and relaxing. Participants should have full access to library facilities, local and national periodicals, radio and television, and computers with internet access while at the host institution. Participants should also have opportunities to attend cultural events, such as concerts, sporting events, and formal or informal gatherings of ordinary Americans from a variety of ethnic, social, and professional backgrounds.

H. Logistical Considerations

The proposal should discuss your institution’s and your subaward recipients’ capacities to successfully manage these international exchange programs and should include institutional strengths, such as faculty, libraries, relevant departments, and major administrative units.

Housing and meal arrangements are an important dimension of program planning and must be discussed in detail in the proposal. In general, participants should be housed on campus in university graduate dorms, similar designated university housing, or other suitable locations. Walking distance to daily classes should be taken into account, as well as accommodations for participants with disabilities.

Each participant should have a private bedroom during the academic residency portion, and no participant should be asked to share a bathroom with more than one or two others. Accommodations should respect each participant’s privacy and comfort, and be conducive to study and relaxation. If possible, participants should have access to kitchen facilities in their own rooms or in a common area.

A combination of a cash allowance for food and a cafeteria meal plan is strongly recommended to permit participants to cook or eat at local restaurants. In many cases, participants may experience difficulties with American eating customs due to religious or other dietary restrictions, cultural differences, and availability of familiar foods. Institute staff should be prepared to discuss such problems with the participants and seek solutions. Institute staff should consider conducting a pre-survey of participant dietary and/or religious needs in order to better accommodate those needs. To the extent permitted by budget limitations, participants should receive up to the USG per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses at the various program locales. See http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem for current U.S. government per diem rates.

Pre-departure materials should be available to participants via an Institute website or email at least six weeks before the start of the program. For participants who do not have Internet access, your institution should make arrangements to send hard copies of these materials by express mail to the U.S. Embassy or directly to the participants, as appropriate. Program websites should be updated regularly to provide changes in the program schedule, readings, photos of Institute activities, and other useful information.

An administrative orientation to the United States and to the host campus for the participants should address administrative details of the program, identify campus and local resources, review safety and security procedures, and provide general information that will facilitate the participants’ adjustment to daily life in a new cultural environment. Important topics will be security, medical issues, transportation, and availability of foods to which participants are accustomed, or which meet specific dietary requirements.

An academic orientation should provide participants with a concise overview of the program, including principal objectives and major themes. The academic director should also use this opportunity to discuss expectations and guidelines for participation and encourage active participation by all, respect for the views of other participants, concise comments and questions that keep the participants on-topic, and other ground rules that will promote effective class discussion throughout the program.

Opening and closing events (e.g., luncheon, dinner, or reception) should formally inaugurate and close the program. These events typically include representatives from the college/university community, as well as individuals from the larger community.

Access to resources should be arranged, including campus libraries, computer and internet facilities, on-campus disability and counseling resources, local and national newspapers and periodicals, as well as radio and television. A formal orientation to library services should be conducted during the first week of the program, and computer training and technical support should be provided for those participants who require it. Reasonable accommodations should be made for any participants with disabilities and up to $2000 per Institute should be budgeted towards this expense.

Evaluations and monitoring should be conducted on a regular basis to ensure that academic, administrative, and personal problems are acted upon promptly. At the conclusion of the Institute, a formal evaluation session should be scheduled to permit participants to comment on all aspects of the program.

Please note: Travel to visit family or friends elsewhere in the United States will NOT be permitted during the program. Family or friends may be permitted to visit the participants while the latter are in residence at the host institution, at the discretion of the award recipient and in consultation with ECA, provided that such visits will http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem not prove disruptive to the program. At no time will family or friends be permitted to accompany the participants during scheduled program activities, whether such activities are mandatory or optional.

I. Fostering Mutual Understanding

ECA’s mission is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations. Proposals should clearly demonstrate plans for structured and unstructured interaction between participants and Americans. Wherever feasible, interactions should allow for participants to exchange views with Americans, not just learn from American hosts, speakers, and presenters. Opportunities for participants to share their research and culture with Americans can take many forms including, but not limited to; discussion sessions, conferences, receptions, poster sessions, peer mentoring programs, individual consultations with relevant academics, holiday celebrations, international pot lucks, cultural festivals, and host family experiences.

J. Alumni Outreach/Follow-On Activities

Proposals should provide plans for continued follow-on activity (with minimal ECA support) that ensures that

ECA-supported programs are not isolated events. Proposed follow-on activities for alumni must reflect the goals and objectives of the program and must contribute to ECA’s mission to foster mutual understanding among the people of other countries and the people of the United States. The proposal should include an outline of follow-on alumni programming (including a timeline), information on how it will be coordinated with existing alumni efforts, and a description of how long-term linkages with alumni will be fostered and maintained. Examples of successful past follow on activities include, but are not limited to, structured mentoring programs, small grant competitions, alumni reunions or workshops, monthly web discussions, reverse exchanges, cooperative publications by participants and their American peers, and distance learning opportunities for alumni. Applicants should incorporate the online community on the International Exchange

Alumni website (Alumni.State.Gov) into their alumni outreach plans.

Follow-on activities should be well developed, but also remain flexible enough to allow for changes based on the needs of the participants. Alumni activities should be included in the line item budgeted for follow-on activities as well as significant cost-sharing by the applicant organization.

Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) and the sample budget template for additional information.

III. PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Applicants should submit a complete and thorough proposal describing the program in a convincing and comprehensive manner. Since there is no opportunity for applicants to meet with reviewing officials, the proposal should respond to the review criteria set forth in the solicitation and other guidelines as clearly as possible.

Proposals should address succinctly, but completely, the elements described below and must follow all format requirements.

NOTE: Proposals submitted through Grants.gov may only be submitted in the following formats:

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

ASCII Text

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG images)

Proposals should include the following items under the section headings in the GrantSolutions Application

Checklist. All documents should be appropriately and clearly titled.

Online Forms

SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

SF-424A, “Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs”

SF-424B, “Assurances – Non-Construction Programs”

Include other attachments, if applicable, such as indirect agreements, form 990, SF-LLL, etc.

Program Narrative

Executive Summary (One page)

In one double-spaced page, provide the following information about the project:

1. Name of organization/participating institutions

2. Beginning and ending dates of the program

3. Proposed theme

4. Nature of activity

5. Funding level requested from ECA, total program cost, total cost-sharing from applicant and other sources

6. Scope and Goals

a. Number and description of participants

b. Wider audience benefiting from program (overall impact)

c. Geographic diversity of program, both U.S. and overseas

d. Fields covered

e. Anticipated results (short and long-term)

Narrative

In 20 double-spaced, single-sided pages and size twelve Times New Roman font, provide a detailed description of the project addressing the areas listed below.

1. Vision (statement of need, objectives, goals, benefits)

2. Participating Organizations

3. Program Activities (advertisement, recruitment, orientation, academic component, cultural program, participant monitoring)

4. Program Evaluation

5. Follow-on Activities

6. Project Management

7. Work Plan/Time Frame

Additional Information to be Submitted

Detailed Budget, Summary Budget, and Budget Narrative

All budget guidelines must be followed. The budget should indicate any cost sharing in the form of in-kind or cash contributions to the program from sources other than the Department of State.

See standard guidelines (PSI) in the Solicitation Package for information on cost sharing and the cost of audits.

A sample budget is provided as a pdf document as part of the application package for this solicitation. You may request this budget template in Excel format by contacting Macon

Barrow, at BarrowME@state.gov; 202-632-9435. Please note there are five tabs in this document, the Sample Budget Instructions, the Total Cost by Grant Category, the Summary

Budget, the Admin Detailed Budget, and the Program Detailed Budget. Applicants should complete tabs 2-5. The sample budget includes an explanation of specific budget categories and line items. Unless otherwise indicated, each of the line items should appear in the proposed budget, when applicable. Separate budgets for sub-awardees should be included and should resemble the Admin Detailed Budget and Program Detailed Budget for the award recipient. You are urged to be as detailed and specific as possible, adding line items if needed.

Please be sure to include a Summary Budget on a separate page before the Detailed Budgets.

The Summary Budget should clearly indicate the number of program participants and provide an overall unit cost per participant, as well as a unit cost breakdown by program and administrative costs. A sample of this format is provided on the third tab of the sample budget. Please note the summary budget includes estimated cost projections for the non-competitive continuations of the award. You are not required to provide a detailed budget for the subsequent years until ECA decides to exercise the non-competitive continuation.

Following the Detailed Budget, please include a Budget Narrative that concisely explains how costs were calculated and the rationale for including them in the budget. The Budget Narrative should also explain costs for sub-awardees. Please make note of the following in the Budget

Narrative:

If you do not have an established indirect cost rate agreement, please explain what costs are excluded when calculating the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base in accordance with 2 CFR 200.68 and 2 CFR 200.414.

List and explain the participant support costs.

State if the above two questions are part of your organization’s existing policies and if they are consistently applied in all budgets throughout your organization.

Applicant institutions should attempt to maximize cost-sharing throughout the program by enlisting the support of the U.S. private sector, including foundations and corporations. ECA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets and participant numbers and the number of Institutes based on program needs and the availability of U.S. Government funding.

Calendar of activities/itinerary for each Institute

Letters of endorsement

Resumes and CVs (resumes of all new staff should be included in the submission; no resume should exceed two pages.)

First Time Applicant Attachments (if applicable).

Please note: All applicants for ECA federal assistance awards must include in their application the names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers, trustees, and key employees, regardless of amount of compensation). In fulfilling this requirement, applicants must submit information in one of the following ways:

Those who file Internal Revenue Service Form 990, "Return of Organization Exempt

From Income Tax," must include a copy of relevant portions of this form.

Those who do not file IRS Form 990 must submit information above in the format of their choice.

As part of final program reporting requirements, award recipients will also be required to submit a one-page document, derived from their program reports, listing and describing their grant activities. For award recipients, the names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers, trustees, and key employees), as well as the one- page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by the State Department to OMB, along with other information required by the

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and will be made available to the public by the Office of Management and Budget on its USASpending.gov website as part of

ECA’s FFATA reporting requirements.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The NOFO indicates the date the complete proposal is due and the manner in which proposals must be submitted. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this deadline. For further information regarding this program or the competition, please contact: Program Officer Macon Barrow, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, ECA/A/E/USS, SA-5, 4 th

Floor, 2200 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, tel: 202-632-9435 and email:

BarrowME@state.gov.

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