The Office of Higher Education Programs invites interested individuals to apply to serve as field readers evaluating grant applications submitted for funding in fiscal year 1999 for the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships Progr

[Federal Register: March 22, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 54)]

[Notices]               

[Page 13789]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr22mr99-59]



[[Page 13789]]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION



Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships 

Program


AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education; Department of Education.


ACTION: Notice inviting individuals to serve as field readers.


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SUMMARY: The Office of Higher Education Programs invites interested 

individuals to apply to serve as field readers evaluating grant 

applications submitted for funding in fiscal year 1999 for the Teacher 

Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships Program. This 

program includes three new competitive grant programs that, together, 

are intended to improve teacher quality in America by effectively 

addressing the Nation's need to recruit and prepare teachers who have 

the skills and content knowledge needed to teach all children to high 

academic standards. The three programs include--State Grants to support 

the implementation of comprehensive statewide reforms to improve 

teacher quality, Partnership Grants to bring about fundamental change 

and improvement in traditional teacher education programs, and Teacher 

Recruitment Grants to reduce shortages of qualified teachers in high-

need school districts.


DATES: Any individual interested in serving as a field reader should 

mail or fax two copies of his or her resume to the address listed in 

the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice no later 

than April 2, 1999, indicating the program in which he or she is 

interested in serving as a field reader. Resumes should not exceed two 

pages.

    Duties and Compensation of Field Readers: Field readers will review 

applications according to the applicable published selection criteria. 

Each field reader will serve for a period of approximately five days. 

Each field reader who is selected will receive compensation for certain 

travel expenses and an honorarium.

    Field Reader Qualifications: The Department is seeking experienced 

and knowledgeable professionals who collectively can review program 

applications from a variety of perspectives on what is needed to 

successfully prepare highly competent K-12 teachers. In this regard, 

the Department seeks the help of interested professionals with 

expertise in one or more of the following areas:

    <bullet> State reforms in K-12 education, and teacher licensing, 

certification, and testing of teachers.

    <bullet> The accreditation of teacher preparation programs, and how 

these programs can provide prospective teachers with both strong 

teaching skills and academic content in the areas in which they will 

teach.

    <bullet> The teaching needs of K-12 school districts, and 

particularly those with schools in high-poverty areas or that face 

large teacher shortages.

    <bullet> The support that new teachers need in their first few 

years of teaching.

    <bullet> Activities that can foster strong working relationships 

between teacher preparation programs and the school districts and 

schools in which teaching graduates will teach.

    <bullet> The particular teaching needs of high-need school 

districts.

    <bullet> Management and governance issues related to the 

development and sustainability of partnerships among teacher 

preparation programs, schools of arts and sciences, and high-need 

school districts.

    <bullet> Other issues related to teacher licensure, certification, 

preparation, and recruitment that must be addressed if new teachers are 

to be able to enable all of their students to achieve high academic 

standards.

    Prospective field readers may come from State agencies, 

institutions of higher education, local K-12 school districts, private 

organizations, community service agencies, and other entities. Each 

field reader must have the expertise necessary to assess accurately the 

quality of a program application on the basis of the applicable 

selection criteria. Application packages for prospective applicants 

that include the program selection criteria may be accessed at the 

following Internet site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/heatqp/

index.html.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Louis Venuto, Teacher Quality 

Enhancement Program, Post Office Box 23764, Washington, D.C. 20026-

3764. Telephone: (202) 708-8847. Inquiries may be sent by e-mail to 

Louis__Venuto@ed.gov or by fax to (202) 708-9272. Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 

alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 

paragraph.


Electronic Access to This Document


    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 

Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 

portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the 

following sites:


http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html


To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 

Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 

have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 

Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.

    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 

electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 

or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 

G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.


    Note: The official version of a document is the document 

published in the Federal Register.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.


    Dated: March 17, 1999.

Maureen A. McLaughlin,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. 99-6935 Filed 3-19-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P