92 Eligible partnerships postsecondary grant application guidelines for conducting a rural academy for Commonwealth educators

Eligible Partnerships Postsecondary Grant Application Guidelines for Conducting a Rural Academy for Commonwealth Educators

[33 Pa.B. 367]

   The Department of Education (Department) has established Eligible Partnership Postsecondary Grant Application (application) guidelines to provide direction to eligible partnerships for submitting applications targeting the quality of teachers, principals and paraprofessionals. An eligible partnership that receives a grant under these guidelines shall use the grant for designing and implementing a rural academy for this Commonwealth which provides assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs), their teachers, principals and paraprofessionals to ensure that they are able to use the Commonwealth's Mathematics and Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening content standards and for using Pennsylvania System of School Assessment data to strengthen and enhance instructional practices for improving student academic achievement. The guidelines define a partnership that is eligible to apply. The first rural academy funded under these guidelines will be conducted in the summer of 2003 and will be modeled after the Department's Governor's Academy for Urban Education. Approximately $202,804 is available to fund one academy for rural educators on a competitive basis under these guidelines. One contract or memorandum of understanding will be awarded.

   Copies of the rural academy's application guidelines are available on the Department's website at http://www.pde.state.pa.us or from the Issuing Office, which is the sole point of contact for the guidelines: Division of Program Services, Bureau of Postsecondary Services, Department of Education, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, [phone], TDD [phone].

   A preproposal conference is scheduled for Friday, February 7, 2003, at 10 a.m. in the Honors Suite, 1st Floor, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg. Attendance by a representative of the partnership (potential applicant, regional site, LEA, intermediate unit or other) is a prerequisite to submitting an application. If special accommodations are required to participate in the preproposal conference, contact the Division of Program Services. Written questions are to be submitted by January 31, 2003, on PDE-4658, which is available on the Department's website at http://www.pde.state.pa.us.

   Applications submitted in response to the application guidelines are due in the Division of Program Services by 5 p.m. on Monday, February 24, 2003.

THOMAS R. WINTERS,   
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 03-92. Filed for public inspection January 17, 2003, 9:00 a.m.]