OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM REPORTS APRIL 1992 FUND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND REFORM OF SCHOOLS AND TEACHING The mission of the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) Office is to identify, support, and disseminate information about projects which demonstrate proven innovative educational approaches to improve the education of children at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. In fiscal year 1991 (FY 91), the Office funded 77 new projects and 193 continuation grants. The FIRST Office administers four major discretionary grant programs: THE FUND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND REFORM OF SCHOOLS AND TEACHING PROGRAM The Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) Program, authorized under the Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988, is intended to promote needed improvement in schools. The authorizing legislation directs FIRST to encourage educational opportunities that will benefit elementary and secondary school teachers and students, especially educationally disadvantaged or at-risk children, and to increase the involvement of families in the improvement of the educational achievement of their children. In FY 92, $9,250,000 is available from FIRST for new and continuing projects. Four competitions are being held for new grants under FIRST. Under the Schools and Teachers Program there are competitions for Schools and Teachers Projects and School-Level Projects. The closing date for these two competitions was March 6, 1992. A third competition under the Schools and Teachers Program focuses on the need for linkages and cooperation across the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education levels. The closing date for this competition is March 18, 1992. The fourth competition is for new projects under the Family-School Partnership Program. The closing date for this competition was March 6, 1992. An additional competition that addresses issues similar to those described in the FIRST competition focusing on the need for linkages and cooperation across the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education levels is being conducted by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). (Contact: Bryan Gray, 219-1496) THE SECRETARY'S FUND FOR INNOVATION IN EDUCATION The Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education (FIE) complements the President's and the Secretary's efforts to spur school-based reforms and innovations in education. FIE supports a wide range of activities including assessments, experiments, demonstrations, dissemination, and replication of promising educational reforms. In FY 92, the FIE appropriation is $24,000,000 ($1,975,000 of this amount is administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Education Program) for new and continuing grants and for Secretarial Initiatives. In FY 92, $6,000,000 has been set aside by Congress to fund a high-technology demonstration grant. Decisions on the remaining discretionary funds will be announced in early spring 1992. (Contact Shirley Steele, 219-1496) The Comprehensive School Health Education Program has set aside $2.6 million for new awards. The competition focuses on activities related to improving health education for elementary and secondary students. The closing date for applications was February 14, 1992. (Contact: Shirley Jackson, 219-1556) THE DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION Authorized by the Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Act of the Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988, this program is designed to improve the quality of teaching and instruction in mathematics and science, and to increase the access of all students to that instruction. The national program supports innovative projects of national significance directed at certain urgent priorities in mathematics and science education in elementary and secondary schools. In FY 92, $16,000,000 is available for new and continuing grants. Congress has set aside $3.5 million of this appropriation to establish a National Clearinghouse on Mathematics and Science Education. A "Request for Proposals" will be issued in early spring 1992 with a tentative closing date for proposals in June. Decisions on the remaining discretionary funds will be announced in early spring 1992. (Contact: Allen Schmieder, 219-1496) THE DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER REGIONAL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION CONSORTIUMS Authorized by Public Law 101-589, the "Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education Act of 1990" is designed to establish and operate regional mathematics and science education consortia for the purpose of disseminating exemplary mathematics and science education instructional materials and for providing technical assistance for the implementation of teaching methods and assessment tools for use by elementary and secondary school students, teachers, and administrators. In FY 92, $12,000,000 is available to fund a minimum of 10 new awards. No closing date has been established for this competition at this time. (Contact: Allen Schmieder, 219-1496)