To view this announcement in its entirety, please see:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2002-3/080902b.html

Purpose of Program: To provide technical assistance and information--through such mechanisms as institutes, regional resource centers, clearinghouses, and programs that support States and local entities in building capacity--to (1) improve early intervention, educational, and transitional services and results for children with disabilities and their families; and (2) address systemic-change goals and priorities.

Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, other public agencies, nonprofit private organizations, for-profit organizations, outlying areas, freely associated States, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.

Priority: Under sections 661(e) and 685 of IDEA and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Dept. of Education gives an absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. They will fund under this competition only those applications that meet this priority: Absolute Priority--Urban Inclusion Technical Assistance Center (84.326B) Background: Compared with suburban and rural local educational agencies (LEAs), urban LEAs place disproportionately more children with disabilities, particularly children with severe disabilities, in segregated classrooms or in separate schools, where they are less likely to have access to and instruction in the general education curriculum. In urban LEAs, special education services are often not aligned with or part of comprehensive school improvement efforts because special education is viewed as a separate system or a placement. In addition, in many schools special education is seen as the only viable option to provide support to students who are falling behind. In these cases, children who could benefit substantially from scientifically-based interventions in such areas as reading are unnecessarily referred to special education.

Applications Available: August 9, 2002 http://ed.gov/GrantApps/
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 9, 2002
Estimated Available Funds: $700,000
Estimated Number of Awards: Under this priority, the Secretary will make one award for a cooperative agreement.

For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), PO Box 1398, Jessup, Maryland 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877- 4ED-Pubs (1-877-433-7827). FAX: 301-470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free) 1-877-576-7734. You may also contact Ed Pubs at its Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html. Or you may contact Ed Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. If you request an application from Ed Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA No. 84.326B.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 205-8207. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the Grants and Contracts Services Team under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the previous site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293- 6498; or in the Washington, DC., area at (202) 512-1530. Note: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO access at: http://www.access.gpo/nara/index.html Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1405, 1461, 1472, 1474, and 1487.