Notice2023-14288
Applications for Selection as a Performance Partnership Pilot; Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 7, 2023
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
The Department of Education (ED or Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for selection as a performance partnership pilot for fiscal year (FY) 2023 under the Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) authority. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1830-0575.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 129 (Friday, July 7, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 129 (Friday, July 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43324-43329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14288]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for Selection as a Performance Partnership Pilot;
Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth
AGENCY: Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (ED or Department) is issuing a
notice inviting applications for selection as a performance partnership
pilot for fiscal year (FY) 2023 under the Performance Partnership
Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) authority. This notice relates to
the approved information collection under OMB control number 1830-0575.
DATES:
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 5, 2023.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: November 6, 2023.
Deadline for Requests for Technical Assistance (optional): August
7, 2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Braden Goetz, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 10401, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: 202-245-7405. Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bcf8d5cfdfd3d2d2d9dfc8d9d8e5d3c9c8d4fcd9d892dbd3ca"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="30745943535f5e5e5553445554695f4544587055541e575f46">[email protected]</span></a>. Or Corinne Sauri, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 10362, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: 202-245-6412.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Pilot Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: P3 was first authorized by Congress in FY 2014
by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (2014 Act), and the
authority has been included by Congress in appropriations acts each
year since FY 2014, most recently in the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) (2023 Act). The FY 2023 P3 authority
enables pilot sites to blend FY 2023 Federal funds and obtain waivers
of program requirements, including statutory, regulatory, and
administrative requirements that are barriers to achieving improved
outcomes for youth-serving programs included in the authority. Under
P3, pilots can test innovative strategies to achieve significant
improvements in educational, employment, and other key outcomes for
disconnected youth using the flexibility provided by P3.
Background: Reengaging the more than 4.8 million young people in
the United States who are neither working nor enrolled in school--and
preventing other young people from joining them--is a national concern
because their disconnection can have severe, long-term consequences.
Youth who drop out and never earn a high school credential have
higher rates of unemployment, lower earnings, poorer health, and higher
rates of mortality, and are more likely to be dependent on public
assistance than those who earn a high school credential.\1\ Interrupted
or delayed schooling and employment also can have long-lasting
consequences. Youth whose completion of high school is delayed are
significantly less likely to enroll in postsecondary education after
they do earn their high school credential.\2\ Youth whose enrollment in
postsecondary education is delayed after high school graduation are
considerably more likely to drop out than peers who enter college
immediately following high school.\3\ They also earn less as young
adults, with one study estimating that those who delay entry into
postsecondary institutions earn $41,000 less during the first 13 years
after high school graduation than young adults who enrolled in college
the semester after high school graduation.\4\ A prolonged period of
unemployment experienced by a young adult can have an enduring negative
consequence on his or her earnings that lasts as long as 9 years after
he or she finds work.\5\
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\1\ Belfield, C. and Levin, H.M. Eds. (2007). The price we pay:
Economic and social consequences of inadequate education.
Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/book/the-price-we-pay/">https://www.brookings.edu/book/the-price-we-pay/</a>.
\2\ Fogg, N.P. and Harrington, P.E. (2015). From Diplomas to
Degrees: A Longitudinal Study of the College Enrollment and
Graduation Outcomes of High School Graduates from the School
District of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Drexel University Center
for Labor Markets and Policy. Retrieved from: https://drexel.edu/~/
media/Files/clmp/diplomas_to_degrees_full_report_2015.pdf.
\3\ Ibid., and Scott, M.A., and Kennedy, B.B. (2005). Pitfalls
in Pathways: Some Perspectives on Competing Risks Event History
Analysis in Education Research. Journal of Educational and
Behavioral Statistics, Winter, 2005, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Winter, 2005),
pp. 413-442. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3701297">https://www.jstor.org/stable/3701297</a>.
\4\ Yuxin Lin, Y. and Ting Liu, V.Y. (2019). Timing Matters: How
Delaying College Enrollment Affects Earnings Trajectories, CCRC
Working Paper No. 105. New York, NY: Community College Research
Center. Retrieved from: <a href="https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/delaying-college-enrollment-earnings-trajectories.html">https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/delaying-college-enrollment-earnings-trajectories.html</a>.
\5\ Mroz, T.A. and Savage, T.H. (2006). The Long-Term Effects of
Youth Unemployment. The Journal of Human Resources, Spring, 2006,
Vol. 41, No. 2 (Spring, 2006), pp. 259-293. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40057276">https://www.jstor.org/stable/40057276</a>.
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P3 may be a useful tool in preventing and effectively addressing
youth disconnection. It gives ED, the Departments of Labor (DOL),
Health and Human Services (HHS), and Justice (DOJ),\6\ the Corporation
for National and Community Service (CNCS), and the Institute of Museum
and Library Services (collectively, the Agencies) authority, provided
certain conditions and requirements are met, to waive Federal statutory
and regulatory requirements that inhibit access to assistance and
effective service delivery for disconnected youth.
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\6\ DOJ's Office of Justice Programs was first authorized to
enter into performance agreements by the Consolidated and Further
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.
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P3 authorizes the Agencies to enter into Performance Partnership
Agreements (performance agreements) with State, local, or Tribal
governments. The performance agreements provide pilots with additional
flexibility in the use of certain discretionary funds administered by
the Agencies,\7\ including competitive and formula grant funds. Pilots
must include two or more Federal programs (at least one of which is
administered in whole or in part by a State, local, or Tribal
government) that target disconnected youth or are designed to prevent
youth from disconnecting from school or work, and that provide
education, training, employment, and other related social services.
Entities that seek to participate in these pilots must commit to
achieving significant improvements in outcomes for disconnected youth
in exchange for flexibility permitted under P3. The authorizing statute
states that improving outcomes for disconnected youth means increasing
the rate at which those individuals between the ages of 14 and 24 who
are low-income
[[Page 43325]]
and are either homeless, in foster care, involved in the juvenile
justice system, unemployed, or not enrolled in or at risk of dropping
out of an educational institution achieve success in meeting
educational, employment, or other key goals (2014 Act, section
526(a)(2)).
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\7\ For the purposes of P3, discretionary funds are funds that
Congress appropriates on an annual basis, rather than through a
standing authorization. They exclude ``entitlement'' (or mandatory)
programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, most Foster
Care IV-E programs, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants, and
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Pell Grant funding, which is
supported through a combination of discretionary and mandatory
funding, is also excluded for the purposes of P3. Discretionary
programs administered by the Agencies support a broad set of public
services, including education, workforce development, health and
mental health, and other low-income assistance programs.
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This notice invites applications for selection as FY 2023 pilots
and offers opportunities for prospective applicants to obtain optional
technical assistance from the Agencies prior to applying. The purpose
of the pre-application technical assistance is to help prospective
applicants identify and propose to address--through waivers, blending
of funds, or other flexibilities--Federal barriers to effective and
integrated service delivery that will improve the educational and
employment outcomes of disconnected youth.
If interest in technical assistance exceeds the Agencies' capacity
to provide it, the Agencies will give first priority to assisting
eligible entities that intend to serve communities that have
experienced civil unrest because the statutory authority for FY 2023
directs the Agencies to include such communities among the designated
pilots. Second priority will be given to requests for technical
assistance from applicants that propose to serve the highest numbers of
disconnected youth.
Flexibilities Available Under P3
P3 provides important opportunities to improve access to Federal
programs and their effectiveness in addressing the needs of
disconnected youth. The Agencies have published on <a href="http://Youth.gov">Youth.gov</a> a list of
the waivers previously granted to pilots under the first three rounds
of P3 in which pilots were designated.\8\ These waivers were helpful to
the pilots that received them, and, in this latest round, the Agencies
hope that applicants propose even more ambitious and bold efforts to
remove Federal constraints on effective, innovative, and promising
service delivery for disconnected youth. We provide several examples
below.
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\8\ The list of previously granted waivers is available at
<a href="https://youth.gov/sites/default/files/P3-Waiver-List-FINAL_2018-12-10.pdf">https://youth.gov/sites/default/files/P3-Waiver-List-FINAL_2018-12-10.pdf</a>.
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These examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, and the
allowability of specific proposals will depend on the unique
circumstances of individual applicants. Any waivers must be consistent
with the statutory safeguards that apply to P3, discussed below, and
the Agencies will consider whether the inclusion of a program in a
specific pilot is consistent with, or conflicts with, other significant
legal or policy considerations. Also, the Agencies will review the
blending of competitive grants on a case-by-case basis to consider how
the scope, objectives, and target populations of the existing awards
align with the proposed pilot. Any changes in terms and conditions of
the existing competitive grant awards required for pilot purposes must
be justified by the applicant and consistent with the scope and
objectives of the grantee's application. In addition, the Agencies can
only waive Federal statutory or regulatory requirements and cannot
waive State or local requirements. The Agencies encourage applicants to
analyze whether implementation of their request also requires State or
local statutory or regulatory flexibilities or waivers, as those rules
are not under the jurisdiction of the Agencies to waive for P3.
Example A: P3 enables State, local, and Tribal governments to blend
dollars from multiple Federal funding streams to provide more
comprehensive, holistic services for youth without having to allocate
costs among the contributing programs and separately track and report
on each source of funding. For example, a State could propose to use P3
to support a comprehensive education, training, and reentry services
program for youthful offenders before, during, and after their
incarceration. Funding for the project could be contributed from the
Governor's reserve of the State's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (WIOA) Title I Youth program grant, the State's Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention Act Title II State grant, and the State
educational agency's Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended (ESEA) Title I, Part D grant for Prevention and Intervention
Programs for Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-
Risk. The State also could propose to use P3 to waive the statutory
performance indicators and reporting requirements under the three
programs, replacing them with one set of indicators tailored to match
the objectives of the project that the State reports on annually. Funds
available to the State for evaluation under section 116(e)(1) of WIOA
could be used to evaluate the program.
Similarly, to expand mental health and well-being supports through
comprehensive school-based mental health services, an LEA could blend
funding from its ESEA Title IV, Part A subgrant and its FY 2023
continuation award for its School-Based Mental Health Services grant
and braid \9\ funding from its FY 2023 Project AWARE (Advancing
Wellness and Resiliency in Education) grant from the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration in HHS to have school-based
mental health services providers create learn-and-earn opportunities
for high school students through which they receive a stipend paid with
ESEA Title IV, Part A funds or academic credit for training in an
evidence-based curriculum that teaches suicide prevention education and
awareness, including associated risk factors, methods that students can
use to seek help, and student resources for suicide awareness and
prevention. This strategy promotes a supportive and inclusive school
climate and also serves to develop the next generation of high-quality,
trained school-based mental health services professionals.
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\9\ Braiding funds means coordinating two or more funding
sources to support the total cost of a service or activity while
separately tracking and reporting on each source of funding. Cost-
allocation methods are required to ensure that each funding source
is charged its fair share. Blended funding combines two or more
funding sources for one purpose without continuing to differentiate
or track individual sources. See Urban Institute (2022), Local
Workforce System Guide. Retrieved from: <a href="https://workforce.urban.org/node/57.html">https://workforce.urban.org/node/57.html</a>.
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Example B: Registered Apprenticeship (RA) and pre-apprenticeship
programs that are linked to RA programs can provide disconnected youth
with a pathway to educational advancement and economic mobility. There
is encouraging evidence that participation in RA programs is associated
with significant earnings gains and that the costs to government of
supporting RA programs are far exceeded by the benefits because the
higher earnings of participants reduce their use of government
programs.\10\ However, RA programs can be more challenging to finance
than other programs and cost more to start up because they span and can
draw funding from both postsecondary education and workforce
development and require extensive coordination among funders and the
employers who
[[Page 43326]]
hire apprentices.\11\ P3 can ease some of these challenges by enabling
RA program sponsors, intermediaries, and other key players in creating
RA and pre-apprenticeship to blend rather than braid funding from
multiple Federal programs. For example, a State seeking to ensure there
are trained workers who are ready to meet the demands of implementing
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could create pre-
apprenticeship and RA programs for disconnected youth by blending funds
from Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) State leadership
funds available under section 223 of WIOA, statewide youth activities
under Title I of WIOA, Youth Title I formula funding, State leadership
activities under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act, as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for
the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), and the Social Services Block
Grant.\12\
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\10\ Reed, D. et al. (2012). An Effectiveness Assessment and
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Registered Apprenticeship in 10 States.
Oakland, CA: Mathematica Policy Research. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.mathematica.org/publications/an-effectiveness-assessment-and-costbenefit-analysis-of-registered-apprenticeship-in-10-states">https://www.mathematica.org/publications/an-effectiveness-assessment-and-costbenefit-analysis-of-registered-apprenticeship-in-10-states</a>. See
also Katz, B. et al. (2022). Did Apprentices Achieve Faster Earnings
Growth Than Comparable Workers? Findings from the American
Apprenticeship Initiative Evaluation. Brief prepared for U.S.
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
Rockville, MD: Abt Associates; and Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OASP/evaluation/pdf/AAI/AAI_Brief-Earnings_Growth_Final_508_9-2022.pdf">https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OASP/evaluation/pdf/AAI/AAI_Brief-Earnings_Growth_Final_508_9-2022.pdf</a>.
\11\ Koller, V., van Docto C., et al. (2019). Promising
Approaches for Connecting Opportunity Youth to Registered
Apprenticeships. Boston, MA: Jobs for the Future. Retrieved from:
<a href="https://info.jff.org/promising-approaches-for-opportunity-youth">https://info.jff.org/promising-approaches-for-opportunity-youth</a>.
\12\ The Social Services Block Grant is authorized by Title XX
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397).
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Example C: Some Federal programs contain statutory or regulatory
requirements that limit the duration of an individual's participation
in a program. Due to service interruptions and disruptions caused by
the COVID-19 pandemic, participants may not have been able to take full
advantage of the opportunities provided by a program over the last
year. A P3 applicant could seek flexibility to waive eligibility
requirements to extend the duration of an individual's participation in
the program as part of a larger strategy to compensate for the time and
learning that youth lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, a
State, local, or Tribal governmental unit administering a YouthBuild
grant \13\ could seek to extend program services to individuals beyond
24 months.
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\13\ The YouthBuild grant program is authorized by section 171
of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3226).
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Example D: P3 authority can also be used by applicants to propose
changes to projects funded under multiple Federal grants that are each,
separately, intended to support programs designed to help disconnected
youth achieve greater success in meeting their educational and
employment goals. For example, a public college or university might
propose to increase the share of the Federal Work Study (FWS) program
funds available for Job Location and Development programs and waive the
25 percent cap on the amount of the school's allocation that may be
used to pay wages to students employed with private, for-profit
organizations so that it could use more than 25 percent of its FWS
funds to provide students who are at risk of dropping out with
subsidized career internships in the private sector that are aligned
with students' educational and career goals. To help students identify
their career goals, the college or university could partner with a
local American Job Center, which uses funds from the WIOA Title I Adult
program, to provide students with intensive career counseling and
information relating to local occupations in demand and the earnings
and skill requirements of those occupations. Similarly, a community
college could request waivers to blend and use a portion of a TRIO
Educational Opportunity Center grant and its WIOA Title II AEFLA
program subgrant to implement an intensive integrated education and
training (IET) program for young adults who lack a high school
credential, or a State government could request authority to blend
AEFLA funds with funds from a Second Chance Act grant from the
Department of Justice to implement an IET program or wraparound
academic support services for incarcerated individuals to prepare them
for postsecondary education.
Example E: P3 waivers can help programs reach currently unserved
disconnected youth. Current ED regulations for the TRIO programs limit
participation in these programs to citizens or permanent residents of
the United States, or individuals who are in the United States for
other than a temporary purpose who provide evidence from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) of their intent to become
a permanent resident.\14\ Applying in partnership with affiliated local
public institutions of higher education that administer TRIO grants, a
multi-State consortium of public college or university systems that are
considered units of State government could seek a waiver of this
requirement so that their affiliated schools could use TRIO funds to
serve disconnected youth who are not citizens or permanent residents of
the United States, or individuals who are in the United States for
other than a temporary purpose who provide evidence from the INS of
their intent to become a permanent resident.
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\14\ See 34 CFR 643.3 (Talent Search), 34 CFR 644.3 (Educational
Opportunity Centers), 34 CFR 645.3 (Upward Bound), 34 CFR 646.3
(Student Support Services), and 34 CFR 647.3 (Ronald E. McNair
Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program).
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Example F: P3 waivers can make childcare more accessible for youth
who are parents and pursuing a postsecondary degree or credential but
at risk of leaving without a degree or credential or employment due to
the lack of affordable, high-quality childcare. A public college or
university that receives funds under the Strengthening Institutions
program authorized by Title III, Part A of the HEA could obtain a
waiver of the regulatory prohibition against using a portion of these
funds for childcare services in order to augment the childcare services
it provides with its Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program
grant.
Example G: An LEA could use the P3 authority to create a
comprehensive educational program to provide support to English
learners (ELs) to support the successful transition from secondary
school to postsecondary education and a career in a high-demand field,
focusing on students who continue to be identified as ELs for more than
5 years, students who enroll with prior educational experiences other
than formalized learning experiences, or who have special needs.
Students who are proficient in both their home language and English are
an asset, including in the labor market. For example, funds available
under ESEA Title I, Part A and Title III could be used to support dual
language programs for ELs to support language acquisition, including
providing high-quality tutoring to support academic achievement. The
LEA could also use ESEA Title IV, Part A funds to provide targeted
support for ELs, including ELs with special needs. The LEA could use
Perkins V funds to support career advising and navigation services and
cover the costs associated with a career and technical education dual
enrollment pathway or an apprenticeship where students can apply
multilingual skill sets. The local workforce development board could
also contribute funds to provide paid internships during the summer
months.
Although P3 provides the Agencies broad waiver authority to
increase flexibility and relieve burden in order to improve the
effectiveness of Federal funding for disconnected youth, it is
important to note that there are some limitations on the waivers. In
particular, as stated in the original statutory authority for P3, the
P3 waivers--
<bullet> May not involve any requirement related to
nondiscrimination, wage and labor standards, or the allocation of funds
to State and sub-State levels;
<bullet> Must be consistent with the statutory purposes of the
Federal
[[Page 43327]]
program for which such discretionary funds were appropriated;
<bullet> May not result in denying or restricting the eligibility
of any individual for any of the services that (in whole or in part)
are funded by the agency's programs and Federal discretionary funds
that are involved in the pilot;
<bullet> Based on the best available information, may not otherwise
adversely affect vulnerable populations that are the recipients of such
services;
<bullet> Must be necessary to achieve the outcomes of the pilot as
specified in the performance agreement, and no broader in scope than is
necessary to achieve such outcomes; and
<bullet> Must result in either (a) realizing efficiencies by
simplifying reporting burdens or reducing administrative barriers with
respect to such discretionary funds; or (b) increasing the ability of
individuals to obtain access to services that are provided by the
discretionary funds.
FY 2023
P3 was reauthorized for FY 2023 for programs administered by all of
the six Agencies, and the Agencies may select up to 10 pilots.
An applicant must propose to include FY 2023 funds from at least
one of the six Agencies.
If Congress extends the P3 authority in future years, pilots may
propose to amend the number of Federal programs supporting pilot
activities using future funding appropriated. However, authority for
pilots to expand in future years is subject to congressional action as
well as agency discretion.
Application Requirements: The application requirements for this
opportunity are from the notice of final priorities, requirements,
definitions, and selection criteria for this program published on April
28, 2016, in the Federal Register (81 FR 25339) (P3 NFP) and are as
follows:
(a) Executive summary. The applicant must provide an executive
summary that briefly describes the proposed pilot, the flexibilities
being sought, and the interventions or systems changes that would be
implemented by the applicant and its partners to improve outcomes for
disconnected youth.
(b) Flexibility, including waivers:
Federal requests for flexibility, including waivers. For each
program to be included in a pilot, the applicant must complete Table 1,
Requested Flexibility. The applicant must identify two or more
discretionary Federal programs that will be included in the pilot,\15\
at least one of which must be administered (in whole or in part) by a
State, local, or Tribal government.\16\ In Table 1, the applicant must
identify one or more program requirements that would inhibit
implementation of the pilot and request that the requirement(s) be
waived in whole or in part. Examples of potential waiver requests and
other requests for flexibility include, but are not limited to,
blending of funds and changes to align eligibility requirements,
allowable uses of funds, and performance reporting.
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\15\ Applicants are encouraged to consult the list of examples
of programs that are potentially eligible for inclusion in pilots at
<a href="https://youth.gov/youth-topics/reconnecting-youth/performance-partnership-pilots/round-4-program-list">https://youth.gov/youth-topics/reconnecting-youth/performance-partnership-pilots/round-4-program-list</a>.
Table 1--Requested Flexibility
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Program
Federal requirements to be Statutory or Name of Blending
Program name agency waived in whole or regulatory program funds? (Yes/
in part citation grantee No)
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Note: Please note in ``Name of Program Grantee'' if the grantee is a State, local, or Tribal government, or
nongovernmental entity.
Program Requirements: The program requirement for this opportunity
is from the P3 NFP.
Performance Agreement. Each P3 pilot, along with other non-Federal
government entities involved in the partnership, must enter into a
performance agreement that will include, at a minimum, the following
(as required by section 526(c)(2) of Division H of the 2014 Act):
(a) The length of the agreement;
(b) The Federal programs and federally funded services that are
involved in the pilot;
(c) The Federal discretionary funds that are being used in the
pilot;
(d) The non[hyphen]Federal funds that are involved in the pilot, by
source (which may include private funds as well as governmental funds)
and by amount;
(e) The State, local, or Tribal programs that are involved in the
pilot;
(f) The populations to be served by the pilot;
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\16\ Local governments that are requesting waivers of
requirements in State-administered programs are strongly encouraged
to consult with the State agencies that administer the programs in
preparing their applications.
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(g) The cost-effective Federal oversight procedures that will be
used for the purpose of maintaining the necessary level of
accountability for the use of the Federal discretionary funds;
(h) The cost-effective State, local, or Tribal oversight procedures
that will be used for the purpose of maintaining the necessary level of
accountability for the use of the Federal discretionary funds;
(i) The outcome (or outcomes) that the pilot is designed to
achieve;
(j) The appropriate, reliable, and objective outcome measurement
methodology that will be used to determine whether the pilot is
achieving, and has achieved, specified outcomes;
(k) The statutory, regulatory, or administrative requirements
related to Federal mandatory programs that are barriers to achieving
improved outcomes of the pilot; and
(l) Criteria for determining when a pilot is not achieving the
specified outcomes that it is designed to achieve and subsequent steps,
including:
(1) The consequences that will result; and
(2) The corrective actions that will be taken in order to increase
the likelihood that the pilot will achieve such specified outcomes.
Definitions: The following definitions are from the P3 NFP.
Blended funding is a funding and resource allocation strategy that
uses multiple existing funding streams to support a single initiative
or strategy. Blended funding merges two or more funding streams, or
portions of multiple funding streams, to produce greater efficiency
and/or effectiveness. Funds from each individual stream lose their
award-specific identity, and the blended funds together become subject
to a single set of reporting and other requirements, consistent with
the underlying purposes of the programs for which the funds were
appropriated.
An interim indicator is a marker of achievement that demonstrates
progress toward an outcome and is measured at least annually.
Outcomes are the intended results of a program or intervention.
They are
[[Page 43328]]
what applicants expect their projects to achieve. An outcome can be
measured at the participant level (for example, changes in employment
retention or earnings of disconnected youth) or at the system level
(for example, improved efficiency in program operations or
administration).
A waiver provides flexibility in the form of relief, in whole or in
part, from specific statutory, regulatory, or administrative
requirements that have hindered the ability of a State, locality, or
Tribe to organize its programs and systems or provide services in ways
that best meet the needs of its target populations. Under P3, waivers
provide flexibility in exchange for a pilot's commitment to improve
programmatic outcomes for disconnected youth consistent with underlying
statutory authorities and purposes.
Program Authority: Section 523 of Title III, Division H of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328).
Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal
civil rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 86, 97,
98, and 99, and such other regulations as the Agencies may apply based
on the programs included in a particular pilot. (b) The Office of
Management and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide
Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted
and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c)
The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and
amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The P3
NFP.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Performance Pilot Designation Information
Type of Award: Flexibility.
Estimated Available Funds: None.
Estimated Number of Designations: 10 pilots.
Project Period: FY 2023 pilots may operate for as long as FY 2023
appropriated funds remain available to pilots to obligate to support
project activities, but not past September 30, 2027.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: The lead applicant must be a State, local,
or Tribal government entity, represented by a chief executive, such as
a governor, mayor, or other elected leader, or the head of a State,
local, or Tribal agency.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants must submit
completed applications to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6f2b061c0c0001010a0c1b0a0b36001a1b072f0a0b41080019"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="35715c46565a5b5b50564150516c5a40415d7550511b525a43">[email protected]</span></a> unless electronic
submission is not possible. Where electronic submission is not possible
(e.g., you do not have access to the internet), you must provide a
written statement that you intend to submit a paper application. Send
this written statement no later than 2 weeks before the application
deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the 14th calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday). If you mail your written statement
to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than 2 weeks before
the application deadline date. Please send this statement to the person
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
If you submit a paper application, you must mail the original and two
copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, LBJ Basement Level 1, 400
Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4260. You must show proof of
mailing consisting of one of the following: (1) A legibly dated U.S.
Postal Service postmark. (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of
mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service. (3) A dated shipping label,
invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier. (4) Any other proof of
mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Education. If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal
Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark. (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
the U.S. Postal Service.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
We will not consider applications postmarked after the application
deadline date.
2. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of
projects that may be proposed in applications for the P3 opportunity,
your application may include business information that you consider
proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define ``business information'' and
describe the process we use in determining whether any of that
information is proprietary and, thus, protected from disclosure under
Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as
amended).
Because we plan to make successful applications available to the
public, including performance agreements, and may make all applications
available, you may wish to request confidentiality of business
information.
Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your
application any information that you believe is exempt from disclosure
under Exemption 4. In the appropriate appendix section of your
application, please list the page number or numbers on which we can
find this information. For additional information please see 34 CFR
5.11(c).
3. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
4. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you,
the applicant, provide the information specified in the application
requirements and address the selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the
application narrative to no more than 5 pages and (2) use the following
standards:
<bullet> A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
<bullet> Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions.
<bullet> Use a font that is either 12 point or larger.
<bullet> Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial.
5. Requests for Technical Assistance: For interested eligible
entities, the Agencies are offering technical assistance over the next
several months that will help prospective applicants to identify
Federal impediments to effective and integrated service delivery for
disconnected youth and flexibilities that can be removed under P3 and
to develop an application submission for a P3 pilot. The Agencies want
to engage with as many eligible entities as
[[Page 43329]]
possible and will accept technical assistance requests on a rolling
basis until August 7, 2023. If interest in technical assistance exceeds
the Agencies' capacity to provide it, the Agencies will give first
priority to assisting eligible entities that intend to serve
communities that have experienced civil unrest, because the statutory
authority for FY 2023 directs the Agencies to include such communities
among the designated pilots.\17\ Second priority will be given to
requests for technical assistance from applicants that propose to serve
the highest numbers of disconnected youth. To request technical
assistance, please email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4f0b263c2c2021212a2c3b2a2b16203a3b270f2a2b61282039"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6d29041e0e020303080e19080934021819052d0809430a021b">[email protected]</span></a> with the subject line
``Request for Technical Assistance,'' and include the prospective
applicant's name, a contact person's name and email address, and the
names of the Federal programs that the prospective applicant is
interested in including in a P3 pilot. Applicants that do not request
technical assistance may still apply for designation as a pilot;
applicants that do request technical assistance are not bound to apply
or bound by the information provided in their initial request for
technical assistance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ Section 523(a), Title III, Division H, Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications under this
opportunity must be submitted electronically unless electronic
submission is not possible.
Please note the following:
<bullet> The Department is not publishing an application package
for this program. To submit an application, provide all of the
information specified in the application requirements. Additionally,
complete and submit Standard Form 424B, Assurances for Non-Construction
Programs (available at <a href="https://youth.gov/youth-topics/reconnecting-youth/performance-partnership-pilots">https://youth.gov/youth-topics/reconnecting-youth/performance-partnership-pilots</a>) with your application.
<bullet> The Department must receive your application by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time on September 5, 2023. We will notify you if we
are rejecting your application because it was received after the
application deadline date.
<bullet> We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
V. Application Review Information
1. Review and Selection Process: The Department will screen
applications that are submitted in accordance with the requirements in
this notice and will determine which applications are eligible to be
read based on whether they have met the eligibility and application
requirements.
The Secretary of Education (Secretary) will also consider
compliance with assurances, including those applicable to Federal civil
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance (such as, for ED programs, 34
CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
2. Review of Requests for Flexibility, Including Blending of Funds
and Other Waivers: Representatives of the Agencies that administer
programs under which flexibility in Federal requirements is sought will
evaluate whether the flexibility, including blending of funds and other
waivers, requested by applicants meets the statutory requirements for
P3 and is otherwise appropriate. For example, if an applicant is
seeking flexibility under programs administered by HHS and DOL, its
requests for flexibility will be reviewed by HHS and DOL officials.
Applicants may be asked to participate in telephone calls at this point
in the process in order to clarify requests for flexibility and other
aspects of their proposals.
3. Selecting Finalists: Agency officials may recommend projects for
selection by the Secretary of Education. In consultation with the other
Agencies, the Secretary will select up to 10 finalists after
considering the recommendations of the Agencies that administer the
programs for which the applicants are seeking flexibility, and other
information, including an applicant's performance and use of funds and
compliance history under a previous award under any agency program. In
selecting pilots, the Secretary will first give priority to applicants
that will serve communities that have experienced civil unrest, to
address the statutory requirement that designated pilots include
communities that have experienced civil unrest, and will then select
those applications that will serve the highest numbers of disconnected
youth.
For each finalist, ED and any other Agencies implicated in the
pilot will negotiate the performance agreement. If a performance
agreement cannot be finalized for an applicant, an alternative
applicant may be selected as a finalist instead. The recommended
projects will be considered finalists until performance agreements are
signed by all parties, and pilot designation will be awarded only after
finalization and approval of each finalist's performance agreement.
VI. Designation Administration Information
1. Designation Notices: If your application is successful, we
notify your U.S. Representative(s) and U.S. Senators and send you a
letter notification of your selection as a pilot. We may notify you
informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected as a pilot, we
will notify you.
2. Performance Measures: The performance agreement for each pilot
will include outcome measures, interim indicators, and targets.
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file,
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible
format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at <a href="http://www.govinfo.gov">www.govinfo.gov</a>. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Amy Loyd,
Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2023-14288 Filed 7-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 7, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.