Generic Application Package for Discretionary Grant Program (SC)

Narrative

Applications should be concise and clearly written. The narrative must be limited to no more than 25 single-sided, double-spaced pages printed in 12 point font or larger. The page limitation does not include the title page, Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), one-page abstract, the budget summary form (ED 524) and the narrative budget justification, any curriculum vitae, the bibliography of literature cited, or the GEPA statement, assurances, and certifications.

Before preparing the narrative, applicants should review the closing date notice, program statute, and any notice of final priorities for specific guidance or requirements. Note that applications will be evaluated according to the selection criteria specified in the closing date notice or in this package.

A strong evaluation plan should be included in the application narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape the development of the project from the beginning of the grant period. The plan should include benchmarks to monitor progress toward specific project objectives and also outcome measures to assess the impact on teaching and learning or other important outcomes for project participants. More specifically, the plan should identify the individual and/or organization that have agreed to serve as evaluator for the project and describe the qualifications of that evaluator. The plan should describe the evaluation design, indicating: (1) what types of data will be collected; (2) when various types of data will be collected; (3) what methods will be used; (4) what instruments will be developed and when; (5) how the data will be analyzed; (6) when reports of results and outcomes will be available; and (7) how the applicant will use the information collected through the evaluation to monitor progress of the funded project and to provide accountability information both about success at the initial site and effective strategies for replication in other settings. Applicants are encouraged to devote an appropriate level of resources to project evaluation.

Successful applicants will be expected to report annually on the progress of each project or study included in the grant, including a description of preliminary or key findings and an explanation of any changes in goals, objectives, methodology, or planned products or publications.