The members of the instructional staff should understand and be sympathetic with the program's special aims. It is often useful to have at least one member of the staff who is an experienced teacher, supervisor, or administrator in a school or school district. Also, it is possible to find appropriate staff members from participants who have attended one or another of the NDEA institutes or other programs. Staff members are expected to devote more attention to the participants than is customary in regular graduate programs. In general, it is desirable that the teaching staff should be employed full time. This consideration should not, however, be allowed to override the paramount consideration of obtaining the best available instructors. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND SELECTION

OF PROGRAMS

All proposals prepared and submitted by eligible institutions in accordance with the guidelines in this manual will be read, evaluated, and rated by consultants drawn from various levels of American education in each of the 14 subject areas or fields of specialization. Essentially, the procedure for evaluation of proposals is based on the belief that professionals in a field (i.e., specialists from an appropriate field, discipline, or area) bring to it a built-in set of standards without which excellent programs could not properly be identified. While professionals from institutions of higher education predominate, each panel includes members from local and State educational agencies.

Regularly, the panels are changed each year to assure fresh points of view and to allow as many professionals as possible to participate in the evaluation process. Usually no individual serves on the same panel more than 3 successive years; annually at least one-third of the consultants on each panel are replaced.

Thus, for each of the programs (and sometimes in particular levels within a single program), a panel of consultants is invited to the Office to read, evaluate, and rate all proposals. A panel may meet from 3 to 5 days, depending upon the number of proposals and the number of consultants. Each proposal is read by at least three consultants, usually more, and the final rating is reached through discussion among them, including, when possible, the whole group. The quality of the proposed program is the predominant concern. Proposals are ranked, generally, in one of three categories: "Recommended Without Qualification," "Provisionally Recommended," and "Not Recommended."

Sometimes, when funds are available and the number of proposals is not too large, a variation of the evaluation procedure is followed and the consultants are convened twice. The first time they are

briefed and there is a general discussion of guidelines, and the like, after which proposals are read at home. Subsequently, the consultants are reconvened to review, discuss, and rate proposals. This procedure provides an opportunity for the consultants to read intensively and to discuss proposals together.

The basic criteria in the evaluation are that:

The specific objectives are clearly stated and their relation to the
needs both of the region in which the program would be located
and of the country is made clear. While a program need not
necessarily be a vehicle for meeting local or regional needs, it
may nevertheless have its greatest impact upon the geographic
area in which it is located. Certain programs, however, serve the
national interest best if they are open to participants from all
over the country.

The special needs of the prospective participants are delineated
and the procedures for selecting candidates are clearly stated.
The program is of high quality, with its several components well
coordinated, and it shows promise of achieving its objectives.
Two major considerations are whether or not the program will
be capable of imparting an understanding of the content and
whether or not it will contribute materially to improving the
competencies of the participants as teachers or specialists.
The program develops an awareness of new approaches, tech-
niques, skills, and instructional materials.

The program includes a practicum or appropriate demonstration
class, supervised practice or field experience, when feasible.
The director is professionally competent in the particular field
of the program.

A complete, competent instructional staff is available.

The sponsoring institution will make available adequate classrooms, special library facilities, housing, office space, and other such facilities.

The institution will provide adequate instructional materials and equipment..

The panel of consultants will also be interested in plans for following up the program and seeing the participants in their classrooms, even though funds for such a followup may not be available.

After proposals have been read and rated they will be reviewed by the Division in conjunction with appropriate program specialists. Geographic distribution, previous experience, relation to and understanding of school needs, and other relevant factors will all be considered.

Within the limits of available funds, it is the policy of the Commissioner of Education to approve the proposals recommended without qualification as well as those which could be strengthened through negotiation. While the Commissioner may, when he believes it to be advisable, arrange for certain programs, invariably such proposals are also read and evaluated by a panel of consultants.

Notification of Selection

After the Congress has been notified of programs approved for support by the Commissioner, institutions which submitted successful proposals will be informed. As soon as possible thereafter, institutions whose proposals could not be supported will be advised accordingly.

Schedule

Successful programs will be announced before the end of 1967, and a letter of intent authorizing preliminary expenditures will be sent. Soon thereafter a meeting will be held for all directors in Washington, D.C., and negotiations will commence. Negotiations will be concerned with proposed budgets as well as with program changes recommended by consultants who evaluated the proposals. Negotiations are conducted between the institute director (with his institution's business officer) and the appropriate program specialist in the Division of Educational Personnel Training, in conjunction with the Contracts Branch of the Office of Education.

A Grant Award Document will be issued as soon thereafter as possible. Invariably it will reflect changes in the original proposal, the estimated budget, and the number of participants. For terms and conditions which apply to Grant Award Documents, see Appendixes F and G. In the case of programs which operate on a contract basis, the final contract will be prepared.

SECTION II

THE PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Purpose of the Proposal

The purpose of a proposal is to provide the Office of Education and the panel of consultants who will read, evaluate, and rank it with explicit information on the kind of program the college or university wishes to sponsor and the institution's ability to conduct it. On the basis of the consultants' evaluation the Office will decide whether or not the project should be supported.

Preparation of the Proposal

A proposal can be considered only in terms of the information provided. The writer should not assume that a proposal will be evaluated on presumed knowledge of the institution. However, previous proposals, whether supported or not, should be noted; successful programs should be exploited. The proposal should contain all the required information and should describe the proposed program in sufficient detail to enable the panel of consultants to know what is planned at every stage.

A proposal should show why the proposed program was designed for a particular group of participants and should demonstrate the special or unique qualifications which meet their requirements and will contribute to its success.

Careful preparation of the proposal cannot be overstressed. It should be prepared by the prospective director since he will be most intimately concerned in its development and success. The director should write it with such local assistance as may be necessary. Certain administrative officials can be of great help and fiscal advice is always needed. Great caution should be exercised in the use of other or earlier institute proposals as models since usually these were written by a different director for a different purpose and under different circumstances.

Content and Organization of the Proposal

The body of the proposal should follow the outline given below.

1. Introduction.-The justification for a program and, when relevant, the specific needs of the schools it is intended to serve should be succinctly stated. A proposal should not rely on general statements of need or broad statistical surveys. Rather, the reasons why the proposed program is needed for a particular region or locality should be given; also why it should be offered at this particular college or university.

2. Objectives. The goals should be explicit and the particular competencies which are to be developed should be related to them.

3. Participants.—The kind and number of participants, and the reasons for selecting them, should be explained. If "regular" students other than the participants who will receive stipends are to be included (see p. 8), such arrangements should be described and justified.

4. Criteria for eligibility of participants.-The criteria to be used in determining participant eligibility must be explicit, including the educational background, the amount of preparation in the particular field or subject, and teaching and other appropriate experience. Also as a second step-it is important to state the criteria to be used in the final selection of participants from among eligible applicants. Usually a committee from the host institution, headed by the prospective director, will make the selection.

5. Formal program.-This should directly reflect the educational needs outlined in the introduction and should also indicate the means for attaining the specific objectives. The content and organization as well as the various components of the proposed program should be explained in sufficient detail to enable the consultants to understand exactly what would be taught, when, for how long, and why.

Each component should be described in detail. The relationship and integration of the several components should be explained. The name of the proposed instructor for each part of the program, the number of contact hours per week, and the materials the instructor plans to use should be indicated.

Visiting lecturers should be scheduled in such a manner as to insure their maximum effectiveness. In general, they should spend 2 or 3 days, during which time they would become involved in the program, rather than fly in and out after giving an isolated lecture or two during a single day.

A tentative schedule including the number of classroom hours per week and an estimate of how the remainder of the time will be spent is required.

If the proposal offers a program spanning two or three summers, the proposal should describe the initial program in detail and explain the total sequence together with what will happen between programs.