Officials Issue Call for School Data
States must submit school spending and attendance calculations to the federal government by Sept. 2, the Department of Education announced this month.
States may file preliminary data with the Bureau of the Census for early review before then, but the final numbers must be forwarded to the bureau by the September deadline, the department said in a May 2 Federal Register notice.
The Census Bureau collects and analyzes states’ annual attendance figures and per-pupil spending amounts for the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics.
The numbers, along with child-poverty data, are plugged into the formula used to calculate states’ allocations under the $7.1 billion Title I program as well as several smaller federal programs for schools.
Average attendance figures from the current school year will be used to determine states’ grants for the 1998-99 school year.
Drug-Free-Schools Competition Announced
The Education Department is seeking applicants for its 1997 Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities grants.
In a May 6 Federal Register notice, department officials announced two grant competitions open to schools and state education agencies.
The department is expected to make about six grants ranging from $250,000 to $450,000 each for projects that replicate effective programs or strategies to prevent youth drug use, violent behavior, or both. In addition, federal officials plan to award 10 grants of $400,000 to $600,000 each for efforts by state and local education agencies to collect data on prevention of drug abuse and violence.
The application deadline for both competitions is Aug. 1. Applications will be available June 13.
For more information, call (202) 260-3954, or reach the department via the Internet at bryan_williams@ed.gov.
