(a) Under the Literacy Leader Fellowship Program, the Director of the National Institute for Literacy provides financial assistance to outstanding individuals who are pursuing careers in adult education or literacy.

(b) Fellowships are awarded to these individuals for the purpose of carrying out short-term, innovative projects that contribute to the knowledge base of the adult education or literacy field.

(c) Fellowships are intended to benefit the fellow, the Institute, and the national literacy field by providing the fellow with the opportunity to interact with national leaders in the field and make contributions to Federal policy initiatives that promote a fully literate adult population.

(a) Only individuals are eligible to be recipients of fellowships.

(b) To be eligible for a fellowship under this program, an individual must be—

(1) A citizen or national of the United States, or a permanent resident of the United States, or an individual who is in the United States for other than temporary purposes and intends to become a permanent resident;

(2) Eligible for Federal assistance under the terms of 34 CFR 75.60 and 75.61; and

(3) Either a literacy worker or an adult learner.

(c) An individual who has received a fellowship award in a prior year is not eligible for another award.

(d) Several individuals may apply jointly for one award, if each individual will contribute significantly to the proposed project and if the proposed project will develop leadership for each individual.

(a) Under the auspices of the Institute, and in accordance with the Fellowship Agreement, a Literacy Leader Fellow may use a fellowship awarded under this part to engage in research, education, training, technical assistance, or other activities that advance the field of adult education or literacy, including the training of volunteer literacy providers at the national, State, or local level.

(b) A Literacy Leader Fellow may not use a fellowship awarded under this part for any of the following:

(1) Tuition and fees for continuing the education of the applicant where this is the sole or primary purpose of the project.

(2) Planning and implementing fundraisers.

(3) General program operations and administration.

(4) Activities that otherwise do not meet the purposes of the Literacy Leader Fellowship program, as described in paragraph (a) of this section.

This program is governed by the regulations in this part and the following additional regulations:

(a) The definitions in 34 CFR 77.1, except that the definitions of “Applicant”, “Application”, “Award”, and “Project” do not apply to this part.

(b) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part:

Adult learner means an individual over 16 years old who is pursuing or has completed some form of literacy or basic skills training, including preparation for the G.E.D.

Applicant means an individual (or more than one individual, if applying jointly) requesting a fellowship under this program.

Application means a written request for a fellowship under this program.

Award means an amount of funds provided for fellowship activities.

Board means the National Institute for Literacy's advisory board established pursuant to section 384(f) of the Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1213c(f)).

Director means the Director of the National Institute for Literacy.

Fellow means a recipient of a fellowship.

Fellowship means an award of financial assistance made by the Institute to an individual pursuant to section 384(e) of the Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1213c(e)) to enable that individual to conduct research or other authorized literacy activities under the auspices of the Institute.

Fellowship Agreement means a written agreement entered into between the Institute and a fellow, which, when executed, has the legal effect of obligating the fellowship award, and which states the rights and obligations of the parties.

Institute means the National Institute for Literacy.

Literacy worker means an individual who is pursuing a career in literacy or adult education or a related field and who either has a minimum of five years of relevant academic, volunteer or professional experience in the literacy, adult education, or related field, or has made a significant contribution to, or notable progress in, the field. Relevant experience includes teaching, policymaking, administration, or research.

Project means the work to be engaged in by the fellow during the period of the fellowship.

Research means one or more of the following activities in literacy or education or education related fields: basic and applied research, planning, surveys, assessments, evaluations, investigations, experiments, development and demonstrations.

The Director may, through a notice published in the Federal Register, select annually one or more priorities for funding. These priorities may be chosen from the areas of greatest immediate concern to the Institute and may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

(a) Developing leadership in adult learners. Because adult learners are the true experts on literacy, they are an important resource for the field. Their firsthand experience as “customers” of the literacy system can be invaluable in assisting the field in moving forward, particularly in terms of raising public awareness and understanding about literacy.

(b) Expanding the use of technology in literacy programs. One of the Institute's major projects is the Literacy Information aNd Communication System (LINCS), an Internet-based information system that provides timely information and abundant resources to the literacy community. Keeping the literacy community up to date in the Information Age is vital.

(c) Improving accountability for literacy programs. Literacy programs must develop accountability systems that demonstrate their effectiveness in helping adult learners contribute more fully in the workplace, family and community. There is growing interest in results-oriented literacy practice, especially as related to the Equipped for the Future (EFF) framework.

(d) Raising public awareness about literacy. The Institute is leading a national effort to raise public awareness that literacy is part of the solution to many social concerns, including health, welfare, the economy, and the well-being of children. Projects that enhance this effort will be given priority consideration.

The Institute awards two categories of Literacy Leadership Fellowships:

(a) Literacy Worker Fellowships; and

(b) Adult Learner Fellowships.

An individual shall apply to the Director for a fellowship award in response to an application notice published by the Director in the Federal Register. The application must describe a plan for one or more of the activities stated in § 1100.3 that the applicant proposes to conduct under the fellowship. The application must indicate which category of fellowship, as described in § 1100.10, most accurately describes the applicant. Applicants must also submit four letters of recommendation and certain forms, assurances and certifications, including the certification required under 34 CFR 75.61. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB Control Number 3430-0003, Expiration Date 6/30/2000.)

The Director does not evaluate an application if—

(a) The applicant is not eligible under § 1100.2;

(b) The applicant does not comply with all of the procedural rules that govern the submission of applications for Literacy Leader Fellowship funds;

(c) The application does not contain the information required by the Institute;

(d) The application proposes a project for which a fellow may not use fellowship funds, as described in § 1100.3(b).

(e) The application is not submitted by the deadline stated in the application notice.

(a) The Director selects applications for fellowships on the basis of the selection criteria in § 1100.21 and any priorities that have been published in the Federal Register and are applicable to the selection of applications.

(b)(1) The Director may use experts from the literacy field to rank applications according to the selection criteria in § 1100.21, and then provide the top-ranked applications to the Institute's Advisory Board.

(2) The Institute's Advisory Board evaluates these applications based on the selection criteria in § 1100.21 and makes funding recommendations to the Director.

(3) The Director then determines the number of awards to be made in each fellowship category and the order in which applications will be selected for fellowships, based on the initial rank order, recommendations by the board, and any other information relevant to any of the selection criteria, applicable priorities, or the purposes of the Literacy Leader Fellowship Program, including whether the selection of an application would increase the diversity of fellowship projects under this program.

The amount of a fellowship includes—

(a) A stipend, not to exceed $30,000, based on—

(1) The fellow's current annual salary, prorated for the length of the fellowship salary reimbursement; or

(2) If a fellow has no current salary, the fellow's education and experience; and

(b) A subsistence allowance, materials allowance (covering costs of materials and supplies directly related to the completion of the project), and travel expenses (including expenses to attend quarterly meetings in Washington, DC) related to the fellowship and necessary to complete the scope of work outlined in the proposal, consistent with Title 5 U.S.C. chapter 57.

(a) If the Director pays a fellowship award directly to the fellow after the Director determines the amount of a fellowship award, the fellowship recipient shall submit a payment schedule to the Director for approval. The Director advises the recipient of the approved schedule.

(b) If a fellow does not complete the fellowship, or if the Institute terminates the fellowship, the fellow shall return to the Director a prorated portion of the stipend and any unused substance and materials allowance and travel funds at the time and in the manner required by the Director.

(a) If the Director pays a fellowship award through the fellow's employer, the employer shall submit a payment schedule to the Director for approval.

(b) The employer shall pay the fellow the stipend, subsistence and materials allowance, and travel funds according to the payment schedule approved by the Director. If the fellow does not complete the fellowship, the fellow shall return to the employer a prorated portion of the stipend and any unused subsistence and materials allowance and travel funds. The employer shall return the funds to the Director at the time and in the manner required by the Director. The employer shall also return to the Director any portion of the stipend, subsistence and materials allowance and travel funds not yet paid by the employer to the fellow.

(a) A fellow carries out all, or a portion of, the fellowship project at the National Institute for Literacy in Washington, D.C. If the Director determines that unusual circumstances exist, the Director may authorize the fellow to carry out all of the project elsewhere.

(b) Office space and logistics will be provided by the Institute.

(c) The fellow may also be required to participate in meetings, conferences and other activities at the Departments of Education, Labor, or Health and Human and Services, in Washington, D.C., or in site visits to other locations, if deemed appropriate for the project being conducted.

(a) All fellowship activities are conducted under the direct or general oversight of the Institute. The Institute may arrange through written agreement for another Federal agency, or another public or private nonprofit agency or organization that is substantially involved in literacy research or services, to assume direct supervision of the fellowship activities.

(b) Fellows may be assigned a peer mentor to orient them to the Federal System and Institute procedures.

(a) The Institute awards fellowships for a period of at least three and not more than 12 months of full-time or part-time activity. An award may not exceed 12 months in duration. The actual period of the fellowship will be determined at the time of award based on proposed activities.

(b) In order to continue the fellowship to completion, the fellow must be making satisfactory progress as determined periodically by the Director.

(c) A fellowship may be terminated under the terms of 34 CFR 74.61.

(a) A fellow shall submit fellowship results to the Institute in formats suitable for wide dissemination to policymakers and the public. These formats should include, as appropriate to the topic of the fellowship and the intended audience, articles for academic journals, newspapers, and magazines.

(b) Each fellowship agreement will contain specific provisions for how, when, and in what format the fellow will report on results, and how and to whom the results will be disseminated.

(c) A fellow shall submit a final performance report to the Director no later than 90 days after the completion of the fellowship. The report must contain a description of the activities conducted by the fellow and a thorough analysis of the extent to which, in the opinion of the fellow, the objectives of the project have been achieved. In addition, the report must include a detailed discussion of how the activities performed and results achieved could be used to enhance literacy practice in the United States. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB Control Number 3430-0003, Expiration Date 6/30/2000.)