1. (1) Institutions of higher education or consortia of such institutions seeking a grant shall submit to the department, no later than July 15th of the school year for which funds are sought, an original and four complete copies of a complete application signed by the chief executive officer of each participating institution of higher education, and by the superintendent of schools of each participating school district. Such application shall include a proposal abstract which shall describe the program to be conducted and how such program will be integrated with the attendance improvement and dropout prevention plan of each participating school district.

2. (2) Each application shall contain the following assurances by the chief executive officer of each participating institution of higher education:

   1. (i) that the participating institution or consortium of institutions offers graduate degree programs in fields relevant to the services to be provided in the program, including but not limited to education, social work, psychology and sociology; and

   2. (ii) that additional support in an amount equal to at least 15 per centum of the grant funds requested will be provided through institutional, private, and other governmental sources and through in-kind contributions.

      (b) Award of grants.

      The commissioner shall select for funding not less than 10, nor more than 20 programs which comply with the statutory requirements and purposes established for the Stay in School Partnership appropriation and which comply with the requirements of this section. In awarding grants, the commissioner shall consider, but shall not be limited to, the following criteria:

3. (1) the setting of realistic program objectives stated in specific terms with measurable outcomes which are attainable within the duration of the program;
4. (2) the extent to which services and programs to be provided are coordinated with the attendance improvement and dropout prevention programs in participating school districts, and have potential for improving such programs;
5. (3) the expertise and research capability of the institutions of higher education conducting the program;
6. (4) the extent of the involvement and commitment of resources by the participating school districts;
7. (5) the sufficiency of the resources committed by the institutions to achieve program objectives;
8. (6) the adequacy of the management plan to assure completion of the program;
9. (7) the adequacy of the evaluation methods and instruments to be used to measure achievement of program objectives and to collect data on the effectiveness of the program in implementing the characteristics of effective schools and in improving pupil attendance, retention, academic performance and socialization;
10. (8) the availability of program staff with appropriate qualifications and experience in sufficient numbers to successfully operate the program; and

11. (9) the appropriateness and reasonableness of the program budget.

    (c) Reports.

    Each institution of higher education receiving a grant shall submit to the commissioner an interim progress report no later than January 15th of the school year in which the grant is received and a final report no later than August 31st next following the school year in which the grant is received. Such reports shall be in a form prescribed by the commissioner and shall contain such information as he may require.

(a) Applications.