In a Wednesday Federal Register item from the Education Department regarding the Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grant Program. The program awards grants between $1.5 million and $6 million to states for data systems that more accurately analyze student performance. Last year Education awarded grants to 13 states, bringing the total number of states that have received grants to 27.
The notice requesting applications for fiscal year 2009 was published on June 26. Unfortunately, the system was apparently not equipped to handle the rush of eager applicants:
As a result of the notice published on June 26, 2008, 34 eligible entities submitted applications. A number of applicants, however, experienced difficulty with submitting their applications electronically, and, as a result, a few applications were received shortly after the original deadline.
Is it just me, or is it disconcerting that the people who are given millions of dollars to improve the technology used to track student performance cannot successfully submit a grant application online? I'm pretty sure there is a disconnect there somewhere. I've put a call in to Education to find out what the problem is.
The notice goes on to say that in the interest of fairness, all applications received through Grants.gov to this point will be accepted, and Education has extended the deadline through Nov. 26. The preferred method of delivery going forward? Paper.
COMMENTS
Um... it's just you.
If computer capacity doesn't meet need, that's not the fault of grant seekers or even the offerors. Most of our systems are hinky, cranky, underpowered, and antiquated and underfunded in the first place.
I currently need FOUR passwords to do my day to day job on our system, and it's soon to be five.
We should perhaps store those Marine helicopter upgrades found in Iran on OUR system! Even we can't get into it half the time.
Ah, thanks for the chance to joke around. But the thing is, computer capacity is a function of investment in infrastructure and people... and if you haven't noticed... there's not been much of that for some years. We've been reduced to cannibalizing people and resources in order to get infrastructure at all.
Think... raiding agency funds to fight fires -- it will be interesting to see if the contingency funds for that in the Prez's Proposed survive the legislative process, for example. Oh wait... that assumes we have a budget at all THIS year.
Kathy B 03/06/09 11:17 am ET
It's just you. Having spent lifetime applying for grants on line, off line, behind lines, and in lines, and away from lines, allow me to share with you a few simple observations: links are not always spelled correctly, required documents "do not want" to get attached, required documents cannot be scanned/copied/or electronically copied for a number of typically valid reasons, institutional security systems preclude communication/information exchange with URLs, sites are turned off "for maintenance" at the most critical times, and anything and everything else under, over, behind, and around the sun. So don't be disconcerted. Just trot off and start applying, gather experience,get "concerted." In the present mess we are in, might be the solitary path to personal salvation.
Dag von Lubitz 11/25/08 06:12 am ET