If, as the Announcement says, "training" and "curriculum development" projects are ineligible, then what kinds of "education" projects are eliglble?

Training is not ruled out as a component of a TOP-supported project. The Announcement does state clearly that project "whose primary or sole purpose is to provide training in the use of software applications, Internet use, or other network technologies" will not be considered eligible. Similarly, "projects whose primary purpose is to create curricula for K-12 students" will not be considered eligible. However, that still leaves a lot of room for projects that deploy networking technologies to create new ways of reaching students and adult learners. Training and/or curriculum development may be aspects of these projects; but the projects themselves must meet the primary criterion of "demonstrat[ing] innovative applications of technology to pressing needs in the public and non-profit sectors." A project, for example, that focuses on workforce retraining or some other aspect of local economic development would obviously need to have a substantial training component; but if the project ...  more