under this Act, including an assessment of how the
needs of special populations are being met, and how
such programs will ensure that the benchmarks es-
tablished under section 114 are being met.
‘‘(c) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Funds made avail-
able under this part may be used for—
‘‘(1) establishing agreements between secondary
and postsecondary vocational-technical education
programs in order to provide postsecondary edu-
cation and training opportunities for students par-
ticipating in such vocational-technical programs,
such as tech-prep programs;
‘‘(2) involving parents, business, and represent-
atives of employees in the design, implementation,
and evaluation of vocational-technical education pro-
grams authorized under this Act;
‘‘(3) providing career guidance and academic
counseling;
‘‘(4) providing work related experience, such as
internships, cooperative education, school-based en-
terprises, entrepreneurship, and job shadowing that
are related to vocational-technical education pro-
grams;
‘‘(5) programs for single parents, displaced
homemakers, and single pregnant women;
‘‘(6) local education and business partnerships;
‘‘(7) vocational student organizations;
‘‘(8) mentoring and support services;
‘‘(9) leasing, purchasing, or upgrading of equip-
ment;
‘‘(10) establishing effective programs and pro-
cedures to enable vocational-technical education pro-
gram participants and their parents to participate
directly in decisions that influence the programs, in-
cluding providing information and assistance for in-
formed effective participation;
‘‘(11) teacher preparation programs which as-
sist individuals who are interested in becoming voca-
tional-technical education instructors, including indi-
viduals with experience in business and industry;
‘‘(12) improving or developing new vocational-
technical education courses; and
‘‘(13) support for family and consumer sciences
programs.
‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Each eligible recipi-
ent receiving funds under this part shall not use more than
2 percent of the funds for administrative costs associated
with the administration of the grant.’’.
SEC. 203. REPEAL OF PART C.
Part C of title II is repealed.
TITLE III—RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
SEC. 301. EVALUATION; RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS AND
DISSEMINATION.
(a) HEADING.—The heading for title III is amended
to read as follows:
‘‘TITLE III—RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT’’.
(b) PART A.—Part A of title III is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘PART A—RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
‘‘SEC. 301. EVALUATION; RESEARCH; DEMONSTRATIONS;
AND DISSEMINATION.
‘‘(a) SINGLE PLAN.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop
a single plan for evaluation and assessment, re-
search, demonstrations, and dissemination with re-
gard to the vocational-technical education programs
assisted under this Act.
‘‘(2) PLAN.—Such plan shall—
‘‘(A) identify the vocational-technical edu-
cation programs the Secretary will carry out
under this section;
‘‘(B) describe how the Secretary will evalu-
ate such vocational-technical education pro-
grams in accordance with subsection (b); and
‘‘(C) include such other information as the
Secretary determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(b) EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made avail-
able under subsection (g), the Secretary shall pro-
vide for the conduct of an independent evaluation
and assessment of vocational-technical education
programs under this Act through studies and analy-
ses conducted independently through grants and
contracts awarded on a competitive basis.
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Such evaluation and assess-
ment of vocational-technical education programs
shall include descriptions of—
‘‘(A) the extent to which State, local, and
tribal entities have developed, implemented, or
improved State and local vocational-technical
education programs;
‘‘(B) the degree to which the expenditures
of funds provided under this Act at the Federal,
State, local, and tribal levels address improve-
ment in vocational-technical education pro-
grams;
‘‘(C) the extent to which vocational-tech-
nical education programs succeed in preparing
individuals participating in such programs for
entry into postsecondary education, further
learning, or high skill, high wage careers; and
‘‘(D) the effect of State benchmarks, per-
formance measures, and other measures of ac-
countability on the delivery of vocational-tech-
nical education programs.
‘‘(c) COLLECTION OF INFORMATION AND REPORT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may collect
and disseminate information from States regarding
State efforts to meet State benchmarks described in
section 114.
‘‘(2) REPORT.—The Secretary shall gather any
information collected pursuant to paragraph (1) and
submit a report to the Committee on Education and
the Workforce of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of
the Senate.
‘‘(d) RESEARCH.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award
grants, on a competitive basis, to an institution of
higher education, a public or private organization or
agency, or a consortium of such institutions, organi-
zations, or agencies to establish a national research
center or centers—
‘‘(A) to carry out research for the purpose
of developing, improving, and identifying the
most successful methods for successfully ad-
dressing the education, employment, and train-
ing needs of participants in vocational-technical
education programs;
‘‘(B) to carry out research to increase the
effectiveness and improve the implementation of
vocational-technical education programs, includ-
ing conducting research and development and
studies providing longitudinal information or
formative evaluation with respect to vocational-
technical education programs;
‘‘(C) to carry out research that can be
used to improve teaching and learning in the
vocational-technical education classroom; and
‘‘(D) to carry out such other research as
the Secretary determines to be appropriate to
achieve the purposes of this Act.
‘‘(2) SUMMARY.—The Secretary shall provide
an annual report summarizing the evaluations and
assessments described in subsection (b), and the re-
search conducted pursuant to this subsection, and