515
‘‘PART H—21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING
CENTERS
‘‘SEC. 12801. SHORT TITLE.
‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘21st Century Com-
munity Learning Centers Act’.
‘‘SEC. 12802. FINDINGS.
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) a local public school often serves as a cen-
ter for the delivery of education and human re-
sources for all members of a community;
‘‘(2) public schools, primarily in rural and inner
city communities, should collaborate with other pub-
lic and nonprofit agencies and organizations, local
businesses, educational entities (such as vocational
and adult education programs, school-to-work pro-
grams, community colleges, and universities), rec-
reational, cultural, and other community and human
service entities, for the purpose of meeting the needs
of, and expanding the opportunities available to, the
residents of the communities served by such schools;
‘‘(3) by using school facilities, equipment, and
resources, communities can promote a more efficient
use of public education facilities, especially in rural
and inner city areas where limited financial re-
sources have enhanced the necessity for local public
schools to become social service centers;
516
‘‘(4) the high technology, global economy of the
21st century will require lifelong learning to keep
America’s workforce competitive and successful, and
local public schools should provide centers for life-
long learning and educational opportunities for indi-
viduals of all ages; and
‘‘(5) 21st Century Community Learning Cen-
ters enable the entire community to develop an edu-
cation strategy that addresses the educational needs
of all members of local communities.
‘‘SEC. 12803. PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION.
‘‘(a) GRANTS BY THE SECRETARY.—The Secretary is
authorized, in accordance with the provisions of this part,
to award grants to rural and inner-city public elementary
or secondary schools, or consortia of such schools, to en-
able such schools or consortia to plan, implement, or to
expand projects that benefit the educational, health, social
service, cultural, and recreational needs of a rural or
inner-city community.
‘‘(b) 
EQUITABLE
DISTRIBUTION.—In 
awarding
grants under this part, the Secretary shall assure an equi-
table distribution of assistance among the States, among
urban and rural areas of the United States, and among
urban and rural areas of a State.
517
‘‘(c) GRANT PERIOD.—The Secretary shall award
grants under this part for a period not to exceed 3 years.
‘‘(d) AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall not award a
grant under this part in any fiscal year in an amount less
than $35,000.
‘‘SEC. 12804. APPLICATION REQUIRED.
‘‘(a) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant
under this part, an elementary or secondary school or con-
sortium shall submit an application to the Secretary at
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such in-
formation as the Secretary may reasonably prescribe.
Each such application shall include—
‘‘(1) a comprehensive local plan that enables
the school or consortium to serve as a center for the
delivery of education and human resources for mem-
bers of a community;
‘‘(2) an evaluation of the needs, available re-
sources, and goals and objectives for the proposed
project in order to determine which activities will be
undertaken to address such needs; and
‘‘(3) a description of the proposed project,
including—
‘‘(A) a description of the mechanism that
will be used to disseminate information in a
518
manner that is understandable and accessible to
the community;
‘‘(B) identification of Federal, State, and
local programs to be merged or coordinated so
that public resources may be maximized;
‘‘(C) a description of the collaborative ef-
forts to be undertaken by community-based or-
ganizations, related public agencies, businesses,
or other appropriate organizations;
‘‘(D) a description of how the school or
consortium will serve as a delivery center for
existing and new services, especially for inter-
active telecommunication used for education
and professional training; and
‘‘(E) an assurance that the school or con-
sortium will establish a facility utilization policy
that specifically states—
‘‘(i) the rules and regulations applica-
ble to building and equipment use; and
‘‘(ii) supervision guidelines.
‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to
applications describing projects that offer a broad selec-
tion of services which address the needs of the community.
519
‘‘SEC. 12805. USES OF FUNDS.
‘‘Grants awarded under this part may be used to
plan, implement, or expand community learning centers
which include not less than four of the following activities:
‘‘(1) Literacy education programs.
‘‘(2) Senior citizen programs.
‘‘(3) Children’s day care services.
‘‘(4) Integrated education, health, social service,
recreational, or cultural programs.
‘‘(5) Summer and weekend school programs in
conjunction with recreation programs.
‘‘(6) Nutrition and health programs.
‘‘(7) Expanded library service hours to serve
community needs.
‘‘(8) Telecommunications and technology edu-
cation programs for individuals of all ages.
‘‘(9) Parenting skills education programs.
‘‘(10) Support and training for child day care
providers.
‘‘(11) Employment counseling, training, and
placement.
‘‘(12) Services for individuals who leave school
before graduating from secondary school, regardless
of the age of such individual.
‘‘(13) Services for individuals with disabilities.
520
‘‘SEC. 12806. DEFINITION.
‘‘For the purpose of this part, the term ‘community
learning center’ means an entity within a public elemen-
tary or secondary school building that—
‘‘(1) provides educational, recreational, health,
and social service programs for residents of all ages
within a local community; and
‘‘(2) is operated by a local educational agency
in conjunction with local governmental agencies,
businesses, vocational education programs, institu-
tions of higher education, community colleges, and
cultural, recreational, and other community and
human service entities.
‘‘SEC. 12807. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘There 
are 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated
$20,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as may
be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years,
to carry out this part.
‘‘PART I—URBAN AND RURAL EDUCATION
ASSISTANCE
‘‘SEC. 12851. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) DEMONSTRATION GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be
appropriated $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and
such sums as may be necessary for each of the four
521
succeeding fiscal years, to carry out subparts 1 and
2 (other than section 12875).
‘‘(2) RESERVATION FOR SUBPART 1.—The Sec-
retary shall reserve 50 percent of the amount appro-
priated under paragraph (1) to carry out subpart 1.
‘‘(3) RESERVATION FOR SUBPART 2.—The Sec-
retary shall reserve 50 percent of the amount appro-
priated under paragraph (1) to carry out subpart 2
(other than section 12875).
‘‘(b) HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS.—There are au-
thorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal year
2001 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the
four succeeding fiscal years to carry out section 12875.
‘‘(c) FEDERAL FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT NOT SUP-
PLANT NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—An eligible local edu-
cational agency may use funds received under this part
only to supplement and, to the extent practicable, increase
the level of funds that would, in the absence of such Fed-
eral funds, be made available from non-Federal sources
for the education of students participating in activities as-
sisted under this part, and in no such case may such funds
be used to supplant funds from non-Federal sources.
‘‘SEC. 12852. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘Except as otherwise provided, for the purposes of
this part:
522
‘‘(1) CENTRAL CITY.—The term ‘central city’
has the same meaning used by the Bureau of the
Census.
‘‘(2) METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA.—The
term ‘metropolitan statistical area’ has the same
meaning used by the Bureau of the Census.
‘‘(3) POVERTY
LEVEL.—The term ‘poverty
level’ means the criteria of poverty used by the Bu-
reau of the Census in compiling the most recent de-
cennial census.
‘‘(4) RURAL
ELIGIBLE
LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘rural eligible local educational
agency’ means a local educational agency—
‘‘(A)(i) in which at least 15 percent of the
children enrolled in the schools served by such
agency are eligible to be counted under part A
of title I; and
‘‘(ii) which is not in a metropolitan statis-
tical area; or
‘‘(B) in which the total enrollment in the
schools served by such agency is less than 2,500
students and that does not serve schools located
in a metropolitan statistical area.
523
‘‘(5) URBAN
ELIGIBLE
LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘urban eligible local educational
agency’ means a local educational agency that—
‘‘(A) serves the largest central city in a
State;
‘‘(B) enrolls more than 30,000 students
and serves a central city with a population of
at least 200,000 in a metropolitan statistical
area; or
‘‘(C) enrolls between 25,000 and 30,000
students and serves a central city with a popu-
lation of at least 140,000 in a metropolitan sta-
tistical area.
‘‘Subpart 1—Urban Education Demonstration Grants
‘‘SEC. 12861. FINDINGS.
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) the ability of the Nation’s major urban
public school systems to meet the Nation’s edu-
cational goals will determine the country’s economic
competitiveness and academic standing in the world
community;
‘‘(2) the quality of public education in the Na-
tion’s major urban areas has a direct effect on the
economic development of the Nation’s inner-cities;
524
‘‘(3) the success of urban public schools in
boosting the achievement of its minority youth at-
tending such schools will determine the ability of the
Nation to close the gap between the ‘haves and the
have-nots’ in society;
‘‘(4) the cost to America’s businesses to provide
remedial education to high school graduates is ap-
proximately $21,000,000,000 per year;
‘‘(5) approximately one-third of the Nation’s
workforce will be members of minority groups by the
year 2000;
‘‘(6) urban schools enroll a disproportionately
large share of the Nation’s poor and ‘at-risk’ youth;
‘‘(7) urban schools enroll approximately one-
third of the Nation’s poor, 40 percent of the Na-
tion’s African American children, and 30 percent of
the Nation’s Hispanic youth;
‘‘(8) nearly 20 percent of the Nation’s limited-
English-proficient children and 15 percent of the
Nation’s disabled youth are enrolled in urban public
schools;
‘‘(9) the academic performance of students in
the average inner-city public school system is below
that of students in most other kinds of school sys-
tems;
525
‘‘(10) urban public school systems have higher
dropout rates, more problems with health care, and
less parental participation than other kinds of school
systems;
‘‘(11) urban preschoolers have one-half the ac-
cess to early childhood development programs as do
other children;
‘‘(12) shortages of teachers in urban public
school systems are 2.5 times greater than such
shortages in other kinds of school systems;
‘‘(13) declining numbers of urban minority high
school graduates are pursuing postsecondary edu-
cational opportunities;
‘‘(14) urban public school systems have greater
problems with teenage pregnancy, discipline, drug
abuse, and gangs than do other kinds of school sys-
tems;
‘‘(15) 75 percent of urban public school build-
ings are over 25 years old, 33 percent of such build-
ings are over 50 years old, and such buildings are
often in serious disrepair and create poor and de-
moralizing working and learning conditions;
‘‘(16) solving the challenges facing our Nation’s
urban schools will require the concerted and collabo-
526
rative efforts of all levels of government and all sec-
tors of the community;
‘‘(17) Federal and State funding of urban pub-
lic schools has not adequately reflected need; and
‘‘(18) Federal funding that is well-targeted,
flexible, and accountable would contribute signifi-
cantly to addressing the comprehensive needs of
inner-city public schools.
‘‘SEC. 12862. PURPOSE.
‘‘It is the purpose of this subpart to provide financial
assistance to—
‘‘(1) assist urban public schools in meeting the
National Education Goals;
‘‘(2) improve the educational and social well-
being of urban public school children;
‘‘(3) close the achievement gap between urban
and nonurban public school children, while improv-
ing the achievement level of all children nationally;
‘‘(4) conduct coordinated research on urban
public education problems, solutions, and promising
practices;
‘‘(5) improve the Nation’s global economic and
educational competitiveness by improving the Na-
tion’s urban schools; and
527
‘‘(6) encourage community, parental, and busi-
ness collaboration in the improvement of urban
schools.
‘‘SEC. 12863. URBAN SCHOOL GRANTS.
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary is authorized to
make grants to eligible local educational agencies serving
an urban area or State educational agencies in the case
where the State educational agency is the local educational
agency for activities designed to assist in local school im-
provement efforts and school reform, and to assist the
schools of such agencies in meeting the National Edu-
cation Goals.
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Funds under this
section may be used to—
‘‘(1) increase the academic achievement of
urban public school children to at least the national
average, such as—
‘‘(A) effective public schools programs;
‘‘(B) tutoring, mentoring, and other activi-
ties to improve academic achievement directly;
‘‘(C) activities designed to increase the
participation of minority and female students in
entry level and advanced courses in mathe-
matics and science;
‘‘(D) supplementary academic instruction;
528
‘‘(E) efforts to improve problem-solving
and higher-order thinking skills;
‘‘(F) programs to increase student motiva-
tion for learning; and
‘‘(G) efforts to lengthen the school day or
school year, or to reduce class sizes;
‘‘(2) ensure the readiness of all urban public
school children for school, such as—
‘‘(A) full workday, full calendar-year com-
prehensive early childhood development pro-
grams;
‘‘(B) parenting classes and parent involve-
ment activities;
‘‘(C) activities designed to coordinate pre-
kindergarten and child care programs;
‘‘(D) efforts to integrate developmentally
appropriate prekindergarten services into the
overall public school program;
‘‘(E) upgrading the qualifications of early
childhood education staff and standards for
programs;
‘‘(F) collaborative efforts with health and
social service agencies to provide comprehensive
services and to facilitate the transition from
home to school;
529
‘‘(G) establishment of comprehensive child
care centers in public secondary schools for stu-
dents who are parents and their children; and
‘‘(H) augmenting early childhood develop-
ment programs to meet the special educational
and cultural needs of limited-English-proficient
preschool children;
‘‘(3) increase the graduation rates of urban
public school students to at least the national aver-
age, such as—
‘‘(A) dropout prevention activities and sup-
port services for public school students at-risk
of dropping out of school;
‘‘(B) reentry, outreach, and support activi-
ties to recruit students who have dropped out of
school to return to school;
‘‘(C) development of systemwide policies
and practices that encourage students to stay in
school;
‘‘(D) efforts to provide individualized stu-
dent support, such as mentoring programs;
‘‘(E) 
collaborative 
activities 
between
schools, parents, community groups, agencies,
and institutions of higher education aimed at
531
‘‘(E) activities designed to promote com-
munity service and volunteerism among stu-
dents, parents, teachers, and the community;
and
‘‘(F) civic education and other programs
designed to enhance responsible citizenship and
understanding of the political process;
‘‘(5) recruit and retain qualified teachers, such
as—
‘‘(A) school-based management projects
and activities;
‘‘(B) programs designed to test efforts to
increase the professionalization of teachers or to
bring teachers up to national voluntary stand-
ards;
‘‘(C) alternative routes to certification for
qualified individuals from business, the military,
and other fields;
‘‘(D) efforts to recruit and retain teachers,
particularly minority teachers, specializing in
critical shortage areas, including early child-
hood teachers, mathematics and science teach-
ers, 
and 
special 
education 
and 
bilingual
teachers;
532
‘‘(E) upgrading the skills of teacher aides
and paraprofessionals to permit such individ-
uals to become certified teachers;
‘‘(F) activities specifically designed to in-
crease the number of minority teachers in
urban schools;
‘‘(G) incentives for teachers to work in
inner-city public schools; and
‘‘(H) collaborative activities with urban
universities to revise and upgrade teacher train-
ing programs;
‘‘(6) provide for ongoing staff development to
increase the professional capacities of the teaching
staff and the skills of teacher aides and paraprofes-
sionals;
‘‘(7) decrease the use of drugs and alcohol
among urban public school students and enhance the
physical and emotional health of such students, such
as—
‘‘(A) activities designed to improve the
self-esteem and self-worth of urban public
school students;
‘‘(B) the provision of health care services
and other social services and the coordination of
such services with other health care providers;
533
‘‘(C) programs designed to improve safety
and discipline and reduce in-school violence,
vandalism, and gang activity;
‘‘(D) activities that begin in the early
grades and are designed to prevent drug and al-
cohol abuse and smoking among students and
teachers;
‘‘(E) collaborative activities with other
agencies, businesses, and community groups to
discourage the advertisement and glorification
of drugs and alcohol;
‘‘(F) efforts to enhance health education
and nutrition education; and
‘‘(G) 
alternative 
public 
schools, 
and
schools-within-schools programs, including bilin-
gual and special education programs for public
school students with special needs; or
‘‘(8) plan, develop, operate, or expand programs
and activities that are designed to assist urban pub-
lic schools in meeting the National Education Goals,
including—
‘‘(A) training of teachers and other edu-
cational personnel in subject areas, or in in-
structional technology and methods that will
improve the delivery of services in urban set-
534
tings and assist in the achievement of the Na-
tional Education Goals, including staff develop-
ment efforts that emphasize multicultural and
gender and disability bias-free curricula;
‘‘(B) coordination and collaboration with
other municipal agencies, child care organiza-
tions, universities, or the private sector;
‘‘(C) parental involvement and outreach ef-
forts and other activities designed to enhance
parental encouragement of student learning;
‘‘(D) pupil services and other support serv-
ices that contribute to progress in achieving
National Education Goals;
‘‘(E) efforts to acquire and improve access
to educational technology;
‘‘(F) assist the schools most in need of
services by replicating successful efforts of
other urban local educational agencies and ex-
panding successful programs within the eligible
agency; or
‘‘(G) efforts to improve and strengthen the
curriculum and coordinate services across grade
levels.
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—
535
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—An eligible local edu-
cational agency desiring to receive a grant under
this section shall submit an application to the Sec-
retary at such time, in such manner, and accom-
panied by such information as the Secretary may
reasonably require, consistent with this section.
‘‘(2) DURATION.—An application submitted
pursuant to paragraph (1) may be for a period of
not more than five years.
‘‘(d) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall make an
award only to urban eligible local educational agencies
that—
‘‘(1) comply with the provisions of section
12866; and
‘‘(2) demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Sec-
retary that the data submitted pursuant to section
12861 shows progress toward meeting National
Education Goals.
‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than five
percent of any award made under this subpart may be
used for administrative costs.
‘‘SEC. 12864. SPECIAL RULES.
‘‘(a) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—In making awards
under this subpart, the Secretary shall give special consid-
536
eration to urban eligible local educational agencies in
which there is—
‘‘(1) low achievement;
‘‘(2) high poverty; and
‘‘(3) racial isolation.
‘‘(b) FLEXIBILITY.—Each urban eligible local edu-
cational agency shall have the flexibility to serve homeless
children, children in schools undergoing desegregation, im-
migrants, migrants, or other highly mobile populations
within the program assisted under this subpart.
‘‘Subpart 2—Rural Education Demonstration Grants
‘‘SEC. 12871. FINDINGS.
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) the ability of America’s rural public school
systems to meet the National Education Goals will
contribute to the economic competitiveness and aca-
demic standing of the Nation in the world commu-
nity;
‘‘(2) approximately 60 percent of the Nation’s
public school districts are rural with a population of
less than 2,500;
‘‘(3) about 1 out of every 4 of America’s rural
school children are living below the poverty line;
‘‘(4) the quality of public education in the rural
areas of the Nation has a direct effect on the eco-
537
nomic development of the rural communities of the
Nation;
‘‘(5) the success of rural public schools in
boosting the achievement of minority youth attend-
ing such schools will determine the ability of the Na-
tion to close the gap between the haves and the
have-nots in society;
‘‘(6) the academic performance of students in
the average rural school system is below that of stu-
dents in most other suburban school systems;
‘‘(7) the average age of rural public school
buildings is more than 45 years old and such build-
ings are often in serious disrepair, creating poor and
demoralizing working and learning conditions;
‘‘(8) shortages of teachers for rural public
school systems is greater than in other kinds of
school systems;
‘‘(9) solving the challenges facing the Nation’s
rural public schools will require the concerted and
collaborative efforts of all levels of government and
all sectors of the community;
‘‘(10) additional Federal funding would con-
tribute significantly to addressing the comprehensive
needs of rural schools;
538
‘‘(11) rural public schools enroll a dispropor-
tionately large share of the Nation’s poor and at-risk
youth;
‘‘(12) a declining number of rural public sec-
ondary school graduates are pursuing postsecondary
education opportunities;
‘‘(13) rural preschoolers have less access to
early childhood development programs than other
children; and
‘‘(14) Federal and State funding of rural public
schools has not adequately reflected need.
‘‘SEC. 12872. PURPOSE.
‘‘It is the purpose of this subpart to provide financial
assistance to rural public schools most in need, to encour-
age the comprehensive restructuring of America’s rural
schools, the appropriate use of telecommunications tech-
nologies for learning, and to support innovative programs
which improve performance through programs and
projects designed to—
‘‘(1) assist rural public schools in meeting Na-
tional Education Goals;
‘‘(2) encourage rural public schools to engage in
school reform;
539
‘‘(3) develop pilot projects that experiment with
innovative ways to teach rural public school children
more effectively;
‘‘(4) improve the educational and social well-
being of rural public school children;
‘‘(5) close the achievement gap between children
attending rural public schools and other children,
while improving the achievement level of all children
nationally;
‘‘(6) conduct coordinated research on rural edu-
cation problems, solutions, promising practices, and
distance learning technologies;
‘‘(7) improve the Nation’s global economic and
educational competitiveness by improving the Na-
tion’s rural public schools;
‘‘(8) encourage community, parental, and busi-
ness collaboration in the improvement of rural public
schools;
‘‘(9) encourage rural school consortia for the
purpose of increasing efficiency and course offerings;
‘‘(10) encourage a positive role for rural public
schools in local rural entrepreneurship and the iden-
tification of rural community economic development
opportunities;
540
‘‘(11) encourage community-as-school concepts,
which include the role public schools can play to as-
sist with rural community economic revitalization;
and
‘‘(12) provide for the recruitment and meaning-
ful inservice opportunities for rural public school
teachers.
‘‘SEC. 12873. RURAL SCHOOL GRANTS.
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary is authorized to
make grants to rural eligible local educational agencies,
or State educational agencies in the case where the State
educational agency is the local educational agency, for ac-
tivities designed to assist in local school improvement
efforts.
‘‘(b) AWARD RULES.—
‘‘(1) LESS
THAN
$50,000,000.—If the amount
made available to carry out this subpart for any fis-
cal year is less than $50,000,000, the Secretary
shall award grants under this section on a competi-
tive basis.
‘‘(2) 
EQUAL
TO
OR
GREATER
THAN
$50,000,000.—If the amount made available to carry
out this subpart for any fiscal year is equal to or
greater than $50,000,000, the Secretary shall award
grants under this section so that a rural eligible
541
local educational agency in each State receives such
a grant.
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than five
percent of a grant awarded under section 12573 shall be
used for administrative costs.
‘‘(d) DURATION.—Each grant under this section shall
be awarded for a period of not more than five years.
‘‘SEC. 12874. USES OF FUNDS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Grant funds made available
under section 12873 may be used by rural eligible local
educational agencies to meet the National Education
Goals through programs designed to—
‘‘(1) increase the academic achievement of rural
public school children to at least the national aver-
age of such achievement, including education reform
initiatives, such as—
‘‘(A) effective public schools programs;
‘‘(B) tutoring, mentoring, and other activi-
ties to improve academic achievement directly;
‘‘(C) supplementary academic instruction;
‘‘(D) efforts to improve problem-solving
and higher-order critical thinking skills; and
‘‘(E) efforts to lengthen the school day,
school year, or reduce class sizes;
542
‘‘(2) develop pilot projects that experiment with
innovative ways to teach rural public school children
more effectively;
‘‘(3) encourage the formation of rural school
consortia for the purpose of increasing efficiency and
course offerings;
‘‘(4) provide meaningful inservice training op-
portunities for rural public school teachers;
‘‘(5) assist rural schools in acquiring and im-
proving access to educational technology, including
distance learning technologies;
‘‘(6) ensure the readiness of all rural children
for school, such as—
‘‘(A) full workday, full calendar-year com-
prehensive early childhood development pro-
grams;
‘‘(B) parenting classes, including parenting
classes for teenage parents, and parent involve-
ment activities;
‘‘(C) activities designed to coordinate pre-
kindergarten and child care programs;
‘‘(D) efforts to integrate developmentally
appropriate prekindergarten services into the
overall public school program;
543
‘‘(E) improving the skills of early child-
hood education staff and standards for pro-
grams;
‘‘(F) collaborative efforts with health and
social service agencies to provide comprehensive
services and to facilitate the transition from
home to school;
‘‘(G) establishment of comprehensive child
care centers in public secondary schools for stu-
dent parents and their children; and
‘‘(H) augmenting early childhood develop-
ment programs to meet the special educational
and cultural needs of limited-English proficient
children, children with disabilities, and migrant
preschool children;
‘‘(7) increase the graduation rates of rural pub-
lic school students to at least the national average
of such rate, when funds are used to serve secondary
schools, such as—
‘‘(A) dropout prevention activities and sup-
port services for students at-risk of dropping
out of school;
‘‘(B) reentry, outreach and support activi-
ties to recruit students who have dropped out of
school to return to school;
544
‘‘(C) development of systemwide policies
and practices that encourage students to stay in
school;
‘‘(D) efforts to provide individualized stu-
dent support;
‘‘(E) 
collaborative 
activities 
between
schools, parents, community groups, agencies,
and institutions of higher education aimed at
preventing individuals from dropping out of
school;
‘‘(F) programs to increase student attend-
ance; and
‘‘(G) alternative programs for students, es-
pecially bilingual, special education, and mi-
grant students, who have dropped out of school
or are at risk of dropping out of school;
‘‘(8) prepare rural public school students to
enter higher education, pursue careers, and exercise
their responsibilities as citizens, such as—
‘‘(A) activities designed to increase the
number and percentages of students, enrolling
in postsecondary educational institutions after
graduation from secondary schools;
545
‘‘(B) in-school youth employment, voca-
tional education, and career education programs
that improve the transition from school to work;
‘‘(C) activities designed in collaboration
with colleges and universities to assist rural
public school graduates in completing higher
education;
‘‘(D) activities designed in conjunction
with community colleges to provide a kinder-
garten through grade 14 experience for rural
public school secondary school students;
‘‘(E) efforts to increase voter registration
among eligible public secondary school students
attending schools served by rural eligible local
educational agencies;
‘‘(F) activities designed to promote com-
munity service and volunteerism among stu-
dents, parents, teachers, and the community;
‘‘(G) civic education, law-related education,
and other programs designed to enhance re-
sponsible citizenship and understanding of the
political process; and
‘‘(H) encouraging a positive role for rural
public schools in local rural entrepreneurship
546
and the identification of rural community eco-
nomic development opportunities;
‘‘(9) recruit and retain qualified teachers, such
as—
‘‘(A) school-based management projects
and activities;
‘‘(B) programs designed to increase the
status of the teaching profession;
‘‘(C) alternative routes to certification for
qualified individuals from business, the military,
and other fields;
‘‘(D) efforts to recruit and retain teachers
in critical shortage areas, including early child-
hood teachers, mathematics and science teach-
ers, foreign language teachers, and special edu-
cation and bilingual teachers;
‘‘(E) upgrading the skills of existing class-
room teachers through the use of year-round,
systematic, comprehensive inservice training
programs;
‘‘(F) upgrading the skills of teacher aides
and paraprofessionals to assist such individuals
in becoming certified teachers;
547
‘‘(G) efforts specifically designed to in-
crease the number of minority teachers in rural
public schools;
‘‘(H) programs designed to encourage par-
ents and students to enter the teaching profes-
sion;
‘‘(I) incentives for teachers to work in
rural public schools;
‘‘(J) collaborative activities with colleges
and universities to revise and upgrade teacher
training programs to meet the needs of rural
public school students; and
‘‘(K) training activities for the purpose of
incorporating distance learning technologies; or
‘‘(10) decrease the use of drugs and alcohol
among rural public school students, and to enhance
the physical and emotional health of such students,
such as—
‘‘(A) activities designed to improve the
self-esteem and self-worth of rural students;
‘‘(B) the provision of health care services
and other social services and the coordination of
such services with other health care providers;
548
‘‘(C) programs designed to improve safety
and discipline and reduce in-school violence and
vandalism;
‘‘(D) activities that begin in the early
grades and are designed to prevent drug and al-
cohol abuse and smoking among students;
‘‘(E) collaborative activities with other
agencies, businesses, and community groups;
‘‘(F) efforts to enhance health education
and nutrition education; and
‘‘(G) 
alternative 
public 
schools, 
and
schools-within-schools programs, including bilin-
gual, migrant, and special education programs
for students with special needs.
‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.—Each eligible entity desiring a
grant under section 12873 shall submit an application to
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom-
panied by such information as the Secretary may reason-
ably require. Each grant awarded under section 12873
shall be of sufficient size and scope to achieve significant
rural school improvement.
‘‘SEC. 12875. HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS.
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary is authorized to make
grants to institutions of higher education, consortia of
such institutions, or partnerships between institutions of
549
higher education and local educational agencies to assist
rural schools and rural eligible local educational agencies
in undertaking local school improvement activities.
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Grant funds under
this section may be used to—
‘‘(1) assist rural schools in meeting National
Education Goals;
‘‘(2) assist in the recruitment and training of
teachers in rural schools;
‘‘(3) assist rural schools in the development of
appropriate innovative school improvement initia-
tives;
‘‘(4) provide inservice training opportunities for
teachers in rural schools; and
‘‘(5) provide technical assistance in the use and
installation of innovative telecommunications tech-
nology.
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—Each eligible entity desiring a
grant under this section shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied
by such information as the Secretary may reasonably re-
quire.
550
‘‘Subpart 3—White House Conferences
‘‘SEC. 12881. WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON URBAN EDU-
CATION.
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION TO CALL CONFERENCE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President is author-
ized to call and conduct a White House Conference
on Urban Education (referred to in this section as
the ‘Conference’) which shall be held not earlier than
November 1, 2001, and not later than October 30,
2003.
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Conference
shall be to—
‘‘(A) develop recommendations and strate-
gies for the improvement of urban education;
‘‘(B) marshal the forces of the private sec-
tor, governmental agencies at all levels, parents,
teachers, communities, and education officials
to assist urban public schools in achieving Na-
tional Education Goals; and
‘‘(C) conduct the initial planning for a per-
manent national advisory commission on urban
education.
‘‘(b) COMPOSITION OF CONFERENCE.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Conference shall be
comprised of 12 individuals, including—
551
‘‘(A) representatives of urban public school
systems, including members of the governing
body of local educational agencies, and school
superintendents;
‘‘(B) representatives of the Congress, the
Department of Education, and other Federal
agencies;
‘‘(C) State elected officials and representa-
tives from State educational agencies; and
‘‘(D) individuals with special knowledge of
and expertise in urban education.
‘‘(2) SELECTION.—The President shall select
one-third of the participants of the Conference, the
majority leader of the Senate, in consultation with
the minority leader of the Senate, shall select one-
third of such participants, and the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, in consultation with the
minority leader of the House, shall select the re-
maining one-third of such participants.
‘‘(3) REPRESENTATION.—In selecting the par-
ticipants of the Conference, the President, the ma-
jority leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
House of Representatives shall ensure that the par-
ticipants are as representative of the ethnic, racial,
and linguistic diversity of cities as is practicable.
552
‘‘(c) REPORT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days
following the termination of the Conference, a final
report of the Conference, containing such findings
and recommendations as may be made by the Con-
ference, shall be submitted to the President. The
final report shall be made public and, not later than
90 days after receipt by the President, transmitted
to the Congress together with a statement of the
President containing recommendations for imple-
menting the report.
‘‘(2) PUBLICATION
AND
DISTRIBUTION.—The
Conference is authorized to publish and distribute
the report described in this section. Copies of the re-
port shall be provided to the Federal depository li-
braries and made available to local urban public
school leaders.
‘‘SEC. 12882. WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDU-
CATION.
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION TO CALL CONFERENCE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President is author-
ized to call and conduct a White House Conference
on Rural Education (hereafter in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Conference’).
553
‘‘(2) DATE.—The Conference shall be held not
earlier than November 1, 2001, and not later than
October 30, 2002.
‘‘(3) PURPOSE.—The purposes of the Con-
ference shall be to—
‘‘(A) develop recommendations and strate-
gies for the improvement of rural public edu-
cation;
‘‘(B) marshal the forces of the private sec-
tor, governmental agencies at all levels, parents,
teachers, communities, and education officials
to assist rural public schools in achieving Na-
tional Education Goals, and make recommenda-
tions on the roles rural public schools can play
to assist with local rural community economic
revitalization; and
‘‘(C) conduct the initial planning for a per-
manent national commission on rural public
education.
‘‘(b) COMPOSITION OF CONFERENCE.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Conference shall be
comprised of—
‘‘(A) representatives of eligible public
school systems, including members of the gov-
554
erning body of local educational agencies, school
superintendents, and classroom teachers;
‘‘(B) representatives of the Congress, the
Department, and other Federal agencies;
‘‘(C) State elected officials and representa-
tives from State educational agencies;
‘‘(D) individuals with special knowledge of,
and expertise in, rural education, including in-
dividuals involved with rural postsecondary edu-
cation; and
‘‘(E) individuals with special knowledge of,
and expertise in, rural business.
‘‘(2) SELECTION.—The President shall select
one-third of the participants of the Conference, the
majority leader of the Senate, in consultation with
the minority leader of the Senate, shall select one-
third of such participants, and the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, in consultation with the
minority leader of the House, shall select the re-
maining one-third of such participants.
‘‘(3) REPRESENTATION.—In selecting the par-
ticipants of the Conference, the President, the ma-
jority leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
House of Representatives shall ensure that the par-
ticipants are as representative of the ethnic, racial,
555
and language diversity of rural areas as is prac-
ticable.
‘‘(c) REPORT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days
following the termination of the Conference, a final
report of the Conference, containing such findings
and recommendations as may be made by the Con-
ference, shall be submitted to the President. The
final report shall be made public and, not later than
90 days after receipt by the President, transmitted
to the Congress together with a statement of the
President containing recommendations for imple-
menting the report.
‘‘(2) PUBLICATION
AND
DISTRIBUTION.—The
Conference is authorized to publish and distribute
the report described in this section. Copies of the re-
port shall be provided to the Federal depository li-
braries and made available to local rural school lead-
ers and teachers.
‘‘PART J—NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT
‘‘SEC. 12891. FINDINGS.
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) the United States faces a crisis in writing
in schools and in the workplace;
556
‘‘(2) the writing problem has been magnified by
the rapidly changing student populations and the
growing number of at-risk students due to limited
English proficiency;
‘‘(3) over the past two decades, universities and
colleges across the country have reported increasing
numbers of entering freshmen who are unable to
write at a level equal to the demands of college
work;
‘‘(4) American businesses and corporations are
concerned about the limited writing skills of entry-
level workers, and a growing number of executives
are reporting that advancement was denied to them
due to inadequate writing abilities;
‘‘(5) the writing problem has been magnified by
the rapidly changing student populations in the Na-
tion’s schools and the growing number of students
who are at risk because of limited English pro-
ficiency;
‘‘(6) writing and reading are both fundamental
to learning, yet writing has been historically ne-
glected in the schools and colleges, and most teach-
ers in the United States elementary schools, sec-
ondary schools, and colleges have not been trained to
teach writing;
557
‘‘(7) since 1973, the only national program to
address the writing problem in the Nation’s schools
has been the National Writing Project, a network of
collaborative university-school programs whose goal
is to improve the quality of student writing and the
teaching of writing at all grade levels and to extend
the uses of writing as a learning process through all
disciplines;
‘‘(8) the National Writing Project offers sum-
mer and school year inservice teacher training pro-
grams and a dissemination network to inform and
teach teachers of developments in the field of writ-
ing;
‘‘(9) the National Writing Project is a nation-
ally recognized and honored nonprofit organization
that recognizes that there are teachers in every re-
gion of the country who have developed successful
methods for teaching writing and that such teachers
can be trained and encouraged to train other teach-
ers;
‘‘(10) the National Writing Project has become
a model for programs to improve teaching in such
other fields as mathematics, science, history, lit-
erature, performing arts, and foreign languages;
558
‘‘(11) the National Writing Project teacher-
teaching-teachers program identifies and promotes
what is working in the classrooms of the Nation’s
best teachers;
‘‘(12) the National Writing Project teacher-
teaching-teachers project is a positive program that
celebrates good teaching practices and good teachers
and through its work with schools increases the Na-
tion’s corps of successful classroom teachers;
‘‘(13) evaluations of the National Writing
Project document the positive impact the project has
had on improving the teaching of writing, student
performance, and student thinking and learning abil-
ity;
‘‘(14) the National Writing Project programs
offer career-long education to teachers, and teachers
participating in the National Writing Project receive
graduate academic credit;
‘‘(15) each year over 100,000 teachers volun-
tarily seek training in National Writing Project in-
tensive summer institutes and workshops and school
year in-service programs through one of the 154 re-
gional sites located in 45 States, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, and in 4 sites that serve United
559
States teachers in United States dependent and
independent schools;
‘‘(16) 250 National Writing Project sites are
needed to establish regional sites to serve all teach-
ers;
‘‘(17) private foundation resources, although
generous in the past, are inadequate to fund all of
the National Writing Project sites needed and the
future of the program is in jeopardy without secure
financial support;
‘‘(18) independent evaluation studies have
found the National Writing Project to be highly cost
effective compared to other professional development
programs for teachers; and
‘‘(19) during 1991, the first year of Federal
support for the National Writing Project, the Na-
tional Writing Project matched the $1,951,975 in
Federal support with $9,485,504 in matching funds
from State, local, and other sources.
‘‘SEC. 12892. NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT.
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary is authorized
to make a grant to the National Writing Project (hereafter
in this section referred to as the ‘grantee’), a nonprofit
educational organization which has as its primary purpose
the improvement of the quality of student writing and
560
learning, and the teaching of writing as a learning process
in the Nation’s classrooms—
‘‘(1) to support and promote the establishment
of teacher training programs, including the dissemi-
nation of effective practices and research findings
regarding the teaching of writing and administrative
activities;
‘‘(2) to support classroom research on effective
teaching practice and to document student perform-
ance;
‘‘(3) to coordinate activities assisted under this
section with activities assisted under title II; and
‘‘(4) to pay the Federal share of the cost of
such programs.
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS OF GRANT.—The grant shall
provide that—
‘‘(1) the grantee will enter into contracts with
institutions of higher education or other nonprofit
educational providers (hereafter in this section re-
ferred to as ‘contractors’) under which the contrac-
tors will agree to establish, operate, and provide the
non-Federal share of the cost of teacher training
programs in effective approaches and processes for
the teaching of writing;
561
‘‘(2) funds made available by the Secretary to
the grantee pursuant to any contract entered into
under this section will be used to pay the Federal
share of the cost of establishing and operating teach-
er training programs as provided in paragraph (1);
and
‘‘(3) the grantee will meet such other conditions
and standards as the Secretary determines to be
necessary to assure compliance with the provisions
of this section and will provide such technical assist-
ance as may be necessary to carry out the provisions
of this section.
‘‘(c) TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS.—The teacher
training programs authorized in subsection (a) shall—
‘‘(1) be conducted during the school year and
during the summer months;
‘‘(2) train teachers who teach grades kinder-
garten through college;
‘‘(3) select teachers to become members of a
National Writing Project teacher network whose
members will conduct writing workshops for other
teachers in the area served by each National Writing
Project site; and
‘‘(4) encourage teachers from all disciplines to
participate in such teacher training programs.
562
‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2) or (3) and for purposes of subsection (a),
the term ‘Federal share’ means, with respect to the
costs of teacher training programs authorized in
subsection (a), 50 percent of such costs to the con-
tractor.
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the
provisions of paragraph (1) on a case-by-case basis
if the National Advisory Board described in sub-
section (f) determines, on the basis of financial need,
that such waiver is necessary.
‘‘(3) MAXIMUM.—The Federal share of the
costs of teacher training programs conducted pursu-
ant to subsection (a) may not exceed $40,000 for
any one contractor, or $200,000 for a statewide pro-
gram administered by any one contractor in at least
five sites throughout the State.
‘‘(e) CLASSROOM TEACHER GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The National Writing
Project may reserve an amount not to exceed 5 per-
cent of the amount appropriated pursuant to the au-
thority of this section to make grants, on a competi-
tive basis, to elementary and secondary school teach-
563
ers to pay the Federal share of the cost of enabling
such teachers to—
‘‘(A) conduct classroom research;
‘‘(B) publish models of student writing;
‘‘(C) conduct research regarding effective
practices to improve the teaching of writing;
and
‘‘(D) conduct other activities to improve
the teaching and uses of writing.
‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENT
AND
NOT
SUPPLANT.—
Grants awarded pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
used to supplement and not supplant State and local
funds available for the purposes set forth in para-
graph (1).
‘‘(3) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—Each grant
awarded pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed
$2,000.
‘‘(4) FEDERAL
SHARE.—For the purpose of
this subsection the term ‘Federal share’ means, with
respect to the costs of activities assisted under this
subsection, 50 percent of such costs to the elemen-
tary or secondary school teacher.
‘‘(f) NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD.—
564
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Writing
Project shall establish and operate a National Advi-
sory Board.
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The National Advisory
Board established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall
consist of—
‘‘(A) national educational leaders;
‘‘(B) leaders in the field of writing; and
‘‘(C) such other individuals as the National
Writing Project deems necessary.
‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The National Advisory Board
established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall—
‘‘(A) advise the National Writing Project
on national issues related to student writing
and the teaching of writing;
‘‘(B) review the activities and programs of
the National Writing Project; and
‘‘(C) support the continued development of
the National Writing Project.
‘‘(g) EVALUATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall con-
duct an independent evaluation by grant or contract
of the teacher training programs administered pur-
suant to this Act in accordance with section 14701.
Such evaluation shall specify the amount of funds
565
expended by the National Writing Project and each
contractor receiving assistance under this section for
administrative costs. The results of such evaluation
shall be made available to the appropriate commit-
tees of the Congress.
‘‘(2) FUNDING
LIMITATION.—The Secretary
shall reserve not more than $150,000 from the total
amount appropriated pursuant to the authority of
subsection (i) for fiscal year 2001 and the four suc-
ceeding fiscal years to conduct the evaluation de-
scribed in paragraph (1).
‘‘(h) APPLICATION REVIEW.—
‘‘(1) REVIEW
BOARD.—The National Writing
Project shall establish and operate a National Re-
view Board that shall consist of—
‘‘(A) leaders in the field of research in
writing; and
‘‘(B) such other individuals as the Na-
tional Writing Project deems necessary.
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The National Review Board
shall—
‘‘(A) review all applications for assistance
under this subsection; and
566
‘‘(B) recommend applications for assist-
ance under this subsection for funding by the
National Writing Project.
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated for the grant to the Na-
tional Writing Project, $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2001,
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the four
succeeding fiscal years, to carry out the provisions of this
section.’’.
Æ