H. R. 6—144
‘‘(A) analyses of distance learning efforts, including
such efforts that are assisted under this part and such
efforts that are not assisted under this part; and
‘‘(B) comparisons of the effects, including student out-
comes, of different technologies in distance learning efforts.
‘‘(3) PEER REVIEW.—Funds reserved for peer review activi-
ties under subsection (a) may be used for peer review of—
‘‘(A) applications for grants under this part; and
‘‘(B) activities assisted under this part.
‘‘SEC. 3208. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘As used in this part—
‘‘(1) the term ‘educational institution’ means an institution
of higher education, a local educational agency, or a State
educational agency;
‘‘(2) the term ‘instructional programming’ means courses
of instruction and training courses for elementary and second-
ary students, teachers, and others, and materials for use in
such instruction and training that have been prepared in audio
and visual form on tape, disc, film, or live, and presented
by means of telecommunications devices; and
‘‘(3) the term ‘public broadcasting entity’ has the same
meaning given such term in section 397 of the Communications
Act of 1934.
‘‘SEC. 3209. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
‘‘(a) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to be eligible to receive a grant
under section 3204 for a second 3-year grant period an eligible
entity shall demonstrate in the application submitted pursuant
to section 3206 that such partnership shall—
‘‘(A) continue to provide services in the subject areas
and geographic areas assisted with funds received under
this part for the previous 5-year grant period; and
‘‘(B) use all grant funds received under this part for
the second 3-year grant period to provide expanded services
by—
‘‘(i) increasing the number of students, schools or
school districts served by the courses of instruction
assisted under this part in the previous fiscal year;
‘‘(ii) providing new courses of instruction; and
‘‘(iii) serving new populations of underserved
individuals, such as children or adults who are dis-
advantaged, have limited-English proficiency, are
individuals with disabilities, are illiterate, or lack
secondary school diplomas or their recognized equiva-
lent.
‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—Grant funds received pursuant to para-
graph (1) shall be used to supplement and not supplant services
provided by the grant recipient under this part in the previous
fiscal year.
‘‘(b) FEDERAL ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary may assist grant
recipients under section 3204 in acquiring satellite time, where
appropriate, as economically as possible.
‘‘SEC. 3210. OTHER ASSISTANCE.
‘‘(a) SPECIAL STATEWIDE NETWORK.—
H. R. 6—145
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, through the Office of
Educational Technology, may provide assistance to a statewide
telecommunications network under this subsection if such net-
work—
‘‘(A) provides 2-way full motion interactive video and
audio communications;
‘‘(B) links together public colleges and universities and
secondary schools throughout the State; and
‘‘(C) meets any other requirements determined appro-
priate by the Secretary.
‘‘(2) STATE
CONTRIBUTION.—A statewide telecommuni-
cations network assisted under paragraph (1) shall contribute,
either directly or through private contributions, non-Federal
funds equal to not less than 50 percent of the cost of such
network.
‘‘(b) SPECIAL LOCAL NETWORK.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide assistance,
on a competitive basis, to a local educational agency or consor-
tium thereof to enable such agency or consortium to establish
a high technology demonstration program.
‘‘(2) PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS.—A high technology dem-
onstration program assisted under paragraph (1) shall—
‘‘(A) include 2-way full motion interactive video, audio
and text communications;
‘‘(B) link together elementary and secondary schools,
colleges, and universities;
‘‘(C) provide parent participation and family programs;
‘‘(D) include a staff development program; and
‘‘(E) have a significant contribution and participation
from business and industry.
‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—Each high technology demonstration
program assisted under paragraph (1) shall be of sufficient
size and scope to have an effect on meeting the National Edu-
cation Goals.
‘‘(4) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—A local educational agency
or consortium receiving a grant under paragraph (1) shall pro-
vide, either directly or through private contributions, non-Fed-
eral matching funds equal to not less than 50 percent of the
amount of the grant.
‘‘(c) TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS FOR CONTINUING EDU-
CATION.—
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary is authorized to award
grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable
such partnerships to develop and operate one or more programs
which provide on-line access to educational resources in support
of continuing education and curriculum requirements relevant
to achieving a secondary school diploma or its recognized
equivalent. The program authorized by this section shall be
designed to advance adult literacy, secondary school completion
and the acquisition of specified competency by the end of the
12th grade, as envisioned by the Goals 2000: Educate America
Act.
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity desiring a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary.
Each such application shall—
‘‘(A) demonstrate that the applicant will use publicly
funded or free public telecommunications infrastructure
H. R. 6—146
to deliver video, voice and data in an integrated service
to support and assist in the acquisition of a secondary
school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
‘‘(B) assure that the content of the materials to be
delivered is consistent with the accreditation requirements
of the State for which such materials are used;
‘‘(C) incorporate, to the extent feasible, materials devel-
oped in the Federal departments and agencies and under
appropriate federally funded projects and programs;
‘‘(D) assure that the applicant has the technological
and substantive experience to carry out the program; and
‘‘(E) contain such additional assurances as the Sec-
retary may reasonably require.
‘‘PART C—READY-TO-LEARN TELEVISION
‘‘SEC. 3301. READY-TO-LEARN.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to award grants
to or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with eligible
entities described in section 3302(b) to develop, produce, and distrib-
ute educational and instructional video programming for preschool
and elementary school children and their parents in order to facili-
tate the achievement of the National Education Goals.
‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—In making such grants, contracts, or
cooperative agreements, the Secretary shall ensure that recipients
make programming widely available with support materials as
appropriate to young children, their parents, child care workers,
and Head Start providers to increase the effective use of such
programming.
‘‘SEC. 3302. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING.
‘‘(a) AWARDS.—The Secretary shall award grants, contracts,
or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to—
‘‘(1) facilitate the development directly or through contracts
with producers of children and family educational television
programming, educational programming for preschool and
elementary school children, and accompanying support mate-
rials and services that promote the effective use of such
programming; and
‘‘(2) enable such entities to contract with entities (such
as public telecommunications entities and those funded under
the Star Schools Act) so that programs developed under this
section are disseminated and distributed to the widest possible
audience appropriate to be served by the programming by the
most appropriate distribution technologies.
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a grant, con-
tract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity
shall be—
‘‘(1) a nonprofit entity (including a public telecommuni-
cations entity) able to demonstrate a capacity for the deve-
lopment and distribution of educational and instructional
television programming of high quality for preschool and
elementary school children; and
‘‘(2) able to demonstrate a capacity to contract with the
producers of children’s television programming for the purpose
of developing educational television programming of high qual-
ity for preschool and elementary school children.
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‘‘(c) CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.—Programming developed under
this section shall reflect the recognition of diverse cultural experi-
ences and the needs and experiences of both boys and girls in
engaging and preparing young children for schooling.
‘‘SEC. 3303. DUTIES OF SECRETARY.
‘‘The Secretary is authorized—
‘‘(1) to establish and administer a Special Projects of
National Significance program to award grants, contracts, or
cooperative agreements to public and nonprofit private entities,
or local public television stations or such public television sta-
tions that are part of a consortium with one or more State
educational agencies, local educational agencies, local schools,
institutions of higher education, or community-based organiza-
tions of demonstrated effectiveness, for the purpose of—
‘‘(A) addressing the learning needs of young children
in limited English proficient households, and developing
appropriate 
educational 
and 
instructional 
television
programming to foster the school readiness of such chil-
dren;
‘‘(B) developing programming and support materials
to increase family literacy skills among parents to assist
parents in teaching their children and utilizing educational
television programming to promote school readiness; and
‘‘(C) identifying, supporting, and enhancing the effec-
tive use and outreach of innovative programs that promote
school readiness;
‘‘(2) to establish within the Department a clearinghouse
to compile and provide information, referrals and model pro-
gram materials and programming obtained or developed under
this part to parents, child care providers, and other appropriate
individuals or entities to assist such individuals and entities
in accessing programs and projects under this part; and
‘‘(3) to develop and disseminate training materials, includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) interactive programs and programs adaptable to
distance learning technologies that are designed to enhance
knowledge of children’s social and cognitive skill develop-
ment and positive adult-child interactions; and
‘‘(B) support materials to promote the effective use
of materials developed under paragraph (2);
among parents, Head Start providers, in-home and center based
day care providers, early childhood development personnel, and
elementary school teachers, public libraries, and after school
program personnel caring for preschool and elementary school
children;
‘‘(4) coordinate activities with the Secretary of Health and
Human Services in order to—
‘‘(A) maximize the utilization of quality educational
programming by preschool and elementary school children,
and make such programming widely available to federally
funded programs serving such populations; and
‘‘(B) provide information to recipients of funds under
Federal programs that have major training components
for early childhood development, including Head Start,
Even Start, and State training activities funded under
the Child Care Development Block Grant Act of 1990