 CHAPTER 70--STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
                                 SCHOOLS
 
             SUBCHAPTER X--PROGRAMS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
 
              Part J--Urban and Rural Education Assistance
 
             subpart 1--urban education demonstration grants
 
Sec. 8283. 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 improvement 
efforts and school reform, and to assist the schools of such agencies in 
meeting the National Education 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 activities to improve 
        academic achievement directly;
            (C) activities designed to increase the participation of 
        minority and female students in entry level and advanced courses 
        in mathematics and science;
            (D) supplementary academic instruction;
            (E) efforts to improve problem-solving and higher-order 
        thinking skills;
            (F) programs to increase student motivation 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 comprehensive early 
        childhood development programs;
            (B) parenting classes and parent involvement activities;
            (C) activities designed to coordinate prekindergarten 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;
            (G) establishment of comprehensive child care centers in 
        public secondary schools for students who are parents and their 
        children; and
            (H) augmenting early childhood development 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 average, such as--
            (A) dropout prevention activities and support services for 
        public school students at-risk of dropping out of school;
            (B) reentry, outreach, and support activities 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 student support, such 
        as mentoring programs;
            (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 attendance; and
            (G) alternative programs for students, especially bilingual 
        and special education students, who have dropped out of school 
        or are at risk of dropping out of school;

        (4) prepare urban 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, particularly minority students, 
        enrolling in postsecondary educational institutions after 
        graduation from public secondary schools;
            (B) in-school youth employment, vocational education, and 
        career education programs that improve the transition from 
        school to work;
            (C) activities designed in collaboration with colleges and 
        universities to assist urban public school graduates in 
        completing higher education;
            (D) efforts to increase voter registration among eligible 
        public secondary school students;
            (E) activities designed to promote community service and 
        volunteerism among students, 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 standards;
            (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 childhood teachers, mathematics and science 
        teachers, and special education and bilingual teachers;
            (E) upgrading the skills of teacher aides and 
        paraprofessionals to permit such individuals to become certified 
        teachers;
            (F) activities specifically designed to increase 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 training programs;

        (6) provide for ongoing staff development to increase the 
    professional capacities of the teaching staff and the skills of 
    teacher aides and paraprofessionals;
        (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;
            (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 alcohol 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 bilingual 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 public schools in meeting the 
    National Education Goals, including--
            (A) training of teachers and other educational personnel in 
        subject areas, or in instructional technology and methods that 
        will improve the delivery of services in urban settings and 
        assist in the achievement of the National Education Goals, 
        including staff development efforts that emphasize multicultural 
        and gender and disability bias-free curricula;
            (B) coordination and collaboration with other municipal 
        agencies, child care organizations, universities, or the private 
        sector;
            (C) parental involvement and outreach efforts and other 
        activities designed to enhance parental encouragement of student 
        learning;
            (D) pupil services and other support services 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 expanding successful programs within the eligible 
        agency; or
            (G) efforts to improve and strengthen the curriculum and 
        coordinate services across grade levels.

(c) Applications

                           (1) In general

        An eligible local educational agency desiring to receive 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 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 10966; \1\ and
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    \1\ See References in Text note below.
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        (2) demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the 
    data submitted pursuant to section 8281 \2\ of this title shows 
    progress toward meeting National Education Goals.
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    \2\ So in original. Section 8281 relates to findings, not to 
submission of data.
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(e) Administrative costs

    Not more than five percent of any award made under this subpart may 
be used for administrative costs.

(Pub. L. 89-10, title X, Sec. 10963, as added Pub. L. 103-382, title I, 
Sec. 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3849.)

                       References in Text

    Section 10966, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), meaning section 10966 
of Pub. L. 89-10, could not be translated because Pub. L. 89-10 does not 
contain a section 10966.
