 CHAPTER 70--STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
                                 SCHOOLS
 
  SUBCHAPTER XIII--SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE EDUCATION
 
            Part A--Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers
 
Sec. 8621. Program authorized


(a) Comprehensive regional assistance centers

                           (1) In general

        The Secretary is authorized to award grants to, or enter into 
    contracts or cooperative agreements with, public or private 
    nonprofit entities or consortia of such entities in order to 
    establish a networked system of 15 comprehensive regional assistance 
    centers to provide comprehensive training and technical assistance, 
    related to administration and implementation of programs under this 
    chapter, to States, local educational agencies, schools, tribes, 
    community-based organizations, and other recipients of funds under 
    this chapter.

                          (2) Consideration

        In establishing comprehensive regional assistance centers and 
    allocating resources among the centers, the Secretary shall 
    consider--
            (A) the geographic distribution of students assisted under 
        subchapter I of this chapter;
            (B) the geographic and linguistic distribution of students 
        of limited-English proficiency;
            (C) the geographic distribution of Indian students;
            (D) the special needs of students living in urban and rural 
        areas; and
            (E) the special needs of States and outlying areas in 
        geographic isolation.

                          (3) Special rule

        The Secretary shall establish 1 comprehensive regional 
    assistance center under this section in Hawaii.

(b) Service to Indians and Alaska Natives

    The Secretary shall ensure that each comprehensive regional 
assistance center that serves a region with a significant population of 
Indian or Alaska Native students shall--
        (1) be awarded to a consortium which includes a tribally 
    controlled community college or other Indian organization; and
        (2) assist in the development and implementation of 
    instructional strategies, methods and materials which address the 
    specific cultural and other needs of Indian or Alaska Native 
    students.

(c) Accountability

    To ensure the quality and effectiveness of the networked system of 
comprehensive regional assistance centers supported under this part, the 
Secretary shall--
        (1) develop, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for 
    Elementary and Secondary Education, the Director of Bilingual 
    Education and Minority Languages Affairs, and the Assistant 
    Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement, a set of 
    performance indicators that assesses whether the work of the centers 
    assists in improving teaching and learning under this chapter for 
    all children, particularly children at risk of educational failure;
        (2) conduct surveys every two years of populations to be served 
    under this chapter to determine if such populations are satisfied 
    with the access to and quality of such services;
        (3) collect, as part of the Department's reviews of programs 
    under this chapter, information about the availability and quality 
    of services provided by the centers, and share that information with 
    the centers; and
        (4) take whatever steps are reasonable and necessary to ensure 
    that each center performs its responsibilities in a satisfactory 
    manner, which may include--
            (A) termination of an award under this part (if the 
        Secretary concludes that performance has been unsatisfactory) 
        and the selection of a new center; and
            (B) whatever interim arrangements the Secretary determines 
        are necessary to ensure the satisfactory delivery of services 
        under this part to an affected region.

(d) Duration

    Grants, contracts or cooperative agreements under this section shall 
be awarded for a period of 5 years.

(Pub. L. 89-10, title XIII, Sec. 13101, as added Pub. L. 103-382, title 
I, Sec. 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3877.)

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 8622 of this title.
