Education

Congressional Scholarships for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1988

Congressional Scholarships for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Act - Instructs the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish and implement a merit-based competitive program for awarding a four-year Congressional Scholarship for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering to one female and one male from each U.S. congressional district. Requires the Director: (1) annually to notify secondary schools and colleges of the program; and (2) to establish nominating committees for each congressional district. Prescribes eligibility, nomination, and selection criteria, as well as conditions to be met by recipients in order to maintain eligibility. Limits each scholarship to $5,000 per year, to be used solely for tuition, fees, and room and board expenses. Requires the NSF Director to ensure that both students and nominating committees are selected on a nondiscriminatory basis. Authorizes FY 1989 through 1992 appropriations.

Secondary School Community Services Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1988

Secondary School Community Services Act - Establishes a secondary school youth community volunteer services program. Directs the Secretary of Education to enter into a contract with a public agency or nonprofit entity (the contractor) which has: (1) demonstrated effective management of school-based community service projects for youth for at least five years; and (2) the experience and capacity to disseminate information and provide technical assistance necessary to create such projects throughout secondary schools on the United States. Requires the contractor to: (1) use research findings to identify the characteristics of effective secondary school-based service programs to be used as the criteria for providing assistance under this Act; and (2) recommend individuals to serve as members of an advisory committee appointed by the Secretary. Requires that such committee: (1) consist of at least four individuals representing State and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs) and at least five individuals with demonstrated success implementing community service programs; and (2) develop model program activity, select and award LEA subcontracts, and advise on program activities. Requires the contractor to enter into subcontracts with ten SEAs to fund State activities under this Act, including: (1) participation by not more than four LEA youth community service programs under each such SEA; and (2) monitoring activities and disseminating information on each agency's efforts to implement youth community service programs. Requires the contractor (after consultation with the advisory committee) to enter into subcontracts with not more than 40 LEAs during each fiscal year beginning on or after the enactment of this Act, to provide (either directly or through SEAs) 75 percent of the cost of creating and coordinating partnerships between communities and secondary schools to prepare students and identify and provide service opportunities for school-based youth volunteers. Allows subcontracts to be renegotiated for a maximum of four fiscal years, with a Federal share equal to the following portions of program costs: (1) 75 percent for the first renegotiated program year; (2) 50 percent for the second and third such years; and (3) 25 percent for the fourth such year. Requires the contractor to provide: (1) other services necessary to facilitate State plan development and service program expansion throughout the nation by providing an information exchange, a program material database, local and national training, and curriculum materials; and (2) necessary staff development and technical assistance at the local level to expand secondary school implementation of community service programs. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act for FY 1990 through 1994. States that not more than 30 percent of the Federal share may be made available under any contract for technical assistance to carry out this Act.

School Completion and Incentives Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1988

School Completion and Incentives Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to each State to plan and carry out a program to increase the high school completion rate. Sets forth formulas for allotments to States, based on numbers of individuals who have not completed high school. Sets forth a State matching requirement. Sets forth requirements for State plans and applications. Requires States to assure that, under such program, requirements for obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent will not be lowered. Limits the portion of a State's grant funds that may be used for: (1) administrative costs, to not more than five percent; and (2) a statewide program, to not more than 15 percent. Requires that at least 40 percent of a State's grant funds be used for grants to individual schools that have: (1) a dropout rate above the State average; (2) an aggregate achievement rate below the State average; or (3) a student enrollment of which 30 percent of the students come from families below the official poverty line. Directs the Secretary to publish an application notice for such grants by January 1, 1991. Sets forth required contents of such notice. Requires grant recipient annual reports by local educational agencies and individual schools to the State, and by the States to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, at least once every three years, to publish the high school completion rate for each State, with the first such publication to be made by January 1, 1995. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) making planning grants for such programs, for FY 1991 and 1992; and (2) carrying out such programs, for FY 1993 through 1999. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions relating to secondary school programs for basic skills improvement and dropout prevention and reentry. Requires each State educational agency and local educational agency that conducts a specified evaluation pursuant to such provisions to report the evaluation results to the National Diffusion Network. Doubles the amounts authorized to be appropriated for such programs for FY 1990 through 1993. Revises ESEA provisions for assistance to address school dropout problems. Extends through FY 1992 the authorization of appropriations for such assistance. Requires any local educational agency or educational partnership applying for such assistance to establish annual procedures for providing the results of specified evaluations and determinations to the National Diffusion Network.

A bill to provide financial assistance to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California, for the education programs of the Museum of Tolerance.

United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1988

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California, for the operation of education programs concerning the Holocaust at the Museum of Tolerance of such Center. Sets forth an application requirement. Authorizes appropriations.

Kenneth D. Whitehead, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education, vice Ronald Kimberling, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 13 October 1988

Tech-Prep Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1988

Tech-Prep Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to pay the Federal share of the cost of activities carried out under this Act to consortia of: (1) local educational agencies or area vocational schools serving secondary school students; and (2) community colleges (including postsecondary vocational technical schools). Sets the Federal share at: (1) 80 percent of first year planning costs; (2) 60 percent of second year implementation and operation costs; (3) 40 percent of third year operating costs; and (4) 20 percent of fourth and fifth year operating costs. Requires each grant recipient to use the grant funds to develop and operate a four-year technical preparation education program. Requires such program to consist of the two years of secondary school preceding higher education, with a common core of required proficiency in mathematics, science, communications, and technologies designed to lead to an associate degree in a specified career field. Requires such program to include development of appropriate curriculum and in-service teacher training. Allows any such program to provide for counselor training and equipment acquisition. Sets forth grant application requirements. Requires applications to include five-year plans for development and implementation. Directs the Secretary to ensure an equitable distribution of assistance among States and among urban and rural consortium participants but to give special consideration to applications which: (1) provide for effective employment placement activities or transfer of students to four-year baccalaureate degree programs; (2) demonstrate commitment to continue the program after termination of assistance under this Act; and (3) are developed in consultation with business, industry, and labor unions. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act.

A resolution commending Yakutat Elementary School for excellence in education.

United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1988

Commends Yakutat Elementary School, in Alaska, for its achievement and congratulates the school and its principal, parents, and children.

Critical Languages and Area Studies Program Assistance Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1988

Critical Languages and Area Studies Program Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to eligible consortia to operate critical languages and area studies programs, to develop, construct, and acquire educational equipment, materials, and facilities, and to develop teacher training programs, texts, curricula, and other activities designed to improve and expand the instruction of foreign languages at elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 1990 and 1991. Limits the maximum amount of such a demonstration grant to an eligible critical languages and area studies partnership in any single fiscal year. Requires that a consortium eligible for such demonstration grants consist of: (1) a not-for-profit corporation with extensive experience in administrating both cultural exchange programs and language and culture training programs in the United States and abroad; and (2) public or private (or both) elementary and secondary schools committed to provided quality language and area studies programs to their students and students in the surrounding area. Sets forth a special rule that the Critical Languages and Area Studies Consortium, Inc., shall not receive less than a specified amount in grants from appropriations provided for this Act.

Congressional Scholarships for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1988

Congressional Scholarships for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Act - Instructs the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish and implement a merit-based competitive program for awarding a four-year Congressional Scholarship for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering to one female and one male from each U.S. congressional district. Requires the Director: (1) annually to notify secondary schools and colleges of the program; and (2) to establish nominating committees for each congressional district. Prescribes eligibility, nomination, and selection criteria, as well as conditions to be met by recipients in order to maintain eligibility. Limits each scholarship to $5,000 per year, to be used solely for tuition, fees, and room and board expenses. Requires the NSF Director to ensure that both students and nominating committees are selected on a nondiscriminatory basis. Authorizes FY 1989 through 1992 appropriations.

Intergenerational Library Literacy Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1988

Intergenerational Library Literacy Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to local public library systems to establish demonstration projects using older adult volunteers to provide intergenerational library literacy programs for school children during afterschool hours. Limits the aggregate amount of grants under this Act to a local public library system. Sets forth requirements for such demonstration projects relating to: (1) new programs; (2) multiple locations; (3) afterschool hours; (4) older adult volunteers; (5) older adult role models; (6) one-year duration; and (7) an evaluation and report to the Secretary. Sets forth requirements for applications and for selection of grant recipients. Directs the Secretary, within three years after first making a grant under this Act, to report to the Congress on such deomonstration projects, including any recommendations on the establishment of a permanent program to develop intergenerational library literacy programs in local public library systems. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to carry out this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for such grants under this Act, in a specified amount to be appropriated from any unobligated amounts appropriated to carry out title II of the Library Services and Construction Act.

Smart Start: The Community Collaborative for Early Childhood Development Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1988

Smart Start: The Community Collaborative for Early Childhood Development Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to States and localities with approved plans and applications to assist them to expand or establish full-day early childhood development services for prekindergarten children. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out this Act, to: (1) use the expertise of early childhood experts in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) ensure that individuals administering this Act have expertise in the area of early childhood development. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act. Sets forth requirements relating to State and local eligibility for Federal assistance under this Act, including establishment or designation of a State Interagency Advisory Task Force and a Local Policy Group. Sets forth provisions for allotments to States. Reserves a portion of the funds for specified U.S. territories and possessions. Sets forth State allotment formulas based on a State's: (1) number of children five years old or under; (2) number of families with two parents, both of whom are in the labor force, who have one or more children five years old or under; (3) tax capacity index; and (4) tax effort index. Sets forth reallotment provisions. Sets forth provisions for Federal allocation of certain funds to localities. Directs the Secretary to make such allocations to localities from amounts that would be allotted to a State but will not be so allotted because the State elects not to participate in programs assisted under this Act. Makes such a grant to the locality equal to the amount to which it is entitled when ranked by the Secretary against other applicants from the same State. Sets forth provisions for within State reservation and allocation. Directs the Governor to reserve 25 percent of the State allotment for specified activities and to allocate the remaining 75 percent to localities with approved applications on a ranking basis. Sets the following limits on apportioning the 25 percent reserved funds: (1) maximum one percent for the State Interagency Advisory Task Force; (2) maximum four percent for administrative costs; (3) minimum five percent for grants to localities in nonmetropolitan areas and to localities to serve migrant and Indian children or, if no such localities apply, for discretionary grants; (4) minimum ten percent for discretionary grants to localities; and (5) minimum five percent for development and implementation of statewide training programs, and technical assistance to localities for training. Sets forth rules for twofold ranking of applications from localities based on the numbers of: (1) children five years old or under in families below the poverty line compared to the number of all children of such ages in the locality; and (2) families with children of such ages. Sets forth allocation rules. Requires that one-half of the funds be allocated to localities on the basis of each of the above indices, in order of their ranking. Requires the State to provide uniform allocations per child and per family throughout the State in allocating Federal funds and the State portion of the non-Federal share. Prohibits any locality funded under specified provisions from receiving less than $25,000 in total Federal and State funds provided this Act. Sets forth provisions for planning grants. Allows any locality to apply for a six-month planning grant to the State or, if the State does not participate, to the Secretary. Requires planning grant funds to be deducted from the total funds the locality would otherwise be eligible for in the first year of the program. Sets forth application requirements. Sets forth provisions for State Interagency Advisory Task Forces. Requires any State desiring to receive assistance under this Act to establish such a Task Force. Requires each Task Force to report annually to the Governor and the Secretary on the status of early childhood development programs and child care programs operating within the States. Allows a State to use an existing comparable task force for such purposes. Sets forth provisions for a Lead State Agency. Directs the Governor to designate such an agency to administer the early childhood development programs assisted under this Act in the State. Requires such agency to be selected from the State educational agency, the State department of social services, or the State agency for child development or child advocacy. Sets forth requirements for the State application and the State plan. Sets forth provisions for Local Policy Groups. Requires any locality desiring to receive a grant under this Act to form such a Group. Requires each Group to report annually to the State Interagency Advisory Task Force on the status of early childhood development programs and child care within the locality. Allows localities to use existing comparable Groups. Sets forth requirements for local applications and service delivery plans included in such applications. Requires selection of a local administering agency by specified local officials from among the local education agencies, local social services agencies, local child development agencies, and local resource and referral agencies. Sets forth selection criteria and duties of a local administering agency. Requires localities to submit applications to the Lead State Agency in a participating State, or to the Secretary if they are in a nonparticipating State. Sets forth provisions relating to eligible children and families. Sets forth an age requirement for participation. Makes any child eligible to participate in programs assisted under this Act: (1) in the school year prior to the school year in which the child would be eligible under State law to enter kindergarten; or (2) at age four, in localities that do not offer kindergarten programs. Permits any State or locality which has served all children of the eligible age group requesting services to use funds to serve children: (1) in the school year two years prior to the school year in which they would be eligible under State law to enter kindergarten; or (2) at age three. Allows States or localities to use funds to expand existing programs serving children aged three through five years, if specified maintenance of effort provisions are met. Sets forth family contribution requirements. Provides services under this Act without charge to eligible children in families with incomes under 115 percent of the poverty line. Requires, for eligible children from families with incomes above 115 percent of the poverty line, payment of fees on a sliding scale up to the full cost of such services. Requires the State, or the locality in a nonparticipating State, to develop such sliding scale on the basis of income level and family size. Prohibits: (1) total fees for all eligible children in a family receiving services under this Act from exceeding ten percent of a family's gross income; and (2) maximum fees per child from exceeding the cost per child of the services provided. Sets forth provisions for general use of funds by service providers and for authorized activities for which grants may be used. Sets forth minimum standards, for service providers, including maximum group size and child to adult ratios, staff training and credentials, parental involvement, and health, safety, and nutrition requirements. Sets forth administrative provisions including provisions for withholding of payments and judicial review of such withholding. Provides protection for continuing activities of Head Start agencies by prohibiting the denial to any such an agency of continued use of a local educational agency facilities by reason of selection of either to administer a program with funds under this Act. Sets forth evaluation provisions. Requires Local Policy Groups to: (1) arrange for periodic on-site evaluation of local programs by reviewers including community members and early childhood development experts not directly involved in program administration; and (2) report annually to the Task Force. Requires the Task Force to: (1) arrange for periodic on-site monitoring, inspection, and evaluation of programs by reviewers who are not directly involved in program administration; and (2) report annually to the Governor and the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, either directly or by grant or contract, to provide for continuing evaluation of programs, especially on the use of nonparticipant control groups. Requires such evaluations to be conducted by persons not directly involved in the administration of the program being evaluated. Authorizes the Secretary to require States or localities to provide for independent evaluations. Directs the Secretary to arrange to obtain specific views of persons participating in and served by the programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) publish results of evaluations within 90 days of their completion; and (2) submit copies to the appropriate congressional committees. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees. Sets forth nondiscrimination provisions, including rules against employment or services discrimination on the basis of handicap. Sets forth provisions relating to program payments, the Federal share of program costs, and maintenance of efforts. Authorizes the Secretary to reduce the non-Federal share under specified circumstances.

Elementary School Improvement Project Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1988

Elementary School Improvement Project Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make demonstration grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to conduct programs designed to reduce the student-to-teacher ratio in the primary grades of elementary schools. Requires each LEA that receives such a grant to establish and maintain in schools under its jurisdiction an average student-to-teacher ratio of not more than 15 students per teacher, and a maximum ratio of not more than 18 students per teacher. Applies such ratios to: (1) the first grades of such schools for each year for which the grant is received; (2) the second grades for the second and third years of the grant; and (3) the third grades for the third year of the grant. Sets forth selection criteria, application requirements, and payment procedures for such grants. Sets the Federal share of the cost of activities caried out under such a grant at: (1) 90 percent for the first year; (2) 70 percent for the second year; and (3) 50 percent for the third year. Allows the non-Federal share to be in cash or in kind. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 and succeeding fiscal years to carry out this Act.

Michelle Easton, of Virginia, to be Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs, Department of Education, vice Peter R. Greer, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 30 September 1988

Charles E. M. Kolb, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Under Secretary for Planning, Budget and Evaluation, Department of Education, vice Bruce M. Carnes, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 30 September 1988

A resolution waiving certain points of order against the conference report on the bill (H.R. 1720) to replace the existing AFDC program with a new Family Support Program which emphasizes work, child support, and need-based family support supplements, to amend title IV of the Social Security Act to encourage and assist needy children and parents under the new program to obtain the education, training, and employment needed to avoid long-term welfare dependence, and to make other necessary improvements to assure that the new program will be more effective in achieving its objectives, and against consideration of such conference report.

United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1988

Waives points of order against the conference report on H.R. 1720 (Aid to Families with Dependent Children replacement program) and against its consideration.

A bill to make a correction in the Education and Training for a Competitive America Act of 1988.

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1988

Amends the Education and Training for a Competitive America Act of 1988 to extend through FY 1992 the authorization of appropriations for the Access Demonstration Programs (for training of secondary school personnel, including guidance counselors).

Patrick Pizzella, of Virginia, to be Deputy Under Secretary for Management, Department of Education, vice Mary McNally Rose, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 27 September 1988

Teachers' Professional Development Act

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1988

Teachers' Professional Development Act - Authorizes appropriations for the following programs established by this Act: (1) teaching professions pilot grants, for FY 1989 through 1991; (2) teacher recruitment incentive grants, for FY 1989 through 1995; (3) inservice teacher training grants, for FY 1989 through 1995; (4) the National Academy for Teaching, for FY 1989 through 1995; (5) a study of school teacher and administrator pension portability; and (6) student loan forgiveness for teachers in public schools with substantial enrollments of minority students, for FY 1989 through 1995. Establishes the teaching professions pilot grants program. Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants, on a competitive basis, to local educational agencies (LEAs) to plan and implement pilot programs to enhance the professional status, governance role, and professional satisfaction of teachers. Requires such funding to be distributed equitably by geographic area, but only to programs of sufficient size, scope, and quality to be of value as a demonstration. Allows such pilot programs to include: (1) differential staffing, such as career ladders and job-sharing; (2) incentive pay; (3) mentor or master teachers; (4) increased teacher involvement in policy and governance decisions, such as those related to curriculum, class size, staff hiring, and role of teacher aides; (5) decentralizing management so decisions are made at school level and with teacher participation; (6) research on techniques to recruit, train, and reward teachers; and (7) coordination of activities with teacher associations or higher education institutions. Limits such grants to not more than three years. Sets forth evaluation and application requirements. Establishes the teacher recruitment incentive grants program. Directs the Secretary to make program grants, on a competitive basis to qualifying applicants, to: (1) eligible LEAs for local recruitment programs; and (2) eligible LEAs (or LEA consortia) and eligible institutions of higher education, applying jointly, for teacher preparation programs. Sets forth eligibility requirements. Sets forth priorities for awards. Requires local recruitment program grants to be used for either: (1) educational support for teacher aides to assist them in higher education leading to teacher certification; or (2) pilot programs, including ones in conjunction with youth organizations, to encourage secondary school students (especially minority students) to pursue teaching careers. Requires joint teacher preparation programs grants to be used to plan and implement five-year cooperative programs of teacher training, with four years of student preparation for a teaching certificate and a fifth year of participation in a jointly operated teacher training program. Allows such grants to also be used for tuition assistance and scholarships for promising students to participate in such programs. Sets forth application requirements. Establishes the inservice teacher training grants program. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LEAs to plan and implement such programs, on the relative basis of the amount each LEA received in the preceding fiscal year under the program for educationally disadvantaged children under chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Allows program funds to be used for inservice training for teachers in mathematics, science, foreign languages, technology, the humanities, and pedagogical skills. Allows such programs to focus on academic disciplines where shortages of qualified teachers exist or are projected, through teacher training and retraining, as well as recruitment, training, and retraining of individuals who have left teaching, or of individuals with special private sector experience (to fill vacancies on a temporary basis). Sets forth application requirements. Sets forth national activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Academy for Teaching, through grants, contracts, or other arrangements with a public agency or private nonprofit institution or organization. Requires the Academy to: (1) serve as a clearinghouse for research, evaluations, and model programs regarding professional development, recruitment, and training of teachers; (2) disseminate information about such research, evaluations, and model programs (including pilot programs under the teaching professions pilot grants and the teacher recruitment incentive grants programs); and (3) train and retrain elementary or secondary school teachers and principals. Provides that the Academy shall not have the authority to certify or license teachers. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pension portability study of the feasibility of permitting teachers and administrators to transport pension benefits among States and LEAs. Provides for student loan forgiveness for teachers in public schools with substantial enrollments of minority students. Directs the Secretary to cancel the obligation to repay a Stafford loan (a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965) for any borrower who is employed in a public elementary or secondary school of a State educational agency or LEA in which minority students enrollment is 50 percent or more of the total enrollment of such school. Authorizes the Secretary to issue necessary regulations. Directs the Secretary to cancel the obligation to repay 20 percent of the total amount of each such loan for each year in which the borrower is a full-time teacher in such a school, up to five years of such cancellation, and to cancel the entire amount of interest for each year in which a portion of the loan is cancelled. Directs the Secretary to repay each eligible holder and lender of such loans from appropriations authorized under this Act. Sets forth requirements for applications for loan cancellation.

Education Savings Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1988

Education Savings Act of 1988 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an income tax exclusion to a taxpayer who transfers a qualified U.S. savings bond to an eligible institution of higher education or vocational school to pay the higher education expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment) of the taxpayer or any other individual. Excludes from gross income the lesser of: (1) the otherwise taxable amount involved in the transfer; or (2) the amount of the relevant higher education expenses. Phases out the permissible exclusion in the case of taxpayers having adjusted gross income of $60,000 or more, disallowing it entirely when income exceeds $80,000. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to advise the general public of the program established by this Act. Amends Federal law to permit: (1) the type of transfer of U.S. savings bonds that would be necessary to effect the tax exclusions described in this Act; and (2) redemption of such bonds by recipient institutions.

A bill to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies for demonstration programs on early childhood family education, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988

Directs the Secretary of Education to make payments to State educational agencies for demonstration grants for early childhood family education programs conducted by eligible local educational agencies. Sets forth a formula for allotment of such payments to States on the basis of population. Sets forth minimum and maximum numbers of such demonstration grants to be awarded in each State. Sets forth maximum limits on grant amounts. Sets forth criteria for eligibility for: (1) State educational agencies for payments; and (2) local educational agencies for demonstration grants. Authorizes appropriations for such demonstration grants program. Directs the Secretary to make a grant to each of 20 eligible local educational agencies for early childhood family education programs in public schools within such agencies in the greatest need. Sets forth factors which the Secretary must consider in determining whether a school is in greatest need. Sets forth application requirements. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for school districts in greatest need. Directs the Secretary to disseminate to State and local educational agencies information on: (1) The Parents and Teachers Program: The National Center, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and (2) the Minnesota Early Childhood Education Project, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education. Authorizes appropriations for dissemination of such information. Defines "early childhood family education program" to mean a program consisting of not less than two multi-hour sessions per month, during which parents of children three years old or younger meet at either a private home or a central location and receive instruction in effective parent-child interaction from a trained parent-educator and participate in organized discussion with other such parents.

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish Federal financial assistance for parental choice open enrollment programs in public schools.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a grants program for parental choice open enrollment in public schools. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make such program grants to local educational agencies (LEAs). Prohibits any LEA from being eligible to participate in such program unless it agrees to permit: (1) elementary and secondary school students to enroll in public schools in the school district without regard to school attendance zones; and (2) such students and their families to decide which school the student will attend in that school district. Allows such grants to be used for: (1) increasing school attendance and student achievement; (2) increasing accountability for success of the educational program in schools; (3) increasing parental involvement and public interest in schools; (4) establishing and operating distinctive schools with new and innovative approaches to education, including increasing flexibility and autonomy at the school level; and (5) providing a wider range of choices of educational courses of instruction to educationally and economically disadvantaged children. Requires that at least 50 percent of a grant be used to carry out the parental choice program. Sets forth individual LEA application requirements for such grants. Permits LEA consortia to apply for such grants to develop and conduct interdistrict, regional, or statewide parental choice programs. Limits the amount of each grant, but authorizes the Secretary to waive such limitation in the case of an LEA serving a very large number of students or a consortium of LEAs serving large school districts or in other special circumstances. Limits the duration of such grants to a five-year period. Allows any LEA with a parental choice program in operation during the year for which assistance is sought to apply for a grant to expand such program. Allows any LEA receiving a magnet schools program grant, under the ESEA or the Education for Economic Security Act, to apply for a parental choice program grant if the LEA provides assurances that such funds will be used for additional activities to strengthen the educational program of its schools. Directs the Secretary, by October 1, 1992, to: (1) provide for an independent evaluation of assisted programs to determine the effectiveness of parental choice programs; and (2) report to the Congress on such evaluation results. Requires that such evaluation be made available for all possible dissemination. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 to carry out this Act.

A bill to provide financial assistance to States to carry out demonstration projects to provide character education to juveniles confined in juvenile detention facilities.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988

Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to make grants to States for demonstration projects to provide character education to juveniles who are confined in juvenile detention facilities as a result of being delinquent. Provides that such grants may be made to eligible States to carry out, directly or by contract, at least ten demonstration projects. Sets forth eligibility and application requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 to carry out this Act.

A bill to establish a program of demonstration grants to State educational agencies for purposes of conducting school-based management projects.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988

Directs the Secretary of Education to make five-year grants to not more than ten State educational agencies to conduct school-based management projects in one or more local educational agencies in the State. Requires each such project to be designed to result in strengthening opportunity and capacity for school-based management. Sets the amount of each grant for each year of the grant period. Sets forth requirements for applications and selection of grant recipients. Requires such projects to include: (1) increased responsibility and decision-making for teachers; (2) increased staff support for teachers; (3) greater differentiation of teachers' roles and responsibilities; (4) variation in school leadership structures; (5) greater autonomy at the school level with respect to budgeting and resource allocation; and (6) greater accountability for teachers and schools with respect to student performance. Allows grant funds to be used to: (1) support increased operating costs at the schools involved (for the first two years of the project); (2) underwrite development and technical assistance; (3) document and describe the process of transition to school-based management; (4) evaluate the results of transition; and (5) disseminate nationally information on new models in school management. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act for FY 1989 through 1993.

Bootstrap Schools Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988

Bootstrap Schools Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to enhance the quality of education provided at elementary and secondary schools through establishing bootstrap school programs. Makes an LEA eligible for such a grant if it submits an application and serves a qualified area, i.e. any area of the State in which the percentage of the population whose annual gross income does not exceed the poverty line is twice the percentage of the State population. Sets forth requirements for contents of applications. Requires that special consideration be given to applications which describe a program to: (1) serve areas in which at least 60 percent of the population has an annual gross income that does not exceed the poverty line; and (2) improve academic standards and performance at schools through measures such as: (1) open enrollment; (2) school-based management of curricula, class size, and funds; (3) professionalization of teachers, as determined by the Secretary; (4) alternative certification of teachers; (5) reduction of the number of nonteaching personnel; and (6) merit pay for teachers. Requires each LEA recipient to use the grant only for: (1) planning and outreach activities directly related to expanding and enhancing academic programs and services offered at such schools; (2) acquisition of teaching materials, books, and equipment for educational programs (including computers); and (3) teacher compensation. Requires that such use be directly related to increasing the knowledge of students attending elementary and secondary schools, under the LEA's jurisdiction, in mathematics, science, history, English, foreign languages, art, or music or to improving their vocation skills. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for such grants.

A bill to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants for character education programs.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies for character education programs. Requires local educational agencies to certify to the Secretary that the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag is a part of the daily program of each elementary and secondary school under their control and direction, in order to be eligible for such grants. Sets forth application requirements. Directs the Secretary to disseminate information on successful character education and development programs to State and local educational agencies, community-based organizations, and other interested individuals and organizations. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act.

National Foundation for Excellence Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1988

National Foundation for Excellence Act - Establishes the National Foundation for Excellence, as an independent establishment of the executive branch. Sets forth the membership of the Board of Directors of the Foundation. Authorizes the Foundation to award scholarships for undergraduate and graduate study for outstanding students committed to careers in teaching in public education. Sets forth rules for courses of study and for duration of scholarship assistance. Provides for eligibility, selection, and number of recipients of such scholarships (Foundation scholars). Provides for scholarship stipends and limitations on total assistance to any recipient. Sets forth scholarship conditions, including reporting requirements and student agreements to teach in a public elementary or secondary school for a certain period of years based on the total amount of scholarship awarded. Sets forth scholarship repayment requirements for those who do not fulfill such teaching commitments or who otherwise do not comply with the provisions of this Act. Sets forth exceptions to such repayment provisions, including deferrals during certain periods and forgiveness in the event of permanent total disability. Authorizes the Foundation to make grants to States to pay the Federal share (50 percent) of scholarship programs conducted by the States in accordance with this Act. Sets forth application requirements. Establishes in the Treasury the National Foundation for Excellence Trust Fund, consisting of appropriations under this Act and amounts raised from non-Federal sources by the Foundation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to invest in full any amounts appropriated to the Fund, but only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States. Directs the Board to make an annual report of its operations to the Congress by April 1 of each year. Sets forth required contents of such report. Authorizes appropriations to the Fund. Authorizes appropriations to the Foundation for each of FY 1988 through 1993 for operating and administrative expenses with remaining monies left in the Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the period of FY 1989 through 1993, but makes matching funds available in each such fiscal year only in an amount equal to that raised from non-Federal sources by the Foundation in each such fiscal year.

Class Size Demonstration Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1988

Class Size Demonstration Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make demonstration grants to local educational agencies having elementary and secondary schools with large classes in order to demonstrate the advantages of reducing the size of classes. Sets forth grant selection criteria, application requirements, and audit requirements. Sets forth provisions for the Federal share of program payments. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 and thereafter to carry out this Act.

Tech-Prep Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1988

Tech-Prep Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to pay the Federal share of the cost of activities carried out under this Act to consortia of: (1) local educational agencies or area vocational schools serving secondary school students; and (2) community colleges (including postsecondary vocational technical schools). Sets the Federal share at: (1) 100 percent of first year planning costs; (2) 80 percent of second year implementation and operation costs; (3) 70 percent of third year operating costs; (4) 60 percent of fourth year operating costs; and (5) 50 percent of fifth year operating costs. Requires each grant recipient to use the grant funds to develop and operate a four-year technical preparation education program. Requires such program to consist of the two years of secondary school preceding higher education, with a common core of required proficiency in mathematics, science, communications, and technologies designed to lead to an associate degree in a specified career field. Requires such program to include development of appropriate curriculum and in-service teacher training. Allows any such program to provide for counselor training and equipment acquisition. Sets forth grant application requirements. Requires applications to include five-year plans for development and implementation. Directs the Secretary to ensure an equitable distribution of assistance among States and among urban and rural consortium participants but to give special consideration to applications which: (1) provide for effective employment placement activities or transfer of students to four-year baccalaureate degree programs; (2) demonstrate commitment to continue the program after termination of assistance under this Act; and (3) are developed in consultation with business, industry, and labor unions. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act.

Smart Start: The Community Collaboration for Early Childhood Development Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1988

Smart Start: The Community Collaboration for Early Childhood Development Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to States and localities with approved plans and applications to assist them to expand or establish full-day early childhood development services for prekindergarten children. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out this Act, to: (1) use the expertise of early childhood experts in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) ensure that individuals administering this Act have expertise in the area of early childhood development. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act. Sets forth requirements relating to State and local eligibility for Federal assistance under this Act, including establishment or designation of a State Interagency Advisory Task Force and a Local Policy Group. Sets forth provisions for allotments to States. Reserves a portion of the funds for specified U.S. territories and possessions. Sets forth State allotment formulas based on a State's: (1) number of children five years old or under; (2) number of families with two parents, both of whom are in the labor force, who have one or more children five years old or under; (3) tax capacity index; and (4) tax effort index. Sets forth reallotment provisions. Sets forth provisions for Federal allocation of certain funds to localities. Directs the Secretary to make such allocations to localities from amounts that would be allotted to a State but will not be so allotted because the State elects not to participate in programs assisted under this Act. Makes such a grant to the locality equal to the amount to which it is entitled when ranked by the Secretary against other applicants from the same State. Sets forth provisions for within State reservation and allocation. Directs the Governor to reserve 25 percent of the State allotment for specified activities and to allocate the remaining 75 percent to localities with approved applications on a ranking basis. Sets the following limits on apportioning the 25 percent reserved funds: (1) maximum one percent for the State Interagency Advisory Task Force; (2) maximum four percent for administrative costs; (3) minimum five percent for grants to localities in nonmetropolitan areas and to localities to serve migrant and Indian children or, if no such localities apply, for discretionary grants; (4) minimum ten percent for discretionary grants to localities; and (5) minimum five percent for development and implementation of statewide training programs, and technical assistance to localities for training. Sets forth rules for twofold ranking of applications from localities based on the numbers of: (1) children five years old or under in families below the poverty line compared to the number of all children of such ages in the locality; and (2) families with children of such ages. Sets forth allocation rules. Requires that one-half of the funds be allocated to localities on the basis of each of the above indices, in order of their ranking. Requires the State to provide uniform allocations per child and per family throughout the State in allocating Federal funds and the State portion of the non-Federal share. Prohibits any locality funded under specified provisions from receiving less than $25,000 in total Federal and State funds provided this Act. Sets forth provisions for planning grants. Allows any locality to apply for a six-month planning grant to the State or, if the State does not participate, to the Secretary. Requires planning grant funds to be deducted from the total funds the locality would otherwise be eligible for in the first year of the program. Sets forth application requirements. Sets forth provisions for State Interagency Advisory Task Forces. Requires any State desiring to receive assistance under this Act to establish such a Task Force. Requires each Task Force to report annually to the Governor and the Secretary on the status of early childhood development programs and child care programs operating within the States. Allows a State to use an existing comparable task force for such purposes. Sets forth provisions for a Lead State Agency. Directs the Governor to designate such an agency to administer the early childhood development programs assisted under this Act in the State. Requires such agency to be selected from the State educational agency, the State department of social services, or the State agency for child development or child advocacy. Sets forth requirements for the State application and the State plan. Sets forth provisions for Local Policy Groups. Requires any locality desiring to receive a grant under this Act to form such a Group. Requires each Group to report annually to the State Interagency Advisory Task Force on the status of early childhood development programs and child care within the locality. Allows localities to use existing comparable Groups. Sets forth requirements for local applications and service delivery plans included in such applications. Requires selection of a local administering agencies by specified local officials from among the local education agencies, local social services agencies, local child development agencies, and local resource and referral agencies. Sets forth selection criteria and duties of a local administering agency. Requires localities to submit applications to the Lead State Agency in a participating State, or to the Secretary if they are in a nonparticipating State. Sets forth provisions relating to eligible children and families. Sets forth an age requirement for participation. Makes any prekindergarten child eligible to participate in programs assisted under this Act in the school year prior to the school year in which the child would be eligible under State law to enter kindergarten. Permits any State or locality which has served all children of the eligible age group requesting services to use funds to serve children in the school year two years prior to the school year in which they would be eligible under State law to enter kindergarten. Provides that a program that serves children who vary in age from three years of age to six years of age is not ineligible to carry out a program assisted under this Act. Sets forth family contribution requirements. Provides services under this Act without charge to eligible children in families with incomes under 115 percent of the poverty line. Requires, for eligible children from families with incomes above 115 percent of the poverty line, payment of fees on a sliding scale up to the full cost of such services. Requires the State, or the locality in a nonparticipating State, to develop such sliding scale on the basis of income level and family size. Prohibits: (1) total fees for all eligible children in a family receiving services under this Act from exceeding ten percent of a family's gross income; and (2) maximum fees per child from exceeding the cost per child of the services provided. Sets forth provisions for general use of funds by service providers and for authorized activities for which grants may be used. Sets forth minimum standards, for service providers, including maximum group size and child to adult ratios, staff training and credentials, parental involvement, and health, safety, and nutrition requirements. Sets forth administrative provisions including provisions for withholding of payments and judicial review of such withholding. Provides protection for continuing activities of Head Start agencies by prohibiting the denial to such an agency of continued use of a local educational agency facilities by reason of selection of either to administer a program with funds under this Act. Sets forth evaluation provisions. Requires Local Policy Groups to: (1) arrange for periodic on-site evaluation of local programs by reviewers including community members and early childhood development experts not directly involved in program administration; and (2) report annually to the Task Force. Requires the Task Force to: (1) arrange for periodic on-site monitoring, inspection, and evaluation of programs by reviewers who are not directly involved in program administration; and (2) report annually to the Governor and the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, either directly or by grant or contract, to provide for continuing evaluation of programs, especially on the use of nonparticipant control groups. Requires such evaluations to be conducted by persons not directly involved in the administration of the program being evaluated. Authorizes the Secretary to require States or localities to provide for independent evaluations. Directs the Secretary to arrange to obtain specific views of persons participating in and served by the programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) publish results of evaluations within 90 days of their completion; and (2) submit copies to the appropriate congressional committees. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees. Sets forth nondiscrimination provisions, including rules against employment or services discrimination on the basis of handicap. Sets forth provisions relating to program payments, the Federal share of program costs, and maintenance of efforts. Authorizes the Secretary to reduce the non-Federal share under specified circumstances.

A bill to amend the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act to establish a program of grants for vocational-technical training and to encourage tribal economic development, to provide for the designation of the National Indian Center for Research in Vocational-Technical Training, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1988

Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act (the Act) to revise provisions for vocational education programs for Indians. Prohibits the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) from placing upon vocation education grants to or contracts with Indian tribal organizations any restrictions relating to rates of placement of students or adults served other than those applicable to specified State vocation education grants. Directs the Secretary to give special consideration to grants which involve, coordinate with, or encourage tribal economic development plans. Directs the Secretary, from funds reserved for such Indian vocational education programs, to reserve specified minimum amounts for grants: (1) first, to the Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Crown Point, New Mexico; and (2) next to the United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, North Dakota. Requires such grants to be for vocational-technical training and related activities, subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary may reasonably require relative to satisfactory performance. Directs the Secretary, for FY 1991 and thereafter, to adjust for inflation such reserved amounts. Directs the Secretary, from any remaining specified reserve funds, to first make grants to institutions of higher education eligible for assistance under the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978 and to encourage development of tribal economic development programs. Authorizes the Secretary, if no such institution applies, to approve a single application from the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Directs the Secretary of Education to transfer to the Secretary of the Interior specified reserved funds for activities consistent with the Act (other than construction or alteration of facilities) for the benefit of students in schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) provide a matching amount for such activities; and (2) administer all amounts so transferred or provided as a single fund. Directs the Secretary of Education if the Secretary of the Interior is unable to provide a matching amount, to use such reserved funds for the Indian vocational educational program. Reserves specified amounts of vocational education program funds for transfer to BIA-funded schools. Establishes the National Indian Center for Research in Vocational-Technical Training (the Center). Directs the Secretary of Education to provide support for the Center through an annual operating grant in a specified minimum amount per fiscal year. Provides that the Center shall be a nonprofit entity associated with a tribe or tribal organization. Directs the Secretary, on the basis of applications received, to designate the entity to be the Center for a period of five years, acting upon the advice of an appointed panel of non-Federal employees who are nationally recognized as experts in vocational-technical education training, administration, or research. Allows a grant recipient to apply for later grants. Directs the Secretary, in reviewing such grant applications, to consider (but prohibits requiring) past experience, demonstrated commitment of programs and fiscal resources to past vocational-technical activities, and potential future commitment to the support of the Center. Requires the Center to have a Director, appointed by the entity receiving the grant. Requires such entity to ensure that Center activities equitably consider and involve the national and regional needs of all federally-recognized tribes. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures to ensure that such grant activities will support, investigate, and fulfill national needs or goals. Requires the Center to have as its primary purposes the design and conduct of long-term research and developmental projects and programs, and appropriate supplementary and short-term studies. Requires the Center to conduct such activities directly and through subcontracts (subject to availability of appropriations) with tribes or tribal organizations, public agencies, and public or private secondary schools or institutions of higher education. Directs the Center to: (1) conduct applied research and development relating to vocational-technical training for American Indians and Alaska Natives; (2) conduct research into the relationship between training and tribal or reservation economic development; (3) provide leadership development through an advanced study center and inservice education activities for tribal and local leaders in vocational-technical education; (4) disseminate results of Center-funded research and development projects; (5) develop and provide information to help national planning and policy for Indian tribes and their economic development through vocational-technical training; (6) give technical assistance to programs serving American Indians and Alaska Natives; (7) act as a clearinghouse for information on Federal and State contracts and grants; (8) work with various entities to develop methods of planning and evaluating programs so they can offer vocational-technical education programs more closely related to the types of jobs available; and (9) report annually to the Congress, and to the Secretaries of Education, of Labor, and of the Interior, on planning and coordination under the Act, the Job Training Partnership Act, and all other Federal programs providing vocational-technical education and economic development services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.

A bill to provide for a Health and Human Resources Center at Voorheers College in Denmark, South Carolina.

United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1988

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, to pay construction costs and related costs for a Health and Human Resources Center.

National Educational Software Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1988

National Educational Software Act of 1988 - Establishes a National Educational Software Corporation (the Corporation) within the executive branch of the Federal Government. Sets forth provisions for members of the board of directors of the Corporation. Lists the principal functions of the Corporation as: (1) developing participation criteria for selecting high-quality, interactive, and educationally useful computer software; (2) securing investment capital for projects to develop such software; (3) making appropriate and reasonable investments in projects for the development of such software; (4) entering into contracts and making grants to assist in the development of such software; and (5) engaging in such other operations and activities as the board of directors determines to be necessary and appropriate to encourage the development and use of such software. Sets forth the general authorities of the Corporation. Sets forth provisions concerning investments by the Corporation. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990.

A bill to amend the professional and graduate institution program under part B of title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to add certain additional institutions, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988

Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions for grants to professional or graduate institutions under title III part B provisions for strengthening historically Black colleges and universities. Repeals the requirement that professional or graduate institutions eligible for such grants be "independent" (thus allowing State-affiliated institutions to qualify). Adds to the list of institutions specifically eligible for such grants: (1) Thurgood Marshall School of Law (at Texas Southern University); (2) North Carolina Central University School of Law; (3) Southern University School of Law (in Louisiana); and (4) Florida A&M College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Graduate Program).

A resolution providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 4986) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce the default rate on student loans under that Act, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988

Sets forth the rule for the consideration of H.R. 4986 (student loan defaults).

Lauro F. Cavazos, of Texas, to be Secretary of Education.

United States · United States Senate · 10 August 1988

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the establishment of, and the deduction of contributions to, education savings accounts.

United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1988

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer an income tax deduction for cash contributions to a savings account established to pay the educational expenses (tuition, supplies, meals, and lodging) of a single beneficiary at an institution of higher education or a vocational school. Limits the amount of the deduction to the lesser of $1,000 or the earned income includible in the taxpayer's gross income for the year. Disallows the deduction for contributions to an account maintained for any individual who has attained age 21. Prohibits an individual from being a beneficiary of more than one account. Permits the exclusion from gross income of payments and distributions from an education savings account as long as they are used exclusively for the educational expenses of the eligible beneficiary or are distributions of excess contributions before the due date of the tax return. Exempts the accounts themselves from taxation (except for the tax on unrelated business income of a charitable organization) unless they cease to be proper education savings accounts because either the contributor-taxpayer engages in prohibited transactions or the account's beneficiary pledges the account as security. Imposes penalties in the form of additional tax when account funds or distributions are used for other than educational purposes. Requires the trustee of an education savings account to report to the Secretary of the Treasury and to the account's beneficiary on the maintenance of the account. Extends the deduction for contributions to an educational savings account to taxpayers who do not otherwise itemize deductions. Imposes a six percent excise tax on excess contributions to an education savings account. Imposes a five percent excise tax on amounts connected with any prohibited transaction with respect to an education savings account. Imposes a penalty for failure to file required reports concerning the education savings account. Excludes from the gross income of an individual any distributions from an education savings account used exclusively for that individual's educational expenses.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1988

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (a private non-profit organization) for research and development relating to teacher assessment and certification procedures. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for such purpose. Sets forth terms and conditions for such assistance. Requires the Board to: (1) establish a Research and Development Advisory Committee; and (2) consult with the Secretary and other specified entities in appointing the ten Committee members (with the Secretary selecting two of those). Requires funds under this Act to be used only for research and development of teacher assessment and certification procedures for elementary and secondary school teachers. Requires that priority be given to activities relating to teaching: (1) the subject areas of mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages, and literacy (including reading, writing, and analytical ability); and (2) special educational populations, including limited English proficient children, gifted and talented children, handicapped children, and economically and educationally disadvantaged children. Sets forth application requirements. Sets the Federal share of the cost of such Board activities at 50 percent. Requires the Board to report annually to the appropriate committees of Congress. Requires the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the National Research Council to review and comment on the Board's report and to report to such committees on the Board's compliance with this Act. Sets forth auditing provisions. Sets forth limitations on the ways this Act may be construed.

A joint resolution designating November 28 through December 2, 1988, as "Vocational-Technical Education Week".

United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1988

Designates November 28 through December 2, 1988, as Vocational-Technical Education Week.

A bill to make clarifying, corrective, and conforming amendments to laws relating to Indian education, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 8 August 1988

Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Education Amendments of 1978 concerning: (1) Bureau of Indian Affairs funded schools; (2) the formula for allotment of funds to schools; (3) administrative cost grants; (4) school board training; (5) coordinated programs among the tribe, the school board, and the local public school district; (6) consultation between the Bureau and interested parties; and (7) compensation of, and involuntary furloughs by, Bureau educators. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) reserve from the funds available for distribution for each fiscal year an amount equal to one percent of such funds to meet emergency and unforeseen contingencies; and (2) restrict the expenditure of such funds to education services or programs at a school site. (Current law does not specify any percentage of funds to be reserved or place such restriction on the expenditure of such funds.) Makes technical amendments to the Indian Education Amendments of 1988 concerning personnel compensation, recruitment, and retention studies. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 concerning: (1) grants to tribes and tribal organizations; (2) the eligibility of tribally controlled schools for grants; (3) the duration of the eligibility determination; (4) the payment of grants; and (5) the applicability of certain provisions of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to grants. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Indian Education Act of 1988 concerning: (1) grants to local educational agencies; (2) special programs and projects to improve educational opportunities for Indian children, including fellowships for Indian students and the establishment of centers for gifted and talented Indian students at tribally controlled community colleges; and (3) definitions. Amends the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978 to provide that such Act shall not be construed to affect the obligation of the Bureau to implement legislative provisions enacted before April 28, 1988. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988 concerning: (1) the use of Bureau facilities; and (2) the White House Conference on Indian Education. Repeals the provision requiring the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for the Bureau to submit a report every other year on the education of Indian children.

A bill to prohibit in any program or activity under the jurisdiction of a State educational agency or local educational agency that receives Federal financial assistance the recording of information relating to sexual maturity, including any description of any sexual part, or any rating or scale based on such description, with respect to any individual other than an employee of such an agency who is at least 21 years of age.

United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1988

Prohibits the recording of information relating to sexual maturity with respect to any individual (other than an employee who is at least 21 years old) by any program or activity under the jurisdiction of a State educational agency or local educational agency receiving Federal financial assistance.

A bill to establish a program of Federal grants to assist local educational agencies to establish and provide for a school year of not less that 218 days.

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1988

Directs the Secretary of Education to establish an extended school year program of grants to local educational agencies to establish and provide for a school year of not less than 218 days. Sets forth program and application requirements. Directs the Secretary to reserve a specified amount for such extended school year grants program from appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 for chapter two (Federal, State, and Local Partnership for Educational Improvement) of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Sam E. Keith, Jr., of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term of four years. (New Position)

United States · United States Senate · 27 July 1988

Stafford Student Loan Default Prevention and Management Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988

Stafford Student Loan Default Prevention and Management Act of 1988 - Title I: Default Management - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (the Act) to require default management plans to be developed and carried out by certain guaranty agencies, eligible lenders, and eligible institutions with high default rates under part B (the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan Program, formerly known as the Guaranteed Student Loan Program) of title IV (Student Assistance) of the Act. Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to determine the default rates for guaranty agencies, eligible lenders, and eligible institutions. Requires those guaranty agencies, lenders, and institutions with default rates in excess of 25 percent to develop and carry out default management plans. Subjects guaranty agencies, lenders, and institutions with high volume default rates in the highest five percent by volume of defaulted student loans to program review by the Secretary (in the case of guaranty agencies) or by the State guaranty agency (in the case of lenders or institutions). Directs the Secretary (or the State guaranty agency, as the case may be) to develop and implement a default management plan for such guaranty agencies, lenders, or institutions if it is determined that their management practices substantially contribute to the high volume default. Sets forth default management provisions which may be required under such plans. Sets forth procedural requirements relating to such plans. Sets forth plan enforcement procedures, including limitation, suspension, or termination proceedings. Sets forth formulas for the calculation of default rates. Revises definitions of guaranty agency, eligible lender, and eligible institution to disqualify those that fail or refuse to develop default management plans. Title II: Improved Stafford Student Loan Collection Provisions - Requires each eligible institution to transmit financial aid transcripts (necessary for loan need determination statements) within 30 days of receiving a request from another such institution. Requires lenders or holders of the loan to notify the borrower, within 180 days after the student borrower leaves the eligible institution, of the month in which the repayment period begins, for both federally-insured student loans (FISL loans) and guaranteed student loans under the Stafford program (Stafford loans). Requires lenders of Stafford loans to notify the guaranty agency (and the borrower, if the loan is to be paid at a new address) of any sale or transfer of the loan to another holder, and the address and phone number through which to contact such other holder concerning loan repayment, within 60 days of such sale or transfer. Authorizes guaranty agencies, when the location of a student borrower is unknown or unavailable to them, to enter into agreements for the appropriate State licensing board to provide that information. Authorizes guaranty agencies to enter into agreements for eligible institutions to make payments on loans in default. Prohibits such eligible institutions from: (1) adversely affecting the rights of borrowers in entering into agreements with them to pay their loans; or (2) being relieved of responsibility for carrying out a default management plan, for more than one year. Eliminates loan repayment deferments that are based on the status of the child rather than the parent, under the parent loan (PLUS) program. Requires lenders to obtain a credit check of applicants for PLUS loans. Allows the lender to charge the applicant for the actual cost of such credit check, up to $25. Requires applicants with negative credit histories to obtain credit-worthy cosigners. Requires an administrative fee, not to exceed five percent of the principal, to be charged to the borrower and paid to the Secretary by the lender, under the Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS) and PLUS loan programs. Requires that the amount to be consolidated be greater than $7,500, in order for a borrower to consolidate loans borrowed for an enrollment period of 12 months or less. Sets forth additional requirements with respect to disbursement of student loans. Requires multiple disbursement of student loans under the Stafford Student Loan program. Requires that any such loan for $1,000 or more for an enrollment period ending more than 180 days or six months after the disbursement date, be disbursed in two or more installments, none of which exceeds one-half of the loan. Requires a minimum interval between the first and second installments. Requires such interval to be at least one-half of the enrollment period, except as necessary to permit disbursement of the second installment at the beginning of the second semester, quarter, or similar division of such enrollment period. Sets forth requirements for the initial disbursement. Prohibits disbursement of the first installment to a new student borrower entering the first undergraduate year until: (1) 30 days after the beginning of the enrollment period; and (2) the institution certifies to the lender that the student continues to be enrolled in good standing at the institution and has received specified loan counseling. Prohibits disbursement of loans to any other student more than 30 days before the beginning of the enrollment period. Sets forth requirements for methods of multiple disbursement. Requires the lender or escrow agent to withhold a second or succeeding installment if the borrower has ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. Provides that all loans issued for the same enrollment period shall be considered a single loan for specified purposes. Excludes from such additional disbursement requirements parent (PLUS) loans, consolidation loans, and loans to cover study at an institution outside the United States. Provides for transmittal of institutional disbursement schedules to lenders. Applies such additional disbursement requirements to the Stafford, SLS, and FISL programs. Directs the Secretary, guaranty agency, eligible lender, or subsequent holder to disclose to credit bureau organizations any information concerning the date a delinquency began and the repayment status of any loan that has been delinquent for 90 days. Requires that the borrower be informed that such organizations will be notified of such delinquency. Requires eligible lenders to furnish appropriate eligible institutions and guaranty agencies with lists of delinquent Stafford loan borrowers within 120 days of the date on which the loan is delinquent. Disqualifies guaranty agencies which sell lists of student borrowers with Stafford loans. Requires student borrowers to provide the lender at the time of loan application with their driver's license number and the name and address of their next of kin. Requires each eligible institution to require, during the exit interview, student borrowers to submit their address, name and address of next of kin, and driver's license number. Requires institutions, under student aid program participating agreements, to withhold academic transcripts of student borrowers in default on any title IV loan unless this will prevent the borrower from obtaining employment and repaying the loan. Prohibits institutions, under student aid program participation agreements, from: (1) using any contractor or anyone other than a salaried employee to make final determinations that an individual meets the institution's admissions requirements; or (2) paying any commission, bonus, or other incentive to any person making such final determination. Requires an institution to use the same definition of "academic year" for all programs authorized by title IV of the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations for the limitation, suspension, or termination of eligibility of an individual or organization to administer any aspect of an institution's student assistance program. Limits such suspensions to 60 days, unless the organization and the Secretary agree to an extension, or unless limitation or termination proceedings are initiated. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) conduct a study relating to the discharge of student loan indebtedness in bankruptcy proceedings; and (2) report the results of such study to the Congress within three years after enactment of this Act. Title III: Federal Responsibilities - Directs the Secretary to develop and publish an annual default report to the Congress, beginning on September 30, 1988, which includes: (1) the annual default rate for the Stafford Student Loan program; (2) a summary of the default rates for guaranty agencies, lenders, and institutions determined under default management plan positions; and (3) the net dollar volume in default for each such entity. Directs the Secretary to: (1) prepare a list of guaranty agencies, a list of eligible lenders, and a list of eligible institutions in the order of the volume of Stafford student loans in default for each such entity; and (2) identify the highest five percent of entities on each such list. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a plan, to be published in the Federal Register for public comment, for conducting program reviews of all guaranty agencies, eligible lenders, and eligible institutions; (2) report annually to the Congress on the results of such reviews; and (3) give priority to conducting program reviews of guaranty agencies and eligible institutions with the highest default rates and the highest dollar value of loans in default. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations specifying legal restrictions and requirements for eligible institutions relating to loan counseling and reporting, including disclosure of borrower records to third parties, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and other applicable Federal laws. Prohibits an institution from being certified or recertified as eligible for the Stafford Student Loan program or other title IV programs if it: (1) has had its accreditation withdrawn, revoked, or otherwise terminated for cause during the preceding 24 months; or (2) has withdrawn from accreditation voluntarily under a show cause or suspension order during such period. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out limitation, suspension, or termination proceedings against an institution if it: (1) withdraws from an accrediting agency or association during a show cause or suspension proceeding; or (2) is denied institutional accreditation. Authorizes the Secretary to arrange with accrediting agencies and associations to assure notice of such denials of institutional accreditation. Prohibits the Secretary from approving the accreditation of an eligible institution if such institution is in the process of receiving a new accreditation unless the institution submits to the Secretary all materials relating to the prior accreditation, including its reasons, if applicable, for changing the accrediting agency or association. Directs the Secretary to contract for, or establish, and publicize a toll-free telephone number as a consumer hotline for use by the public, to permit students to inform the Department of alleged fraud or unfair practices by eligible institutions. Directs the Secretary to make such hotline generally available to students receiving title IV financial assistance, through arrangements to use the facilities of institutions with program participation agreements. Requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary to establish the National Student Loan Data System and to assure that such computerized System is operable by October 1, 1989. Requires guaranty agencies to: (1) furnish the Department with information to be used in the System, on the amount of, and other relevant data about, each loan under the Stafford Student Loan program; (2) expand and standardize the confirmation reports required by this Act to assure such information is provided at least bimonthly on delinquencies, defaults, and borrower status changes; and (3) provide the Secretary with complete and accurate data for the System on a quarterly basis. Authorizes the Secretary to require an institution to refund the student's tuition and fees in cases of violation, failure, or misrepresentation under title IV of the Act. Directs the Secretary to establish refund procedures which first require payment to the Federal Government and then require payment to the lender. Title IV: Amendments to the Needs Analysis Provisions - Revises need analysis provisions under title IV of the Act. Revises the definition of independent student. Modifies provisions for the computation of parents' contribution, for purposes of Pell Grant need analysis and general need analysis, to require that a family member be enrolled at an eligible institution in a postsecondary education program which meets specified requirements that it lead to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential, in order for that family member to be counted as in college. Modifies Pell Grant need analysis provisions relating to student income. Revises eligibility determinations for single independent students or married independent students without other dependents, with respect to: (1) computations of student aid index and standard contribution from student's and spouse's income; (2) determinations of effective family income for single independent students without other dependents and for married independent students without other dependents; (3) total offsets against income; (4) assessment of discretionary income; and (5) contribution from student's and spouse's assets. Modifies general need analysis provisions relating to student income, with respect to determinations of appropriate income contributions. Reduces from 70 percent to 40 percent the amount of student income considered for purposes of expected contribution by: (1) a dependent student; and (2) an independent student without dependents. Sets forth special rules allowing student financial aid administrators to make necessary adjustments in need analysis with respect to the following groups in the following ways. Allows the costs of food and shelter for dependent care to be included in the cost of attendance, in the case of independent students with dependents and with incomes less than the Standard Maintenance Allowance. Allows projected income for the award year to be considered instead of income reported for the preceding tax year, and allows the primary residence to be excluded, in the calculation of the expected family contribution in the case of dislocated workers. Allows the net value of investments and real estate, including the primary residence, to be excluded in the calculation of expected family contribution, in the case of displaced homemakers. Excludes the net value of the principal place of residence from determinations of expected contributions under both Pell Grant and general need analysis. Title V: Other Higher Education Amendments - Revises provisions relating to the period of eligibility for Pell Grants to limit such period to the full-time equivalent of: (1) the number of academic years that the undergraduate degree normally requires, plus one academic year; or (2) six academic years in the case of a degree or certificate program normally requiring more than four academic years. Revises College Work-Study program eligibility standards to require that only need-based employment (employment that directly offsets educational expenses) be monitored for purposes of such eligibility determinations. Specifies that individuals serving in a medical internship or residency program leading to a degree or certificate awarded by a hospital or health care facility are eligible for certain two-year deferments from student loan repayment (but not eligible for certain others) under the FISL, Stafford Student Loan, and Direct Student Loan programs. Revises provisions relating to the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae). Revises provisions for its Board of Directors with respect to: (1) composition; (2) terms of elected and appointed members; (3) election of Chairman; (4) meetings; and (5) functions. Requires that there be a single class of voting common stock, and that previously held non-voting stock be converted to voting stock. Entitles these revisions as the Student Loan Marketing Association Amendments of 1988. Revises provisions for forms and regulations. Requires that the common Federal student aid application contain the minimum data elements necessary for determination of a student's financial need. Provides for collection and use of additional data. Requires competitive bidding to determine qualified processors, and sets forth criteria for participation in such bidding process. Requires eligible institutions to provide statements to student aid recipients listing the estimated student assistance, specifying the amount and type of assistance awarded under title IV of the Act, and indicating that such aid is federally supported. Amends the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) to no longer exclude programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 from GEPA audit provisions. Title VI: Effective Dates - Sets forth effective dates for various provisions of this Act.

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to restore the deduction for interest paid on education loans and to exclude from gross income the portion of a scholarship which covers living expenses while away from home.

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for interest on a qualified educational loan incurred to pay the educational expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies, reasonable living expenses) of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. Permits an exclusion from gross income of scholarship amounts used for a student's reasonable living expenses while attending school away from home.

A joint resolution designating the week beginning on January 8, 1989, as "National Journalism Education Week".

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988

Designates the week beginning January 8, 1989, as National Journalism Education Week.

National Geography Studies Centers Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988

National Geography Studies Centers Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to enter into a contract with the Education Foundation of the National Geographic Society (the contractor) to pay the Federal share (75 percent) of the cost of establishing and operating National Geography Studies Centers for the study of geography in elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes the contractor to enter into contracts with or make grants to local educational agencies, State educational agencies, State higher educational agencies, institutions of higher education, or consortia thereof, to establish and operate such Centers. Requires each Center to: (1) support programs for geography study by elementary and secondary school students, that may include laboratory schools and summer institutes; (2) support programs which provide elementary and secondary school teacher retraining and inservice training in geography; and (3) establish procedures, through an advisory panel, for selecting students and teachers for center-supported programs. Requires such procedures to take account of geographic distribution and the needs of students and teachers from historically underrepresented groups. Authorizes each Center to: (1) support development and dissemination of innovative geography cirricula; (2) develop geography curricula to be used in other subject areas; and (3) provide technical and resource assistance in geography to schools in the region served. Raises from six to seven percent the maximum portion of funds for Federal, State, and Local Partnerships for Educational Improvement which the Secretary is to reserve for National Programs and Activities. Includes the National Geography Studies Centers among such National Programs and Activities, and requires that a specified minimum amount be made available for such Centers, subject to the availability of funds for any fiscal year for National Programs and Activities.

Business and Citizen School Volunteers of America Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988

Business and Citizen School Volunteers of America Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to eligible partnerships to assist such partnerships in preparing, expanding, and carrying out programs designed to use volunteers in elementary and secondary schools. (Defines eligible partnership as a volunteer program development agreement between: (1) an elementary or secondary school, State educational agency (SEA), and/or local educational agency (LEA); and (2) a government agency, nonprofit organization, institution of higher education, or business concern.) Sets forth priorities in the grant approval process. Sets forth types of programs for which such grants may be made. Directs the Secretary, when issuing rules for such grants program, to consult with nonprofit organizations that operate nationwide and that have as primary purposes assisting: (1) elementary and secondary schools in organizing, promoting, and using school volunteers; and (2) older Americans, employees of business concerns, educators, and students in becoming school volunteers. Sets forth grant eligibility and application requirements. Requires annual reports by: (1) grant recipients to the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary to specified congressional officers. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Center for Leadership in School Volunteer and Partnership Programs, through grants to or contracts with a nonprofit organization described in this Act. Requires the Center to: (1) train volunteers; (2) provide technical assistance to an eligible partnership in developing or improving a volunteer program; (3) conduct an annual survey of volunteer programs; and (4) evaluate volunteer programs. Requires that at least 20 percent of funds under this Act in any fiscal year be used for Center activities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act.

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the number of students in each classroom in an elementary or secondary school in the United States should be decreased.

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988

Expresses the sense of the Congress that the number of students in each classroom in an elementary or secondary school in the United States should be decreased to not more than 26 students.

Student Default Initiative Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988

Student Default Initiative Act of 1988 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to lower the maximum amount of a Pell Grant for academic years 1990-1991 and 1991-1992. Eliminates provisions authorizing adjustments in Pell Grant payments when appropriations are insufficient. Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary), when appropriations are insufficient, to draw funds from subsequent year appropriations for Pell Grants, up to ten percent of such preceding fiscal year's appropriations. Revises provisions relating to the period of eligibility for Pell Grants to limit such period to the full-time equivalent of: (1) the number of academic years that the undergraduate degree normally requires, plus one academic year; or (2) six academic years in the case of a degree or certificate program normally requiring more than four academic years. Requires that insurance program agreements to qualify loans for Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) interest subsidies provide that the lender must promptly notify the borrower (and that the guaranty agency must notify, upon request of such institution, the last institution the student was attending prior to the beginning of repayment) of: (1) any sale or other transfer of the loan to another holder; and (2) such holder's address and phone number. Makes such notification requirements applicable if: (1) the borrower is in the grace period or in repayment status; and (2) the sale or transfer results in the student's being required to make payments, or to direct other matters related to the loan, to a person other than the person to whom such payments where made or such matters were directed before the sale or transfer. Requires such GSL interest subsidy insurance program agreements to require the guaranty agency to provide preclaims assistance for default prevention. Requires guaranty agencies, in order to inform eligible institutions of the loan status of their former students, to notify such institutions and furnish information on any such students who are in default of the repayment of any loan under the GSL program or who have entered repayment on such a loan after such a default. Revises loan consolidation eligibility standards to include delinquent or defaulted borrowers who will reenter repayment through loan consolidation (if they also meet other conditions for consolidation). Sets forth additional requirements with respect to disbursement of student loans. Requires multiple disbursement of student loans under the GSL program. Requires that any such loan for $1,000 or more for an enrollment period ending more than 180 days or six months after the disbursement date, be disbursed in two or more installments, none of which exceeds one-half of the loan. Requires a minimum interval between the first and second installments. Requires such interval to be at least one-half of the enrollment period, except as necessary to permit disbursement of the second installment at the beginning of the second semester, quarter, or similar division of such enrollment period. Sets forth requirements for the initial disbursement. Requires that the first installment of the proceeds of any GSL program loan to a new student borrower entering the first undergraduate year: (1) be disbursed by check or other negotiable instrument that is payable to and requires the endorsement or other certification by such student (in the manner required under specified GSL provisions for the insurance program agreements to qualify loans for interest subsidies); (2) not be negotiated by the institution until 15 days after the beginning of the enrollment period; and (3) not be negotiated at the end of the enrollment period unless the student continues to be enrolled in good standing at the institution and has received specified loan counseling at an entrance interview conducted by the institution. Prohibits disbursement of loans to any other student more than 30 days before the beginning of the enrollment period. Sets forth requirements for methods of multiple disbursement. Requires the lender or escrow agent to withhold a second or succeeding installment if the borrower has ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis, unless notified by the institution that the disbursement is necessary to cover costs already earned by the institution. Requires the institution to withhold and return to the lender or escrow agent any portion of an installment which exceeds the amount for which the student is eligible. Provides that all loans issued for the same enrollment period shall be considered a single loan for specified purposes. Excludes from such additional disbursement requirements parent (PLUS) loans, consolidation loans, and loans to cover study at an institution outside the United States. Provides for transmittal of institutional disbursement schedules to lenders. Applies such additional disbursement requirements to the GSL and Federally insured student loan (FISL) programs. Directs the Secretary, guaranty agency, eligible lender, or subsequent holder to disclose to credit bureau organizations any information concerning the date a delinquency began and the repayment status of any loan that has been delinquent for 90 days. Requires that the borrower be informed that such organizations will be notified of such delinquency. Requires eligible lenders to include in required disclosures to borrowers before disbursement and before repayment: (1) an explanation of the availability of deferments; and (2) a statement that the borrower should notify the lender of the reasons for any failure to make a payment when it is due. Directs the Secretary to promulgate guidelines for eligible institutions to use to encourage student loan repayment in accordance with GSL program provisions as amended by this Act. Requires such guidelines to include: (1) an explicit delineation of legal restrictions and requirements relating to disclosure of borrower records to third parties, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and any other applicable Federal law; and (2) a model program, including sample letters and telephone contact scripts, in a format for easy copying by institutions. Sets forth requirements for default reduction agreements. Directs the Secretary, within three months of enactment of this Act, to submit to specified congressional committees a plan to establish a comprehensive schedule of program reviews for all eligible institutions, guaranty agencies, and lenders participating in the loan programs authorized under title IV (Student Assistance) of HEA. Requires that such plan be designed to accomplish all such reviews within five years, with priority attention to agencies and institutions experiencing difficulties administering such programs. Requires such plan to include estimates of budgetary and personnel requirements for carrying out such reviews. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing any such plan until 30 days after its submission to such committees. Directs the Secretary, at the end of each fiscal year, to report to such committees on implementation and proposed modifications of the plan. Directs the Secretary, by September 30, 1990, and annually thereafter, to send the Congress an annual default report, including: (1) the annual default rate for each guaranty agency, eligible lender, and higher education institution participating in the GSL program; (2) the annual dollars in default for each such institution, agency, and lender; and (3) the average national cumulative default rate. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of the publication of each such report, to initiate program reviews at those institutions that fall in the top five percent of: (1) all institutions ranked by annual default rates (excluding institutions with less than 25 GSL program loans outstanding); or (2) all institutions ranked by annual dollars in default (excluding institutions whose annual default rate is less than the average national cumulative default rate of all institutions). Excluding institutions whose annual default rate is less than the average national cumulative default rate of all institutions). Excludes from such rankings, for purposes of identifying institutions required to participate in a default reduction agreement, any institutions which are engaged in such agreements or for which waivers have been granted. Sets forth the required contents of program reviews. Directs the Secretary, within 30 days of completion of the program review, to enter into a negotiated default reduction agreement with the institution, based on review findings. Sets forth conditions which the default reduction agreement may include. Allows waivers of the required default reduction agreement for an institution, if the Secretary determines that compliance with such requirement will not lead to a significant reduction of the institution's annual default rate or annual dollars in default. Limits the duration of such an agreement to three years, and requires at least one evaluation by the Department of Education during such time. Provides for termination of the agreement if, during an interim evaluation, it is determined that the institution no longer would be subject to program review. Directs the Secretary to assess the institution's compliance with the agreement upon its expiration. Provides for an exemption from the requirement of subsequent agreements for up to three years if an institution has fully complied with its most recent agreement and remains in the top five percent of all institutions in annual default rates or annual dollars in default. Directs the Secretary to initiate a limitation, suspension, or termination proceeding with respect to an institution's eligibility to participate in HEA title IV (Student Assistance) programs if it refuses to enter into, or fails substantially to comply with, a default reduction agreement. Prohibits the Secretary from initiating any such proceeding solely on the basis of the default rate of the borrowers who attended any institution (whether or not that institution has been the subject of a program review or default reduction agreement). Directs the Secretary annually to expend specified amounts from the student loan insurance fund for default reduction management activities (in addition to other appropriations made for such purposes). Sets forth activities for which such funds may be used. Directs the Secretary: (1) to submit a plan, to accompany the President's budget for each fiscal year, detailing fund expenditures; and (2) at the conclusion of each fiscal year, to report findings and activities relating to such expenditure of funds to specified congressional committees. Requires that a specified amount of such funds be used to carry out certain HEA provisions for training in financial aid and student support services. Increases and extends through FY 1991 the authorization of appropriations to carry out such training provisions. Makes eligible institutions (in addition to lenders and guaranty agencies) liable under certain civil penalty provisions of part B (the GSL program) of title IV of HEA. Applies such penalties also to repeated violations of such part or regulations prescribed under it (provides that multiple instances of the same servicing error or omission shall not be considered "repeated violations" unless they are not corrected after the lender, institution, or agency knows or should, in the exercise of reasonable care, know that the error or omission is in violation of such provisions). Provides that a lender or guaranty agency shall not be relieved of civil liability because of its cure of the violation, correction of a failure, or its notification of a person who received a substantial misrepresentation of the actual nature of the financial charges involved, if the remedy is made after the Department of Education discovers such violation, failure, or misrepresentation. Authorizes the Secretary, in approving or disapproving an accrediting agency whose accreditation of an institution of higher education will be a condition of the institution's eligibility under the GSL program, to take into account the extent to which such agency: (1) reviews the academic programs and performance of institutions for which a program review is required under default reduction provisions of this Act; and (2) performs inspections and reviews of such institutions, with particular attention to dropout rates and job placement rates as indicators of inadequate counseling and instructional programs and causes of such default rates. Prohibits an institution from being certified or recertified as eligible for the GSL program or other title IV (Student Assistance) programs of HEA if it: (1) has had its accreditation withdrawn, revoked, or otherwise terminated for cause during the preceding 24 months; or (2) has withdrawn from accreditation voluntarily under a show cause or suspension order during such period. Makes such prohibition inapplicable to an institution: (1) whose accreditation has been restored by the same accrediting agency that had accredited it prior to the withdrawal, revocation, or termination; or (2) which has demonstrated its academic integrity to the Secretary's satisfaction, in accordance with specified HEA provisions. Sets forth a restriction on need analysis for parents who are not enrolled in a postsecondary degree or certificate program, under provisions for determining family contributions for dependent students and for independent students with dependents. Authorizes student financial administrators to adjust the cost of attendance for independent students with dependents to include costs of food and shelter for dependent care when such students' income is less than a standard maintenance authority (by providing that such a determination is within the administrators' discretionary power to make necessary adjustments). Revises general need analysis provisions for student assistance programs under HEA to exclude from the term "assets" the net value of: (1) the family's principal place of residence; (2) a family farm on which the family resides; or (3) a small business substantially owned and managed by a member or members of the family. Directs the Secretary, within 60 days after enactment of this Act, to submit to the Congress such recommendations for changes to parts A (Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education) and F (Need Analysis) of title IV of HEA as may be necessary to achieve an equitable assessment of income and assets after the exclusions of the home, family farm, and small business from the assets. Provides that such changes may include changes in the assets protection allowances, asset conversion rates, and other factors used in the determination of expected family contribution. Sets forth a definition of academic year (current law requires that such term be defined by the Secretary by regulation). Sets forth circumstances under which such term can be defined on a credit hour or clock hour basis. Permits waivers of other criteria regarding length of a course if an eligible institution offering a combination correspondence/residential training program: (1) satisfies all requirements otherwise imposed by the Secretary and the institution's accrediting agency; and (2) has courses which meet the minimum standards, either by clock or credit hours, required for participation in any loan or grant program under title IV of HEA. Revises provisions for admission of students on the basis of their ability to benefit from education or training. Requires that such students meet all of specified criteria (currently they must only meet some of such criteria) in order to remain eligible for student assistance programs under title IV of HEA. Deems tuition and fees "unearned," for refund policy purposes, in proportion to the fraction of the enrollment period remaining at the time the student withdraws. Provides that the institution shall be treated as earning initial administrative expenses at the beginning of such enrollment period, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary. Requires institutions, under student aid program participating agreements and upon notification from the guarantee agency of a students default, to withhold academic transcripts of student borrowers in default of any HEA title IV loan unless this: (1) will prevent the borrower from obtaining employment and repaying the loan; or (2) would be unjust or improper due to extraordinary circumstances. Prohibits institutions, under student aid program participation agreements, from: (1) using any independent contractor or anyone other than a salaried employee of the institution to conduct any canvassing, surveying, promotion, or similar activities; (2) using any contractor or anyone other than a salaried employee of the institution to make final determinations that an individual meets the institution's admissions requirements or the criteria of eligibility for financial aid; or (3) paying any commission, bonus, or other incentive to any person making such final determination. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations for the limitation, suspension, or termination of eligibility of an individual or organization to administer any aspect of an institution's student assistance program. Limits such suspensions to 60 days, unless the organization and the Secretary agree to an extension, or unless limitation or termination proceedings are initiated. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and make recommendations relating to the appropriate actions to take in the event that one or more guaranty agencies become insolvent. Sets forth types of standards, procedures, and steps which the Secretary must examine and make recommendations upon. Directs the Secretary to complete such study within six months after enactment of this Act, and file a report, with recommendations, with specified congressional committees. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing regulations concerning the determination of guaranty agency insolvency and the remedies for such insolvency unless the Congress provides such specific authority upon receipt and consideration of such study. Makes a technical amendment to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. Sets forth clerical and technical amendments to HEA.

Library Improvement Act of 1988

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1988

Library Improvement Act of 1988 - Provides assistance for: (1) library services for economically disadvantaged or handicapped individuals; (2) library resource sharing; and (3) library research and assessment of services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act. Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make specified allotments or reallotments to States from funds for titles I and II of this Act. Sets forth State application requirements. Title I: Library Services to Disadvantaged Americans - Directs the Secretary to make grants, from State allotments, to States to carry out projects or activities that provide new or expand existing library services to economically disadvantaged or handicapped individuals to enhance their educational opportunities or to facilitate their greater use of such services. Permits State library administrative agencies to support projects either directly or through grants to, or contracts with, public or private entities, including Indian tribes. Allows such projects to include joint projects among libraries and other types of institutions, such as schools. Specifies kinds of library projects and activities which States may support with title I funds. Requires States to use title I funds only for the support of new, or the expansion of existing, projects or activities. Prohibits States from using such funds to: (1) support a project or activity for more than five years; (2) acquire, expand, or construct buildings, other than minor remodeling to improve access to libraries or library services for handicapped individuals; or (3) pay State administrative costs under this title. Title II: Library Resource Sharing - Part A: State Grants - Directs the Secretary to make grants, from State allotments, to States to develop new, and expand existing, interstate and intrastate library networks. Permits State library administrative agencies to support projects either directly or through grants to or contracts with public or private entities, including Indian tribes. Prohibits States from using part A funds to: (1) support a new, or expand an existing, intrastate library network for more than five years; or (2) pay State administrative costs under this part. But allows a State to expend up to five percent of its grant for any fiscal year for the planning of interstate library network. Part B: Discretionary Awards - Directs the Secretary, from reserved funds, and through grants to or cooperative agreements or contracts with public or private entities, to develop new, or expand existing, interstate library networks. Part C: General Provisions - Specifies kinds of projects and activities for which part A or B funds may be used. Title III: Library Research and Assessment - Directs the Secretary, either directly or through grants to or contracts or cooperative agreements with public or private entities, to support library research and assessment projects and activities to improve library services. Specifies authorized uses for such funds. Title IV: Repeals and Effective Date - Repeals: (1) the Library Services and Construction Act; (2) title II (Academic Library and Information Technology Enhancement Research) of the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (3) provisions of the Higher Education Amendments of 1986 for a study of the effectiveness of the needs criteria for the college library resource program. Sets forth the effective date of this Act.