Education Competitiveness and Improvement Act of 1987

Summary

Education Competitiveness and Improvement Act of 1987 - Title I: Reauthorization and Improvement of Chapter 1 Programs - Amends the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA) to extend through FY 1993 the authorization of appropriations for programs under ECIA Chapter 1 (Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Disadvantaged Children). Requires each State educational agency (SEA) to reserve up to five percent of Chapter 1 basic grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in the State to be used for incentive grants. Provides that such incentive grants shall be made to LEAs which have the most successful Chapter 1 programs according to State-determined criteria which may include: (1) scores of participating students on basic reading, mathematics, or other subject standardized achievement tests; (2) improvement in school attendance or secondary school completion rates; or (3) adherence to State-established effective schools standards. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to increase the maximum level of grants for State administration of ECIA Chapter 1 programs. Allows Chapter 1 programs to be conducted in no more than one-third of an LEA's school attendance areas, selected in rank order on the basis of the highest number or percentage of resident children from low-income families. Allows an LEA to conduct chapter 1 programs in any of its attendance areas if the percentage of children from low-income families in each attendance area is within five percent of the LEA average. Revises ESEA provisions relating to the ECIA Chapter 1 program to provide for a small State minimum whereby the aggregate amount which LEAs in a State are eligible to receive under chapter 1 must at least equal one-half of one percent of the total amounts available under Chapter 1. Authorizes LEAs (with SEA approval) to use up to two percent of their Chapter 1 grants to pay up to 50 percent of the costs of innovative projects. Includes among such innovative projects: (1) continuation of services to children eligible for services in any preceding year; (2) extended services to eligible children transferred to ineligible areas or schools as part of a desegregation plan; (3) incentive payments to schools that have demonstrated significant progress and success in attaining Chapter 1 goals; (4) training of teachers not paid with Chapter 1 funds with respect to the special educational needs of eligible children and the integration of Chapter 1 activities into regular classroom programs; (5) programs to encourage innovative approaches to parental involvement; and (6) programs to encourage community and private sector involvement and resources in meeting the needs of eligible children. Establishes additional requirements for parental involvement in Chapter 1 programs. Requires LEAs to implement procedures of sufficient size, scope, and quality to give reasonable promise of substantial progress in achieving the goals of informing parents about the Chapter 1 program, training parents to help instruct their children, and consulting with parents on school-parent cooperation activities. Requires LEAs to: (1) have written policies on parental involvement in Chapter 1; (2) provide support for parent involvement activities; and (3) hold parent-teacher conferences at least annually. Authorizes LEA to implement a number of other specified types of parental involvement activities. Requires parental involvement activities to be coordinated to the extent possible with programs assisted under the Adult Education Act. Revises Chapter 1 provisions regarding participation by private school pupils to authorize grants to help LEAs meet capital expenses associated with serving such pupils. Limits such capital expenses to expenditures for noninstructional goods and services such as the purchase, lease, and renovation of real and personal property (including but not limited to mobile educational units and computer equipment and materials), insurance and maintenance costs, transportation, and other comparable goods and services. Makes such grants to States in proportion to the number of private school pupils served under Chapter 1 during the 1984-1985 school year. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 1988 through 1993. Amends Chapter 1 and the Head Start Act to require LEAs and Head Start agencies to develop and carry out plans to follow the success and needs of students who participated in the Head Start program in the community. Title II: Reauthorization and Revision of the Consolidated Programs Under Chapter 2 - Renames the heading of ECIA Chapter 2 "Federal Programs for the Improvement of Elementary and Secondary Education." Revises the purpose of the Chapter 2 program to be the support of innovative or expanded activities in the areas of basic skills instruction, educational improvement and support services, plus special projects. Requires that Chapter 2 funds be used in accordance with the needs and priorities determined by SEAs and LEAs. Prohibits the use of Chapter 2 funds for any activity for more than three continuous years, beginning in FY 1991. Permits waivers of such prohibition in cases of unusual hardship or upon demonstration that the supported activity has been changed over the prior three-year period. Extends the authorization of appropriations for Chapter 2 programs through FY 1993. Revises the use of funds for basic skills instruction. Title III: Gifted and Talented Student Programs and Magnet Schools - Part A: Gifted and Talented Elementary and Secondary School Children - Gifted and Talented Children's Education Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 for programs for gifted and talented school children. Reserves a specified portion of such funds for the Secretary of Education's discretionary programs. Makes the remainder of such funds available for State programs. Permits the SEA to reserve up to ten percent of State grants for administration, technical assistance, coordination, and statewide planning. Directs the SEA to distribute at least 90 percent of such grants on a competitive basis to LEAs. Requires that at least 50 percent of such funds be used for programs that include the identification and education of disadvantaged gifted and talented children from low-income families. Requires that services be made available on an equitable basis to pupils attending nonprofit private schools in LEAs receiving such grants. Authorizes the Secretary to make discretionary grants for personnel training, research, evaluation, or related activities for the education of gifted and talented children. Provides for equitable participation by nonprofit private school pupils and teachers. Sets forth provisions for State allotments under this part. Directs the Secretary to designate an administrative unit within the Department of Education to administer the programs and projects authorized by this part and to coordinate all programs for gifted and talented children and youth administered by the Department of Education. Sets forth provisions for the Federal share of programs under this part. Directs the Secretary, as part of the annual report of the Department of Education, to describe the programs assisted under this part together with an evaluation of the services of such programs in carrying out the objectives of this part. Part B: College Studies for the Gifted and Talented Program - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, LEAs and institutions of higher education located in the same community as the LEA, applying jointly, for demonstration projects designed to address the special needs of gifted and talented secondary school students. Requires that each demonstration project include: (1) the identification of gifted and talented secondary school students who will benefit from participation in the project; (2) the enrollment of such secondary school students in courses of instruction at institutions of higher education located in the same community in which such students reside and are attending secondary school; and (3) the awarding of academic credit at the secondary school and at the institution of higher education for participation in such courses of instruction. Sets forth application requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992. Part C: Reauthorization of Magnet Schools Program - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 to carry out the magnet schools program. Title IV: Educational Partnerships - Educational Partnerships Act of 1987 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to educational partnerships to pay the Federal share of the costs of model cooperative programs for authorized activities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 to carry out this title. Permits an eligible partnership to use payments under this title for model cooperative programs designed to apply the resources of the private and nonprofit sectors of the community to the elementary and secondary schools of the LEA or to courses of study at institutions of higher education in that community. Sets forth application requirements. Sets forth the Federal share of such activities. Directs the Secretary to conduct an annual evaluation of grants made under this title to determine the success of model programs in meeting the objectives of this title. Directs the Secretary to disseminate to SEAs and LEAs, institutions of higher education, and other participants in the educational partnership program information relating to the activities assisted under this title. Title V: Mathematics and Science Targeted Assistance - Amends the Education for Economic Security Act to target assistance to secondary education programs for advanced computer, mathematics, physical sciences, and foreign language instruction. Permits up to 30 percent of specified funds to be used by an LEA for instruction at the secondary school level of foreign languages of the major trading partners of the United States. Repeals provisions relating to a waiver of training requirements in favor of expenditures for special projects. Title VI: White House Conference on Teaching and Competitiveness - White House Conference on Teaching and Competitiveness Act - Authorizes the President to call a White House Conference on Teaching and Competitiveness not later than December 1, 1988. Provides for a final report and administration of the Conference. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: National Science Foundation - National Science Foundation Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 through 1992 - Authorizes appropriations to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for FY 1988 through 1992. Sets forth nine categories for FY 1988 and three areas for FY 1989 for which such funds will be available. Authorizes annual expenditures from such funds in limited amounts for official consultation, representation, and other extraordinary expenses at the discretion of the Director of NSF. Provides that funds may be transferred among categories, but precludes transfers to or from any category exceeding ten percent of the amount authorized for that category until 30 calendar days have passed after the Director has notified specified congressional committees. Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to allow portions of National Science Board meetings in which the Board considers possible NSF budgets for a particular fiscal year or other legislative proposals that might be submitted to the Congress to be closed to the public until the President's budget for that fiscal year or the legislative proposal has been submitted to the Congress. Revises provisions relating to the exercise of authority by the Director and relating to the Executive Committee of the Board. Repeals provisions relating to an oath and statement prerequisite to acceptance of a scholarship or fellowship awarded by NSF. Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization and Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act to revise provisions relating to membership on the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering. Changes the Committee's report from an annual to a biennial one. Title VIII: Special Report - Directs the Secretary of Education and the National Science Foundation to jointly conduct a study of the strategies and methods employed by educational institutions to improve instruction in mathematics, science, and foreign languages. Requires a report on such study to be submitted to the Congress within 18 months after the enactment of this Act.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

No timeline events have been ingested for this record yet.

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 9 April 1987

  Open at official source

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.