A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Subpart 3--Regional Technical Support and Professional Development

``SEC. 3141. REGIONAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

``(a) Grants Authorized.--
``(1) Authority.--The Secretary, through the Office of Educational Technology, shall make grants in accordance with the provisions of this section, to regional entities such as the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Regional Consortia under part C of title XIII, the regional education laboratories, the comprehensive regional assistance centers, or such other regional entities as may be designated or established by the Secretary. In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to such consortia and shall ensure that each geographic region of the United States shall be served by such a consortium.
``(2) Requirements.--Each consortium receiving a grant under this section shall--
``(A) be composed of State educational agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or a combination thereof;
``(B) in cooperation with State and local educational agencies, develop a regional program that addresses professional development, technical assistance, and information resource dissemination, with special emphasis on meeting the documented needs of educators and learners in the region; and
``(C) foster regional cooperation and resource and coursework sharing.
``(b) Functions.--
``(1) Technical assistance.--Each consortium receiving a grant under this section shall, to the extent practicable--
``(A) collaborate with State educational agencies and local educational agencies requesting collaboration, particularly in the development of strategies for assisting those schools with the highest numbers or percentages of disadvantaged students with little or no access to technology in the classroom;
``(B) provide information, in coordination with information available from the Secretary, to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, schools and adult education programs, on the types and features of various educational technology equipment and software available, evaluate and make recommendations on equipment and software that support the National Education Goals and are suited for a school's particular needs, and compile and share information regarding creative and effective applications of technology in the classroom and school library media centers in order to support the purposes of this part;
``(C) collaborate with such State educational agencies, local educational agencies, or schools requesting to participate in the tailoring of software programs and other supporting materials to meet challenging State content standards or challenging State student performance standards that may be developed; and
``(D) provide technical assistance to facilitate use of the electronic dissemination networks by State and local educational agencies and schools throughout the region.
``(2) Professional development.--Each consortium receiving a grant under this section shall, to the extent practicable--
``(A) develop and implement, in collaboration with State educational agencies and institutions of higher education, technology-specific, ongoing professional development, such as--
``(i) intensive school year and summer workshops that use teachers, school librarians, and school library personnel to train other teachers, school librarians, and other school library media personnel; and
``(ii) distance professional development, including--
``(I) interactive training tele-courses using researchers, educators, and telecommunications personnel who have experience in developing, implementing, or operating educational and instructional technology as a learning tool;
``(II) onsite courses teaching teachers to use educational and instructional technology and to develop their own instructional materials for effectively incorporating technology and programming in their own classrooms;
``(III) methods for successful integration of instructional technology into the curriculum in order to improve student learning and achievement;
``(IV) video conferences and seminars which offer professional development through peer interaction with experts as well as other teachers using technologies in their classrooms; and
``(V) mobile education technology and training resources;
``(B) develop training resources that--
``(i) are relevant to the needs of the region and schools within the region;
``(ii) are relevant to the needs of adult literacy staff and volunteers, including onsite courses on how to--
``(I) use instructional technology; and
``(II) develop instructional materials for adult learning; and
``(iii) are aligned with the needs of teachers and administrators in the region;
``(C) establish a repository of professional development and technical assistance resources;
``(D) identify and link technical assistance providers to State and local educational agencies, as needed;
``(E) ensure that training, professional development, and technical assistance meet the needs of educators, parents, and students served by the region;
``(F) assist colleges and universities within the region to develop and implement preservice training programs for students enrolled in teacher education programs; and
``(G) assist local educational agencies and schools in working with community members and parents to develop support from communities and parents for educational technology programs and projects.
``(3) Information and resource dissemination.--Each consortium receiving a grant under this section shall, to the extent practicable--
``(A) assist State and local educational agencies in the identification and procurement of financial, technological and human resources needed to implement technology plans;
``(B) provide outreach and, at the request of a State or local educational agency, work with such agency to assist in the development and validation of instructionally based technology education resources; and
``(C) coordinate activities and establish partnerships with organizations and institutions of higher education that represent the interests of the region as such interests pertain to the application of technology in teaching, learning, instructional management, dissemination, collection and distribution of educational statistics, and the transfer of student information.
``(4) Coordination.--Each consortium receiving a grant under this section shall work collaboratively, and coordinate the services the consortium provides, with appropriate regional and other entities assisted in whole or in part by the Department.

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SEC. 3137. FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION. Table of Contents Subpart 4--Product Development