Overview

Authorizes, within the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), national demonstration and Federal leadership activities to encourage the integration of the arts into the school curriculum. Also authorizes non-competitive awards to VSA arts, whose programs encourage the involvement of persons with disabilities in the arts, and to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for its arts education program.

Changes from Current Law

• Requires that, if the amount appropriated for this program is less than $15 million, the entire amount goes to VSA arts and the Kennedy Center. This amount was $9 million under previous law.

• Eliminates the separate Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth program, which authorized demonstration grants to improve the education performance and future potential of at-risk children and youth.

Accountability

• No specific provision.

Overview

Extends authorization of competitive grants to establish parental information and resource centers that provide training, information, and support to parents, SEAs, LEAs, and other organizations that carry out parent education and family involvement programs.

Creates a new Local Family Information Centers program to make grants to local nonprofit organizations for local family information centers that provide parents with training, information, and support to help their children meet State academic standards.

The statute requires that the first $50 million of the amount appropriated for this program be used for parent information and resource centers. Any amount above $50 million is to be split evenly between the parent information and resource centers and the local family information centers.

Parent Information and Resource Centers (Sections 5562-5565)

Changes from Current Law

• Moves Authorization - Reauthorizes the program as Subpart 16 of Part D (FIE) of Title V. The program was authorized as Title IV of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which was repealed in the Department's fiscal year 2000 appropriations act.

• Work with SEAs, LEAs, and schools - Authorizes centers to provide services to SEAs, LEAs, and other organizations that serve parents (instead of only providing services to parents). Authorizes centers to assist schools in: (1) meeting the Title I parental involvement requirements; (2) developing and implementing Title I school improvement plans; and (3) coordinating Federal, State, and local parent education and family involvement initiatives.

• Uses of Funds - Requires grantees to use their funds in at least one of the following areas: (1) to assist parents in helping their children to meet State and local standards; (2) to obtain information about the range of program, services, and resources available nationally and locally for parents and school personnel who work with parents; (3) to help parents use the technology applied in their children's education; (4) to plan, implement, and fund activities for parents that coordinate the education of their children with other programs that serve their children and families; (5) to provide support for State or local educational personnel; and (6) to coordinate and integrate early childhood programs with school-age programs.

• Specific Use of Funds - Requires grantees to use at least 30 percent of their awards to establish, expand, or operate Parents as Teachers, Home Instruction for Preshool Youngsters, or other early childhood parent education programs.

Accountability

• Federal - Requires the Secretary to disseminate annually to Congress and the public the information included in grantee reports.

• Grantees - Requires grantees to report annually to the Secretary on: (1) the number of parents who receive information and training, including the number of minority and limited English proficient parents; (2) the types of training, information, and support provided; (3) the strategies used to reach and serve parents: (a) of minority and limited English proficient children; and (b) with limited literacy skills; (4) the parental involvement policies and practices used by the center and an evaluation of whether the policies and practices are effective; and (5) the effectiveness of the parental involvement activities of LEAs and schools on student achievement.

Allocations

• Competitive awards to nonprofit organizations and consortia of nonprofit organizations and LEAs.

Set-Asides

• None.

Local Family Information Centers (Section 5566)

• Program Authorized - Authorizes funding for local nonprofit organizations to support local family information centers that provide parents with training, information, and support so that they can help their children to meet State standards.

• Activities and uses of funds - Similar to requirements for parent information and resource centers.

Accountability

• No specific accountability provisions.

Allocations

• Authorizes the Secretary to enter into grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with local nonprofit parent organizations.

Set-Asides

• None.

Overview

Authorizes, within the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), a new program of competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to combat domestic violence.

Program Description

LEAs receiving grants would be required to work with: (1) experts on domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse from the educational, legal, youth, mental health, substance abuse, or victim advocacy fields; or (2) a State or local domestic violence coalition or community-based organization, to enable schools served by the LEA to:

• Provide training to school administrators, faculty, and staff, and provide support services for students and school personnel to develop and strengthen effective prevention and intervention strategies, with respect to issues concerning children who experience domestic violence or who witness domestic violence;

• Provide educational programming for students regarding domestic violence; and

• Develop and implement school system policies regarding appropriate and safe responses to, identification of, and referral procedures for students who are experiencing or witnessing domestic violence.

Information Dissemination - Requires the Secretary to disseminate to elementary and secondary schools any Department policy guidance regarding the prevention of domestic violence and the impact on children of experiencing or witnessing domestic violence.

Accountability

• No specific accountability provisions, other than that applications must identify measurable goals for, and expected results from, the use of funds under the grant.

Allocations

• Competitive grants. The Secretary is required to ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grants among LEAs located in rural, urban, and suburban areas.

Set-Asides

• None.

Overview

Authorizes, within the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), a new program to improve the energy efficiency of school buildings and to promote the use of school facilities that do not adversely affect the health of students. Requires that the Departments of Education and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly administer the program. This program is somewhat similar to the School Renovation program that was in the fiscal year 2001 appropriations act.

Use of Funds

• States - Authorizes the use of funds to evaluate the compliance of local educational agencies (LEAs) with statutory requirements of this program and to disseminate information; conduct seminars; provide technical assistance; and collect data on healthy, high-performance school buildings.

• Local - Authorizes the use of funds to reduce energy use, meet Federal and State health and safety codes, and support healthful, energy-efficient, and environmentally sound practices.

• Prohibition - Prohibits the use of funds to maintain, construct, or renovate school facilities.

Accountability

• Federal - Requires the Secretary to conduct a biennial review of State activities and report the results of that review to Congress.

Allocation of Funds

• Federal - No specific provision on how funds are allocated from the Federal government to States.

• States - No specific provision on how funds are divided between State and local uses or how funds are to be allocated from States to LEAs.

Overview

Authorizes grants to States to award subgrants to LEAs to pay for capital expenses incurred in the provision of equitable services for private school students under Part A of Title I.

Changes from Current Law

• Authority - Moves the authority from section 1120(e) [Title I, Part A] to Title V, Part D, Subpart 19 and sunsets the program on October 1, 2003.

Program Description

• Eligible Entities - Eligible applicants for subgrants include local educational agencies in which private school students receive services under Part A of Title I.

• Use of Funds - Requires grantees to use funds for (1) noninstructional goods or services, such as the purchase, lease, or renovation of real and personal property, including mobile educational units and leasing of neutral sites or spaces; (2) insurance and maintenance costs; (3) transportation; and (4) other comparable goods and services.

Accountability

• Federal - None.

• Applicants - Must submit an application demonstrating a need for capital expenses funds.

Allocations

• Federal - State allocations based on State share of private school students receiving services under Part A of Title I in the most recent year for which data are available.

• State - Subgrants to LEAs are based on "the degree of need set for their respective applications."

Overview

Earmarks funds for Centennial, Pennsylvania based on the unique characteristics of the school district. The unique characteristics include conditions such as having had a military installation within the local educational agency that was closed as a result of base closure or realignment and not currently having a military installation within the LEA.

Moves this language from Section 8002(j), where it was located under current law as part of Impact Aid Payments for Federal Property, to the Fund for the Improvement of Education.

Overview

Retains, with minor changes, the current program, which provides competitive grants to promote educational equity for girls and women. Moves the program authority to the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE).

Changes from Current Law

• Continuation of Awards - Requires continued funding, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, for grants and contracts entered into under the prior statute.

• Applications - Removes the provisions that applications include information on how funds will promote the National Education Goals and be consistent with the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994.

Accountability

• Federal - Requires the Secretary to evaluate programs funded by the Act and report the results to Congress by January 1, 2005. In addition, the Secretary is required to submit a report on the status of educational equity for girls and women to the President and Congress by January 1, 2006.

Funding

• Competitive grants to public agencies, private nonprofit agencies, organizations, institutions, student groups, community groups, and individuals.

Set-Asides

• Requires that two thirds of the funds be used to award grants that focus on local implementation of gender-equity policies and practices.