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

``SEC. 10972. PURPOSE.

``It is the purpose of this subpart to provide financial assistance to rural public schools most in need, to encourage the comprehensive restructuring of America's rural schools, the appropriate use of telecommunications technologies for learning, and to support innovative programs which improve performance through programs and projects designed to--

``(1) assist rural public schools in meeting National Education Goals;

``(2) encourage rural public schools to engage in school reform;

``(3) develop pilot projects that experiment with innovative ways to teach rural public school children more effectively;

``(4) improve the educational and social well-being of rural public school children;

``(5) close the achievement gap between children attending rural public schools and other children, while improving the achievement level of all children nationally;

``(6) conduct coordinated research on rural education problems, solutions, promising practices, and distance learning technologies;

``(7) improve the Nation's global economic and educational competitiveness by improving the Nation's rural public schools;

``(8) encourage community, parental, and business collaboration in the improvement of rural public schools;

``(9) encourage rural school consortia for the purpose of increasing efficiency and course offerings;

``(10) encourage a positive role for rural public schools in local rural entrepreneurship and the identification of rural community economic development opportunities;

``(11) encourage community-as-school concepts, which include the role public schools can play to assist with rural community economic revitalization; and

``(12) provide for the recruitment and meaningful inservice opportunities for rural public school teachers.

Subpart 2--Rural Education Demonstration Grants

SEC. 10973. RURAL SCHOOL GRANTS.