(1) REAL PROPERTY.-No part of any grant funds under this title shall be used for the acquisition of any interest in real property.

(2) MAINTENANCE.-Nothing in this title shall be construed to authorize the payment of maintenance costs in connection with any projects constructed in whole or in part with Federal funds provided under this title.

(3) ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS.-All projects carried out with Federal funds provided under this title shall comply with all relevant Federal, State, and local environmental laws and regulations.

(4) ATHLETIC AND SIMILAR FACILITIES.-No funds received under this title shall be used for stadiums or other facilities that are primarily used for athletic contests or exhibitions or other events for which admission is charged to the general public.

SEC. 12011. [20 U.S.C. 8511] FEDERAL ASSESSMENT.

The Secretary shall reserve not more than 1 percent of funds appropriated for each fiscal year under section 15013—

(1) to collect such data as the Secretary determines necessary at the school, local, and State levels;

(2) to conduct studies and evaluations, including national studies and evaluations, in order to

(A) monitor the progress of projects supported with funds provided under this title; and

(B) evaluate the state of United States public elementary and secondary school libraries, media centers, and facilities; and

(3) to report to the Congress by July 1, 1997, regarding the findings of the studies and evaluations described in paragraph (2).

SEC. 12012. [20 U.S.C. 8512] DEFINITIONS.

For the purpose of this title

(1) the term "construction" means the alteration or renovation of a building, structure, or facility, including

(A) the concurrent installation of equipment; and

(B) the complete or partial replacement of an existing facility, but only if such replacement is less expensive and more cost-effective than alteration, renovation, or repair of the facility;

(2) the term "school" means a public structure suitable for use as a classroom, laboratory, library, media center, or related facility, the primary purpose of which is the instruction of public elementary and secondary school students; and

(3) the term "eligible local educational agency" means a local educational agency in which—

(A) not less than 15 percent of the children that reside in the geographic area served by such agency are eligible to be counted under subpart 2 of part A of title I of this Act; or

(B) the United States owns Federal property described in section 8015(5), that has an assessed value (determined as of the time or times when acquired) aggregating 90 per

cent or more of the assessed value of all real property in such agency (determined as of the time or times when so acquired); and

(C) demonstrates in the application submitted under section 12006 that such agency has urgent repair, renovation, alteration and construction needs for its public elementary or secondary schools used for academic or vocational instruction.

SEC. 12013. [20 U.S.C. 8513] AUTHORIZATION.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $200,000,000 for fiscal year 1995 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years.

TITLE XIII-SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE EDUCATION

SEC. 13001. [20 U.S.C. 8601] FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that

(1) high-quality technical assistance can enhance the improvements in teaching and learning achieved through the implementation of programs under this Act;

(2) comprehensive technical assistance and effective program dissemination are essential ingredients of the overall strategy of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 to improve programs and provide all children opportunities to meet challenging State content standards and challenging State student performance standards;

(3) States, local educational agencies, tribes, and schools serving students with special needs, such as students with limited-English proficiency and students with disabilities, have great need for comprehensive technical assistance in order to use funds under this Act to provide such students with opportunities to learn to challenging State content standards and challenging State student performance standards;

(4) current technical assistance and dissemination efforts are fragmented and categorical in nature, and thus fail to address adequately the needs of States, local educational agencies and tribes for help in integrating into a coherent strategy for improving teaching and learning the various programs under this Act with State and local programs and other education reform efforts;

(5) too little creative use is made of technology as a means of providing information and assistance in a cost-effective way; (6) comprehensive technical assistance can help schools and school systems focus on improving opportunities for all children to meet challenging State content standards and challenging State student performance standards, as such schools and systems implement programs under this Act;

(7) comprehensive technical assistance will provide coordinated assistance to help States, local educational agencies, tribes, participating colleges and universities, and schools inte

grate Federal, State, and local education programs in ways that contribute to improving schools and entire school systems;

(8) technical assistance in support of programs under this Act should be coordinated with the Department's_regional_offices, the regional educational laboratories, State Literacy Resource Centers, vocational resource centers, and other technical assistance efforts supported by the Department; and

(9) technical assistance providers should prioritize assistance for local educational agencies and schools.

SEC. 13002. [20 U.S.C. 8602] PURPOSE.

The purpose of this title is to create a national technical assistance and dissemination system to make available to States, local educational agencies, tribes, schools, and other recipients of funds under this Act technical assistance in

(1) administering and implementing programs under this Act;

(2) implementing school reform programs in a manner that improves teaching and learning for all students;

(3) coordinating such programs with other Federal, State, and local education plans and activities, so that all students, particularly students at risk of educational failure, are provided opportunities to meet challenging State content standards and challenging State student performance standards; and

(4) adopting, adapting, and implementing promising and proven practices for improving teaching and learning.

PART A-COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL
ASSISTANCE CENTERS

SEC. 13101. [20 U.S.C. 8621] PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

(a) COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.-The Secretary is authorized to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities or consortia of such entities in order to establish a networked system of 15 comprehensive regional assistance centers to provide comprehensive training and technical assistance, related to administration and implementation of programs under this Act, to States, local educational agencies, schools, tribes, community-based organizations, and other recipients of funds under this Act.

(2) CONSIDERATION.-In establishing comprehensive regional assistance centers and allocating resources among the centers, the Secretary shall consider

(A) the geographic distribution of students assisted under title I;

(B) the geographic and linguistic distribution of students of limited-English proficiency;

(C) the geographic distribution of Indian students; (D) the special needs of students living in urban and rural areas; and

(E) the special needs of States and outlying areas in geographic isolation.

(3) SPECIAL RULE.-The Secretary shall establish 1 comprehensive regional assistance center under this section in Hawaii.

(b) SERVICE TO INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES.-The Secretary shall ensure that each comprehensive regional assistance center that serves a region with a significant population of Indian or Alaska Native students shall

(1) be awarded to a consortium which includes a tribally controlled community college or other Indian organization; and

(2) assist in the development and implementation of instructional strategies, methods and materials which address the specific cultural and other needs of Indian or Alaska Native students.

(c) ACCOUNTABILITY.-To ensure the quality and effectiveness of the networked system of comprehensive regional assistance centers supported under this part, the Secretary shall

(1) develop, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, the Director of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, and the Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement, a set of performance indicators that assesses whether the work of the centers assists in improving teaching and learning under this Act for all children, particularly children at risk of educational failure;

(2) conduct surveys every two years of populations to be served under this Act to determine if such populations are satisfied with the access to and quality of such services;

(3) collect, as part of the Department's reviews of programs under this Act, information about the availability and quality of services provided by the centers, and share that information with the centers; and

(4) take whatever steps are reasonable and necessary to ensure that each center performs its responsibilities in a satisfactory manner, which may include

(A) termination of an award under this part (if the Secretary concludes that performance has been unsatisfactory) and the selection of a new center; and

(B) whatever interim arrangements the Secretary determines are necessary to ensure the satisfactory delivery of services under this part to an affected region.

(d) DURATION.-Grants, contracts or cooperative agreements under this section shall be awarded for a period of 5 years.

SEC. 13102. [20 U.S.C. 8622] REQUIREMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS.

(a) IN GENERAL.-Each comprehensive regional assistance center established under section 13101(a) shall

(1) maintain appropriate staff expertise and provide support, training, and assistance to State educational agencies, tribal divisions of education, local educational agencies, schools, and other grant recipients under this Act, in

(A) improving the quality of instruction, curricula, assessments, and other aspects of school reform, supported with funds under title I;

(B) implementing effective schoolwide programs under section 1114;

(C) meeting the needs of children served under this Act, including children in high-poverty areas, migratory children, immigrant children, children with limited-English proficiency, neglected or delinquent children, homeless children and youth, Indian children, children with disabilities, and, where applicable, Alaska Native children and Native Hawaiian children;

(D) implementing high-quality professional development activities for teachers, and where appropriate, administrators, pupil services personnel and other staff;

(E) improving the quality of bilingual education, including programs that emphasize English and native language proficiency and promote multicultural understanding;

(F) creating safe and drug-free environments, especially in areas experiencing high levels of drug use and violence in the community and school;

(G) implementing educational applications of technology;

(H) coordinating services and programs to meet the needs of students so that students can fully participate in the educational program of the school;

(I) expanding the involvement and participation of parents in the education of their children;

(J) reforming schools, school systems, and the governance and management of schools;

(K) evaluating programs; and

(L) meeting the special needs of students living in urban and rural areas and the special needs of local educational agencies serving urban and rural areas;

(2) ensure that technical assistance staff have sufficient training, knowledge, and expertise in how to integrate and coordinate programs under this Act with each other, as well as with other Federal, State, and local programs and reforms;

(3) provide technical assistance using the highest quality and most cost-effective strategies possible;

(4) coordinate services, work cooperatively, and regularly share information with, the regional educational laboratories, the Eisenhower regional consortia under part C, research and development centers, State literacy centers authorized under the National Literacy Act of 1991, and other entities engaged in research, development, dissemination, and technical assistance activities which are supported by the Department as part of a Federal technical assistance system, to provide a broad range of support services to schools in the region while minimizing the duplication of such services;

(5) work collaboratively with the Department's regional offices;

(6) consult with representatives of State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and populations served under this Act;