Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 100 Part 2.djvu/399

 PUBLIC LAW 99-498—OCT. 17, 1986

100 STAT. 1501

"(4) help teachers learn and apply the latest research on learning and teaching, including pre-school and early childhood education and development; and "(5) help teachers to apply creative approaches toward achieving instructional goals, including making the best use of available community resources.

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"GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS

"SEC. 532. In making grants under this subpart, the Secretary State and local shall ensure that eligible applicants within each State receive suffi- |A\®TqJ?^f|J3f' cient funds to plan, establish, or operate at least one professional ^' development resource center within the State in each fiscal year. GRANT REQUIREMENTS

533. (a) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—The Secretary is authorized State and local to make grants to local educational agencies or consortia of local governments. educational agencies, in accordance with the provisions of this 20 USC 1107b. section, to assist such agencies in planning, establishing, and operating professional development resource centers. "(b) DEFINITION OF CENTER.—For the purpose of this part, the term 'professional development resource centers' means any yearround program operated by a local educational agency, a combination of such agencies, or an educational service agency which serves teachers from public and private nonprofit schools, including preschool and early childhood educational specialists, in a State or from an area or community within a State. Through the centers, teachers, with the assistance of such consultants and experts as may be necessary, including expertise available at institutions of higher education, shall conduct activities to advance the goal of professional excellence and to improve teaching skills for the teachers they serve. "(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants under this subpart may be used for— "(1) developing and disseminating curricula designed to meet the educational needs of students in pre-school and kindergarten through grade 12, in the community, area, or State being served, including the use of educational research findings or new or improved methods, practices, and techniques in the development of such curricula, and including the use of technology and telecommunications; "(2) providing training to enable teachers to better meet the educational needs of students, including pre-school students, and to familiarize teachers with developments in curriculum, testing, and educational research including the manner in which the research can be used to improve classroom instruction; "(3) providing for dissemination of information to those served by the center and to other professional development resource centers nationally about the activities and services of the centers; "(4) bringing together teachers and materials from various school sites to serve as resources for teachers using the center; "(5) encouraging collaborative activities between pre-school, elementary and secondary school teachers and faculty at institutions of higher education; "SEC.

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