Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 1.djvu/191

 PUBLIC LAW 103-227—MAR. 31, 1994 108 STAT. 165 (g) MAKING THE IMPROVEMENTS SYSTEMWIDE.—TO help provide all students throughout the State the opportunity to meet State standards, each State improvement plan shall describe strategies, such as strategies that— (1) provide for the availability of curricular materials, learning technologies, including distance learning, and professional development in a manner that ensures equal access by all local educational agencies in the State; and (2) develop partnerships with Indian tribes and schools funded by the Bureau, where appropriate, to improve consistency and compatibility in curriculum among public elementary and secondary schools, and such schools funded by the Bureau at all grade levels. (h) PROMOTING BOTTOM-UP REFORM.— Each State improvement plan shall include strategies for ensuring that comprehensive, systemic reform is promoted from the bottom up in communities, local educational agencies, and schools, as well as guided by coordination and facilitation from State leaders, including strategies such as— (1) providing flexibility to individual schools and local educational agencies to enable such schools and agencies to adapt and integrate State content standards into courses of study appropriate for individual schools and communities; and (2) facilitating the provision of waivers from State rules and regulations that impede the ability of local educational agencies or schools to carry out local improvement plans. (i) DROPOUT STRATEGIES.— Each State improvement plan shall include strategies for assisting local educational agencies and schools to enable such agencies and schools— (1) to meet the needs of school-aged children who have dropped out of school; (2) to bring such children into the education system; and (3) to help such students meet State content standards and State student performance standards. (j) COORDINATION WITH SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAMS.—I f a State has received Federal assistance for the purpose of planning for, expanding, or establishing a school-to-work program, then a State shall include in the State improvement plan a description of how such school-to-work program will be incorporated into the school reform efforts of the State. In particular, the State improvement plan shall include a description of how secondary schools will be modified in order to provide career guidance, the integration of academic and vocational education, and work-based learning, if such programs are proposed in the State's school-to-work plan. (k) BENCHMARKS AND TIMELINES. —Each State improvement plan shall include specific benchmarks of improved student performance and of progress in implementing such plan, and timelines against which the progress of the State in carrying out such plan, including the elements described in subsections (c) through (j). can be measured. (1) COORDINATING STRATEGIES.— Each State plan shall include strate^es for coordinating the integration of academic and vocational instruction pursuant to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. (m) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. —Each State improvement plan shall describe—

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