Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 1.djvu/267

 PUBLIC LAW 103-227—MAR. 31, 1994 108 STAT. 241 community resource for lifelong learning, the public library system of the United States, should expand and restructure its delivery of services to take full advantage of the potential of new information technologies to meet the needs of learning communities. (2) PURPOSE. —The purpose of the National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning is to promote greater coordination of Federal research and development on issues related to adult learning and to carry out a program of research and development in adult learning to provide nonpartisan, research-based leadership to the United States as it seeks to improve libraries, postsecondary education, literacy, and lifelong learning througnout the United States. Such program— (A) shall only support research and development in those areas of postsecondary education, libraries, literacy, and lifelong learning which are not being addressed by other entities within the Federal Government; (B) may include basic and applied research, development, replication, and evaluation activities in areas such as— (i) methods of assessing and evaluating individual, program, and institutional performance; (ii) the uses and applications of new technologies to improve progrcim effectiveness and enhance student learning; (iii) the most effective training methods for adults to upgrade education and vocational skills; (iv) opportunities for adults to continue their education beyond higher education and graduate school, in the context of lifelong learning and informationfinding skills; (v) adult literacy and effective methods, including technology, to eliminate illiteracy; (vi) preparing students for a lifetime of work, the ability to adapt through retraining to the changing needs of the work force and the ability to learn new tasks; (vii) the use of technology to develop and deliver effective training methods for adults to upgrade their education and their vocational skills; and (viii) institutional and classroom policies and practices at the postsecondary level necessary to improve matriculation, persistence, achievement and graduation by students who are economically disadvantaged, ethnic and racial minorities, women, older, working, and who have children; (ix) instructional practices and programs which are effective in correctional settings; (x) new models of service delivery for public library systems which expand opportunities for lifelong learning; (xi) effective programs and approaches which promote greater access to and success by minorities in postsecondary programs which prepare such minorities for scientific, technical, teaching, and health career fields;

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