Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 1.djvu/597

 PUBLIC LAW 103-239—MAY 4, 1994 108 STAT. 571 (3) to utilize workplaces as active learning environments in the educational process by making employers joint partners with educators in providing opportunities for all students to participate in high-quality, work-based learning experiences; (4) to use Federal funds under this Act as venture capital, to underwrite the initial costs of planning and establishing statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems that will be maintained with other Federal, State, and local resources; (5) to promote the formation of local partnerships that are dedicated to linking the worlds of school and work among secondary schools and postsecondary educational institutions, private and public employers, labor organizations, government, community-based organizations, parents, students. State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and training and human service agencies; (6) to promote the formation of local partnerships between elementary schools and secondary schools (including middle schools) and local businesses as an investment in future workplace productivity and competitiveness; (7) to help all students attain high academic and occupational standards; (8) to build on and advance a range of promising schoolto-work activities, such as tech-prep education, career academies, school-to-apprenticeship programs, cooperative education, youth apprenticeship, school-sponsored enterprises, business-education compacts, and promising strategies that assist school dropouts, that can be developed into programs funded under this Act; (9) to improve the knowledge and skills of youths by integrating academic and occupational learning, integrating school-based and work-based learning, and building effective linkages between secondary and postsecondary education; (10) to encourage the development and implementation of programs that will require paid high-quality, work-based learning experiences; (11) to motivate all youths, including low-achieving youths, school dropouts, and youths with disabilities, to stay in or return to school or a classroom setting and strive to succeed, by providing enriched learning experiences and assistance in obtaining good jobs and continuing their education in postsecondary educational institutions; (12) to expose students to a broad array of career opportunities, and facilitate the selection of career majors, based on individual interests, goals, strengths, and abilities; (13) to increase opportunities for minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities, by enabling individuals to prepare for careers that are not traditional for their race, gender, or disability; and (14) to further the National Education Goals set forth in title I of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. (b) CONGRESSIONAL INTENT.— I t is the intent of Congress that the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education jointly administer this Act in a flexible manner that— (1) promotes State and local discretion in establishing and implementing statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems and School-to-Work Opportunities programs; and (2) contributes to reinventing government by—

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