Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 5.djvu/363

 PUBLIC LAW 103-382—OCT. 20, 1994 108 STAT. 3853 "(3) about 1 out of every 4 of America's rural school children are living below the poverty line; "(4) the quality of public education in the rural areas of the Nation has a direct effect on the economic development of the rural communities of the Nation; "(5) the success of rural public schools in boosting the achievement of minority youth attending such schools will determine the ability of the Nation to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots in society; "(6) the academic performance of students in the average rural school system is below that of students in most other suburban school systems; "(7) the average age of rural public school buildings is more than 45 years old and such buildings are often in serious disrepair, creating poor and demoralizing working and learning conditions; "(8) shortages of teachers for rural public school systems is greater than in other kinds of school systems; "(9) solving the challenges facing the Nation's rural public schools will require the concerted and collaborative efforts of all levels of government and all sectors of the community; "(10) additional Federal funding would contribute significantly to addressing the comprehensive needs of rural schools; "(11) rural public schools enroll a disproportionately large share of the Nation's poor and at-risk youth; "(12) a declining number of rural public secondary school graduates are pursuing postsecondary education opportunities; "(13) rural preschoolers have less access to early childhood development programs than other children; and "(14) Federal and State funding of rural public schools has not adequately reflected need. "SEC. 10972. PURPOSE. 20 USC 8292. "It is the purpose of this subpart to provide financial assistance to rural public schools most in need, to encourage the comprehensive restructuring of America's rural schools, the appropriate use of telecommunications technologies for learning, and to support innovative programs which improve performance through programs and projects designed to— "(1) assist rural public schools in meeting National Education Groals; "(2) encourage rural public schools to engage in school reform; "(3) develop pilot projects that experiment with innovative ways to teach rural public school children more effectively; "(4) improve the educational and social well-being of rural public school children; "(5) close the achievement gap between children attending rural public schools and other children, while improving the achievement level of all children nationally; "(6) conduct coordinated research on rural education problems, solutions, promising practices, and distance learning technologies; "(7) improve the Nation's global economic and educational competitiveness by improving the Nation's rural public schools; "(8) encourage community, parental, and business collaboration in the improvement of rural public schools;

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