Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 115 Part 2.djvu/1024

 115 STAT. 2008 PUBLIC LAW 107-110—JAN. 8, 2002 Improvement Act of 2001, each Bureau-funded school shall, to the extent that necessary funds are provided, be a candidate for accreditation or be accredited— "(i) by a tribal accrediting body, if the accreditation standards of the tribal accrediting body have been accepted by formal action of the tribal governing body and such accreditation is acknowledged by a generally recognized State certification or regional accrediting agency; "(ii) by a regional accreditation agency; "(iii) by State accreditation standards for the State in which the Bureau-funded school is located; or "(iv) in the case of a Bureau-funded school that is located on a reservation that is located in more than one State, in accordance with the State accreditation standards of one State as selected by the tribal government. Deadline. "(B) FEASIBILITY STUDY. —Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of the Native American Education Improvement Act of 2001, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with Indian tribes, Indian education organizations, and accrediting agencies, develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the desirability and feasibility of establishing a tribal accreditation agency that would— "(i) review and acknowledge the accreditation standards for Bureau-funded schools; and "(ii) establish accreditation procedures to facilitate the application, review of the standards and review processes, and recognition of qualified and credible tribal departments of education as accrediting bodies serving tribal schools. "(2) DETERMINATION OF ACCREDITATION TO BE APPLIED.— The accreditation type applied for each school shall be determined by the tribal governing body, or the school board, if authorized by the tribal governing body. " (3) ASSISTANCE TO SCHOOL BOARDS. — "(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, through contracts and grants, shall provide technical and financial assistance to Bureau-funded schools, to the extent that necessary amounts are made available, to enable such schools to obtain the accreditation required under this subsection, if the school boards request that such assistance, in part or in whole, be provided. " (B) ENTITIES THROUGH WHICH ASSISTANCE MAY BE PRO- VIDED. — The Secretary may provide such assistance directly or through the Department of Education, an institution of higher education, a private not-for-profit organization or for-profit organization, an educational service agency, or another entity with demonstrated experience in assisting schools in obtaining accreditation. " (4) APPLICATION OF CURRENT STANDARDS DURING ACCREDI- TATION. —^A Bureau-funded school that is seeking accreditation shall remain subject to the standards issued under section 1121 of the Education Amendments of 1978 and in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the Native American

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