§ 6766. Local activities

(a) Professional development

(1) In general A recipient of funds made available under section 6762(a)(2) of this title shall use not less than 25 percent of such funds to provide ongoing, sustained, and intensive, high-quality professional development. The recipient shall provide professional development in the integration of advanced technologies, including emerging technologies, into curricula and instruction and in using those technologies to create new learning environments, such as professional development in the use of technology—

(A) to access data and resources to develop curricula and instructional materials;

(B) to enable teachers—

(i) to use the Internet and other technology to communicate with parents, other teachers, principals, and administrators; and

(ii) to retrieve Internet-based learning resources; and

(C) to lead to improvements in classroom instruction in the core academic subjects, that effectively prepare students to meet challenging State academic content standards, including increasing student technology literacy, and student academic achievement standards.

(2) Waivers

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a recipient of funds made available under section 6762(a)(2) of this title that demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the State educational agency involved, that the recipient already provides ongoing, sustained, and intensive, high-quality professional development that is based on a review of relevant research, to all teachers in core academic subjects in the integration of advanced technologies, including emerging technologies, into curricula and instruction.

(b) Other activities In addition to the activities described in subsection (a) of this section, a recipient of funds made available by a State educational agency under section 6762(a)(2) of this title shall use such funds to carry out other activities consistent with this subpart, which may include the following:

(1) Establishing or expanding initiatives, particularly initiatives involving public-private partnerships, designed to increase access to technology for students and teachers, with special emphasis on the access of high-need schools to technology.

(2) Adapting or expanding existing and new applications of technology to enable teachers to increase student academic achievement, including technology literacy—

(A) through the use of teaching practices that are based on a review of relevant research and are designed to prepare students to meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards; and

(B) by the development and utilization of innovative distance learning strategies to deliver specialized or rigorous academic courses and curricula to areas that would not otherwise have access to such courses and curricula.

(3) Acquiring proven and effective courses and curricula that include integrated technology and are designed to help students meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

(4) Utilizing technology to develop or expand efforts to connect schools and teachers with parents and students to promote meaningful parental involvement, to foster increased communication about curricula, assignments, and assessments between students, parents, and teachers, and to assist parents to understand the technology being applied in their child’s education, so that parents are able to reinforce at home the instruction their child receives at school.

(5) Preparing one or more teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools as technology leaders who are provided with the means to serve as experts and train other teachers in the effective use of technology, and providing bonus payments to the technology leaders.

(6) Acquiring, adapting, expanding, implementing, repairing, and maintaining existing and new applications of technology, to support the school reform effort and to improve student academic achievement, including technology literacy.

(7) Acquiring connectivity linkages, resources, and services (including the acquisition of hardware and software and other electronically delivered learning materials) for use by teachers, students, academic counselors, and school library media personnel in the classroom, in academic and college counseling centers, or in school library media centers, in order to improve student academic achievement.

(8) Using technology to collect, manage, and analyze data to inform and enhance teaching and school improvement efforts.

(9) Implementing performance measurement systems to determine the effectiveness of education technology programs funded under this subpart, particularly in determining the extent to which activities funded under this subpart are effective in integrating technology into curricula and instruction, increasing the ability of teachers to teach, and enabling students to meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

(10) Developing, enhancing, or implementing information technology courses.

(Pub. L. 89–10, title II, § 2416, as added Pub. L. 107–110, title II, § 201, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1680.)