20 USC 1138 - Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

Collapse to view only § 1138. Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

§ 1138. Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
§ 1138a. National Board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
§ 1138b. Administrative provisions
§ 1138c. Special projects
§ 1138d. Authorization of appropriations

§ 1138. Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

(a) AuthorityThe Secretary is authorized to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, institutions of higher education, combinations of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, to enable such institutions, combinations, and agencies to improve postsecondary education opportunities by—

(1) the encouragement of reform and improvement of, and innovation in, postsecondary education and the provision of educational opportunity for all students, including nontraditional students;

(2) the creation of institutions, programs, and joint efforts involving paths to career and professional training, including—

(A) efforts that provide academic credit for programs; and

(B) combinations of academic and experiential learning;

(3) the establishment and continuation of institutions, programs, consortia, collaborations, and other joint efforts based on communications technology, including those efforts that utilize distance education and technological advancements to educate and train postsecondary students (including health professionals serving medically underserved populations);

(4) the carrying out, in postsecondary educational institutions, of changes in internal structure and operations designed to clarify institutional priorities and purposes;

(5) the design and introduction of cost-effective methods of instruction and operation;

(6) the introduction of institutional reforms designed to expand individual opportunities for entering and reentering postsecondary institutions and pursuing programs of postsecondary study tailored to individual needs;

(7) the introduction of reforms in graduate education, in the structure of academic professions, and in the recruitment and retention of faculties;

(8) the creation of new institutions and programs for examining and awarding credentials to individuals, and the introduction of reforms in current institutional practices related thereto;

(9) the introduction of reforms in remedial education, including English language instruction, to customize remedial courses to student goals and help students progress rapidly from remedial courses into core courses and through postsecondary program completion;

(10) the provision of support and assistance to partnerships between institutions of higher education and secondary schools with a significant population of students identified as late-entering limited English proficient students, to establish programs that—

(A) result in increased secondary school graduation rates of limited English proficient students; and

(B) increase the number of participating late-entering limited English proficient students who pursue postsecondary education;

(11) the creation of consortia that join diverse institutions of higher education to design and offer curricular and cocurricular interdisciplinary programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, sustained for not less than a 5 year period, that—

(A) focus on poverty and human capability; and

(B) include—

(i) a service-learning component; and

(ii) the delivery of educational services through informational resource centers, summer institutes, midyear seminars, and other educational activities that stress the effects of poverty and how poverty can be alleviated through different career paths;

(12) the provision of support and assistance for demonstration projects to provide comprehensive support services to ensure that homeless students, or students who were in foster care or were a ward of the court at any time before the age of 13, enroll and succeed in postsecondary education, including providing housing to such students during periods when housing at the institution of higher education is closed or generally unavailable to other students; and

(13) the support of efforts to work with institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations, that seek to promote cultural diversity in the entertainment media industry, including through the training of students in production, marketing, and distribution of culturally relevant span.

(b) Planning grants

(1) Program authorized

(2) Institution requirements

(3) Center activitiesThe center funded under this section shall—

(A) assist institutions implementing innovative programs that support single parents pursuing higher education;

(B) study and develop an evaluation protocol for such programs that includes quantitative and qualitative methodologies;

(C) provide appropriate technical assistance regarding the replication, evaluation, and continuous improvement of such programs; and

(D) develop and disseminate best practices for such programs.

(d) Prohibition

(1) In general

(2) Rule of construction

(e) Priority

(f) Scholarship program for family members of veterans or members of the military

(1) Authorization

(2) Definition of eligible studentIn this subsection, the term “eligible student” means an individual who is enrolled as a full-time or part-time student at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1002 of this title) and is—

(A) a dependent student who is a child of—

(i) an individual who is—(I) serving on active duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency (as defined in section 1088 of this title); or(II) performing qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency (as defined in section 1088 of this title); or

(ii) a veteran who—(I) served or performed, as described in clause (i), since September 11, 2001; and(II) died, or has been disabled, as a result of such service or performance; or

(B) an independent student who—

(i) is a spouse of an individual who is—(I) serving on active duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency (as defined in section 1088 of this title); or(II) performing qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency (as defined in section 1088 of this title);

(ii) was (at the time of death of the veteran) a spouse of a veteran who—(I) served or performed, as described in clause (i), since September 11, 2001; and(II) died as a result of such service or performance; or

(iii) is a spouse of a veteran who—(I) served or performed, as described in clause (i), since September 11, 2001; and(II) has been disabled as a result of such service or performance.

(3) Awarding of scholarships

(4) Maximum scholarship amount

(5) Amounts for scholarships

(Pub. L. 89–329, title VII, § 741, as added Pub. L. 105–244, title VII, § 701, Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1796; amended Pub. L. 110–315, title VII, § 707(a)–(e), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3356–3358.)

§ 1138a. National Board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

(a) Establishment

(b) Membership

The Board shall—

(1) advise the Secretary on priorities for the improvement of postsecondary education and make such recommendations as the Board may deem appropriate for the improvement of postsecondary education and for the evaluation, dissemination, and adaptation of demonstrated improvements in postsecondary educational practice;

(2) advise the Secretary on the operation of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, including advice on planning documents, guidelines, and procedures for grant competitions prepared by the Fund; and

(3) meet at the call of the Chairperson, except that the Board shall meet whenever one-third or more of the members request in writing that a meeting be held.

(d) Information and assistance

(Pub. L. 89–329, title VII, § 742, as added Pub. L. 105–244, title VII, § 701, Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1797; amended Pub. L. 110–315, title VII, § 707(h)(1), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3360.)

§ 1138b. Administrative provisions

The Secretary may appoint, for terms not to exceed 3 years, without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, not more than 7 technical employees to administer this part who may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates.

(Pub. L. 89–329, title VII, § 743, as added Pub. L. 105–244, title VII, § 701, Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1797; amended Pub. L. 110–315, title VII, § 707(h)(2), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3360.)

§ 1138c. Special projects

(a) Grant authority

(b) Application

(1) Institutional restructuring to improve learning and promote productivity, efficiency, quality improvement, and cost reduction.

(2) Improvements in academic instruction and student learning, including efforts designed to assess the learning gains made by postsecondary students.

(3) Articulation between two- and four-year institutions of higher education, including developing innovative methods for ensuring the successful transfer of students from two- to four-year institutions of higher education.

(4) Development, evaluation, and dissemination of model courses, including model courses that—

(A) provide students with a broad and integrated knowledge base;

(B) include, at a minimum, broad survey courses in English literature, American and world history, American political institutions, economics, philosophy, college-level mathematics, and the natural sciences; and

(5) International cooperation and student exchanges among postsecondary educational institutions.

(6) Support of centers to incorporate education in quality and safety into the preparation of medical and nursing students, through grants to medical schools, nursing schools, and osteopathic schools. Such grants shall be used to assist in providing courses of instruction that specifically equip students to—

(A) understand the causes of, and remedies for, medical error, medically induced patient injuries and complications, and other defects in medical care;

(B) engage effectively in personal and systemic efforts to continually reduce medical harm; and

(Pub. L. 89–329, title VII, § 744, as added Pub. L. 105–244, title VII, § 701, Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1798; amended Pub. L. 110–315, title VII, § 707(f), (h)(3), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3359, 3361; Pub. L. 111–39, title VII, § 701(3), July 1, 2009, 123 Stat. 1954.)

§ 1138d. Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2009 and each of the five succeeding fiscal years.

(Pub. L. 89–329, title VII, § 745, as added Pub. L. 105–244, title VII, § 701, Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1798; amended Pub. L. 110–315, title VII, § 707(g), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3360.)