gifted and talented children

gifted and talented children Sec. 404. (a) The Commissioner shall designate an administrative unit within the Office of Education to administer the programs and projects authorized by this section and to coordinate all programs for gifted and talented children and youth administered by the Office. (b) The Commissioner shall establish or designate a clearinghouse to obtain and disseminate to the public information pertaining to the education of gifted and talented children and youth. The Commissioner is authorized to contract with public or private agencies or organizations to establish and operate the clearinghouse. (c) (1) The Commissioner shall make grants to State educational agencies and local educational agencies, in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, in order to assist them in the planning, development, operation, and improvement of programs and projects designed to meet the special educational needs of gifted and talented children at the preschool and elementary and secondary school levels. 88 Stat. 548 (2) (A) Any State educational agency or local educational agency desiring to receive a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Commissioner at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Commissioner determines to be necessary to carry out his functions under this section. Such application shall— (i) provide satisfactory assurance that funds paid to the applicant will be expended solely to plan, establish, and operate programs and projects which— (I) are designed to identify and to meet the special educational and related needs of gifted and talented children, and (II) are of sufficient size, scope, and quality as to hold reasonable promise of making substantial progress toward meeting those needs; (ii) set forth such policies and procedures as are necessary for acquiring and disseminating information derived from educational research, demonstration and pilot projects, new educational practices and techniques, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the program or project in achieving its purpose; and (iii) provide satisfactory assurance that, to the extent consistent with the number of gifted and talented children in the area to be served by the applicant who are enrolled in nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, provision will be made for the participation of such children. (B) The Commissioner shall not approve an application under this subsection from a local educational agency unless such application has been submitted to the State educational agency of the State in which the applicant is located and such State agency has had an opportunity to make recommendations with respect to approval thereof. (3) Funds available under an application under this subsection may be used for the acquisition of instructional equipment to the extent such equipment is necessary to enhance the quality or the effectiveness of the program or project for which application is made. (4) A State educational agency receiving assistance may carry out its functions under an approved application under this subsection directly or through local educational agencies. (d) The Commissioner is authorized to make grants to State educational agencies to assist them in establishing and maintaining, directly or through grants to institutions of higher education, a program for training personnel engaged or preparing to engage in educating gifted and talented children or as supervisors of such personnel. (e) The Commissioner is authorized to make grants to institutions of higher education and other appropriate nonprofit institutions or agencies to provide training to leadership personnel for the education of gifted and talented children and youth. Such leadership personnel may include, but are not limited to, teacher trainers, school administrators, supervisors, researchers, and State consultants. Grants under this subsection may be used for internships, with local, State, or Federal agencies or other public or private agencies or institutions. (f) Notwithstanding the second sentence of section 405(b)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act, the National Institute of Education shall, in accordance with the terms and conditions of section 405 of such Act, carry out a program of research and related activities relating to the education of gifted and talented children. The Commissioner is authorized to transfer to the National Institute of Education such sums as may be necessary for the program required by this subsection. As used in the preceding sentence the term “research and related 88 Stat. 549activities” means research, research training, surveys, or demonstrations in the field of education of gifted and talented children and youth, or the dissemination of information derived therefrom, or all of such activities, including (but without limitation) experimental and model schools. (g) In addition to the other authority of the Commissioner under this section, the Commissioner is authorized to make contracts with public and private agencies and organizations for the establishment and operation of model projects for the identification and education of gifted and talented children, including such activities as career education, bilingual education, and programs of education for handicapped children and for educationally disadvantaged children. The total of the amounts expended for projects authorized under this subsection shall not exceed 15 per centum of the total of the amounts expended under this section for any fiscal year. (h) For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, the Commissioner is authorized to expend not to exceed $12,250,000 for each fiscal year ending prior to July 1, 1978.