studies of vocational education

studies of vocational education Sec. 523. (a) The Commissioner of Education shall carry out a study of the extent to which sex discrimination and sex stereotyping exist in all vocational education programs assisted under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, and of the progress that has been made to reduce or eliminate such discrimination and stereotyping in such programs and in the occupations for which such programs prepare students. The Commissioner shall report the results of such study, together with any recommendations with respect thereto, to the Congress within two years after the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) (1) In addition to the other authorities, responsibilities, and duties conferred upon the National Institute of Education (herein-after in this section referred to as the “Institute”) by section 405 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended by this Act, the Institute shall undertake a thorough evaluation and study of vocational education programs, including such programs conducted by the States, and such programs conducted under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, and other related programs conducted under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 and by the State Post-Secondary Commissions authorized by the Education Amendments of 1972. Such a study shall include— (A) a study of the distribution of vocational education funds in terms of services, occupations, target populations, enrollments, and educational and governmental levels and what such distribution should l:e in order to meet the greatest human resource needs for the next 10 years; (B) an examination of how to achieve compliance with, and enforcement of, the provisions of applicable laws of the United States; (C) an analysis of the means of assessing program quality and effectiveness; (D) depending on the level of funding available to the Institute, not more than three experimental studies to be administered by the Institute, in cases where the Institute determines that such experimental programs are necessary to carry out the purpose of clauses (A) through (C) and the Commissioner of Education and the Secretary of Labor are authorized, notwithstanding any provision of any other law, at the request of the Institute, to approve the use of grants which educational or other agencies are eligible to receive under such Acts (in cases where such agencies agree to the uses of such grants), in order to carry out such experimental programs; (E) findings and recommendations, including recommendations for changes in such Acts or for new legislation, with respect to the matters studied under clauses (A) through (E); and (F) a review and evaluation of the effectiveness of programs funded under subpart 5 of part A of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 (as such Act is in effect on October 1, 1977), and to make recommendations for the redirection and the improvement of programs at all levels funded under such subpart. 90 STAT. 2240 (2) The Institute shall make an interim report to the President and to the Congress not later than September 30, 1979, and shall make a final report to the President and to the Congress no later than September 30, 1980, on the result of its study conducted under this section, except that the report required pursuant to paragraph (1) (F) shall be transmitted to the President and the Congress not later than January 15, 1979. Any other provision of law, rule, or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, such reports shall not be submitted to any review outside of the Institute before their transmittal to the Congress, but the President and the Commissioner may make to the Congress such recommendations with respect to the content of the reports as each may deem appropriate. (3) Sums made available pursuant to section 102 of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 (as such Act is in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act) and sections 102 and 103 of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 (as such Act is in effect on October 1, 1977) shall be available to carry out the administrative and direct cost requirements of the provisions of this section. These funds shall not exceed $1,000,000 per year for each of the fiscal years ending prior to October 1, 1979. Ten per centum of the funds made available under this section shall be made available for purposes of carrying out the provisions of paragraph (1) (F). (4) (A) The Institute shall submit to the Congress, within 10 months after the date appropriations become avail aide t o carry out this section, a plan for the study to be conducted under this section. The Institute snail not commence such study until the first day after the close of the first period of 30 calendar days of continuous session of the Congress after the date of the delivery of such plan to the Congress. (8) For purposes of subparagraph (A)— (i) continuity of session is broken only by an adjournment, of the Congress sine die; and (ii) the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than 30 days to a day certain are excluded in the computation of the 30-day period.