§8281. Findings

The Congress finds that-

(1) the ability of the Nation's major urban public school systems to meet the Nation's educational goals will determine the country's economic competitiveness and academic standing in the world community;

(2) the quality of public education in the Nation's major urban areas has a direct effect on the economic development of the Nation's inner-cities;

(3) the success of urban public schools in boosting the achievement of its minority youth attending such schools will determine the ability of the Nation to close the gap between the "haves and the have-nots" in society;

(4) the cost to America's businesses to provide remedial education to high school graduates is approximately $21,000,000,000 per year;

(5) approximately one-third of the Nation's workforce will be members of minority groups by the year 2000;

(6) urban schools enroll a disproportionately large share of the Nation's poor and "at-risk" youth;

(7) urban schools enroll approximately one-third of the Nation's poor, 40 percent of the Nation's African American children, and 30 percent of the Nation's Hispanic youth;

(8) nearly 20 percent of the Nation's limited-English-proficient children and 15 percent of the Nation's disabled youth are enrolled in urban public schools;

(9) the academic performance of students in the average inner-city public school system is below that of students in most other kinds of school systems;

(10) urban public school systems have higher dropout rates, more problems with health care, and less parental participation than other kinds of school systems;

(11) urban preschoolers have one-half the access to early childhood development programs as do other children;

(12) shortages of teachers in urban public school systems are 2.5 times greater than such shortages in other kinds of school systems;

(13) declining numbers of urban minority high school graduates are pursuing postsecondary educational opportunities;

(14) urban public school systems have greater problems with teenage pregnancy, discipline, drug abuse, and gangs than do other kinds of school systems;

(15) 75 percent of urban public school buildings are over 25 years old, 33 percent of such buildings are over 50 years old, and such buildings are often in serious disrepair and create poor and demoralizing working and learning conditions;

(16) solving the challenges facing our Nation's urban schools will require the concerted and collaborative efforts of all levels of government and all sectors of the community;

(17) Federal and State funding of urban public schools has not adequately reflected need; and

(18) Federal funding that is well-targeted, flexible, and accountable would contribute significantly to addressing the comprehensive needs of inner-city public schools.

(Pub. L. 89–10, title X, §10961, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, §101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3848 .)

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 8283 of this title.