PUBLIC LAW 103-227—MAR. 31, 1994 108 STAT. 233 (x) improving the working conditions of teachers and other educational practitioners, which may include such topics as— (I) teacher isolation; (II) professional resources available to teachers; (III) continuing educational and professional opportunities available to teachers; (IV) physical facilities and equipment, such as office space, telephone, computer access, and fax machines and television cable access available to teachers in the work environment; (V) opportunities for teachers to share information and resources with other teachers and education professionals; (VI) opportunities for advanced learning experience; and (VII) the reduction of stress in the teaching profession; (xi) curriculum development designed to meet challenging standards, including State efforts to develop such curriculum; (xii) the need for, and methods of delivering, teacher education, development, and inservice training; (xiii) educational methods and activities to reduce and prevent violence in schools; (xiv) the use of technology in learning, teaching and testing; and (xv) other topics relevant to the mission of the institute; (B) conduct basic and applied research in the areas of human learning, cognition, and performance, including research and development on the education contexts which promote excellence in learning and instruction, and motivational issues related to learning; (C) identify, develop, and evaluate programs designed to enhance academic achievement and narrow racial and gender performance gaps in a variety of subject areas, including research and development on methods of involving parents in their children's education and ways to involve business, industry and other community partners in promoting excellence in schools; and (D) include a comprehensive, coordinated program of research and development in the area of assessment which— (i) addresses issues such as— (I) the validity, reliability, generalizability, costs, relative merits, and most appropriate uses of various approaches and methods of assessing student learning and achievement; (II) methods and approaches to assessing student opportunities to learn (including the quality of instruction and the availability of resources necessary to support learning) and evaluating the quality of school environment; (III) the impact of high-stakes uses of assessment on student performance and motivation.
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