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Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§7117 Activities to Support Well-rounded Educational Opportunities

Title 20 › CHAPTER 70 — STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › SUBCHAPTER IV — 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS › Part A — Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants › subpart 1 — student support and academic enrichment grants › § 7117

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Local school districts or groups of districts that get these federal funds must use some of the money to create and run programs that give students a well-rounded education. They must work with other schools and community services. They can team up with colleges, businesses, nonprofits, or other groups that have a proven record of success. Examples include college and career counseling (like career awareness, training counselors to use job-market data, and teaching financial aid and money skills); music and arts programs to boost engagement and problem solving; STEM programs that expand access through grade 12 for groups underrepresented in those fields (female students, minority students, English learners, children with disabilities, and low-income students), support competitions, hands-on and field learning, STEM schools, and better coordination among school and after-school programs; accelerated learning supports (including reimbursing low-income students for accelerated exam fees and expanding accelerated courses, dual enrollment, and early college); plus history/civics/economics/geography programs, foreign language, environmental education, volunteerism, interdisciplinary programs (like arts and math), and other activities that promote well-rounded learning. For fiscal year 2017, agencies getting a subgrant may use funds to pay accelerated exam fees for low-income students who took exams in the 2016–2017 school year.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §7117

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
Subject to section 7116(f) of this title, each local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies, that receives an allocation under section 7115(a) of this title shall use a portion of such funds to develop and implement programs and activities that support access to a well-rounded education and that—
(1)are coordinated with other schools and community-based services and programs;
(2)may be conducted in partnership with an institution of higher education, business, nonprofit organization, community-based organization, or other public or private entity with a demonstrated record of success in implementing activities under this section; and
(3)may include programs and activities, such as—
(A)college and career guidance and counseling programs, such as—
(i)postsecondary education and career awareness and exploration activities;
(ii)training counselors to effectively use labor market information in assisting students with postsecondary education and career planning; and
(iii)financial literacy and Federal financial aid awareness activities;
(B)programs and activities that use music and the arts as tools to support student success through the promotion of constructive student engagement, problem solving, and conflict resolution;
(C)programming and activities to improve instruction and student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, (referred to in this section as “STEM subjects”) such as—
(i)increasing access for students through grade 12 who are members of groups underrepresented in such subject fields, such as female students, minority students, English learners, children with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students, to high-quality courses;
(ii)supporting the participation of low-income students in nonprofit competitions related to STEM subjects (such as robotics, science research, invention, mathematics, computer science, and technology competitions);
(iii)providing hands-on learning and exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and supporting the use of field-based or service learning to enhance the students’ understanding of the STEM subjects;
(iv)supporting the creation and enhancement of STEM-focused specialty schools;
(v)facilitating collaboration among school, after-school program, and informal program personnel to improve the integration of programming and instruction in the identified subjects; and
(vi)integrating other academic subjects, including the arts, into STEM subject programs to increase participation in STEM subjects, improve attainment of skills related to STEM subjects, and promote well-rounded education;
(D)efforts to raise student academic achievement through accelerated learning programs described in section 7114(b)(3)(A)(i)(IV) of this title, such as—
(i)reimbursing low-income students to cover part or all of the costs of accelerated learning examination fees, if the low-income students are enrolled in accelerated learning courses and plan to take accelerated learning examinations; or
(ii)increasing the availability of, and enrollment in, accelerated learning courses, accelerated learning examinations, dual or concurrent enrollment programs, and early college high school courses;
(E)activities to promote the development, implementation, and strengthening of programs to teach traditional American history, civics, economics, geography, or government education;
(F)foreign language instruction;
(G)environmental education;
(H)programs and activities that promote volunteerism and community involvement;
(I)programs and activities that support educational programs that integrate multiple disciplines, such as programs that combine arts and mathematics; or
(J)other activities and programs to support student access to, and success in, a variety of well-rounded education experiences.
(b)Special rule
A local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies, that receives a subgrant under this subpart for fiscal year 2017 may use such funds to cover part or all of the fees for accelerated learning examinations taken by low-income students during the 2016-2017 school year, in accordance with subsection (a)(3)(D).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 7117, Pub. L. 89–10, title IV, § 4117, as added Pub. L. 107–110, title IV, § 401, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1750, related to programs for Native Hawaiians, prior to the general amendment of this subpart by Pub. L. 114–95. Another prior section 7117, Pub. L. 89–10, title IV, § 4117, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3685, related to evaluation and reporting, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110. A prior section 4107 of Pub. L. 89–10 was classified to section 3067 of this title, prior to the general amendment of Pub. L. 89–10 by Pub. L. 103–382.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2015 Amendment note under section 6301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 7117

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110