20 U.S.C. § 7515 — Program authorized

(a) General authority: (1) Grants and contracts — the Secretary may make direct grants to, or contract with, Native Hawaiian educational organizations; Native Hawaiian community-based organizations; public and private nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions experienced in Native Hawaiian programs or Hawaiian-language instruction; charter schools; and consortia of these groups, to carry out programs meeting this part's purposes. (2) Priorities — in awarding grants or contracts for activities under (3), the Secretary must prioritize projects designed to address: beginning reading and literacy for students in kindergarten through third grade; the needs of at-risk children and youth; fields where Native Hawaiians are underemployed; and use of the Hawaiian language in instruction. (3) Authorized activities — programs may include: developing and maintaining a statewide Native Hawaiian early education and care system covering children from before birth through age 5; operating family-based education centers offering programs for Native Hawaiian parents and infants (prenatal through age 3), preschool programs, and related research and development; boosting beginning reading and literacy in Hawaiian or English for K-3 Native Hawaiian students, and help with combined English-Hawaiian literacy for Hawaiian speakers in grades 5 and 6; meeting the special needs of Native Hawaiian students with disabilities, including identifying them and their needs, supporting their families, and other activities consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; meeting the special needs of gifted and talented Native Hawaiian students, including educational, psychological, and developmental activities, and involving their parents; developing academic and vocational curricula for Native Hawaiian children and adults, including Hawaiian-language materials and math and science curricula incorporating Native Hawaiian tradition and culture; professional development for educators, including preparing prospective teachers for Native Hawaiian students' needs, in-service training for teachers in schools with many Native Hawaiian students, and recruiting Native Hawaiians and community members to become teachers; operating community-based learning centers coordinating public and private programs and services, including early childhood education, before/after/summer school programs or expanded learning time or weekend academies, career and technical education, and culturally grounded programs involving Native Hawaiian elders and seniors; helping Native Hawaiians enter and complete postsecondary education, including through program co-location, family literacy services, and student counseling and support; researching and collecting data on the educational status and needs of Native Hawaiian children and adults; other research and evaluation of this part's programs; and other activities, consistent with this part's purposes, to meet Native Hawaiians' educational needs. (b) Administrative costs: No more than 5 percent of a grant or contract recipient's funds for any fiscal year may go to administrative purposes. (c) Authorization of appropriations: (1) Congress authorizes $32,397,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2020 to carry out this section and section 7514. (2) Of that amount, the Secretary must reserve $500,000 for each of those fiscal years for a direct grant to the Education Council to carry out section 7514. (3) These funds remain available until expended.