There is hereby established the California Academic Partnership Program, to be administered by the Trustees of the California State University, in cooperation with the Regents of the University of California, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The purpose of the program shall be to develop cooperative efforts to improve the academic quality of public secondary schools with the objective of improving the preparation of all students for college. Projects funded under the provisions of this chapter may address improvements in secondary school curriculum and the ability of students to benefit from these improvements. Academic partnership projects shall be distributed throughout the state in order to provide schools located in rural, urban, and suburban areas with access to these services.