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MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
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Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
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Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
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Folder Title:
Blue Ribbon Schools 9/25/91 [OA 8328] [1]
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26
21
6
4
BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CEREMONY
SEPTEMBER 25, 1991
SHERATON HOTEL
12:00 P.M.
I KNOW ALL OF YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED BY THE WEATHER
TODAY. WE'D PLANNED ON HOSTING ALL 800 OF YOU ON THE
WHITE HOUSE LAWN -- AND HERE I'M THE ONE WHO ENDED UP
MAKING THE FIELD TRIP. //laughter
LET ME RECOGNIZE THE MANY CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS TO
THE BLUE RIBBON PROGRAM WHO ARE HERE TODAY -- AND OF
COURSE I'M PLEASED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU OUR FIRST-RATE
SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, LAMAR ALEXANDER. //] ad lib
BARBARA AND I ARE DELIGHTED TO RECOGNIZE THE
SCHOOLS THAT REPRESENT THIS NATION'S BLUE RIBBON BEST.
// WE'VE BESTOWED BLUE RIBBONS NOW FOR NINE YEARS.
SOME OF YOUR SCHOOLS ARE NO STRANGERS TO THE WINNER'S
CIRCLE: TODAY WE HOST A RECORD 32 TWO-TIME WINNERS. /
WE MEET AT A MOMENT WHEN THIS NATION HAS EMBARKED
ON A CRUSADE FOR REAL REFORM IN OUR SCHOOLS -- A
CRUSADE WE CALL AMERICA 2000, A REVOLUTION THAT WILL
READY US TO ENTER THE NEW WORLD NOW ON OUR HORIZON. //
- 2 -
AS YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THE NEWS FOR AMERICAN
EDUCATION AS A WHOLE IS ANYTHING BUT GOOD. PART OF THE
NECESSARY BUSINESS OF REFORM IS TO SHINE A LIGHT INTO
THE DARK CORNERS OF THE SYSTEM - -- FOCUS ON THE SCHOOLS
THAT AREN'T MAKING THE GRADE; SHAKE PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR
COMPLACENCY AND SHOW THEM WE NEED CHANGE. / BUT
THERE'S ANOTHER PART OF THE BUSINESS OF BUILDING BETTER
SCHOOLS ACROSS AMERICA: SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON
SCHOOLS THAT WORK, AND THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THEM WORK
-- THE SUCCESS STORIES, LIKE EACH ONE OF THE 222
SCHOOLS HERE TODAY. //
RIVETED
LAST DECEMBER - -- WITH THE WORLD'S ATTENTION RIGHTLY
FOCUSED ON DESERT SHIELD -- I LAID OUT FIVE PRINCIPLES
TO GUIDE OUR EFFORTS TO RESTRUCTURE AND REVITALIZE OUR
SCHOOLS. WITH THE STATE OF OUR SCHOOLS BACK IN THE
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, THOSE PRINCIPLES BEAR REPEATING
TODAY. //
- 3 -
FIRST, WE'VE GOT TO RAISE EXPECTATIONS - -- HOLD OUR
SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT.
SECOND, WE MUST DECENTRALIZE AUTHORITY - -- CLEAR SOME
ROOM FOR OUR TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS TO DO WHAT THEY DO
BEST: MAKE LEARNING COME ALIVE. THIRD, WE NEED
RESPONSIBLE
RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS - CUSTOMER-DRIVEN. AND THAT MEANS
SCHOOL CHOICE: IF WE WANT TO CREATE A CLIMATE FOR
CHANGE, LET PARENTS DECIDE WHICH SCHOOL, PUBLIC OR
PRIVATE, IS BEST FOR THEIR KIDS. FOURTH, WE MUST MAKE
CERTAIN OUR SCHOOLS ARE MARKET-ORIENTED: COMPETITION
WORKS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD; IT CAN SPUR EXCELLENCE IN
OUR SCHOOLS. FIFTH AND FINALLY, WE MUST MAKE SURE OUR
SCHOOLS ARE PERFORMANCE-BASED. WE NEED TO MEASURE OUR
SCHOOLS BY REAL RESULTS - -- BY THE STUDENTS THEY PRODUCE
RATHER THAN THE RESOURCES WE POUR IN. QUITE SIMPLY, BY
WHAT WORKS.
- 4 -
TWO YEARS AGO, I MET WITH THE GOVERNORS OF YOUR
STATES AT THE EDUCATION SUMMIT IN CHARLOTTESVILLE,
VIRGINIA. THERE, IN THE SHADOW OF MR. JEFFERSON'S
UNIVERSITY, WE SET IN MOTION THE PROCESS THAT
IDENTIFIED SIX AMBITIOUS NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS TO
PREPARE OUR CHILDREN FOR THE CHALLENGES A NEW CENTURY
IS DESTINED TO BRING.
WE CAME AWAY FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE WITH A SOLID
CONSENSUS THAT WHAT MATTERS MOST IS RESULTS. // A FEW
DAYS FROM NOW, THE GOVERNORS AND MEMBERS OF MY
ADMINISTRATION WHO TOGETHER CONSTITUTE THE NATIONAL
EDUCATION GOALS PANEL WILL TELL US JUST HOW FAR AMERICA
NEEDS TO GO TO REACH OUR GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2000. WE
ALREADY KNOW THE BAD NEWS: THIS NEW "NATIONAL REPORT
CARD" ISN'T GOING TO BE ONE WE WANT TO POST ON OUR
REFRIGERATORS. THE POINT IS, IT'S A PLACE TO START:
FINDING OUT WHERE WE STAND IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS
MOVING FORWARD. //
- 5 -
FOR A LONG TIME -- TOO LONG -- WE SPENT OUR TIME
AND ENERGY TALKING ABOUT REFORM RATHER THAN TAKING
ACTION. THAT'S CHANGING NOW. / WE'RE CHARTING A NEW
COURSE FOR THIS NATION'S SCHOOLS. IN THAT EFFORT, YOUR
SCHOOLS ARE THE PIONEERS -- THE ONES BLAZING A TRAIL
THE REST WILL FOLLOW. THE LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT WE'RE
LOOKING FOR IN THE YEAR 2000 ARE THE GOALS YOU'RE
SHOOTING FOR TODAY. //
WE HERE IN WASHINGTON CAN LEND A HAND, BUT THE REAL
REVOLUTION TAKES PLACE IN THE COMMUNITIES YOU CALL
HOME. WHEN YOU COME FROM AS FAR AWAY AS KALAHEO HIGH
IN HAWAII, ALASKA'S EAST ANCHORAGE HIGH SCHOOL OR HAHN
AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL ON HAHN AIR FORCE BASE IN GERMANY
-- OR AS NEAR TO THIS *[ HOUSE AS D.C.'S OWN BENJAMIN
PLACE
BANNEKER AND HINE JUNIOR HIGH -- YOU SEE AT A GLANCE
THAT EACH SCHOOL TRAVELS ITS OWN PATH TO EXCELLENCE.
//
- 6 -
)
[[ONE SAD NOTE FOR THE KIDS HERE WHO MADE THE SHORT
TRIP HERE FROM BANNEKER AND HINE: IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'LL
BE BACK IN CLASS BY 7TH PERIOD ]] // laugh
SOME SCHOOLS HERE TODAY MIRROR THE COMMUNITIES THEY
COME FROM. THEIR SUCCESSES REFLECT YEARS OF LOVE,
INTEREST AND JUST PLAIN HARD WORK FROM COMMUNITIES THAT
CARE. SOME OF THE SCHOOLS REPRESENTED HERE TODAY
TRIUMPHED AGAINST ALL ODDS -- IN SPITE OF CRUEL
SURROUNDINGS. FOR THEIR STUDENTS, THESE SCHOOLS ARE
ISLANDS OF CALM IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS. //
THAT DRIVES HOME TODAY'S LESSON: THERE'S NO
BLUEPRINT FOR THE ONE SCHOOL THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE
-- BUT THERE IS A BLUE RIBBON FOR EVERY SCHOOL THAT
WORKS BEST. //
- 7 -
TAKE GENESIS -- AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL FOR KIDS WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. GENESIS BEGAN
AS A VISTA PROGRAM BACK IN THE MID-70'S. TODAY, THE
VAST MAJORITY OF ITS FUNDS COME FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR
-- FROM NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE UNITED WAY,
DOWN TO LOCAL BUSINESSES. GENESIS SERVES THE KIDS WHO
HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE CRACKS: THE DROP OUTS, THE
TEEN MOTHERS -- CHILDREN COPING WITH BROKEN HOMES AND
SHATTERED HOPES. IT TURNS AROUND TWO-THIRDS OF THE
TROUBLED KIDS THAT COME THROUGH ITS DOORS, PREPARES
THEM TO GO BACK TO THEIR OLD SCHOOLS, OR GO ON TO GET A
G.E.D. / FOR THESE STUDENTS, GENESIS IS LITERALLY A
NEW BEGINNING -- A SECOND CHANCE THAT GIVES THEM THEIR
BEST SHOT AT A PROMISING FUTURE. ///
THE SCHOOLS WE HONOR TODAY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND
SIZES, SERVE STUDENTS OF ALL RACES, CREEDS AND COLORS,
FROM AMERICA'S MAJOR CITIES TO OUR SMALLEST TOWNS.
EACH ONE OF YOU REPRESENTS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG --
THE COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS,
PRINCIPALS, PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITIES YOU COME FROM.
- 8 -
CONSIDER ONE OF THE SMALLEST SCHOOLS HERE TODAY,
CRAFTSBURY ACADEMY -- A 180-STUDENT PUBLIC SCHOOL IN
THE VERMONT FARM COUNTRY, IN A TOWN CALLED CRAFTSBURY
COMMON. TIMES ARE TOUGH IN CRAFTSBURY, BUT ECONOMIC
DIFFICULTIES HAVEN'T STOPPED THAT COMMUNITY FROM GIVING
ITS CHILDREN EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN. / I
THINK IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT CRAFTSBURY THAT WHEN THE
TEACHERS VOTED TO SEND SOMEONE TO TODAY'S CEREMONY,
THEY SENT A PARENT. / GARY HOUSTON -- A PAST GRADUATE
OF CRAFTSBURY, WHOSE FOUR KIDS GO THERE NOW -- PLEASE
ACCEPT OUR THANKS FOR ALL THE MOMS AND DADS WHO
UNDERSTAND WHAT POWERFUL TEACHERS PARENTS CAN BE. //
- 9 -
so TODAY, YOUR SHINING EXAMPLE MUST SPARK THE
REVOLUTION IN AMERICAN EDUCATION -- SPUR REFORMS THAT
WILL LITERALLY RE-INVENT THE AMERICAN SCHOOL. EACH OF
YOUR SCHOOLS IS WELL ON THE WAY TO WHERE ALL OF US MUST
BE. WE'LL REACH OUR GOALS BY CHALLENGING THE BEST
MINDS AND BIG THINKERS OUT THERE TO HELP US CREATE A
NEW GENERATION OF AMERICAN SCHOOLS -- AND HAVE THESE
SCHOOLS UP AND RUNNING IN EVERY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
ACROSS AMERICA BY THE YEAR 1996. BY CHALLENGING EVERY
CITY AND TOWN TO JOIN THE CRUSADE -- BECOME AN AMERICA
2000 COMMUNITY. AND I'M PROUD TO TELL YOU THAT, so
FAR, 9 STATES, AND 1 TERRITORY ARE ALREADY PART OF THE
GREAT AND GROWING AMERICA 2000 COMMUNITY. I ASSURE
YOU: THERE IS ROOM FOR EVERY STATE, CITY AND TOWN
ACROSS THIS COUNTRY.
- 10 -
WE'VE GOT TO START NOW -- -- IMPROVE THOSE SCHOOLS
THAT LAG BEHIND, AND MAKE OUR BEST SCHOOLS BETTER
STILL. / WE WON'T WRITE ANYONE OFF -- WE WON'T WASTE
TIME WRINGING OUR HANDS ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE YEAR
2000 IS LITTLE MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS AWAY. LOOK AT IT
FROM A CHILD'S POINT OF VIEW: EIGHT YEARS IS A
LIFETIME OF LEARNING. LET'S SPEND THE TIME BETWEEN NOW
AND THE YEAR 2000 OPENING A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF
POSSIBILITY FOR OUR CHILDREN. //
THAT'S THE SPIRIT THAT WILL GET US TO OUR GOALS FOR
THE YEAR 2000. ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME, ONE SCHOOL AT
A TIME - -- ONE STUDENT AT A TIME: FOR THE SAKE OF OUR
FUTURE, WE WILL WIN THIS NEW AMERICAN REVOLUTION. //
Add Lib
ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. WHEN YOU GET HOME
WITH YOUR BLUE RIBBONS, PLEASE SHARE MY THANKS WITH
EVERYONE WHO MAKES YOUR SCHOOLS SO SUCCESSFUL. THANK
YOU -- -- AND MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
# # #
criterin 4
selution
Blue Ribbon
Amerin 2000
schools
every since
mid 80's
Gaylin 401-0404 Hooley
220 schools
43 states
DOD schools
Bondra school
2800
SHANE
Following the President's speech at the Blue Ribbon Schools award
ceremony there was no news coverage. The newspapers searched were:
The New York Times
The Washington Post
The Washington Times
In addition, there was no coverage listed in the White House News
Summary Bulletin on the morning of September 27.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 25, 1991
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN ADDRESS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS
The Sheraton Washington Hotel
Washington, D.C.
12:07 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very, very much. Thank
you ever so much, Lamar Alexander. What a job our Secretary is
doing. First class. (Applause.) I kind of like the music beyond
the wall over there -- (laughter) -- but I don't think they could
hold a candle to the Marine Band. I want to thank them very much for
being here. (Applause.)
And I know that all of you were perhaps as disappointed
as Barbara and I were by the weather today. You see, we'd planned on
hosting all 800 of you on the White House Lawn; and here I am, the
one who ended up making the field trip, along with Bar. (Laughter.)
But let me recognize, first off, the many corporate
contributors to the Blue Ribbon Program who are here today. And, of
course, I'm very pleased, again, to introduce or to acknowledge or to
thank our first-rate Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander, who got
us over here. And believe me, he is a real taskmaster. He is seeing
to it that both Barbara and I mind our Ps and Qs and stay actively
involved in this education program we believe so strongly about.
Barbara and I are delighted to recognize the schools
that represent this nation's Blue Ribbon best. And we've bestowed
blue ribbons now for nine years. Some of your schools are no
strangers to the winner's circle. And today, we host a record 32
two-time winners. We meet at a moment when this nation has embarked
on what really is a crusade for real reform, revolutionary reform in
our schools. A crusade we call America 2000 -- a revolution that
will ready us to enter the new world now on our horizon.
As you know, right now the news for American education
is anything but good. Part of the necessary business of reform is to
shine a light into the dark corners of the system, focus on the
schools that aren't making the grade, shake people out of their
complacency, and show them we need change.
But there's another part, another part of the business
of building better schools across America, shining the spotlight on
the schools that work and the people that make them work. The
success stories like each one of the 222 schools here today.
Last December, with the world's attention riveted on
Desert Shield, I laid out five principles to guide our efforts to
restructure and revitalize our schools. With the state of our
schools back in the national spotlight, those principles bear
repeating today.
First we've got to raise expectations -- hold our
schools and students to a higher level of achievement. Second, we
must decentralize the authority -- clear some room for our teachers
and principals to do what they do best -- make learning come alive.
And third, we need responsible schools, customer-driven, and that
means school choice.
MORE
- 2 -
If we want to create a climate for change, let parents
decide which school, public or private, is best for the kids. And
fourth, we must make certain our schools are market-oriented. By
that I mean competition. Competition works in the business world; it
can spur excellence in our schools. And fifth and finally, we must
make sure that our schools are performance-based. We need to measure
our schools by real results, by the students they produce rather than
the resources that we pour in. Quite simply, then, measure by what
works.
Two years ago, I met with the governors of your state at
the Education Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. There in the
shadow of Mr. Jefferson's university we set in motion the process
that identified six ambitious national education goals to prepare our
children for the challenges of a new century -- the challenges that
that century is destined to bring.
We came away from Charlottesville with a solid
consensus that what matters most is results. Now, a few days from
now the governors and members of our administration, who together
constitute the National Education Goals Panel, will tell us just how
far America needs to go to reach our goals for the year '2000. We
already know there is bad news. And this new national report card
isn't going to be one that we want to post on our refrigerators. The
point is, it's a place to start, though. Finding out where we stand
is the first step towards moving forward.
For a long time too long, really we spent our time
and energy talking about reform rather than taking action. And that
is changing now. And, again, I salute our Secretary of Education.
We're charting a new course for this nation's schools, and in that
effort, your schools are the pioneers -- the ones blazing a trail the
rest will follow someday. The levels of achievement we're looking
for in the year 2000 are the goals you're shooting for today.
And we here in Washington want to do what we can.
Clearly, we can lend a hand. But the real revolution takes place in
the communities that you call home. And when you come from as far
away as Kalaheo High in Hawaii, Alaska's -- here are a couple of
people who have come from as far away as Kalaheo High in Hawaii back
there -- Alaska's East Anchorage High School or Hahn American High
School on Hahn Air Force Base in Germany or as near to this place as
DC's own Benjamin Banneker and Hine Junior High, you see at a glance
that each school travels its own path to excellence.
One sad note for any of the kids here who made this
short trip from Banneker and Hine, the problem is that right after
lunch you'll have to be back in class. (Laughter.)
Some schools here today mirror the communities they come
from. Their successes reflect years of love and interest and just
plain hard work from communities that care. Some of the schools
represented here today triumphed against all odds in spite of tough,
cruel surroundings. For their students, these schools are islands of
calm in the midst of chaos. And that drives home today's lesson:
There's no blueprint for the one school that works for everyone. But
there is a blue ribbon for every school that works best.
Take Genesis, an alternative school for kids with
special needs out in Kansas City, Missouri. Genesis began as a Vista
program back in the mid-'70s. And today the vast majority of its
funds come from the private sector, from national organizations like
the United Way, down to local businesses.
Genesis serves the kids who have fallen through the
cracks, the dropouts, the teen mothers, children coping with broken
homes and shattered hopes. And it turns around two-thirds of the
troubled kids that come through its doors, prepares them to go back
MORE
- 3 -
to their old schools or go on to get a GED. For these students,
Genesis is literally a new beginning, a second chance that gives them
their best shot at a promising future.
The schools we honor today come in all shapes and sizes,
serve students of all races and creeds and colors. From America's
major cities to our tiniest town, each one of you represents the tip
of the iceberg, the collective accomplishment of teachers and
students, principals, parents and the communities you come from.
Consider one of the smallest schools here today,
Craftsbury Academy a 180-student public school out in the Vermont
farm country, in a town called Craftsbury Common. Times are tough
out there. But economic difficulties haven't stopped that community
from giving its children every possible opportunity to learn.
I think it says something about Craftsbury that when the
teachers voted to send someone to today's ceremony, they sent a
parent -- Gary Houston -- a past graduate of Craftsbury whose four
kids go there now. So please accept our thanks for all the mothers
and fathers who understand what powerful teachers parents can be.
So today, your shining example must spark a revolution
in American education, spur reform that will literally reinvent the
American Schools. Each of your schools is well on the way to where
all of us must be. We'll reach our goals by challenging the best
minds and big thinkers out there to help us create a new generation
of American Schools and have these schools up and running in every
congressional district across America by the year 1996. By
challenging every city and town to join the crusade -- become an
America 2000 community. And I'm proud to tell you that so far, nine
states and one territory are already part of the great and growing
America 2000 community. And I assure you there is room for every
state, city and town across this country.
We really have to start now -- improve those schools
that lag behind, and make our best schools better still. We won't
write anyone off. We won't waste time wringing hands about the fact
that the year 2000 is just a little more than eight years away. Look
at it from a kid's point of view, a child's point of view: Eight
years is a lifetime of learning. So let's spend the time between now
and the year 2000 opening a new world of possibility for our
children.
And that's the spirit that will get us to our goals for
the year 2000. One community at a time, one school at a time, one
student at a time, for the sake of our future we will win this
American revolution.
And let me just say that if I ever let up and if I ever
don't show the proper leadership or the proper support for America
2000, I get it both ways. I get it coming on me from the Secretary
of Education who says, you are committed, now stay that way. And you
can bet your neck I get it from the person sitting on my right who's
dedicated a lot of her life to helping illiteracy. (Applause.)
So congratulations to all of you. And when you get home
with your blue ribbons, please share my thanks with everybody -- it's
not just you all -- but with everybody who makes your schools so
successful.
Thank you and may God bless the United States of
America. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)
END
12:20 P.M. EDT
BRS. POTUS
September 19, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
DRAFT
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
TONY SNOW
FROM:
DAN McGROARTY
SUBJECT:
BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS REMARKS
On Wednesday, September 25, you will deliver remarks to an
audience of 850 at the Blue Ribbon Schools Program Ceremony on
the South Lawn. Sec. Alexander will attend. The audience is
primarily composed of corporate sponsors, students,
administrators, faculty, and board members.
Your remarks (approximately 10 minutes/cards) acknowledge
the Blue Ribbon awardees, and the merits of America 2000.
24 September 1991
10:50 a.m.
MEMORANDUM FOR DAN McGROARTY
FROM:
JEANNIE BUNTON $2
SUBJECT:
AMERICA 2000 STATES AND COMMUNITIES
Per conversation with Jay Diskey (America 2000 News) through
9/20/91:
10 states and territories
(Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon,
American Samoa, Maine, Maryland,
Nebraska, Minnesota, Delaware, and
Vermont)
and
XXX communities are participating in America 2000.
He hopes to have # of communities
by noon tockay!
For Blue Fill Rebbon
1
MCGROARTY/BUNTON
SEPTEMBER 23, 1991
7:00 PM
[RIBBON]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CEREMONY
SEPTEMBER 25, 1991
SHERATON HOTEL
12:00 P.M.
I KNOW ALL OF YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED BY THE WEATHER TODAY.
WE'D PLANNED ON HOSTING ALL 800 OF YOU ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN -
- AND HERE I'M THE ONE WHO ENDED UP MAKING THE FIELD TRIP. //
[INTRODUCTORY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: LET ME RECOGNIZE THE MANY
CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE BLUE RIBBON PROGRAM WHO ARE HERE
TODAY -- AND OF COURSE I'M PLEASED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU OUR FIRST-
RATE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, LAMAR ALEXANDER. //]
BARBARA AND I ARE DELIGHTED TO RECOGNIZE THE SCHOOLS THAT
REPRESENT THIS NATION'S BLUE RIBBON BEST. // WE'VE BESTOWED
BLUE RIBBONS NOW FOR NINE YEARS. SOME OF YOUR SCHOOLS ARE NO
STRANGERS TO THE WINNER'S CIRCLE: TODAY WE HOST A RECORD 32 TWO-
TIME WINNERS. /
WE MEET AT A MOMENT WHEN THIS NATION HAS EMBARKED ON A
CRUSADE FOR REAL REFORM IN OUR SCHOOLS -- A CRUSADE WE CALL
AMERICA 2000, A REVOLUTION THAT WILL READY US TO ENTER THE NEW
WORLD NOW ON OUR HORIZON. //
As YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THE NEWS FOR AMERICAN EDUCATION AS A
WHOLE IS ANYTHING BUT GOOD. PART OF THE NECESSARY BUSINESS OF
REFORM IS TO SHINE A LIGHT INTO THE DARK CORNERS OF THE SYSTEM -
- FOCUS ON THE SCHOOLS THAT AREN'T MAKING THE GRADE; SHAKE PEOPLE
2
OUT OF THEIR COMPLACENCY AND SHOW THEM WE NEED CHANGE. / BUT
THERE'S ANOTHER PART OF THE BUSINESS OF BUILDING BETTER SCHOOLS
ACROSS AMERICA: SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS THAT WORK, AND
THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THEM WORK -- THE SUCCESS STORIES, LIKE EACH
ONE OF THE 222 SCHOOLS HERE TODAY. //
LAST DECEMBER -- WITH THE WORLD'S ATTENTION RIGHTLY FOCUSED
ON DESERT SHIELD -- I LAID OUT FIVE PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE OUR
EFFORTS TO RESTRUCTURE AND REVITALIZE OUR SCHOOLS. WITH THE
STATE OF OUR SCHOOLS BACK IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, THOSE
PRINCIPLES BEAR REPEATING TODAY. //
FIRST, WE'VE GOT TO RAISE EXPECTATIONS -- HOLD OUR SCHOOLS
AND STUDENTS TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT. SECOND, WE MUST
DECENTRALIZE AUTHORITY -- CLEAR SOME ROOM FOR OUR TEACHERS AND
PRINCIPALS To DO WHAT THEY DO BEST: MAKE LEARNING COME ALIVE.
THIRD, WE NEED RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS -- CUSTOMER-DRIVEN. AND THAT
MEANS SCHOOL CHOICE: IF WE WANT TO CREATE A CLIMATE FOR CHANGE,
LET PARENTS DECIDE WHICH SCHOOL, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, IS BEST FOR
THEIR KIDS. FOURTH, WE MUST MAKE CERTAIN OUR SCHOOLS ARE MARKET-
ORIENTED: COMPETITION WORKS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD; IT CAN SPUR
EXCELLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS. FIFTH AND FINALLY, WE MUST MAKE SURE
OUR SCHOOLS ARE PERFORMANCE-BASED. WE NEED TO MEASURE OUR
SCHOOLS BY REAL RESULTS -- BY THE STUDENTS THEY PRODUCE RATHER
THAN THE RESOURCES WE POUR IN. QUITE SIMPLY, BY WHAT WORKS.
Two YEARS AGO, I MET WITH THE GOVERNORS OF YOUR STATES AT
THE EDUCATION SUMMIT IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA. THERE, IN THE
SHADOW OF MR. JEFFERSON'S UNIVERSITY, WE SET IN MOTION THE
3
PROCESS THAT IDENTIFIED SIX AMBITIOUS NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS TO
PREPARE OUR CHILDREN FOR THE CHALLENGES A NEW CENTURY IS DESTINED
TO BRING.
WE CAME AWAY FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE WITH A SOLID CONSENSUS
THAT WHAT MATTERS MOST IS RESULTS. // A FEW DAYS FROM NOW, THE
GOVERNORS AND MEMBERS OF MY ADMINISTRATION WHO TOGETHER -
CONSTITUTE THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL WILL TELL US JUST
HOW FAR AMERICA NEEDS To GO TO REACH OUR GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2000.
WE ALREADY KNOW THE BAD NEWS: THIS NEW "NATIONAL REPORT CARD"
ISN'T GOING TO BE ONE WE WANT TO POST ON OUR REFRIGERATORS. THE
POINT IS, IT'S A PLACE To START: FINDING OUT WHERE WE STAND IS
THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS MOVING FORWARD. //
FOR A LONG TIME -- TOO LONG -- WE SPENT OUR TIME AND ENERGY
TALKING ABOUT REFORM RATHER THAN TAKING ACTION. THAT'S CHANGING
NOW. / WE'RE CHARTING A NEW COURSE FOR THIS NATION'S SCHOOLS.
IN THAT EFFORT, YOUR SCHOOLS ARE THE PIONEERS -- THE ONES BLAZING
A TRAIL THE REST WILL FOLLOW. THE LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT WE'RE
LOOKING FOR IN THE YEAR 2000 ARE THE GOALS YOU'RE SHOOTING FOR
TODAY. //
WE HERE IN WASHINGTON CAN LEND A HAND, BUT THE REAL
REVOLUTION TAKES PLACE IN THE COMMUNITIES YOU CALL HOME. WHEN
YOU COME FROM AS FAR AWAY AS KALAHEO HIGH IN HAWAII, ALASKA'S
EAST ANCHORAGE HIGH SCHOOL OR HAHN AMERICAN HIGH PLACE SCHOOL ON $ HAHN - undertine?
AIR FORCE BASE IN GERMANY -- OR AS NEAR TO THIS HOUSE AS D.C.'s
OWN BENJAMIN BANNEKER AND HINE JUNIOR HIGH -- YOU SEE AT A GLANCE
THAT EACH SCHOOL TRAVELS ITS OWN PATH To EXCELLENCE. //
4
[[ONE SAD NOTE FOR THE KIDS HERE WHO MADE THE SHORT TRIP
HERE FROM BANNEKER AND HINE: IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'LL BE BACK IN
CLASS BY 7TH PERIOD. ]] //
SOME SCHOOLS HERE TODAY MIRROR THE COMMUNITIES THEY COME
FROM. THEIR SUCCESSES REFLECT YEARS OF LOVE, INTEREST AND JUST
PLAIN HARD WORK FROM COMMUNITIES THAT CARE. SOME OF THE SCHOOLS
REPRESENTED HERE TODAY TRIUMPHED AGAINST ALL ODDS -- IN SPITE OF
CRUEL SURROUNDINGS. FOR THEIR STUDENTS, THESE SCHOOLS ARE
ISLANDS OF CALM IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS. //
THAT DRIVES HOME TODAY'S LESSON: THERE'S NO BLUEPRINT FOR
THE ONE SCHOOL THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE -- BUT THERE IS A BLUE
RIBBON FOR EVERY SCHOOL THAT WORKS BEST. //
TAKE GENESIS -- AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL FOR KIDS WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. GENESIS BEGAN AS A VISTA PROGRAM
BACK IN THE MID 70's. TODAY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF ITS FUNDS
COME FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR -- FROM NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE
THE UNITED WAY, DOWN TO LOCAL BUSINESSES. GENESIS SERVES THE
KIDS WHO HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE CRACKS: THE DROP OUTS, THE TEEN
MOTHERS -- CHILDREN COPING WITH BROKEN HOMES AND SHATTERED HOPES.
IT TURNS AROUND TWO-THIRDS OF THE TROUBLED KIDS THAT COME THROUGH
ITS DOORS, PREPARES THEM TO GO BACK TO THEIR OLD SCHOOLS, OR GO
ON TO GET A G.E.D. / FOR THESE STUDENTS, GENESIS IS LITERALLY A
NEW BEGINNING -- A SECOND CHANCE THAT GIVES THEM THEIR BEST SHOT
AT A PROMISING FUTURE. ///
THE SCHOOLS WE HONOR TODAY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES,
SERVE STUDENTS OF ALL RACES, CREEDS AND COLORS, FROM AMERICA'S
5
MAJOR CITIES TO OUR SMALLEST TOWNS. EACH ONE OF YOU REPRESENTS
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG -- THE COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, PRINCIPALS, PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITIES
YOU COME FROM.
CONSIDER ONE OF THE SMALLEST SCHOOLS HERE TODAY, CRAFTSBURY
ACADEMY -- A 180-STUDENT PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE VERMONT FARM
COUNTRY, IN A TOWN CALLED CRAFTSBURY COMMON. TIMES ARE TOUGH IN
CRAFTSBURY, BUT ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES HAVEN'T STOPPED THAT
COMMUNITY FROM GIVING ITS CHILDREN EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY To
LEARN. / I THINK IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT CRAFTSBURY THAT WHEN
THE TEACHERS VOTED TO SEND SOMEONE TO TODAY'S CEREMONY, THEY SENT
A parent. / Gary Houston -- a past graduate of Craftsbury,
whose four kids go there now -- please accept our thanks for all
the moms and dads who understand what powerful teachers parents
can be. //
So today, your shining example must spark the revolution in
American education -- spur reforms that will literally re-invent
the American school. Each of your schools is well on the way to
where all of us must be. We'll reach our goals by challenging
the best minds and big thinkers out there to help us create a new
generation of American schools -- and have these schools up and
running in every Congressional district across America by the
year 1996. By challenging every city and town to join the
crusade -- become an America 2000 Community. And I'm proud to
tell you that, so far, 9 states, and 1 territory are already part
of the great and growing America 2000 Community. I assure you:
6
there is room for every state, city and town across this country.
We've got to start now -- improve those schools that lag
behind, and make our best schools better still. / We won't
write anyone off -- we won't waste time wringing our hands about
the fact that the year 2000 is little more than eight years away.
Look at it from a child's point of view: eight years is a
lifetime of learning. Let's spend the time between now and the
year 2000 opening a whole new world of possibility for our
children. //
That's the spirit that will get us to our goals for the year
2000. One community at a time, one school at a time -- one
student at a time: for the sake of our future, we will win this
new American revolution. //
Once again, congratulations. When you get home with your
Blue Ribbons, please share my thanks with everyone who makes your
schools so successful. Thank you -- and may God bless the United
States of America.
# # #
Bhris Goodwin
ack: Florus/ LAMAR/ ON DIAS
7565
IEAD
DAND ANDERSON STAFF HOLDING RM.
DAVID T.
DEPT. sex KEARNS L. ARRIVE 401-3000 MATER
4/01-1000 (Hiedi)
SEC. OFFICE 5:45 pm
ALEXANDER 9/24/91
401-0404
Garlin Hosley
Stephanie
12 mins/telep.
9/25/91
7136-MRS. BUSH'S PRESS OFFICE - MKS. BUGH is A 1/23
SEC. ALERANDER is YES
Dept. Sec. DAVID HEARNS IS A NO
McGroarty/Bunton
September 23, 1991
7:00 pm
[RIBBON]
9/25/9
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CEREMONY
9:25am
SEPTEMBER 25, 1991
THE SOUTH LAWN e SAERATON, WDC
8:00 A.M. NOON
I know all of you were disappointed by the weather today.
We'd planned on hosting all 800 of you on the White House lawn -
- and here I'm the one who ended up making the field trip. //
[Introductory acknowledgements: Let me recognize the many
corporate contributors to the Blue Ribbon Program who are here
today -- and of course I'm pleased to introduce to you our first-
rate Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander. //]
Tam
I'm delighted to recognize the schools that represent this
Nation's Blue Ribbon best. // We've bestowed Blue Ribbons now
for nine years. Some of your schools are no strangers to the
winner's circle: today we host a record 32 two-time winners. /
We meet at a moment when this Nation has embarked on a
crusade for real reform in our schools -- a crusade we call
America 2000, a revolution that will ready us to enter the new
world now on our horizon. //
As you know, right now the news for American education as a
whole is anything but good. Part of the necessary business of
reform is to shine a light into the dark corners of the system -
- focus on the schools that aren't making the grade; shake people
out of their complacency and show them we need change. / But
2
there's another part of the business of building better schools
across America: shining the spotlight on schools that work, and
the people that make them work -- the success stories, like each
one of the [222] schools here today. //
Last December -- with the world's attention rightly focused
on Desert Shield -- I laid out five principles to guide our
efforts to restructure and revitalize our schools. With the
state of our schools back in the national spotlight, those
principles bear repeating today. //
First, we've got to raise expectations -- hold our schools
and students to a higher level of achievement. Second, we must
decentralize authority -- clear some room for our teachers and
principals to do what they do best: make learning come alive.
Third, we need responsive schools -- customer-driven. And that
means school choice: If we want to create a climate for change,
let parents decide which school, public or private, is best for
their kids. Fourth, we must make certain our schools are market-
oriented: Competition works in the business world; it can spur
excellence in our schools. Fifth and finally, we must make sure
our schools are performance-based. We need to measure our
schools by real results -- by the students they produce rather
than the resources we pour in. Quite simply, by what works.
Two years ago, I met with the Governors of your states at
the Education Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. There, in the
shadow of Mr. Jefferson's University, we set in motion the
process that identified six ambitious national education goals to
3
prepare our children for the challenges a new century is destined
to bring.
We came away from Charlottesville with a solid consensus
that what matters most is results. // A few days from now, the
Governors and members of my Administration who together
constitute the National Education Goals Panel will tell us just
how far America needs to go to reach our goals for the year 2000.
4
We already know the bad news: this new National Report Card
isn't going to be one we want to post on our refrigerators. The
point is, it's a place to start: finding out where we stand is
the first step towards moving forward. //
For a long time -- too long -- we spent our time and energy
talking about reform rather than taking action. That's changing
now. / We're charting a new course for this Nation's schools.
In that effort, your schools are the pioneers -- the ones blazing
a trail the rest will follow. The levels of achievement we're
looking for in the year 2000 are the goals you're shooting for
today. //
We here in Washington can lend a hand, but the real
revolution takes place in the communities you call home. When
you come from as far away as Kalaheo High in Hawaii, Alaska's
East Anchorage High School or Hahn American High School on Hahn
Air Force Base in Germany -- or as near to this House as D.C.'s
own Benjamin Banneker and Hine Junior High -- you see at a glance
that each school travels its own path to excellence. //
4
[[One sad note for the kids here who made the short trip
here from Banneker and Hine: it looks like you'll be back in
class by 7th period. ]] //
Some schools here today mirror the communities they come
from. Their successes reflect years of love, interest and just
plain hard work from communities that care. Some of the schools
represented here today triumphed against all odds -- in spite of
cruel surroundings. For their students, these schools are
islands of calm in the midst of chaos. //
That drives home today's lesson: There's no blueprint for
the one school that works for everyone -- but there is a Blue
Ribbon for every school that works best. //
Take Genesis -- an alternative school for kids with special
needs in Kansas City, Missouri. Genesis began as a VISTA program
back in the mid-'70's. Today, the vast majority of its funds
come from the private sector -- from national organizations like
the United Way, down to local businesses. Genesis serves the
kids who have fallen through the cracks: the drop outs, the teen
mothers -- children coping with broken homes and shattered hopes.
It turns around two-thirds of the troubled kids that come through
its doors, prepares them to go back to their old schools, or go
on to get a G.E.D. / For these students, Genesis is literally a
new beginning -- a second chance that gives them their best shot
at a promising future. ///
The schools we honor today come in all shapes and sizes,
serve students of all races, creeds and colors, from America's
5
major cities to our smallest towns. Each one of you represents
the tip of the iceberg -- the collective accomplishment of
teachers and students, principals, parents and the communities
you come from.
Consider one of the smallest schools here today, Craftsbury
Academy -- a 180-student public school in the Vermont farm
country, in a town called Craftsbury Common. Times are tough in
Craftsbury, but economic difficulties haven't stopped that
community from giving its children every possible opportunity to
learn. / I think it says something about Craftsbury that when
the teachers voted to send someone to today's ceremony, they sent
a parent. / Gary Houston -- a past graduate of Craftsbury,
whose four kids go there now -- please accept our thanks for all
the moms and dads who understand what powerful teachers parents
can be. //
So today, your shining example must spark the revolution in
American education -- spur reforms that will literally re-invent
the American school. Each of your schools is well on the way to
where all of us must be. We'll reach our goals by challenging
the best minds and big thinkers out there to help us create a new
generation of American schools -- and have these schools up and
running in every Congressional district across America by the
year 1996. By challenging every city and town to join the
crusade -- become an America 2000 Community. And I'm proud to
tell you that, so far, 9 states, 1 territory, and [xx]
communities are already part of the great and growing America
6
2000 Community. I assure you: there is room for every state,
city and town across this country.
We've got to start now -- improve those schools that lag
behind, and make our best schools better still. / We won't
write anyone off -- we won't waste time wringing our hands about
the fact that the year 2000 is little more than eight years away.
Look at it from a child's point of view: eight years is a
lifetime of learning. Let's spend the time between now and the
year 2000 opening a whole new world of possibility for our
children. //
That's the spirit that will get us to our goals for the year
2000. One community at a time, one school at a time -- one
student at a time: for the sake of our future, we will win this
new American revolution. //
Once again, congratulations. When you get home with your
Blue Ribbons, please share my thanks with everyone who makes your
schools so successful. Thank you -- and may God bless the United
States of America.
# # #
McGroarty/Bunton
September 23, 1991
7:00 pm
[RIBBON]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CEREMONY
SEPTEMBER 25, 1991
THE SOUTH LAWN
SHERATON
8:00 A.M. NOON
I know all of you were disappointed by the weather today.
850
We'd planned on hosting all 900 of you on the White House lawn -
- and here I'm the one who ended up making the field trip. //
[Introductory acknowledgements: Let me recognize the many
corporate contributors to the Blue Ribbon Program who are here
today -- and of course I'm pleased to introduce to you our first-
rate Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander. //]
I'm delighted to start the day by recognizing the schools
that represent this Nation's Blue Ribbon best. // We've
bestowed Blue Ribbons now for nine years. Some of your schools
are no strangers to this ceremony: today we host a record 32
two-time winners. /
We meet at a moment when this Nation has embarked on a
crusade for real reform in our schools -- a crusade we call
America 2000, a revolution that will ready us to enter a new
century capable of meeting its challenges. //
As you know, right now the news for American education as a
whole is anything but good. Part of the necessary business of
reform is to shine a light into the dark corners of the system -
- focus on the schools that aren't making the grade; shake people
4
[[One sad note for the kids here who made the short trip
from Banneker and Hine: it looks like you'll be expected back in
class for 7th period. ]] //
Some schools here today mirror the communities they come
from. Their successes reflect years of love, interest and just
plain hard work from communities that care. Some of the schools
represented here today triumphed against all odds -- in spite of
cruel surroundings. For their students, these schools are
islands of calm in the midst of chaos. //
That drives home today's lesson: There's no blueprint for
the one school that works for everyone -- but there is a Blue
Ribbon for every school that works best. //
Take Genesis -- an alternative school for kids with special
needs in Kansas City, Missouri. Genesis began as a VISTA program
back in the mid-'70's. Today, the vast majority of its funds
come from the private sector -- from national organizations like
the United Way, down to local businesses. Genesis serves the
kids who have fallen through the cracks: the drop outs, the teen
mothers -- children coping with broken homes and shattered hopes.
It turns around two-thirds of the troubled kids that come through
its doors, prepares them to go back to their old schools, or go
on to get a G.E.D. / For these students, Genesis is literally a
new beginning -- a second chance that gives them their best shot
at a promising future. ///
The schools we honor today come in all shapes and sizes,
serve students of all races, creeds and colors, from America's
McGroarty/Bunton
September 23, 1991
7:00 pm
[RIBBON]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CEREMONY
SEPTEMBER 25, 1991
THE SOUTH LAWN SHERATON- W.D.C.
8:00 A.M. NOON /LUNCHEON ADDRESS
attached
With apologies for the early hour, it's my pleasure to
see
welcome all of you to the White House. Here you are - the
ultimate field trip. // [Introductory acknowledgements Let me
recognize the many corporate contributors to the Blue Ribbon
Program who are here today -- and of course I'm pleased to
introduce to you our first-rate Secretary of Education, Lamar
Alexander. //]
to
I'm delighted to start the day by recogniz e the schools
that represent this Nation's Blue Ribbon best. // We've
bestowed Blue Ribbons now for nine years. Some of your schools
the winner's oricle:
are no strangers to this ceremony: today we host a record 32
two-time winners. /
We meet at a moment when this Nation has embarked on a
crusade for real reform in our schools --- a crusade we call
America 2000, a revolution that will ready us to enter the new
world now on our horizon. //
As you know, right now the news for American education as a
whole is anything but good. Part of the necessary business of
reform is to shine a light into the dark corners of the system -
- focus on the schools that aren't making the grade; shake people
2
out of their complacency and show them we need change. / But
there's another part of the business of building better schools
across America: shining the spotlight on schools that work, and
the people that make them work -- the success stories, like each
one of the [222] schools here today. //
Last December -- with the world's attention rightly focused
on Desert Shield -- I laid out five principles to guide our
efforts to restructure and revitalize our schools. With the
state of our schools back in the national spotlight, those
principles bear repeating today. //
First, we've got to raise expectations -- hold our schools
and students to a higher level of achievement. Second, we must
decentralize authority -- clear some room for our teachers and
principals to do what they do best: make learning come alive.
Third, we need responsive schools -- customer-driven. And that
means school choice: If we want to create a climate for change,
let parents decide which school, public or private, is best for
their kids. Fourth, we must make certain our schools are market-
oriented: Competition works in the business world; it can spur
excellence in our schools. Fifth and finally, we must make sure
our schools are performance-based, We need to measure our
schools by real results -- by the students they produce rather
than the resources we pour in. Quite simply, by what works.
Two years ago, I met with the Governors of your states at
the Education Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. There, in the
shadow of Mr. Jefferson's University, we set in motion the
3
process that identified six ambitious national education goals to
prepare our children for the challenges a new century is destined
to bring.
We came away from Charlottesville with a solid consensus
that what matters most is results. // A few days from now, the
Governors and members of my Administration who together
constitute the National Education Goals Panel will tell us just
how far America needs to go to reach our goals for the year 2000.
We already know the bad news: this new National Report Card
isn't going to be one we want to post on our refrigerators. The
point is, it's a place to start: finding out where we stand is
the first step towards moving forward. //
For a long time -- too long -- we spent our time and energy
talking about reform rather than taking action. That's changing
now. / We're charting a new course for this Nation's schools.
In that effort, your schools are the pioneers -- the ones blazing
a trail the rest will follow. The levels of achievement we're
looking for in the year 2000 are the goals you're shooting for
today. //
We here in Washington can lend a hand, but the real
revolution takes place in the communities you call home. When
you come from as far away as Kalaheo High in Hawaii, Alaska's
East Anchorage High School or Hahn American High School on Hahn
Air Force Base in Germany -- or as near to this House as D.C.'s
own Benjamin Banneker and Hine Junior High -- you see at a glance
that each school travels its own path to excellence. //
Hached
4
sel
[[One sad note for the kids here who made the short trip
here from Banneker and Hine: we started so early, I it looks
5th (?)
like you'll be back in class by 3rd period. ]] //
Some schools here today mirror the communities they come
from. Their successes reflect years of love, interest and just
plain hard work from communities that care. Some of the schools
represented here today triumphed against all odds -- in spite of
cruel surroundings. For their students, these schools are
islands of calm in the midst of chaos. //
That drives home today's lesson: There's no blueprint for
the one school that works for everyone - but there is a Blue
Ribbon for every school that works best. //
Take Genesis - an alternative school for kids with special
needs in Kansas City, Missouri. Genesis began as a VISTA program
back in the mid-'70's. Today, the vast majority of its funds
come from the private sector -- from national organizations like
the United Way, down to local businesses. Genesis serves the
kids who have fallen through the cracks: the drop outs, the teen
mothers -- children coping with broken homes and shattered hopes.
It turns around two-thirds of the troubled kids that come through
its doors, prepares them to go back to their old schools, or go
on to get a G.E.D. / For these students, Genesis is literally a
new beginning -- a second chance that gives them their best shot
at a promising future. ///
The schools we honor today come in all shapes and sizes,
serve students of all races, creeds and colors, from America's
5
major cities to our smallest towns. Each one of you represents
the tip of the iceberg -- the collective accomplishment of
teachers and students, principals, parents and the communities
you come from.
Consider one of the smallest schools here today, Craftsbury
Academy --- a 180-student public school in the Vermont farm
country, in a town called Craftsbury Common. Times are tough in
Craftsbury, but economic difficulties haven't stopped that
community from giving its children every possible opportunity to
learn. / I think it says something about Craftsbury that when
the teachers voted to send someone to today's ceremony, they sent
a parent. / Gary Houston --- a past graduate of Craftsbury,
whose four kids go there now please accept our thanks for all
the moms and dads who understand what powerful teachers parents
can be. //
So today, your shining example must spark the revolution in
American education -- spur reforms that will literally re-invent
the American school. Each of your schools is well on the way to
where all of us must be. We'll reach our goals by challenging
the best minds and big thinkers out there to help us create a new
generation of American schools -- and have these schools up and
running in every Congressional district across America by the
year 1996. By challenging every city and town to join the
crusade -- become an America 2000 Community. And I'm proud to
tell you that, SO far, [X] 9 states and [xx] communities are
A 1 territory,
already part of the great and growing America 2000 Community. I
6
assure you: there is room for every state, city and town across
this country.
We've got to start now -- improve those schools that lag
behind, and make our best schools better still. / We won't
write anyone off -- we won't waste time wringing our hands about
the fact that the year 2000 is little more than eight years away.
Look at it from a child's point of view: eight years is a
lifetime of learning. Let's spend the time between now and the
year 2000 opening a whole new world of possibility for our
children. //
That's the spirit that will get us to our goals for the year
2000. One community at a time, one school at a time - one
student at a time: for the sake of our future, we will win this
new American revolution.
//
Once again, welcome congratalation@ to the White House. I When you get home
with your Blue Ribbons, please share my thanks with everyone who
makes your schools so successful. Thank you -- and may God bless
the United States of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
01 SEP 23 P7: 00
September 23, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
TONY SNOW TS
FROM:
DAN McGROARTY Dr.r.
SUBJECT:
BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS REMARKS
On Wednesday, September 25 at 8 a.m., you will deliver
remarks to an audience of 850 at the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Ceremony on the South Lawn. Sec. Alexander is expected to
attend. The audience is primarily composed of corporate
sponsors, students, administrators, faculty, and board members
from the 222 Blue Ribbon Schools.
Your remarks (approximately 12 minutes/cards) acknowledge
the achievements of the Blue Ribbon awardees, highlight several
schools, and discuss the merits of America 2000. The remarks
also restate the five education principles you laid out last
December.
24 September 1991
5 p.m.
MEMORANDUM FOR DAN McGROARTY
for Blue Ribbon Insert
FROM:
JEANNIE BUNTON B
/
SUBJECT:
DMCG AMERICA 2000 STATES AND COMMUNITIES
Per conversation with Jay Diskey (America 2000 News) through
9/20/91:
9 states and one territory
(Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon,
American Samoa, Maine, Maryland,
Nebraska, Minnesota, Delaware, and
Vermont)
X
and
too many communities to count most accurate to say "hundreds have
expressed interest and many have become
"
9/19/91
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
E41
Blue Publon
is staffed.
DMS
See you tomorrer
McGroarty/Bunton
September 19, 1991
2:30 pm
[RIBBON]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CEREMONY
SEPTEMBER 25, 1991
THE SOUTH LAWN
8:00 A.M.
With apologies for the early hour, it's my pleasure to
welcome all of you to the White House. Here you are -- the
ultimate field trip. // [Introductory acknowledgements: Let me
recognize the many corporate contributors to the Blue Ribbon
Program who are here today -- and of course I'm pleased to
introduce to you our first-rate Secretary of Education, Lamar
Alexander. //]
I'm delighted to start the day by recognizing the schools
that represent this Nation's Blue Ribbon best. // This is the
We in been bestoning Bluckelbous we for 9 years.
(6861 3015)
ninth year we've bestowed Blue Ribbons. Some of your schools are
(NOT)
no strangers to this ceremony: today we host a record 32 two-
time winners. /
This year, we meet at a moment when this Nation has embarked
on a crusade for real reform in our schools -- a crusade we call
America 2000, a revolution that will ready us to meet enter a new
century capable of meeting its challenges. //
As you know, right now the news for American education as a
whole is anything but good. Part of the necessary business of
reform is to shine a light into the dark corners of the system -
- focus on the schools that aren't making the grade; shake people
2
out of their complacency and show them we need change. / But
there's another part of the business of building better schools
across America: shining the spotlight on schools that work --
the success stories, like each one of the 222 schools here today.
//
Your schools are the pioneers -- the ones blazing a trail
the rest will follow. The levels of achievement were looking for
in the year 2000 are the goals you're shooting for today. //
We here in Washington can lend a hand, but th ereal
revolution takes place in the communities you call home. When
you come from as far away as Kalaheo High in Hawaii, Alaska's
East Anchorage High School or Hahn American High School on { HAHN AIR
FORCE
} Base in Germany -- or as near to this House as D.C.'s own
(HIGH)
Benjamin Banneker and Hine Junior High -- you see at a glance
that each school travels its own path to excellence. //
[ [One sad note for the kids here who made the short trip
here from Banneker and Hine: we've started so early, it looks
like you'll be back in class by 3rd period. ]] //
Some schools here today mirror the communities they come
es
from. Their success reflects the years of love, interest and
attention from a community that cares. Some of the schools
represented here today triumphed against all odds -- in spite of
cruel surroundings. For their students, these schools are
islands of calm in the midst of chaos. //
3
That drives home today's lesson: There's no blueprint for
the one school that works for everyone -- but there is a Blue
Ribbon for every school that works best. //
Take Genesis -- an alternative school for kids with special
Au CAPS
needs in Kansas City, Missouri. Genesis began as a Vista program
Ned
(1975)
Kverb
back in the mid-'70's. Today, the vast majority of its funds come
from the private sector -- from national organizations like the
United Way, down to local businesses. Genesis serves the kids
who have fallen through the cracks: the drop outs, the teen
mothers -- children coping with broken homes and shattered hopes.
65%
It turns around two-thirds of the troubled kids that come through
its doors, prepares them to go back to their old schools, or go
Help
Anh
on
to
get
a
G.E.D.
/
For these students, Genesis is literally
a
new beginning -- a second chance at the education that give them
X
their best shot at a promising future.
The schools we honor today come in all shapes and sizes,
serve students of all races, creeds and colors, from America's
major cities to our smallest towns. Each one of you represents
the tip of the iceberg --- the collective accomplishment of
teachers and students, principles, parents and the communities
you come from.
principals
Consider one of the smallest schools here today, Craftsbury
ok
ok
Academy -- a 180-student public school in the Vermont farm
township
country, in a town called Craftsbury Common. Times are tough in
Craftsbury, but economic difficulties haven't stopped that
community from giving its children every possible opportunity to
4
learn. / I think it says something about Craftsbury that when
the teachers voted to send someone to today's ceremony, they sent
a parent. / Gary Houston -- a past graduate of Craftsbury,
whose four kids go there now -- please accept our thanks for all
the moms and dads who understand what powerful teachers parents
can be. //
So today, your shining example must spark the revolution in
American education -- spur reforms that will literally re-invent
the American school. Each of your schools are well on the way to
where all of us must be. We'll reach our goals by challenging
the best minds and big thinkers out there to help us create a new
generation of American schools -- and have these schools up and
running in every Congressional district across America by the
year 1996. By challenging every city and town to join the
crusade -- become an America 2000 Community. By beginning now to
make our bad schools become good, and our best schools better
still.
We won't write anyone off -- we won't waste time wringing
our hands about the fact that the year 2000 is little more than
eight years away. Look at it from a child's point of view:
eight years is a lifetime of learning. Let's spend the time
between now and the year 2000 opening a whole new world of
possibility for our children. //
That's the spirit that will get us to our goals for the year
2000. One school at a time -- one student at a time: for the
sake of our future, we will win this new American revolution. //
5
Once again, welcome to the White House. When you get home
with your Blue Ribbons, please share my thanks with everyone who
makes your schools so successful. Thank you -- and may God bless
the United States of America.
# # #
18 SEPTEMBER 1991
9:15 a.m.
MEMORANDUM FOR DAN McGROARTY
FROM:
JEANNIE BUNTON R
SUBJECT:
BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS
JAMES MADISON MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL:
Madison, Wisconsin
Convo with Carolyn Taylor, principal
"We don't think we have arrived at excellence last year or
in one year, nor have we achieved it; it's a journey."
FIRST TIME MADISON HAS WON ON NATIONAL LEVEL
find another
Attending: Mr. Carroll Theobald, English teacher, Chair of
English dept., selected by school staff to attend the event;
largremains.
B
Carolyn Taylor, principal, Shirley Baum, ast. superintendent
for secondary education and former principal of school
from
Madison: is small urban city of 200,000 with four large
public high schools, all schools are about the same size;
increasingly diverse community both ethnically and
economically, state Capital, Univ. of Wisconsin main campus
deamonding the
urban/big urban
located there, called it a small urban setting, increase in
crime, increase in violent acts, up from Chicago on
interstate.
neat thing is on same graduation stage have students going
to Harvard and Stanford and students who are first person
from their family to graduate.
CRAFTSBURY ACADEMY
Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Convo with Richard Shanley, principal
1964 graduak
Craftsbury Common is a very rural community (farming
community), blend of people, retirees and poor, a bedroom
of Craftsbury
community - some people commute 70-80 miles away to work, in
the 1-6 grade programs about 50% of the students qualify for
the free and reduced lunch program
bd. of
large landowner, by far largest Farmer
Attendees: Gary Houston, selected by teachers to attend, not wealthy
he's a parent, a large farm owner, former school board
member and member of Craftsbury trustees who build a $1 helped finance
#kids in
million resource center for the school, which includes a
or school thru that longE
telecommunications center (recently students studied Russian
Language and Culture through this system and a parent
father of 4 children enrolled
Megan - a sophomore
a sixth grader Jesse (mak)
Jody(Man) freshman
Anne - second anwher
volunteered to take the class and monitor it), computer lab,
library, classrooms,
Student Jason Masse (Mass EEE) 17 year-old, senior, chosen
by faculty and staff because he is a model student, student
council member and athlete, currently co-captain of the boys
varsity soccer team, member of the 1990 boys varsity soccer
team which won the Division 4 State champions ship (16-0
record) and a member of the 1991 Division 4 boys State
Runner-up basketball team,
Principal - Richard Shanley
Walter Gutzman (GOOTZ MAN) a science teacher at the school,
is a 1959 (3) graduate of the Craftsbury school.
1958
Celebration planned Oct. 11
School open since 1829, mascot "The Chargers" - a charging
horse, colors blue and white
FURTHEST/CLOSEST:
East Anchorage High School, AK
Kalaheo High, HI
Ponce De Leon High, PR
Colegio Ponceno, PR
9/18/91
Hine Junior High, DC
Benjamin Banneker High, DC
DOD school I
Gylin Hooley 3:45
is Comy form
Germany
what why?
Dr.Dennis
McGuane Mc Guane
(mswayne)
Hahn American High School
cowy all 496 543 3307
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22
Craftsbury Academy
Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Rationale
Craftsbury Academy actively involves the local community in its
educational programming and offers its students state-of-the-art educational
technology. Founded in 1829 and recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 1990-
91, Craftsbury Academy is & public school that serves 180 students in grades
5-12. The region has suffered through an economic turn-down for several
years, and as a result its average personal income ranks in the bottom 10
for area? for the township
percent nationally. A majority of adults in the area have not continued their
education beyond high school graduation.
Project Description
Craftsbury maintains close ties with community members, graduates, and
local institutions. Some parents teach classes to prepare students for annual
thematic-study expeditions to locations, such as Washington, DC, New York
City, and Canada, that emphasize cultural and ethnic awareness. Craftsbury
has access to local college libraries and uses college gymnasiums for physical
education classes. The Green Mountain Teen Institute trains Craftsbury
students in peer intervention strategies to deal with alcohol and drug abuse.
Its students take part in a local college's Outward Bound program for low-
income, college-bound youth.
Although it is one of the smallest schools in the state, Craftsbury
Academy offers its students access to a wide variety of technologically
advanced learning materials. With a $50,000 private donation, the school
purchased a satellite dish that links students and teachers to a number of
universities across the country. Students take satellite-transmitted courses
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POTUS DID
NASA ona/17/91
23
TELEUNFORDNCE
in Russian and advanced math and have held teleconferences with NASA
officials. Students use the school's computer lab to develop computer
programs in BASIC, Cobol, and Pascal. They can also study meteorology with
the help of weather data and photos transmitted to their computers from local
weather stations. Music students compose songs using several new
synthesizers.
Seventh and eighth grade students at Craftsbury score, on average, 1.5
to 2.0 years above grade level in reading and math on national exams.
Students also perform well above average on SAT tests, compared with students
from similar backgrounds. The average daily attendance rate is 93 percent,
and only four students have dropped out of the school during the last five
years. The school estimates that 60 percent of its students continue their
education at a postsecondary institution.
last yr. 7020 went to college ( Shanly
su notes
Contact
Richard Shanley
Principal, Craftsbury Academy
9/17/91
P.O. Box 73
Craftsbury Common, VT 05827
(802) 586-2541
Called a 4. pm
lane Aink
farming communty
called 9/18/91 @ 3:40p.m.
unergloyed, retired,
spoke u/ Jane Link
bedroom community
Mural-Mau
Me lydate on Gary Houston
place
Criftsbuy a
11:30 9/18/91
Cono up Richard sharley
very Mural comminity (fams on deskin) Pringht
Bvt,
-
blend of people retries, and your School
commite 70-80 5 mils me anay
1-6 prog. free limit ab 504
and quantry
who attending?
paint, a businean onns sevent fams,
Gary Houston, seluted my teachers com
force bd, mtor; Graftsbing Toustee who helps
brine new min 52g computer lab, along,
science, classions (Massey) tele ammentings Aystem
student Jason Masse, (Sr.
any 4, 1974 - chosen by frangs XX, staff
17
as regard model - sports, student comil
soccor 1 b-ball
b. may 12,1941
teacher- - Walter Gntzman (GOOT2 MAN
Scrive graduate of Craftsburg academy (1959)
and pingzal - in 3rd yr. a School
90 Divisi 4 State change
celebration planied Oct, 11th first loss in 20 games
- boys varity Siccor 16-0
1829 - mascot the Chargers
hose blue's white
state
on both team
91- Dn 4 Boys run o
this On Co-cyplain of Soccer team
9-12 80 luids; 40 play starts yr. somed
Russian language is cluture
part montored S took come telecim up students
70u last 10 wat to college
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Genesis
Kansas City, Missouri
Rationale
Genesis is an independent alternative middle school serving youth aged
11-19 with special needs. The school improves the academic and living skills
of its disadvantaged population through partnerships with community service
agencies, family literacy and counseling programs, and an interdisciplinary
curriculum that draws on students' interests and backgrounds. Begun in 1975
as a federally-funded VISTA program, the nonprofit school now receives 75
percent of its funding from private sources, including businesses,
foundations, and the United Way, and 25 percent from local government sources.
Genesis enrolls approximately 60 basic skills students and 30 G.E.D.
students at any given time, with a total of 300 students enrolled throughout
the 11-month school year. In addition, the school serves 200 teenage mothers
and family members annually through the Family Unit Literacy program. Eighty-
five percent of Genesis students come from single-parent, minority families
living below the poverty line, and 35 percent of the femále students are unwed
mothers. Recognized as a Blue Ribbon school in 1990-91, Genesis' student
population is over 80 percent black, 11 percent white, 4 percent Hispanic, and
3 percent Native American.
Project Description
Genesis has created an elaborate collaborative network with community
agencies, health and social service providers, businesses, and other local
organizations. These collaborative efforts provide financial support to the
school, raise public awareness of its mission, and increase the ability of the
1
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17
school to deliver varied services. The Family Unit Literacy program for
teenage mothers and their children unites child care providers, public
transportation, social services, and employment training agencies in an effort
to help young families function effectively and become self-sufficient.
Another collaborative effort, the At-Risk Task Force, brings together 200
community agencies and 300 local businesses to help reduce the dropout rate
and provide support for teenage parents.
Genesis' goals reflect its commitment to preparing at-risk youth and
families for a successful and productive future. Its objective is to ensure
that each student either returns to public school, earns a GED, enrolls in
college, or obtains employment. The school uses a mix of basic skills and
critical thinking skills instruction, cultural and artistic programs, and
counseling to help its students. One of Genesis' most important elements is
its use of a service delivery model that emphasizes the holistic treatment of
families and their interrelated needs. A case manager works closely with each
family and with school personnel to guide and support youth and their
families. Afterschool and Saturday programs provide an opportunity for
teenage mothers and children to work with school staff and for teenage fathers
to participate in child-rearing.
Staff involvement in decision making is another hallmark of Genesis's
educational program. Each teacher is responsible for planning and
implementing a schoolwide program; examples include Ethnic Awareness Month,
the Writers' Program, Women's and Men's Groups, Read-A-Thons, student radio
shows, and student government. Faculty members developed a multicultural,
thematic curriculum to enrich students' academic experience. Teachers also
2
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18
conduct local and national workshops on strategies for educating at-risk
children and youth.
Based on its stated goals, Genesis achieves a 65 percent success rate, a
remarkable record given its high-risk population. Average daily attendance is
81 percent, with 16 to 21 percent of students dropping out. Students show
modest academic improvement on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and on special
reading tests designed to measure their progress in the Writers' Project.
Contact
Hilt - Resource Development
Mamie Isler -(Susan ast.)
Executive Director, Genesis
3831 East 43rd
Kansas City, MO 64130
(816) 921-0775
AVIGTA PROJECT
heart of inner city - altenative innur city schorl for at mike youth
- located in 38th distrut mosty am in af am. connity
tower slass, writing class mighborhord
family oriented school
no mascot no school colors
most students L return to public schools -
some git GED there; majorn return 2 pubhi school 1-2 yrs or less - -
students for one reason or ansthu have not achieved Auxen in public school
first award
first and olny
AIAN M. DuBois dir of School
Administration
Staff
\
MAMIE ISLÉR (155 LER) NOT (12) program director
John OFFICER - and Coor. of youth Services
65 of students au-positurly gland - don't go back to Conts don't drop out
(enrollment) - 450 youth/yr.
Conoiderable # for people considerns 3 lopurs
a local
anecdotal: when a stoy as award; approved in the paper
one parent whote a letter want to know why 1 aidn't
make front page
story on news ald school - CA image
My family k b put of somth' 50 Rrs.
staff- commisted -
team mangent approve
Generir - Men beging
student Hastess
sucess storin
Genesis on air
thant, troubed stude in 2yrs. now host radis shon
15
has a full scholarship to an area printed school
Janae Gaston
/ put of School 4 gr. has received her GED and now secretarial
17
work 4 Genere you to cony a tan.
Debbii wade
Joseph Newto, was fail told he had because diability,
18
to Part Institute (kansas city) now in College -
the 1/ 1.5 yr. grademted 7 school; Jr. given Scholarship
(we
have given students a voice- its' about enporverment
help then fine this min- - Ao they Can help others find theirs. 11