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SUNTUM M @ A1
08/31/98 04:57:00 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
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CC:
Subject: 1998-08/31-REMARKS BY PRESIDENT DURING ED. ROUNDT.DISC.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
August 31, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
DURING EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Herndon Elementary School
Herndon, Virginia
12:45 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Let me just say very briefly before I
move on, you probably know this because you talked about how your
school was growing. But I believe Secretary Riley, I think it was
last year was the first year that we actually had a school class from
kindergarten through high school bigger than the baby boom
generation. And this explosion of children into our schools has
created enormous strains on school districts all across America.
I was in a school in Florida -- I believe it had 17
trailers outside
THE SUPERINTENDENT: We have that beat, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: This was just one school, not a school
district, and it was amazing. But there was an article in The
Washington Post and in other newspapers over the weekend about the
teacher shortage in America, and I'm very concerned about it. We
have two proposals: One is to put 35,000 teachers in the most
difficult and underserved areas in the country -- it's part of our
budget -- the other would put 100,000 teachers out there across the
country in the first three grades, to try to keep class size down
below 20. And I think those things are very, very important.
(Applause.)
One of the things I'm hoping I can to is to persuade the
Congress in the next month to embrace the idea that we clearly have a
national obligation now to support what is a national phenomenon, the
explosion of the number of schoolchildren in our schools. So when
you say what it did, it made me want to think about that.
I'd like to go on now to JoAnn Shackelford, because it
seems to be a logical follow-up to what you about the diversity of
your student body and teaching people to read and this Saturday
Program, which I'm very interested in. It sounds to me like
something everybody ought to be doing.
MS. SHACKELFORD: Thank you. First of all, I wanted to
tell you, welcome to our school. We're so excited you're here. Miss
Freeman is a hard act to follow, so I won't try. But I do have a few
things to ask for. (Laughter and applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Who picked this questioner? (Laughter.)
MS. SHACKELFORD: There's a couple. I'll be quick. Our
staff, most of which are seated in the first three rows out here,
firmly believe that all of our students can learn to read by the end
of third grade, and they will then become lifetime learners, not only
readers. But to achieve this goal, we are very convinced that we
need smaller class sizes. (Applause.) And we also need intervention
in the early grades before it's too late.
We have two programs here at Herndon that I'm going to
talk a little bit about. The first one is one I know you're familiar
with from Arkansas; it's the Reading Recovery Program. Reading
Recovery teachers, there are two of us, work very closely with
classroom teachers, which is the key to build a program for these
students. And these are usually our lowest-achieving first-graders.
And we build on their strengths and we make them become not only good
readers, but lifelong readers. And we have been very successful here
with that program.
It's really the highlight of my day when I come to work
and I spend that two hours with my four Reading Recovery students and
watch them learn to read; it's exciting. But because of our large
size -- here comes the asking part -- (laughter) -- and only two
trained Reading Recovery students, we're not able to reach all of our
students; we have a long waiting list of students that would like to
be, that need that support. So we would like to see this program
expanded in all of our schools across the nation. (Applause.)
The second program that's probably the dearest one to my
heart is our Excel Saturday Program. We fondly call it here
"Saturday School." And if you came to our library and our cafeteria
on any given Saturday, you would find about 90 of our students and
about 60 to 70 students from Herndon High School and other area high
schools who have actually gotten out of bed -- (laughter) -- to come
here. And the high school students serve not only as the tutors, but
as the mentors and as the role models for our students.
The teachers provide materials to help their academic
skills, and we also try to encourage our English as second language
students develop their English proficiency. We have four or five of
our teachers every Saturday and four or five of the high school
teachers here helping to provide guidance and encouragement for the
program. So that is a large commitment from our staff and from
)
Herndon High School.
We feel like this is a winning program for everyone --
not only for our students, but the high school students receive as
much benefit as we do. One of the things that's fun to watch is they
practice the languages that they're learning at the high school on
our native-speaking children and on our French immersion children.
So they're practicing, and yet the children are the teachers. It
also gives them a wonderful opportunity to give back to their
community, which is so important.
At the same time, Miss Freeman talked a little bit about
it, we capture the parents and we're able to provide -- discuss
parenting issues, and in my role we talk a lot about how important it
is to read to children; but not only in English, but in your own
native language. So that has been very beneficial. We also
translate the meetings into Spanish or any other language that is
needed that Saturday.
Now, what we would like is, we would like to be able to
expand this program to serve more students, provide transportation
for some of our students that aren't able to get here; we haven't
done that in the past, and scholarships for some of our high school
tutors so that they can go on. Many of our high school tutors are
English as second language students themselves who have gone through
the elementary school and are now in the high schools. So if we had
more funds, we could do all of those things. Thank you. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I'd just like to make a couple of
observations. First of all, I'll think about this high school
scholarship thing. The only high school scholarships directly for
service, community service, we have are the ones that I announced at
Penn State a couple of years ago, where we give a modest scholarship
that's matched in the local community to one person for outstanding
community service in high school.
So we now have 1,000 colleges and universities providing
reading volunteers through the America Reads Program to go into
schools to help young children learn to read, and most of them are
Work Study students, but a lot of them are not eligible for Work
Study and they just do it anyway. There may be something we can do
on that and I'll think about it.
The other thing I'd say is that I'm a big fan of the
Reading Recovery Program. And if you look at the research, it has
about the best long-term results of any strategy. But there is a
reason for it; it's very expensive because it's so labor-intensive.
And it's something that maybe Secretary Riley wants to talk about
this a little bit.
We've discussed before that whether the generalized
assistance we give to school districts for supportive programs like
this, or the states which then the school districts get, should be
more focused. And we've tried not to sort of pick and choose among
the various reading strategies because of the limited amount of money
and the large number of programs under way in the country.
But there's no question that the Reading Recovery
strategy, particularly when you've got a lot of young people whose
first language is not English, have had, I believe, the best
long-term results, but it's because it's so labor-intensive and is
quite expensive and it's something we need to look at.
Dick, you want to say anything about this?
SECRETARY RILEY: No, you said it correctly, that the
funds that we give out from the federal government, we really try to
have them flexible enough for you to use them for programs of this
kind, but that specific decision probably should be a local decision.
But, frankly, this reading by the end of the third grade we think is
probably as important as anything in this country. And if a child is
having difficulties, this concentration through the Reading Recovery
Program just makes so much sense to meet that national goal.
THE PRESIDENT: Maybe we should go on now to, since
we're talking about this subject, to Maria Gorski, who is a parent
liaison. And you talked about involving the parents, so talk a
little about that for us, Maria.
MS. GORSKI: Mr. President, welcome to Herndon
Elementary once again. We are aware of your busy schedule and we
appreciate your time here with us today. My concerns are about our
children's parents who have two -- up to three jobs, and they don't
have enough time to-help with homework for their children, because of
the language barriers and the lack of time to have family unity.
As the parent-liaison, I have the opportunity to observe
and learn how parents feel frustrated not being able to fully
understand the language, help their children and express their
concerns about their children's education. Parents, through my own
experience, have the willingness to learn the language and get better
skills to have a better future.
As you know, if they learn the language, better
opportunities, they can find better jobs and spend more time with
their children. They have requested programs for after school and
weekend tutoring for the children, and also for the parents, for
themselves. Please support our existing United Neighborhood Program,
which is being run by Captain Smith of the Herndon Police from
Herndon and the volunteers from our community. It's a tutoring
program that runs three nights as week, three evenings a week, from
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the volunteers come and tutor the
children.
I've been there a few times and the children, their
grades improve a great deal. So far, it's been successful, but I
said before, it's only -- runs with volunteers only. Please restore
the funding which is with support programs like ours, and allows them
to work better to make our community stronger. As you know, the
future relies on our children and now is the time to think about them
as well as for the parents.
Thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. How many parents volunteer
in this school? Do you know how many?
MISS FREEMAN: We clock the volunteers by hours that
they spend in the school, but I would say if you're looking roughly
for a figure, we have anywhere during the course of the year from 500
to maybe more than that in terms of volunteers coming in and out of
the building. We' also have, if you add to that number, volunteers
that work from home and send in materials or make things for us so
that we add those hours into the clocked hours for the year. So we
have a large volunteer corps.
THE PRESIDENT: What about the children who have both
parents work and maybe have two jobs? How do you work out time for
them to meet with the teachers and --
MS. GORSKI: That's -- usually since that's on
Saturdays, I do the translations for the Spanish parents, and the
conferences sometimes in the evenings, in the mornings, early
mornings. Sometimes, usually they have the day off and I try to work
it out for their own convenience and their own schedule. It's very
difficult, especially in November, for the conferences. But last
year, we had a lot of them that they made the conference.
THE PRESIDENT: What about -- how does the school work?
What does the Assistant Principal do to make sure that there are no
fires started and everybody sort of shows up more or less on time and
all of that? (Laughter.)
MS. ISAACSON: Well, life here at Herndon is very, very
interesting. And, Mr. President, despite recent events in the past
year concerning discipline and safety in the school, we at Herndon
Elementary believe that schools should and need to be one of the
safest places for our children. (Applause.)
Our teachers and staff are dedicated to meeting the
challenge of educating and nurturing every child that enters their
classroom. And by being proactive, we have fostered the importance
of building a sense of community within the classrooms and throughout
the school. Our teachers have been trained in discipline with
dignity strategies and teach the pillars of character education.
They get to know the children, they get to know the families. In
fact, many of them go to sporting events and dance recitals and take
the kids to Orioles ball games. We really have a very dedicated
staff.
Our counselors work with the students to learn
strategies to help themselves in peer mediation and conflict
resolution. They, too, go out; they outreach into the community,
into the homes. They run classes on parenting skills and also are a
very integral part of the Excel program.
The administration is very visible. And the reason we
are very visible is because we need to know the tone of the day. We
like to avoid problems, we like to be proactive, and also to get the
sense of the emotional state of our children. So we are visible by
greeting them every morning, by being in the cafeteria for breakfast
and for lunchtime. We try to model and convey that we care for our
children and we are there for them, that they know who they can go to
for help.
Our Go for the Gold program has really helped the
children set expectations and accomplish their goals, academically
and socially, and also our parents, our business partnership and our
community has been a very integral part of the team by tutoring, by
mentoring and for numerous volunteer hours.
Also, we have a very unique program here at Herndon
called "Adopt a Cop." And our local police come in and have lunch
with the children. And we find that extremely beneficial, because it
has heightened the awareness of the children about safety in the
school and within the community. So we are very, very proud of our
staff and our community, proactive work in discipline and safety,
because discipline and safety are important and are really some of
the most challenging issues we are dealing with as educators today.
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Last week, I went up to Worcester,
Massachusetts and released there this handbook that Secretary. Riley
and Attorney General Reno did for all the schools on trying to
identify children that have problems and trying to prevent things
from happening before they go too far. But I've tried to emphasize
to them that the schools -- still, schools are basically the safest
places in the country for our kids. But when something goes wrong,
it can be terribly tragic.
But I think it's important that the American people know
that most schools have people like you in them and other people who
are really working hard to do their part to help the children grow up
in a safe, secure environment so they can learn. And I know
Secretary Riley, he mentioned the Character Education Program; he's
been promoting that and worked hard for it ever since we've been
here, and I thank him.
What about the teachers? It's about time we heard
MS. BELL: We're excited, Mr. President. I know at this
time of the year, we're all setting up our classrooms and wondering
when those students are ready to come in and meet us. But we also
are realistic and look at the challenges that each individual child
will bring to our classroom. And also, we need to think about how do
we communicate with the parents? How do we share our expectations
and how do we get them to work together with us as a team.
It's hard enough for seasoned teachers to prepare. But
for brand-new teachers who are just entering the profession, in
Fairfax County we feel it's important to provide a mentor so they can
have support and encouragement and maybe somebody just to listen to
their stories and to give them what they need.
We also provide a colleague teacher to anybody new to
the county, but who has taught before, because across the nation, we
do things a little bit differently. I think, too, we need to make
sure that we can convince our middle school and high school students
that teaching is a wonderful profession. (Applause.) We need to
provide funding so maybe a child who is afraid they can't afford
college can be provided that. But then, we also need to go one step
further, and when they do choose education, make sure we're there as
experienced teachers giving the support that a new teacher needs.
I think across the board in our school, we try to have a
really strong mentorship program. And I think it goes across our
staff. If you can share with one another, it just keeps building.
Because as teachers, we never stop learning and we should never stop
reaching out to help others. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: What's the most challenging thing that
new teachers face -- first-year teachers?
MS. BELL: I think it's that first conference,
sometimes, with the parent, or the first phone call and you're not
sure what the concern is from the parent, because you want to
establish rapport immediately with the parent, because if you
establish that rapport, the rest of the year is so much easier. And
so we need to reach out to our parents and make sure they know that
we're there to work with them. And we need to share that with the
beginning teachers. Don't be afraid of parents. (Laughter.)
They're there to learn with us, and we must be there for them.
THE PRESIDENT: I could use her in any number of
positions. (Laughter and applause.) We've got an airplane strike in
the Midwest I think you could -- (laughter) -- and I'd appreciate it.
MISS FREEMAN: Mr. President, she's taken. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: But one of those parents who is sitting
to your left, Mr. Lewis, you're the PTA President. First of all, I
know this is not what you are going to say, but what do you do when
you're not the PTA President and why did you decide to do this?
MR. LEWIS: Well, Mr. President, before I answer that
question -- (laughter) -- by way of beginning, we at Herndon
Elementary, along with the chorus of voices across this nation want
to take this moment to commend you and your administration for your
unwavering commitment to the notion of quality education for millions
of schoolchildren in America. (Applause.)
We ask you, Mr President, to continue to press forward.
Simply stated, Mr. President, we want to say that we appreciate you,
and thank you. (Applause.)
Now, to answer your question specifically, Mr.
President, my day job is with Communities in Schools, so I'm working
with Bill Milligan; I know you know him. And, of course, we are the
largest stay in school program in the nation, and we're in over 1,000
schools across the country, we serve over 350,000 to 500,000
schoolchildren a year. I have a deep, burning passion to help
children to achieve their capacity and potential, as well as everyone
around this panel and those that occupy the audience today.
My daughter, Christina Lewis, who is here with us today
-- (applause) is a student at Herndon Elementary School, and it
seems to me that everyone has an incumbent obligation to contribute
to their community in every way they possibly can, and that brought
me to the PTA. And let me say very quickly that the PTA is composed
of teachers and parents and administrators that are world-class in
every way and it makes my job very easy.
I do want to say, Mr. President, that in your Inaugural
metaphor that you used to call the nation to action, that is,
building bridges to the 21st century, the PTA at Herndon Elementary
School is about building bridges, it's about connecting the
disconnect, it's about building a community context around the school
and every student within the school.
Secretary Riley has talked often about the fault lines
in America, the emerging fault lines in America. And what we're
about as a PTA is building bridges across those fault lines. And let
me tell you how we do that, Mr. President. We build community around
the school, around every student in the school, and we have something
called "Guiding Principles" that inform our decision-making. There
are 10, and there are 10 guiding principles because someone came down
off a mountain once with 10 principles, so we try to approximate
that.
Number one: We believe that within every child there is
greatness. Number two: We believe that all children can learn.
Number three: We believe that all children should be affirmed and
validated. Number four: Every child should feel safe, cared about
and capable. We call these four principles, the Principles that
Produce Social Capital, that every child can draw upon in order to
realize their capacity, potential, hopes and aspirations.
Number five: We believe that effective schools should
have a abiding source quality. That is, we should constantly examine
whether or not we are providing value for our customers in terms of
adequacy, relevancy and effectiveness. Number six: We believe that
effective schools should be learning organizations. That is, they
should be open, responsive and adaptable. Number seven: We believe
strongly in parent involvement. The literature tells us and
experience tell us that when parents are involved in schools,
children succeed in school exponentially.
Number eight: We believe that every child should have
access to modern information technology and that technology should be
integrated in the teaching and the curriculum. We believe that that
is essential. Number nine: We believe that children in school
should be embraced by a community of collaborative partnerships, that
are needs-based focused. And number ten, Mr. President: We believe
that every school in every school district should have a vision that
is compelling, clear, and is consistent. We believe that these
guiding principles, Mr. President, are imperative. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I would just like to say a couple of
things and ask you one question. First of all, I want to thank you
for your work with the Cities and Schools program. I brought it to
Arkansas with Bill Milliken probably 15 years ago, and that's a long
time ago. Secondly, I want to thank you for your work in the PTA and
as a father who used to be an active participant in all our school
events, I think it's a good thing to have men as well as women be
present -- (applause.) And I think that's good.
How many members does your PTA have? How many parent
members?
MR. LEWIS: Last year, 47 percent of the parent
population of Herndon Elementary School were members of the PTA. This
year, under the able leadership of Mary Mann, who is our Vice
President for Membership, we expect to go to scale -- 100 percent.
(Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I'd say that's pretty good.
MS. MANN: We think big here.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Mr. Superintendent, are all your
schools like this? (Laughter.)
MR. DOMENECH: Well, welcome, Mr. President, to Herndon
Elementary and to the Fairfax County Public School System. We are
the 12th largest school system in America with 152,000 students; and
undoubtedly, we are the best school system in America. , (Applause.)
Clearly, the reason for that, I think, is demonstrated around this
table. This is a community that values education, that treasures
education, where the parents, the business community, the staff just
give 100 percent for all of our children. And in spite of our size,
it's a quality school system.
We are a microcosm of America. We have 39 percent of
our students are minority students. But we don't see diversity as a
weakness, we count diversity, really, as our strength. (Applause.)
We have instituted a number of programs, and I think you heard a
sample of those programs here that have been very successful for us.
Now, in spite of that, we want to continue excellence.
And in order to do that and in order to meet the challenge of the
21st century, because we very much agree with you that the United
States of America is the number one power in this country. But we
only have five percent of the world's population. And what that
tells us is that there isn't a single child that we can afford to
lose if we treasure the future of this country. (Applause.)
The challenges that confront us, Mr. President, and the
ones that we need assistance with is size. We -- you mentioned
before visiting a school in Florida, well, the Secretary visited us
this spring at Centreville High School, where we have over 40 -- we
don't call them "portables," we call them "learning cottages."
(Laughter.) That's at just one school. And you'll see that
represented around the county. We have a problem in terms of
facilities. We need dollars to construct new schools; we need
dollars to extend facilities. Herndon -- you'll see a couple of
learning cottages outside here as well.
Technology -- it's a major issue, a very important issue
for us in education, but again, a big ticket item. We need help
there. And definitely we need help in terms of class size. One of
our -- (applause) -- one of our initiatives for this coming school
year is a program we call "Success by Eight," and that translates
into that by the time they're eight years old, by the third grade, we
expect all of our children to be able to read, we expect all of them
to on grade level in terms of math and the other studies. But in
order to do that, we have to be able to create the kind of learning
environment for them where the size is small enough that teachers can
do the kind of job and the students can learn.
So those are important issues that we face, and we as a
school system are making ourselves highly accountable, also, to our
public and to our community. And we're saying this is what we expect
to do, this is what we will do -- hold us accountable, because in
turn, we get this tremendous support from staff and community and
business. So we're happy to have you here, and we certainly look
forward to your assistance, sir. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me say, I think this is a
truly extraordinary school district. And I have done my part to
promote you, you know, around the country -- (laughter) -- talk about
what an amazing school district this is. Some of your schools,
particular schools, are as diverse as any in America and a stunning
array of people coming from different places. So I'm very impressed
and I thank you for what you're doing.
I wonder if -- Secretary Riley, would you like to say
anything before I talk a little bit about the congressional agenda?
SECRETARY RILEY: Let me say just a word, Mr. President,
and then present you for some remarks. First of all, there was
mention made of your speech about the early warning signs, those
publications the President charged the Attorney General and myself to
come up, including child psychologists and law enforcement people and
teachers and all, and we're going to have that to you all within the
next couple of days, and all of your schools, then, will have them
and I think it will be a big help. It's a child-centered guide.
It's not to label children, but to help them. And I think you'll
find it very, very helpful.
I -- and what a grand panel this has been.
THE PRESIDENT: Didn't they do a great job? (Applause.)
SECRETARY RILEY: I had the chance to read a very good
book a couple of months ago -- some of you might have read it --
"Cold Mountain." And Charles Frazier, the author, could do as much
with the English language as anybody I've read lately. And Ada
Monroe, his wonderful lead character in there, was making a statement
about her father, who was deceased, who was a Methodist minister and
from Charleston, South Carolina, in the book, in the novel, and which
is -- South Carolina is my home.
Anyhow, associated with that, she said wonderful things
about her father all through it, and he was a great community leader,
and she said that "he talked of ignorance and developed strategies
for its defeat. A lot of people talk about education and ignorance.
The important thing, I think, for all of us, though, is to come
together on strategies for improving education. No one -- no one has
done more to present practical, common-sense strategies for improving
education than our President. Whether it's standards -- (applause)
-- raising standards, improving teaching, making schools safer -- all
of the many strategies, many of which have been talked about today.
Bill Clinton has worked tirelessly to meet these
challenges, to prepare America for this Information Age. And he's
not just talked about improving education and he's not just talked
about defeating ignorance. He has devised strategies to help make it
a reality. It's a great pleasure for me, once again, to introduce to
all of you in this wonderful audience, this grand panel, the
President of the United States, Bill Clinton. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: The way I was prepared for this, I was
supposed to go up there to the podium and give a little talk and it's
way too past that. (Laughter.) We've had too much fun. But what I
would like to do is to outline to you -- there are six things that
the Congress should pass that are in my budget that don't break the
balanced budget, that are in our balanced budget that they can pass
or not pass in the next few-days that I think would really help our
children a lot. Five of them bear directly on our schools, one
indirectly.
But I'd like to just mention them so you would know,
because I would like to see them get broad bipartisan support. I
don't really believe we're best served when education is a partisan
issue; I think we're best served when it's an American issue that
crosses party lines. (Applause.)
First of all, I have given Congress a plan for smaller
classes, better-trained teachers and more modern schools. Let's
begin with the teacher shortage. You know what's acute here, it is
profound in many places. Now, let me say one other word of
introduction. There has been what I consider to be a legitimate
question raised of me by many members of Congress who say, well, now,
look, Mr. President, you're trying to get the federal government into
financing things that the federal government has never before
financed. We've never been into building or repairing schools, for
example.
There are many states in this country where the states
don't even do that, where it all has to be done at the local level,
or putting 100,000 teachers out there for smaller classes in the
early grades.
My answer is as follows: Number one, it's hard to think
of a more important national issue. Number two, I'm not doing
anything to interfere with the local direction of the schools or the
states' constitutional responsibility to set the framework of public
education. And number three, in some places like this district, the
level of growth, and in other places the level of poverty, make it
simply inconceivable that they can achieve these objectives
otherwise.
So 1 think if we have the money, this is what we ought
to do. (Applause.) But I want to prepare you in case any of you
feel moved by the spirit to call or write your congressman or
senator. (Laughter.) There is a legitimate historic pattern here
where they'll say, well, you know, President Clinton's got a lot of
energy, but he may have gone too far this time because the federal
government's never done this. There is a reason we're doing it now.
There's a reason we're doing it now. We have to prove that our
elementary and secondary schools can be uniformly as excellent as our
colleges and universities are and give all of our kids world-class
education. And unless we do this, I am convinced there won't be the
resources out there to get the job done.
So let me say first of all, the teacher shortage. I've
asked Congress to pass a plan to help school districts hire 100,000
new teachers, all trained, tested and certified by state education
authorities, targeted to smaller classes in the early grades. Again,
where all the research shows, there are permanent gains if kids get
the kind of individual attention they need in the early grades.
I've also asked them to help me support better teacher
training programs not directed by Washington; those things that all
of you know work, all educators know work. There is not today in my
opinion a sufficient commitment to helping teachers continue to
improve their skills, upgrade their skills; work with other teachers,
to have the time necessary to try to continue to improve, to avoid
burnout under all the pressures that they're under.
When I go out and talk to educators, there's really a
lot of support for increased investment in teacher training. So I
hope that Congress will fully fund this class size reduction program.
It would give us down to an average of 18 children per class once we
do it. (Applause.) The second problem is, it's hard to have a small
class without a classroom. (Laughter.)
What did you call them, learning cottages? Learning
cottages. That sounds like someplace you're sent when you misbehave.
(Laughter.) Learning cottages. Anyway, so I have also presented a
plan to help to modernize or build new, 5,000 schools. Next Tuesday,
when I get back from my trip, the Secretary and I and others are
going to hold school modernization days all across America to
highlight our proposal which would provide tax credit to build or
modernize or rebuild 5,000 public schools.
I have been to schools in this country where whole
floors were closed because they were so old. But they're wonderful
buildings. Structurally, no one could afford to build such buildings
today because of the cost of construction. But if you go to an
inner-city school, for example, think of what message it gives a
seven-year-old child to walk up the steps of a school where the
paint's peeling off and the windows are broken.
Think of the message you're sending your child -- you
want to say, oh, every child is a treasure, all these things that
your PTA President said; I believe every one of them. But sometimes,
the actions speak louder than words. You can tell those children
that, but if they have to keep walking up steps into broken-down
buildings, do they really think we believe it?
The other day, I was in Philadelphia in a school -- the
average school building, the average age of school buildings in
Philadelphia is 65 years. That's the average age. Now, the good
news is, those structures, by and large, are magnificent. The bad
news is, a whole lot of them are in terrible shape and I think'it's a
worthy investment. I think a worthy investment of our money.
(Applause.)
So, we want to give fast-growing districts like this one
and districts with good structures but old, run-down buildings the
chance they need to go forward. So that's the first -- more teachers
for smaller classes and more classes.
Second, we want to fully fund my plan to equip our
nation's classrooms with computers and cutting-edge educational
software and to train teachers to be there to make sure that the
technology is properly used. I want to hook up every classroom and
library in the entire country to the Internet by the year 2000 and
make sure that the software is good and that the teachers are trained
to make the most of it. And we have to help you do that. You
shouldn't have to fully fund that. (Applause.)
Third, I want to strengthen the charter school movement.
There are some school districts that have been greatly advanced by
letting teachers and others get together and start new schools within
the framework of the school district where the whole district's not
reforming, but they want to try something new. We've got now about
almost 1,000 of those schools out there. When I became President,
there was only one in the whole country. When I was talking about it
in 1992, I might have been trying to explain the theory of
relativity. Everybody thought I was nuts. (Laughter.)
But now, first we had one, now we've got nearly 1,000,
and if my budget passes, we'll have 3,000 funded by the year 2000.
Fourth, I want to continue to open the doors of college to all
Americans who will work for it by reauthorizing the Higher Education
Act. Now, that doesn't mean anything, so let me tell you what that
means, that reauthorization. (Laughter.)
This legislation will help more children reach their
potential by improving teacher education, it will help struggling
communities to hire 35,000 well-qualified teachers, it will expand
mentoring programs, something that you've already said is important
to you, it will reduce interest rates on student loans, it will
extend Pell Grants and the federal Work Study Program. We've taken
it from 700,000 Work Study positions to 1 million in three years. So
these things are very important.
You know, we have provided for lower interest rates on
student loans, better repayment, 300,000 more Work Study slots, and
now tax credits worth about $1,500 a year for the first two years of
college, and then for junior and senior year and graduate school. I
am determined that when I leave office, no American will ever, ever
walk away from college because of the cost. We can open the doors to
everybody who is qualified, and it's important. (Applause.)
Fifth, let's go back to what we were talking about on
reading. We want to pass a bipartisan early literacy bill to help to
train teachers and mobilize an army of volunteer tutors. Because as
I said, we already have 1,000 colleges participating in this program,
and I think it's very, very important.
Sixth, we have a general program to strengthen our
schools that would expand Head Start, strengthen after-school
programs for hundreds of thousands of children. This is a huge deal
in areas with a lot of juvenile crime, with a lot of dangerous
streets, with a lot of gangs. These after-school programs and summer
school programs have dramatically reduced student problems while
increasing student achievement, and I think that's very, very
important. (Applause.)
We have a special initiative aimed at Hispanic young
people because the school dropout rate is still much higher for
Hispanics than for any other group, largely because of language
barriers and economic problems. And we also have in this package
program I just mentioned our Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program.
We've tried to take the initiatives that we know work in schools like
this one and make sure they are in every single school in America.
Now, the bill that the House Republican Majority has
proposed falls short of these goals in every single one of these
areas. But it's not too late. The bill has to be considered in the
Senate, then both the Senate and the House must vote on it. So
I
would implore you, without regard to your political party, just to
contact your members of Congress, your senators, and ask them to
support this agenda. We have the money.
We have worked hard to balance the budget. We've worked
hard to show fiscal discipline, to get the economy going again.
There is no more important area in which to spend the money now that
we have it, and so I hope you will help us to do that. (Applause.)
Let me just say one final thing. The Senate tomorrow
takes up the Summer Jobs Program. Now, that's not for this summer,
but the one we just passed, but for the summer about to come. It
provides more than 500,000 young people a chance to work. It is a
Godsend to this country. And because of the funding --
federal-funded Summer Jobs Program, we have a lot of places which we
are able then to go out and get other people to put up money to
expand the program. For reasons I do not understand, the House
Committee wants to disband it, and I think it would be a disastrous
error.
It comes up in the Senate tomorrow, and again, this is
fundamentally an education issue because if kids get in trouble over
the summer or they have problems and they don't have something to do,
or if they need the money and they can't earn it, it increases the
talking.pts
Page 1
National School Modernization Day
Today in America, 52.7 million children attend public and private schools.
That's the highest school enrollment ever. It's more than the number of kids
who crowded into our schools during the height of the Baby Boom era in the
early 1970s. And there's no let-up in sight. School enrollments will rise by
more than another 10 percent throughout the next decade.
Even in places where enrollment is not increasing, students face grave
problems because their schools are in disrepair. According to a recent GAO
Report, about 14 million students attend schools that need extensive repair
or replacement of one or more buildings. Almost 60 percent of America's
schools reported at least one major building feature in disrepair, according to
the report; most of these schools had multiple problems.
That's why September 8 has been designated as "National School
Modernization Day" -- an opportunity to discuss the ways we can prepare
our schools and communities to meet this challenge and continue to give all
of America's wonderful young children a great education.
There are number of specific challenges our schools are facing--and there are
some clear and practical solutions.
To begin with, it's important to realize that although some people think that
these record numbers of children are a problem -- they are not. They are a
great opportunity. If we can give each and every one of these children a
great education, we can help them become productive members of society
and keep America the greatest country in the world!
The first challenge is that many schools are overcrowded. In many schools,
teachers and students squeeze into every available space to conduct classes.
Many schools are forced to make do with portable facilities. These students
will need teachers. More than 2.4 million good new teachers will need to be
hired over the next 10 years to fill this need.
The second problem is that many schools are in desperate need of repair.
It's embarrassing that schools in disrepair can be found just down the road
from state-of-the-art prisons. This country needs to reestablish what its
priorities are. The Government Accounting Office reports that one-third of all
schools in America need extensive repair or replacement. About 60 percent
of all schools need at least one major building repair. These schools make
learning difficult--not to mention unsafe. It's time to address this critical
need.
talking:pts
Page 2
The third challenge is technology -- making sure that our schools are
physically able to take on the challenges of the Information and Education
Age. Many of this nation's schools were built so long ago that they cannot
handle computers and other educational technology. Only 27 percent of our
classrooms are wired to the Internet. If our kids are going to be able to
complete successfully in the 21st century, we've got to get that number up
to 100 percent.
The overall school infrastructure situation has gotten so critical that the
American Society of Civil Engineers now says that school construction is our
nation's greatest infrastructure need. America's public schools built America
--and now it is time to rebuilt America's public schools -- for a new
generation of success.
President Clinton has offered a number of proposals to Congress to help
solve these problems.
First, is a $22-billion school construction plan proposal to renovate,
modernize, repair, or build 5,000 schools. Half of the assistance would go to
the 100 school districts with the most low-income children, and the other
half would go to states to support all districts in need.
Second, is a proposal to hire 100,000 quality new teachers for the first three
grades and reduce average class size to 18 students. Research proves that
reducing class size in the early grades has tremendous impact on student
achievement, particularly in reading. The Congress also has before it a
proposal to provide scholarships to 35,000 well-prepared teachers who will
who commit to teaching in undeserved urban and rural schools.
The President has also asked Congress to fully fund his educational
technology initiatives. The Congress has cut the President's requests to fund
teacher training, and to provide students and teachers with access to
computers and the latest software.
The President will also fight any attempt to repeal or delay the E-rate, which
gives all schools and libraries the chance to provide Internet access to
children at much reduced rates. There shouldn't be two kinds of education
in America--one for kids who can enjoy the benefits of the Internet, and other
for those who are shut out of the Internet's learning opportunities. All
American kids deserve a fair chance at a quality education.
So far, Congress has refused to support these proposals. But there is a still
a month left in their legislative session. It's time to put partisanship aside
and give all children the quality education they deserve.
talking:pts
Page 3
There is an old saying--"fix the roof while the sun is shining." The sun is
certainly shining on this nation right now. Our economy is strong. We have
the resources to make these investments in our children's and nation's
future. What better way could there to invest our money than by rebuilding
and modernizing our schools now -- so that we can reap the benefits for a
century to come.
####
sotu.f
Page 2
PREPARING AMERICA FOR THE 21st CENTURY
Background on President Clinton's Agenda for the Nation
State of the Union Address
January 27, 1998
ECONOMY THAT OFFERS OPPORTUNITY
Entitlement Reform
Social Security
Education
Smaller Classes with Qualified Teachers to Improve Reading in Grades 1-3
Modern School Buildings to Improve Student Learning
Education Opportunity Zones: Helping Students in Poor Communities Reach High Standards
Expanding Access to Safe After-School Care
Mentoring: Early Intervention to Promote College Attendance
Leading the Global Economy
Community Economic Adjustment Initiative
Fast Track Trading Authority
Africa Trade Initiative
Child Labor
Training
GI Bill for Workers
A SOCIETY ROOTED IN RESPONSIBILITY
Moving People from Welfare to Work
Welfare-to-Work Housing Vouchers
Increasing Child Support Collections
Falling Welfare Caseloads
Business Welfare-to-Work Commitments
Health Care
Consumer Bill of Rights & Genetic Screening Protections
Providing New Options for Americans Ages 55 to 65
to Access Health Insurance
21st Century Research Fund
Tobacco
Passing Bipartisan Tobacco Legislation
Child Care
Double the Number of Children Receiving
Child Care Subsidies to More than Two Million
Increase Tax Credits for 3 Million Families
sotu.fnl
Page 5
AN ECONOMY THAT OFFERS OPPORTUNITY
ENTITLEMENT REFORM
Reserve Surplus until Social Security is Reformed
Over the next two years, President Clinton is firmly committed to
strengthening Social Security for the 21st century. He therefore proposes
that we should not spend any of the projected budget surpluses on anything
else until we have reformed Social Security. This proposal, which continues
the fiscally responsible policies that have been the hallmark of this
Administration, is intended to reserve the surpluses in case they are needed
for Social Security reform.
EDUCATION
Small Classes with Qualified Teachers to Improve Reading in Grades
1-3
President Clinton is proposing a $12.4 billion initiative over 7 years ($7.3
billion over 5 years) to help local schools provide small classes with qualified
teachers in the early grades. This initiative will help ensure that every child
receives personal attention, learns to read independently, and gets a solid
foundation for further learning. The new initiative will reduce class size from
a nationwide average of 22 in grades 1-3 to an average of 18, providing
funds to help local school districts hire an additional 100,000 well-prepared
teachers. The initiative will also provide funds to states and local school
districts to test new teachers, develop more rigorous teacher testing and
certification requirements, and train teachers in effective reading instruction
practices. School districts will be accountable for demonstrating gains in
reading achievement. These steps will help ensure that first through third
grade students are receiving high-quality reading instruction in smaller
classes from competent teachers.
Modern School Buildings to Improve Student Learning
For students to learn, schools must be well-equipped and be able to
accommodate smaller class sizes. To address these and other critical needs,
President Clinton is proposing federal tax credits to pay interest on nearly
$22 billion in bonds to build and renovate public schools. This initiative
provides more than double the assistance of the Administration's earlier
sotu.fnl
Page 6
school construction proposal, which covered half the interest on an
estimated $20 billion in bonds. The tax credits will cost the Treasury $5
billion over 5 years, and more than $10 billion over ten years. Of the $22
billion in bond authority, nearly $20 billion for a new School Modernization
Bonds. Half of this bond authority will be allocated to the 100 school
districts with the largest number of low-income children, and the other half
will be allocated to the states.
Education Opportunity Zones:
Helping Students in Poor Communities Reach High Standards
This initiative will strengthen public schools and help students master the
basic and advanced skills where the need is greatest: in high-poverty urban
and rural communities where low expectations, too many poorly prepared
teachers, and overwhelmed school systems create significant barriers to high
achievement. The Education Department will select approximately fifty
high-poverty urban and rural school districts with: (1) a demonstrated
commitment to use high standards and tests as tools to identify and provide
help to students, teachers and schools who need it; (2) a strategy to prevent
students from falling behind by ensuring quality teaching, challenging
curricula, and extended learning time; (3) programs to end social promotion
and turn around failing schools; and (4) evidence of improved student
achievement. Added investments in these communities will accelerate their
progress and provide models of successful, standards-based reform for the
nation. The President's initiative will invest $200 million in FY99, and $1.5
billion over 5 years, in raising achievement and sharing lessons learned with
school districts around the country.
Early Intervention to Promote College Attendance
President Clinton will soon announce a long-term effort to bring college
opportunity to children in high-poverty areas by providing their families with
early information about financial aid and appropriate academic preparation, as
well as mentoring and other support services to help the children stay on
track through high school graduation and into college.
LEADING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
Robin J. Bachman
09/02/98/11:32:04
0
AM
9
Record Type:
Record
To:
Noa A. Meyer/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: education
I think Bob Shireman and Tanya Martin are putting the paper together for the Tuesday event.
Following the quotes, see the document Russell did for the state of the union.
"Tonight I propose the first ever national
effort to reduce class size in the early
grades My balanced budget will help to
hire 100,000 new teachers who've passed a
State competency test. Now, with these
teachers we will actually be able to
reduce class size in the first, second, and
third grades to an average of 18 students a
class, all across America."
SOTU 1/27/98
"If I've got the math right, more teachers
teaching smaller classes requires more
classrooms. So I also propose a school
construction tax cut to help communities
modernize or build 5,000 schools. "
SOTU
1/27/98
"We must also demand greater
accountability. When we promote a child
from grade to grade who hasn't mastered
the work, we don't do that child any favors.
It is time to end social promotion in
America's schools Stop promoting
children who don't learn, and we will give
you the tools to make sure they do. "
SOTU 1/27/98
"I also ask this Congress to support our
efforts to enlist colleges and universities to
reach out to disadvantaged children,
starting in the sixth grade, so that they can
get the guidance and hope they need so they
can know that they, too, will be able to go
on to college. "
SOTU
1/27/98
Forwarded by Robin J. Bachman/WHO/EOP on 09/02/98 11:27 AM
Russell W. Horwitz
01/27/98 02:13:04 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
CC:
Subject: SOTU Background Packet on Initiatives
Please find attached a document delineating the major policy initiatives included in the State of the
Union.
sotu.fnl
Message Sent To:
TPAUG31.WPD
Page 1
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
PRIORITIES FOR A QUALITY EDUCATION
August 31, 1998
"I have proposed a comprehensive education agenda with high national standards, more
well-qualified teachers, smaller classes, modern schools equipped with computers, before and
after-school programs to keep our young people learning in the classroom, and summer job
programs to give young people the skills they need to succeed once they leave school."
President Bill Clinton
August 31, 1998
Today, President Clinton discusses his education and training priorities at an elementary
school in Herndon, Virginia. The President will highlight the need for Congress to pass
legislation to investment in education so our children will be taught in a world-class learning
environment as we move into the 21st Century.
An Education Agenda For The 21st Century. President Clinton is working to prepare
students for the 21st Century by proposing increased investments in public school
education, expanded access to higher education, and training to ensure success in the
workplace.
Modernizing Our Schools. The President continues his call for federal tax credits to
help rebuild, modernize, and build over 5,000 public schools nationwide, and reduce
class size and provide well-prepared teachers in grades 1-3 nationwide;
Education Technology. The President has made an unprecedented commitment to
bringing technology into the classroom and called for technology training for
teachers and expanded access for teachers and students to computers in the
classroom; however, the House appropriations bill threatens these initiatives;
Strengthening And Expanding Charter Schools. President Clinton will continue to
work with Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen federal support for
the growing charter school movement and help meet the President's goal of
establishing 3,000 high-quality charter schools by early in the next century;
Passage Of The Higher Education Act. President Clinton urges Congress to pass the
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which would reduce interest rates on
student loans, and extend the Pell Grant and Federal Work-Study programs. This
legislation should include the President's High Hopes mentoring program, and his
proposal to strengthen teacher training programs and provide scholarships to
35,000 teachers who commit to teaching in underserved urban or rural schools;
Helping Every Eight-Year Old Learn To Read. President Clinton will continue his
work with Congress to pass an early literacy bill to ensure that children receive
quality instruction from well-trained teachers and have opportunities to develop their
reading skills after-school and on the weekend with trained tutors;
Strengthening Public Education. President Clinton will work to restore significant
cuts made by the House of Representatives to his proposed investments to
TPAUG31.WPD
Page 2
strengthen public schools. The President will fight for full funding of: After-School
programs to ensure children access to safe learning centers, Education Opportunity
Zones to help high-poverty urban and rural communities increase student
achievement, Head Start, and The Hispanic Education Action Plan to reduce the high
school drop-out rate among Hispanic American students. The President will fight to
restore cuts made by Congress to: Title I grants to high-poverty school districts,
Goals 2000, and Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities;
Expanding Investments In Youth Education And Training. One of the President's top
priorities is fighting efforts by Congress to eliminate the Summer Jobs Program,
which provides jobs to roughly 530,000 disadvantaged young people, and the new
Youth Opportunity Area Initiative, which would help provide job opportunities for up
to 50,000 youth in the poorest communities nationwide.
Robin J. Bachman
09/02/98:1 33:49
©
AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Noa A. Meyer/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: Update -- ED Initiatives (August 28, 1998)
here's ed's release
Forwarded by Robin J. Bachman/WHO/EOP on 09/02/98 11:33 AM
Kirk Winters @ ed.gov (Kirk Winters)
09/01/98 12:44:24 PM
Please respond to [email protected]
Record Type:
Record
To:
"Information from & about the U.S. Department of Education publications & more ." < edinfo @
inet.ed.gov>
cc:
Subject: Update -- ED Initiatives (August 28, 1998)
ED Initiatives
A biweekly look at progress on the Secretary's priorities
August 28, 1998
> America Goes Back to School
> National School Modernization Day
> Helping All Children Reach High Standards
> Every School Strong, Safe, Drug-Free & Disciplined
> Parent Involvement
> Adult Education
> K-12 Classrooms Connect With Real NASA Experts
> White House Millennium Evening
>
New One-Stop for Department Publications
> Email Update
AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
Families, schools & communities
around the country are gearing up for back-to-school
activities, & the Department is encouraging all Americans to
share their talents & time to help strengthen local schools.
Please join thousands of people participating in the 4th
annual "America Goes Back to School" initiative, which, during
August through October, will help launch hundreds of year-long
partnerships. You can pitch in by
helping teachers get & use technology
mentoring a child in math
*
starting an after-school or summer reading program
helping prepare kids for college early
*
teaching kids about the dangers of drugs, alcohol &
tobacco.
Find out how you can get involved by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN
or by visiting the America Goes Back to School homepage:
http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/
NATIONAL SCHOOL MODERNIZATION DAY
On September 8, National
School Modernization Day, President Clinton & others will speak
on the importance of providing students with safe & modern
facilities, equipment, & the personal attention they need in
order to excel. At schools & other locations from Hawaii to New
England, Members of Congress & local officials, parents &
educators, business & community leaders & others will discuss
the challenges they face in their own local schools; how
parents, communities, & state & local governments can get
involved; & how the Administration's education agenda can help
address these needs. All Americans concerned about education
are encouraged to join in these efforts. Each local event can
link by satellite to a live national event with President
Clinton at 2:15 p.m. (ET). This live event will also be
broadcast (& archived) on the web at:
http://www.broadcast.com/news/events/deptedu
Anyone interested in organizing or participating in these
events will receive
*
suggestions for how to arrange a town meeting
*
ways to facilitate discussions on community involvement
in school modernization
*
procedures for linking to other events across the
country.
If you would like to organize or be involved in a local event,
please call 1-800-USA-LEARN or send email to [email protected]
An overview on School Modernization Day, ideas for being part
of it, & a registration form can be found at:
http://www.ed.gov/inits/construction/
HELPING ALL CHILDREN REACH HIGH STANDARDS
This month 7 states
(HI, MA, MO, NM, NV, WA, & WV) received $11 million to help
raise student achievement under comprehensive, research-driven
approaches that strengthen entire schools & make curricula more
rigorous. The awards were made under the Comprehensive School
Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program, which is designed to raise
standards & build on other state & local school efforts, through
Title I & other reform programs. Last month, 10 states received
a total of $44 million under the program. Additional states are
expected to be funded this fall, with the deadline for state
applications June 30, 1999. The CSRD program will help
demonstrate how federal funds can be used more effectively for
Title I "schoolwide programs" in more than 25,000 high-poverty
schools. States are also encouraged to use CSRD funds to
strengthen schools in need of improvement because of low student
achievement. For details, please see:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/compreform/
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/08-1998/reform1.html
EVERY SCHOOL STRONG, SAFE, DRUG-FREE & DISCIPLINED
The
President announced this week the release of a new guide to
help teachers, parents, principals & school district leaders
prevent violence in schools. "Early Warning, Timely Response:
A Guide to Safe Schools" tells what to look for & what to do
to prevent violence, when to intervene & get help for troubled
children, & how to respond when violent situations occur.
When releasing the guide, Secretary Riley said, "Schools
remain among the safest places for young people, yet even one
incident of violent crime in a school is too many. This guide
is a practical resource for schools & communities to use to
reduce the likelihood of violence & improve existing
prevention & intervention efforts. Because there is no one-size-
fits-all approach to this complex issue, it is important
that everyone -- parents, students, teachers, staff, &
community members -- be part of creating safe, disciplined
school environments."
The guide presents a brief summary of research on violence
prevention, intervention, & crisis response in schools. It
was developed at the request of President Clinton by the U.S.
Departments of Justice & Education in cooperation with the
National Association of School Psychologists. It will be
distributed to schools nationwide & is available by calling
1-877-4ED-PUBS, or by visiting:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/eerlywrn.html
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
While schools are working hard to involve
parents in their children's education, most parents would like
even *more* information & help on how to support their
children both at school & at home, according to a report
released this month.
"Family Involvement in Education: A National Portrait"
presents findings from phone interviews with 376 parents of
elementary & middle school students. When issuing the report,
Secretary Riley noted that it "offers a snapshot of the
specific opportunities & the barriers to family involvement in
education as seen through the eyes of parents & will be useful
in helping others evaluate their experiences." The survey was
sponsored by the Department, the Partnership for Family
Involvement in Education, & the GTE Foundation.
A companion report, "Questions Parents Ask About Schools,"
answers some of the most frequent concerns that parents have
on school work, homework, safety & preparing children for a
career. For example, regarding school work, the report
advises: "Ask to see examples of successful student work &
compare it to your child's work;" and, on safety, "Know your
child's friends Listen to their stories about what they do
when they are with other adults & when adults aren't around."
Both publications will be available soon on the Department's
website. Single paper copies may be requested by calling
1-877-4ED-PUBS.
ADULT EDUCATION
Local programs funded by the Massachusetts
Department of Education (MDOE) now are required to allocate a
minimum of $2000 of each federal Adult Basic Education grant
award annually to support a technology coordinator. The
coordinator facilitates technology development & links
technology with instruction at local centers. MDOE also
expects to award about $1.4 million in state-funded technology
minigrants to support a new System for Managing Accountability
& Results Through Technology (SMART). The system will provide
the state with student participation performance data monthly
through the Internet. MA is receiving $6.8 million in federal
funding to provide services for a adult learners. For
information on federal investments in adult education &
funding to other states, please see:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/news.html
K-12 CLASSROOMS CONNECT WITH REAL NASA EXPERTS
Students &
teachers can participate in interactive Internet projects &
also communicate with science experts through "Quest," a free
service sponsored by NASA. Quest projects include
*
Space Team Online, which involves the space shuttle,
space station, & research with people in space.
*
Aero Design Team Online, which looks at various
aeronautics topics -- wind tunnels, simulators,
supercomputers, flight research, air safety, &
technology.
*
Women of NASA, which profiles women aeronautics experts
as role models for young girls.
*
Mars Team Online, which explores Mars & missions to the
red planet.
Projects include email Q&A, real-time Internet audio/video
programs, biographies, field journals, lesson plans, kid
publishing, online collaborations, background, photos, & more.
For more information -- including a "getting started" guide, a
listserv for teachers using Quest, & a story about student
volunteers (who now get paid) -- please see:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/interactive
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/fall_98.html
WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM EVENING
"Jazz as an American Metaphor"
is the theme of the 4th White House Millennium evening hosted
by the President & Mrs. Clinton, and will be broadcast live
from the East Room via satellite & Internet on September 18th
at 7:30 p.m.(ET). "Millennium Evenings" is a series of
lectures & cultural events showcasing innovation in the arts &
sciences. To register as a downlink site, call
1-800-USA-LEARN. A registration form will be available soon
at: http://www.ed.gov/News/index.html For more information,
please see:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/Initiatives/Mllennium.
NEW ONE-STOP FOR DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS
"ED Pubs," the
Department's new one-stop shop for information products, was
announced this month by the National Library of Education. ED
Pubs (short for Education Publications Center) is the place to
call for publications, brochures, videos, CD-ROMs, posters,
bookmarks, & other ED products. ED Pubs includes online
ordering via the Internet, a searchable database that includes
all ED products, a customer call center, & an automated
inventory system for ED personnel. ED Pubs customer service
representatives (including Spanish speaking representatives)
are available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET), Monday through
Friday. You may call any time to leave a voicemail request or
to use the fax-on-demand service. Below is how to contact ED
Pubs:
toll free: 1-877-4ED-Pubs (1-877-433-7827)
TTY/TDD: 1-877-576-7734
e-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
EMAIL UPDATE
The Department's email system has been restored.
Work continues to ensure the stability of the system. We
apologize for this inconvenience.
ED Initiatives is made possible by many contributors,
including, Cindy Balmuth, Dan Bernal, Sally Budd, Jim
Clemmens, Adriana de Kanter, Norris Dickard, Julie Green,
Renaldo Harper, Diane B. Jones, Peter Kickbush, Bill Kincaid,
Eileen Nicosia, Jennifer Rinehart, Marc Siegel, Keith Stubbs,
David Thomas, & others. Please send any comments to Kirk
Winters in the Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department
of Education ([email protected]).
Robin J. Bachman
09/02/98 34
©
AM
9
Record Type:
Record
To:
Noa A. Meyer/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: High Hopes Fact Sheet
This isn't exactly modernization, but is part of our total ed package and should play well in DC.
Forwarded by Robin J. Bachman/WHO/EOP on 09/02/98 11:34 AM
Pauline_Abernathy @ ed.gov (Pauline Abernathy)
09/01/98 05:22:03 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
CC:
Daniel_Bernal @ ed.gov (Daniel Bernal) , Kristi_Kimball @ ed.gov (Kristi Kimball)
Subject: High Hopes Fact Sheet
FYI -- attached is our fact sheet on High Hopes for College that may be
useful in writing tps, etc. High Hopes is more than a "mentoring initiative"
since it it involves the middle and high schools as well as colleges and others
to ensure that the kids have access to rigorous courses and information about
financial aid, etc.
- hhtp.324
Message Sent To:
green_m @ a1.eop.gov
Jonathan A. Kaplan/OPD/EOP
Robert M. Shireman/OPD/EOP
Robin J. Bachman/WHO/EOP
schnur_j @ a1.eop.gov
siewert @ a1.eop.gov
Wayne Upshaw/OMB/EOP
Michael Cohen/OPD/EOP
hhtp. 324
Page 1
HIGH HOPES for College for America's Youth
"I also ask this Congress to support our efforts to enlist colleges and universities to reach out to
disadvantaged children starting in the sixth grade so that they can get the guidance and hope they need
they can know that they, too, will be able to go on to college."
--President Clinton, State of the Union address, January 27, 1998
The Urgent Need for High Hopes: College graduates can expect to earn at least $600,000
more over their lifetime than high school graduates. This amount has doubled in the past fifteen
years and is expected to grow, making college education more important than ever before.
[Census Bureau, 1993] However, high-achieving students from low-income families are five times
less likely to attend college than students from high-income families. [National Education Longitudinal
Survey (NELS) 1998]
The High Hopes Initiative: President Clinton recently announced High Hopes for College -- an
initiative that will inspire more young people to have high expectations, to stay in school and
study hard, and to go to college. This initiative, which is moving through Congress with
bipartisan support, makes a long-term investment (starting with $140 million in FY99) to promote
partnerships between colleges and middle or junior high schools in low-income communities.
Through High Hopes, children would receive the support they need starting in 6th or 7th grade
and continuing through high school graduation, as well as early notification of their eligibility for
student financial aid.
High Hopes would provide 6-year grants, through a competitive process, to support locally
designed partnerships aimed at increasing college attendance by low-income youth. While High
Hopes partnerships will reflect each community's needs and resources, to be most effective, the
programs would be based on the following proven strategies:
Inform Students and Parents about College Options and Financial Aid. High Hopes will
increase access to college by informing students and parents about college options,
costs, and financial aid, and by presenting every student with a 21st Century Scholar
Certificate -- an official, early notification of their eligibility for Federal financial aid.
College costs are not nearly as high as many families assume, and many families are
unaware of financial aid programs like Pell grants, federal work-study, and loans.
Among high-scoring, low-income students who do not plan to attend college,
nearly 60 percent cite an inability to afford school as the reason. [NELS 1998]
A recent survey found that the public overestimates the tuition of public two-year
hhtp. 324
Page 2
colleges by about three times ($2,330 above the actual average tuition), and it
overestimates the tuition at public four-year colleges by two times ($3,148 above
actual average tuition). [American Council on Education, 1996]
About 80% of children whose parents read materials about financial aid go on to
college, compared to only 55% of children whose parents do not read this material
(among 12th graders interested in continuing their education after high school). [NELS
1998]
Promote Rigorous Academic Coursework for All Students. By working with an entire
grade of students, High Hopes would raise the expectations for all students at
participating schools ensuring that children know what they need to learn and are
encouraged to take the rigorous courses required for college. At the same time, High
Hopes would show parents how they can help their children prepare for college.
Low-income students who take algebra I and geometry are almost three times as
likely to attend college as those who do not (71% VS. 26%). [NELS 1998]
Although taking algebra by the 8th grade is considered a gateway to college
preparatory courses, only 15 percent of low-income students enroll in algebra by the
8th grade. [National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1996]
Remedial education at the college level is expensive. Texas alone spent $153 million
on college remedial programs in 1995-96 -- more than enough money to pay for the
first year of the High Hopes initiative, which would help students across the nation
prepare for college. [NCES 1996, and Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/2/96]
Challenge Colleges and Universities to Partner with Middle Schools. High Hopes is
intended to create a national ethic that all colleges should partner with at least one
low-income school, starting in the 6th or 7th grade, and work with the students to
ensure that they have the opportunity and preparation to attend college. High Hopes
also requires at least two additional partners such as parent organizations, community
and religious groups, state and local education agencies, or businesses.
These partners would provide information about what it takes to go to college and
would introduce students to the college environment through campus visits, summer
programs, and after-school activities that will help students stay on track.
Start Early and Follow Students Through High School Graduation. Beginning with
students in 6th or 7th grade, High Hopes would provide comprehensive support to
help students succeed in high school and continue on to college. This includes
intensive academic and personal supports, like mentoring, tutoring and counseling.
Studies of similar programs that start early and provide sustained, comprehensive
support services have shown that low-income students who participate are more likely
than their peers to graduate on-time and enroll in college, and they are less likely to
skip class, drop out of school, or begin using illegal drugs or alcohol. [Public/Private
Ventures, Making a Difference, 1995, and / Have a Dream Foundation Report, 1995.]
hhtp. 324
Page 3
High Hopes Complements Other Early Intervention Programs. High Hopes is different
from TRIO and other early intervention and mentoring programs -- High Hopes starts early
and stays with children through high school with comprehensive services, it works with entire
grades of children rather than pulling out a select few, and it is aimed at creating a new
national ethic that all colleges have a responsibility to partner with low-income middle
schools.
TRIO only reaches 10% of the eligible population; High Hopes will help reach many more
young people and help create a new national ethic. If each High Hopes project begins with
one 6th or 7th grade class, this initiative would fund partnerships with up to 2,500 middle and
junior high schools. If each project adds an incoming class each year, more than 1 million
students would be served over five years.
High Hopes would replace two existing unfunded early intervention programs (School,
College and University Partnerships and Model Program Community Partnership and
Counseling Grants), and the Administration proposal and the House Committee bill both
eliminate at least 33 other programs in the Higher Education Act.
Broad Support for High Hopes: The High Hopes initiative, a top priority for the
Administration, has strong support in Congress and from a broad range of colleges and
universities, education associations and community organizations. Endorsements include:
68 Members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats;
More than 300 college and university presidents;
68 education and community organizations.