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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release January 27, 2000
       PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES UNPRECEDENTED NATIONAL EFFORT
            TO IMPROVE OUR NATION'S SCHOOLS BY DRAMATICALLY
                INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY AND INVESTMENT
                            January 27, 2000

In his State of the Union Address, President Clinton will announce an unprecedented national effort to demand more from our schools and to invest more in them. The President will propose: 1) the largest-ever expansion of after-school and summer school programs, to ensure that every child in every failing school can get extra help to meet high standards; 2) the largest increase in Head Start in history, to build the foundation for our long-term goal of universal pre-school; 3) a dramatic increase in accountability in public schools by doubling funding to turn around low-performing schools and rewarding states that improve academic achievement; 4) a new teacher quality initiative to help states and districts recruit, train, and reward good teachers; and 5) a substantial increase in class size funding to put us nearly half way to our goal of hiring 100,000 new high-quality teachers.

DOUBLING AFTER-SCHOOL TO HELP EVERY CHILD IN EVERY FAILING SCHOOL MEET HIGH STANDARDS. The President will urge Congress to invest $1 billion to expand after-school and summer school for students across the nation -- more than double the $453 million enacted last year, and the largest expansion ever proposed. With this increase, we can help every child in every failing school participate in quality extended learning programs and work toward higher academic standards. Studies have shown that extended learning programs such as after-school and summer school help improve student achievement in reading and math, as well as increase student safety and reduce juvenile crime. Under the President's proposal, the number of children served will triple from 850,000 to 2.5 million children.

LARGEST HEAD START EXPANSION IN HISTORY. The President will call on Congress to increase funding for Head Start by $1 billion -- the largest funding increase ever proposed for the program -- to provide Head Start and Early Head Start to approximately 950,000 children. This funding will bring within reach the President's goal of serving one million children in 2002 and builds the foundation for the long-term goal of universal pre-school. Head Start prepares low-income children for a lifetime of learning and development by providing early, rigorous and comprehensive child development. Early Head Start, created by the Clinton-Gore Administration in 1994, brings these services to families with children ages zero to three and to pregnant women. Since 1993, this Administration has already increased funding for Head Start by 90 percent. The President will also propose a $600 million Early Learning Fund to improve child care quality and early childhood education for children under five.

DOUBLING FUNDS TO TURN AROUND FAILING SCHOOLS AND GIVING STATES A NEW HIGH-PERFORMANCE BONUS. In last year's State of the Union the President proposed the first-ever national initiative to hold schools accountable for results by turning around or closing failing schools. In November, the Congress dedicated $134 million to the President's accountability fund. The President will call on Congress to nearly double this fund to $250 million to turn around failing schools. The President also will propose a $50 million initiative to provide high-performance bonuses to states that make exemplary progress in improving student performance and closing the achievement gap between high and low performing groups of students. States would be eligible for bonuses based on substantial overall improvements in student performance and significant narrowing of the achievement gap as indicated by performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

A NEW TEACHER QUALITY PLAN TO RECRUIT, TRAIN, AND REWARD GOOD TEACHERS. The President will propose a new $1 billion initiative to improve teacher quality. The Teaching to High Standards Initiative will give grants to states and districts to fund high quality, standards-based professional development for teachers. It also includes several new proposals:

MORE HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS FOR SMALLER CLASS SIZES IN THE EARLY GRADES. The President will call on Congress to renew its commitment to reduce class size by staying on a path to hiring 100,000 high quality teachers. The President will propose boosting class size funding to $1.75 billion, an increase of $450 million over current levels -- enough to fund about 49,000 teachers, nearly half way to our long-term goal. Smaller classes allow teachers to spend more time on instruction and less time on discipline, and provide more individualized attention. Research shows that students attending small classes in the early grades make more rapid educational progress than students in larger classes. New teachers hired under this program must be qualified and know the subjects they are teaching.

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