PRESIDENT CLINTON HIGHLIGHTS THE PROGRESS OF AMERICA'S STUDENTS AND THE CLINTON-GORE COMMITMENT TO INVEST MORE IN OUR SCHOOLS AND DEMAND MORE
FROM THEM
January 9, 2001
Today President Clinton will visit James Ward Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois to highlight that the Clinton-Gore commitment to invest more in our schools, while also demanding more from them, has led to remarkable progress in student academic achievement, closing the achievement gap, expanding access to technology, and making higher education more affordable. James Ward Elementary, with 88 percent of its students coming from low-income families, represents the many urban, high-poverty schools that have been transformed over the past decade into high-performing schools. With the assistance of both state and federal money, including Title I funds and a 21st Century Community Learning grant, Ward Elementary has launched a comprehensive school reform effort that is yielding impressive results in both reading and math test scores. Through their leadership, the President and Vice President have helped raise expectations for all students, supported states in developing and putting in place rigorous standards and systems of assessment and accountability, and invested in proven strategies to improve the educational performance of all students.
Raising Standards and Holding Schools Accountable for Results
THEN: Falling test scores and low expectations.
In 1992, test scores were falling and only 14 states had
standards in core subjects. In 1990, only 38 percent of graduating
high schools seniors had taken a core curriculum of four years of
English and three years each of Math, Science and Social Studies.
Fewer than 80 percent of the nation's highest-poverty schools
received Title I funds, which are intended to aid the most
disadvantaged schools. And students in many disadvantaged schools
faced watered-down curricula and low expectations instead of high
standards that challenged them to succeed.
NOW: High standards, accountability and rising test scores.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore launched an era of
education reform based on setting high standards for all schools
and students and providing the support to meet them. Higher
standards have begun to pay off for America's students. Since
1992, reading and math scores on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress have increased for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders,
including those students in the highest poverty schools. Math SAT
scores are at a 30-year high.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore enacted Goals 2000
which has helped States establish standards of excellence for
all children, and implement steps to meet those standards and
to raise educational achievement. Under the Clinton-Gore
Administration, 49 states have implemented standards in core
subjects and the proportion of graduating high schools seniors
completing a core curriculum has risen to 55 percent.
-- The President enacted legislation targeting Title I funds to
high-poverty schools and requiring States and school districts
to turn around low-performing schools. Today, nearly all of
the nation's highest-poverty schools receive Title I funds. In
1999, the President enacted a new $134 million Accountability
Fund, which is helping school districts improve low-performing
schools by investing in proven reforms. Next year's budget
increases this fund to $225 million.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked to expand public
school choice and to support the growth of public charter
schools. In 1993, there was one charter school in the nation;
today, there are more than 2,000.
-- President Clinton fought for a won a new initiative to repair
America's schools, providing $1.2 billion for urgent school
renovation. The 2001 budget also provides much-needed repair
funds to Native American schools.
Improving the Quality of Education with High Quality Teachers
THEN: High class size and low investment in teacher quality.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the federal government
cut and continuously underfunded assistance for teacher recruitment
and training, setting the stage for anemic investments in this
priority for years to come. Large class sizes made it difficult
for teachers to maintain order or give students the personal
attention they need to ensure they learn the basics. In 1992,
fewer than 80 percent of English and Math teachers had a college
major or minor in their teaching field, and only 282 teachers were
certified as National Board Teachers as recently as 1995.
NOW: Helping communities begin to hire 100,000 quality teachers to
reduce class size.
The Clinton-Gore Administration has made the recruitment,
preparation, and training of high-quality teachers a priority, and
investments in these programs have increased more than ten-fold
since the 1980s. President Clinton and Vice President Gore
proposed and enacted the Class Size Reduction Initiative, which is
helping communities begin to hire 100,000 qualified teachers to
reduce class size in the early grades. They created Troops to
Teachers in 1994 to help improve public school education by
introducing the skills and experience of military service members
into high-poverty schools. They won $567 million for teacher
quality initiatives in the FY 2001 budget, investing in
teacher development, recruitment, and retention, expanding Troops
to Teachers to other mid-career professionals; and training early
childhood educators. Thanks in part to the Clinton-Gore
Administration's support of the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards, the number of National Board Teachers has
climbed to 4,804 in 1999. And in 1999, 86 percent of English
teachers and 82 percent of Math teachers had a major or minor in
their teaching field.
Expanding Access to Technology in Schools
THEN: Educational technology a low priority.
A decade ago, computers were largely luxuries found only in
the most affluent school districts. In 1993, only three percent of
classrooms had computers that were connected to the Internet, and
in 1994 only 35 percent of public schools had Internet access.
Students had little opportunity to learn to use computers and to
explore the Internet, and the government had not mobilized its
resources to expand the use of technology in our schools.
NOW: Historic investments in educational technology lead to 95
percent of public schools connected to the Internet.
Understanding the critical importance of incorporating
technology into the classroom and ensuring equal opportunity for
students to benefit from technology, the Clinton-Gore
Administration made increasing access to technology in our schools
a top priority. President Clinton and Vice President Gore created
the E-rate and the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to help
connect every school to the Internet, increase the number of
multimedia computers in the classroom and provide technology
training for teachers. In addition, with the Vice President's
leadership the E-rate has secured low-cost connections to the
Internet for libraries, rural health clinics and hospitals,
providing discounts worth over $2 billion annually. The number of
classrooms connected to the Internet increased to 65 percent in
1999, while the number of public schools connected rose to more
than 95 percent. President Clinton and Vice President Gore
increased our investment in educational technology by over 3,600
percent -- from $23 million in FY 1993 to $872 million in FY 2001.
Opening the Doors of Higher Education to All Americans
THEN: Costs put college out of reach for too many students
With tuition costs skyrocketing, middle class families were
struggling to put their children through college. In 1992, only 43
percent of students benefited from federal student grants and
loans, and more than 22 percent of student loan borrowers defaulted
within two years of entering repayment. The maximum Pell Grant
award was $2,300, and its value had not kept up with
inflation.
NOW: Largest expansion of college opportunity since the GI Bill
To open the doors of college to all Americans, the
Clinton-Gore Administration enacted the largest investment in
higher education since the GI Bill. President Clinton and Vice
President Gore created HOPE Scholarships and Lifetime Learning tax
credits, which were claimed in 1999 by an estimated 10 million
American families struggling to pay for college. Lower student
loan interest rates and fees have saved students over $9 billion;
the average $10,000 loan costs a student $1,300 less now than it
did in 1993. The student loan default rate has fallen for seven
straight years and is now a record-low 6.9 percent. President
Clinton expanded the Work-Study program and increased the Pell
Grant maximum award to $3,750 -- the highest amount ever. In 1999,
59 percent of students benefited from federal student grants and
loans.
Improving Education for All of America's Children
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