A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

This is a Working Document
The Seven Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education (July 1997)

Conclusion

Although they are more focused, the seven priorities reflect the core elements of the eight National Goals and President Clinton's "Call-to-Action." They also build on the work of the U.S. Department of Education over the past four years, as well as important new initiatives. The success of each of the seven priorities depends on the success of the others. For example, reading by fourth grade is critical to learning other subjects after that point. If students learn math early, they will be ready to take the sequence of courses in high school that prepare them for college and careers. Learning math to a high level will be facilitated by computers and nearly impossible without high quality, well-trained and motivated teachers. Only schools with high standards will accept the challenge of helping all their students meet their expectations and prepare for college.

Large parts of the public already accept these priorities as essential goals for our nation's students and schools. The challenge facing the U.S. Department of Education is to embed these goals deep into its own organizational activities and programs, and support the nation in making real progress toward reaching these goals. Every program office can contribute to almost every one of the seven priorities, both individually and in effective partnerships with other parts of the Department. The Department also will need to support the efforts of its external partners to participate actively in their schools and to achieve concrete results for all children.

Your comments on this document are invited, please send them to 7priorities@ed.gov.

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[ Priority Seven: Strong, Safe, Drug-Free and Disciplined Schools... ] [ Appendix]

Last Updated -- July 30, 1997, (pjk)