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

    FOR RELEASE                   Contact:  Rick Miller   February 12, 1996                    (202) 401-2571

Secretary Riley to Address State of American Education: 3rd Annual Speech is Feb. 28 in Suburban St. Louis

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today announced that he will deliver his third annual State of American Education speech on Wednesday, February 28 at Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School in Maplewood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

Riley expects to discuss the explosion of information, the reshaping of our economy and the record number of young people in our schools -- citing them as challenges that will require Americans to "pick up the pace" to improve the nation's schools. He will note that we are just a year away from having a record-breaking 53 million young people in elementary and secondary schools nationwide, breaking the previous record of 51 million set in 1971.

Riley also will stress the "basics for better education," particularly reading and the importance of family involvement in children's learning. He will place strong emphasis on raising standards of achievement and discipline, getting more computers into classrooms as quickly as possible, improving accountability for schools, and teaching young people real-life skills that prepare them for work. Issues of good citizenship and school safety also are likely elements of the address.

"I am pleased to deliver this address in Maplewood," Riley said. "Maplewood-Richmond is a community that truly supports education. Its citizens showed their commitment by voting to put technology in their schools to better help students meet today's challenges in education."

Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan added that "the people of Missouri have worked very hard to provide a quality education to all our children and we are deeply honored that Secretary Riley has chosen our state to deliver this very important address about our nation's efforts to achieve excellence in education."

The speech is scheduled for 12 noon CST in the main auditorium of Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Reporters who are unable to attend the speech or see it via satellite may listen to the speech live by calling toll-free: 1-(800)-495-0245 (enter pin #724-6657).

The speech will be available via satellite at the following coordinates:

KU-band, SBS-6, transponder/channel 9, orbital location 74 degrees West, downlink frequency 11921.0 MHz, horizontal polarity, audio 6.2 and 6.8;

C-band, Galaxy 3, transponder/channel 22, orbital location 95 degrees West, downlink frequency 4140 MHz, vertical polarity, audio 6.2 and 6.8.

For technical assistance (Feb. 28 only), call: (202) 812-0896.