On April 18, 1997, President Clinton asked federal agencies to determine what resources they could make available that would "enrich the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning."  In response, more than 30 agencies formed the Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Working Group. 

By July 1998, Vice President Gore was championing FREE's success at making "a storehouse of educational treasures available from more than 40 federal agencies."  To date, FREE has posted hundreds of resources on the U.S. Department of Education's Web site.

In addition, FREE has provided grants supporting new educational partnerships between teachers and federal agencies.  In 1998, the United States Mint was awarded one of these grants to help develop the H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site.

To learn more about FREE and the educational resources it offers, see http://www.ed.gov/free.