FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 1998

CONTACT: Ivonne Cuñarro (202) 606-1800 iccunarr@opm.gov

OPM Director Presents Computers to San Francisco Elementary School

SAN FRANCISCO -- As part of President Clintons commitment to closing the technology gap among Americas schools, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Janice R. Lachance today presented Vincent Chao, Principal of Visitacion Valley Elementary School, with 45 computers donated by the U.S. Department of Education. OPM is the human resources agency of the federal government. Lachance, a presidential appointee who represented the Clinton/Gore Administration, was joined by Loni Hancock, Regional Representative of the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Schools just like Visitacion Valley Elementary School, with 50 percent or more minority students, lag behind other schools in having access to the Information Superhighway, Lachance said.

Today we are here to make a difference. To help close the technology gap among schools by providing teachers with the tools that are necessary to prepare our children for the 21st century, she added.

The computers will be placed in all 20 classrooms, and will be part of the school curriculum for children in all grades.

We have completed networking our building and we used funding from a grant to provide technology training to all teachers. The only missing components were the computers, which we are grateful to receive today, said Principal Chao.

During her visit, Lachance spoke with elementary school students about the importance of technology and mastering reading, writing and mathematics.

We all agree that technology has become increasingly important to succeed in the future, Lachance said. But to master technology, we must first learn the basics: reading, writing, and mathematics.

Forty percent of 4th graders in the United States do not read at the basic level, and 8th graders score below the international average in math.

President Clinton said this week at an elementary school in Silver Spring, Maryland, that we cannot stop ... until all of our children have access to a world-class elementary and secondary education, Lachance said.

The President has proposed a series of initiatives to improve Americas schools. He has vowed to connect every classroom to the Internet, and he has kept his promise, she added.

I am confident that the Presidents America Goes Back to School initiative, which involves partnerships among more than 4,000 businesses, community, religious and education organizations, will tremendously improve education across America for all our children, she added.

President Clintons education priorities follow:

• All students will read independently and well by the end of 3rd grade.
• All students will master challenging mathematics, including the foundations of algebra and geometry, by the end of 8th grade.
• By 18 years of age, all students will be prepared for and able to afford college.
• All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and effective strategies for reaching those standards.
• There will be a talented, dedicated and well-prepared teacher in every classroom.
• Every classroom will be connected to the Internet by the year 2000, and all students will be technologically literate.
• Every school will be strong, safe, drug-free and disciplined.

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