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

President Clinton's Call to Action for American Education in the 21st Century

To prepare America for the 21st century, we need strong, safe schools with clear standards of achievement and discipline, and talented and dedicated teachers in every classroom. Every 8-year-old must be able to read, every 12-year-old must be able to log onto the Internet, every 18-year-old must be able to go to college, and all adults must be able to keep on learning.

We must provide all our people with the best education in the world. Together, we must commit ourselves to a bold plan of action (Overview):

Set rigorous national standards, with national tests in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math to make sure our children master the basics.

Make sure there's a talented and dedicated teacher in every classroom.

Help every student to read independently and well by the end of the 3rd grade.

Expand Head Start and challenge parents to get involved early in their children's learning.

Expand school choice and accountability in public education.

Make sure our schools are safe, disciplined and drug free, and instill basic American values.

Modernize school buildings and help support school construction.

Open the doors of college to all who work hard and make the grade, and make the 13th and 14th years of education as universal as high school.

Help adults improve their education and skills by transforming the tangle of federal training programs into a simple skill grant.

Connect every classroom and library to the Internet by the year 2000 and help all students become technologically literate.

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Last Updated -- Feb.14, 1997, (pjk)