THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK
Wednesday, May 3,
2000
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL
ACCOUNTABILITY AND INVESTMENT
"The answer to excellence for all our children is not to take
money away from our schools through vouchers, but to combine money with high
standards, accountability, and the tools teachers, children and parents need to
succeed. I think turning around low-performance schools is one of the great
challenges this country faces in the 21st century."
President Bill Clinton
Wednesday, May 3, 2000
Today, President Clinton kicked off his four-state School Reform
Tour to highlight the importance of accountability and investment in our
nation's schools. The President visited Audubon Elementary School in Owensboro,
Kentucky, a high-poverty, low-performing school which turned itself around to
become one of the top-performing schools in the state. The President praised
the State of Kentucky for its leadership on reform and accountability,
announced a new Executive Order directing the Department of Education to help
states turn around failing schools, and urged Congress to pass legislation that
will hold all states accountable for turning around failing schools. The
President also visited Central High School in Davenport, Iowa, an outdated
school currently undergoing renovation, to draw attention to the urgent
national need for school construction and modernization.
Turning Around Failing Schools. President Clinton visited
Audubon Elementary School to illustrate how high standards, real
accountability, and investment can raise student achievement and turn around
failing schools. At Audubon, the President:
- Praised the State of Kentucky's leadership in implementing
standards and investing in failing schools, which has helped transform Audubon
and many other high-poverty, low-performing schools into high-performing
schools;
- Urged Congress to pass an Elementary and Secondary Education Act
that will hold all states accountable for doing what Kentucky has done:
implement high standards, identify and help turn around failing schools and
help students succeed; and invest in what works. He also called on Congress to
enact his $250 million Education Accountability Fund to help communities turn
around failing schools or shut them down; and
- Announced that he is signing an Executive Order directing the
Department of Education to compile and publish key data on low-performing
schools across the country and take action to help states fix those schools.
Modernizing America's Schools. President Clinton visited
Central High School to draw national attention to the urgent need to modernize
America's aging and overcrowded schools. Built in 1907, Central High School is
finally undergoing renovation to upgrade and enlarge its facilities. The
President emphasized that the average public school in America is 42 years old
– an age when rapid deterioration begins – and rising student
enrollment will require an additional 2,400 schools by 2003. At Central High,
the President:
- Emphasized that school modernization is a national priority that
demands a national response;
- Released a new report from the Department of Education to assist
communities facing school construction challenges;
- Called on Congress to approve his plan to provide tax credits to
states and localities to build and modernize 6,000 schools nationwide, and his
emergency school construction initiative to allow states and school districts
to conduct emergency repairs on 5,000 schools annually.
An Unprecedented Commitment to Education. President Clinton
and Vice President Gore have made accountability and investment in proven
strategies the core of their education reform agenda. Since taking office, the
President and Vice President have nearly doubled the federal investment in
elementary and secondary education while dramatically increasing
accountability. Throughout the School Reform Tour, the President will call on
Congress to pass an education budget and an education accountability bill that
invest more in our nation's schools and demand more from them.
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