Editor's Note: President Clinton was the keynote speaker at the education summit convened by the nation's governors and business leaders that was held in March in Palisades, New York. Education Secretary Richard Riley also participated in the summit. The summit was co-hosted by Louis Gerstner, Jr., Chairman and CEO of IBM; Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, Chairman of both the National Governors' Association (NGA) and the Education Commission of the States; and Nevada Governor Bob Miller, Vice Chairman of the NGA. The following are excerpts from remarks by President Clinton, Governor Thompson, Governor Miller, and Mr. Gerstner.Our country still has an attitude problem about education that I think we should resolve... and that is that too many people in the United States think that the primary determinant of success and learning is either IQ or family circumstances instead of effort. ...So one of the things that I hope you will say is in a positive way that you believe all kids can learn, and in a stronger way that you believe that effort is more important than IQ or income -- given the right kind of educational opportunities, the right kind of expectations.
...We can only do better with tougher standards and better assessment, and you (state leaders) should set the standards. I believe that is absolutely right. And that will be the lasting legacy of this conference. I also believe, along with Mr. Gerstner and the others who are here, that it's very important not only for businesses to speak out for reform, but for business leaders to be knowledgeable enough to know what reform to speak out for, and what to emphasize, and how to hammer home the case for higher standards, as well as how to help local school districts change some of the things that they are now doing so that they have a reasonable chance at meeting these standards.
...I believe the most important thing you can do is to have high expectations for students -- to make them believe they can learn, to tell them they're going to have to learn really difficult, challenging things, to assess whether they're learning or not, and to hold them accountable as well as to reward them.
...I believe that if you want the standards movement to work, first you have to do the hard work in deciding what it is you expect children to learn. But then you have to have an assessment system, however you design it, in your own best judgment at the state level, that says, no more social promotions, no more free passes. If you want people to learn, learning has to mean something. ... I don't believe you can succeed unless you are prepared to have an assessment system with consequences.
...The worst thing you can do is send people all the way through school with a diploma they can't read. And you're not being unfair to people if you give them more than one chance, and if at the same time you improve the teaching and the operation of the schools in which they are.
...I believe every state, if you're going to have meaningful standards, must require a test for children to move, let's say, from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school, or to have a full-meaning high school diploma.
...The governors have to lead the way, the business community has to stay involved. ...We have to have high standards and high accountability. If you can achieve that, you have given a great gift to the future of this country.
Standards are the building blocks for better and bolder schools in each of our states and communities. Standards drive excellence, whether it be in business, athletics or education. We will not be able to improve our schools unless we first raise the bar of achievement through rigorous academic standards, as well as develop an effective means by which to assess our students and our schools.
...Our goal is to leave here with a commitment by each of the governors to return to their states and set high standards for their schools within two years.
We all know that a strong and growing economy depends on an educated workforce, and that without a strong and growing economy, the social and political fabric of America -- our stability as a nation -- is in jeopardy.
It would be an abdication of responsibility of our very birthright as Americans if we should fail the next generation and not prepare them to prosper in an era of intense global economic competition.
Entitled "Ideas for Improving Reading and Writing" the hour-long Town Meeting will air on Tuesday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The program will be closed-captioned and will be simulcast in Spanish.
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin will welcome educators and local leaders from around the country who have developed innovative programs to strengthen reading and writing skills, emphasizing the family's central role in education. The national READ*WRITE*NOW! program will also be featured, which focuses on helping students to practice reading and writing skills during the summer. READ*WRITE*NOW is jointly sponsored by the Education Department and its partners, including Reading Is Fundamental, the National Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals, Hadassah, Pizza Hut, and Nickelodeon.
The Department of Education produces the Satellite Town Meeting series in partnership with the National Alliance of Business and the Center for Workforce Preparation with support from the Bayer Foundation, The Procter and Gamble Fund, Microsoft, Inc., and SC Johnson Wax.
Satellite coordinates are as follows ....To participate in the Satellite Town Meeting, contact your local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) member station, Chamber of Commerce, or Johnson Controls branch office and ask if your group can use the facility as a downlink site. Other possible sites are local schools, public libraries, community colleges, cable television stations, universities and technical schools, government offices, hospitals, businesses, hotels, or even private residences with satellite dishes. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for further information or to register your participation.C-Band: Telstar 401, Orbital Location 97 degrees West; Transponder 7; Vertical Polarity; Channel 7; Downlink Frequency 3840 MHz; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHz (Spanish) and 6.8 MHz (English).
Ku-Band: SBS-6, Orbital Location 74 degrees West; Transponder 17; Horizontal Polarity; Channel 17; Downlink Frequency 12120.0 MHz; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHz (Spanish) and 6.8 MHz (English).
The day opened with an affirmation of the Statement of Common Purpose Among Religious Communities, originally written and signed by 33 religious organizations in December of 1994. Religious leaders from throughout New England signed the statement, which indicates the importance of family involvement in learning and the role of religious organizations in the community to encourage and enable families to fulfill this responsibility. The leaders represented a diverse group of religions and community-based projects sponsored by religious institutions.
Participants in the event included leaders from schools, family organizations, churches, local businesses, and community organizations. Secretary Riley encouraged each of them to help families to be involved in their children's learning. He said the religious community can play a special role to "help parents find the time for reflection and the time for greater involvement in their children's learning."
State breakout sessions were facilitated by both a religious leader and an education leader. Participants discussed the programs already in existence in their states to help families and how they can work together in the future to make these services more accessible.
The United Methodist Church presented Secretary Riley with the first copy of their new publication, Education, the Gift of Hope, in which they urge every local church to support schools within their own communities. Local churches, community groups, schools, businesses, and family organizations who would like to join in the national Family Involvement Partnership for Learning can call 1-800-USA-LEARN for a sign-on document.
The nationwide program is inspired by 30 years of research showing that when family and community members are directly involved in education, results improve in key areas. Children achieve better grades and higher test scores, have higher graduation rates, are more likely to enroll in higher education, and are better behaved.
Last year, hundreds of communities across the country dedicated events to improving local schools. Celebrities, elected officials, athletes, artists, teachers, CEOs, authors, musicians, and astronauts went back to school to share with students how important a good education was to their success.
The fall '96 Back To School initiative will be launched in August. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will be joined by parents, educators and more than 260 education, business, community and religious organizations who make up the national Family Involvement Partnership for Learning. Secretary Riley is encouraging all Americans to choose activities that meet the "Eight Challenges to American Education" that he identified in his third annual "State of American Education" address:
WELCOME, NEW PARTNERS!The national Family Involvement Partnership for Learning welcomes our newest partners: | |
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Panelist Paul Beasley, director of TRIO Programs at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, helps disadvantaged students in his community prepare academically for college. Beginning in the sixth grade, students are assisted with planning course work and developing interests and skills. Many communities across the country have TRIO programs.
The importance of parental involvement in encouraging children to attend college was emphasized by Robert Glidden, president of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. "Parental involvement is part of how students develop their aspirations," Glidden said.
Panelist Joyce Baca Anderson described an innovative school- university partnership that establishes a continuum of learning for children from kindergarten through college. Anderson is an administrator at Pueblo School District Number 60, which works closely with the University of Southern Colorado in the Educational Alliance of Pueblo to help students make a smooth transition into higher education.
Preparing for college financially was another challenge discussed in the Town Meeting. Panelist Belle Wheelan, President of Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, informed viewers about the affordability of community colleges, where annual tuition averages $1300 to $1350. She also related that many community colleges have scholarship funds to provide students with financial assistance.
Panelist Lawrence Gladieux, Executive Director of the Washington, D.C., office of the College Board, related that there is a total of $47 billion of aid available to students to help pay college costs. "College is possible, even if a family hasn't saved and planned far ahead," he said.
David Longanecker, the Assistant Secretary at the Education Department who oversees higher education programs, urged students to invest in college, even if they have to borrow funds. "There is no investment a person will ever make that will return as much as the investment in themselves and their education," he said. "We've worked very hard with the federal student loan programs to make sure that they will have repayment terms that are sensitive to the individual needs of the borrower."
Deputy Secretary Kunin also stressed why borrowing should not deter students from pursuing a college education. "It's important to realize that you're going to have more earning power to pay back that loan at the end of your education than you do now," she said. The Deputy Secretary noted that Americans who have a college degree bring home nearly twice the salary, on average, as those with only a high school diploma.
The Education Department has a new publication that contains updated information on college costs, student financial aid, and academic requirements. The 1996-97 edition of "Preparing Your Child For College: A Resource Book for Parents" is available by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.
Although charter schools share some basic features, they embody many different visions of school improvement, unique to each community. Education Secretary Richard Riley has visited numerous charter schools in his travels across the country. "I've seen many different success stories," he said. "Charter schools have the freedom to be innovative, but one important feature they share is how they can become a source of good ideas throughout a district."
A charter school is a public school that is governed by teachers, parents, administrators, or others who want to create and manage a successful public school. The developers of a charter school apply to a public agency -- usually a local school board or state board of education -- for a charter that provides public funding and a performance contract to run a public school.
Charter schools are free from most education laws and regulations, but are accountable for results. Performance is reviewed after three to five years, and a school remains open only as long as it achieves good results. Charter schools do not charge tuition. They are accountable to public institutions and generally have open admissions policies.
While charter schools vary in size, many are small schools, averaging about 300 students. Charter schools also vary in the focus of their mission. The Accelerated Charter School in south- central Los Angeles emphasizes high expectations for all learners and has raised student scores on a standardized math test substantially over the past year. Honey Creek Community School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, focuses on technology and provides Internet access to all teachers and students. New Visions School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, focuses intensively on reading and is using a Goals 2000 grant to share its successful strategies with teachers in nearby school districts.
Supporters view charter schools as a promising way to raise academic standards, empower educators, involve parents and communities, and expand choice and accountability in public education. One challenge facing charter schools has been a lack of start-up funding. To expand start-up resources, the Department of Education has provided $5.4 million in start-up grants for charter schools in 11 states, and President Clinton has proposed a major expansion of this public charter schools program. For more information on public charter schools, including contacts in your state, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit the Department's World Wide Web site at http://www.ed.gov/.
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