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

   FOR RELEASE                              Contact:  Kathryn Kahler    August 25, 1994                                    (202) 401-3026

STATEMENT OF SECRETARY OF EDUCATION RICHARD W. RILEY

Regarding the 26th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools

The message of this Gallup poll is that members of Congress need to free the crime bill and stop dilly-dallying around. They need to tune back into what American parents want for their children -- and what they want is some sense that schools are getting the help they need to end the violence.

On behalf of our children, I urge the Senate to act responsibly and pass this measure without delay. Congress has the opportunity to enact a meaningful law that will address what American parents identified in this poll as the number one public enemy of education.

Passage of the crime bill will have double education benefits for our youth: First, it will provide additional resources to deal with gang problems and steer youth away from crime; secondly, it will send a clear signal to our nation's children that America will not tolerate criminal behavior. It offers alternatives to the violence of the streets and school- based programs that keep young people out of harm's way.

The poll also shows overwhelming support for the key components of the Clinton education agenda -- initiatives that have already received wide bipartisan support in Congress:

expanded financial aid opportunities for college students;
improved school-to-work vocational training;
increased funding for early childhood education in high- poverty areas;
more focused efforts to reach the national education goals.

But these reform efforts are seriously jeopardized if the schools are not safe. Just as crime is widely considered the number one threat to the nation, "fighting, violence and gangs" and "lack of discipline" are identified in the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll as the biggest problems now facing our schools. Learning is compromised in schools that are not safe; our children deserve an education that is not compromised.