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

   EMBARGOED: FOR RELEASE                   Contact:  Kathryn Kahler    August 17, 1995                                    (202) 401-3026

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley Regarding 1995 ACT Assessment Scores

Sustained effort is paying off. Schools are adopting challenging academic standards, more students are taking core courses and aspiring to advanced college degrees, and minority and female students are closing the achievement gap. Average composite scores for whites are also improving.

Tough standards and rigorous courses are beginning to show results. This is not the time to withdraw a longstanding, bipartisan federal commitment to help states and communities improve their schools. This is not the time to retreat.