[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 168 (Tuesday, August 31, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 47337-47338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22777]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 168 / Tuesday, August 31, 1999 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 47337]]
Proclamation 7218 of August 27, 1999
America Goes Back to School, 1999
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Education has always been at the heart of opportunity
in America. It opens doors for our young people, gives
them the tools they need to succeed, and instills in
them a sense of responsibility as they strive to make
the most of their lives. However, while the importance
of education is unchanging, the challenges facing
America's schools and students are not. There are now
more children, from more diverse backgrounds, in our
public schools than at any time in our country's
history. We must ensure that their education gives them
the knowledge and skills they need to help our Nation
thrive in the new century.
America's current prosperity offers us an unprecedented
opportunity to invest in our children's education. I am
proud that we have begun that task by opening the doors
of college to all our young people with tax credits and
more affordable student loans, more Pell grants and
work-study jobs, education IRAs, and the new HOPE
Scholarship tax cut that more than 5 million Americans
will have received by the end of this year. I have also
announced $43 million in grants to help States and
communities to recruit talented people into teaching
jobs and improve the quality of teaching nationwide.
These are important accomplishments, but we must build
on them. The goal of the America Goes Back to School
initiative is to support family and community
involvement in childhood learning and to build strong
community support for our schools, teachers, and
students.
This year's theme--``Challenge Our Students and They
Will Soar''--reflects our faith in America's youth and
our commitment to providing them with the tools they
need to succeed in our rapidly changing world. We must
turn around failing schools, hold States and school
districts accountable for helping all children reach
high academic standards, support charter schools and
other forms of public school choice, expand after-
school and summer programs, develop pathways to college
and careers, and provide safe, drug-free schools for
all our children. We must ensure that all our students
have access to computers and that every classroom and
library is connected to the Internet. If we want our
children to compete at a world-class level, they must
have modern, world-class schools. I am therefore
challenging the Congress to enact my proposals to build
and modernize 6,000 public schools; and I am also
asking the Congress to continue funding to hire 100,000
well-prepared teachers to reduce class size in the
early grades, the years that we know--intuitively and
through research--are critical to the development of
children's learning and thinking skills.
My Administration is working hard to improve our
Nation's education system, but no government effort can
replace the vision, encouragement, and dedication of
our families and communities. As America's students go
back to school this year, let us pledge to provide
every child with a safe and supportive environment in
which to learn and grow, and let us ensure that every
segment of our society is involved in the effort. Let
us also resolve that our young people will return to
schools that are genuine places
[[Page 47338]]
of learning, where they receive the care, attention,
and education they need to reach their full potential.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim August 29 through September
11, 1999, as a time when America Goes Back to School. I
encourage parents, schools, community and State
leaders, businesses, civic and religious organizations,
and the people of the United States to observe this
period with appropriate ceremonies and activities
expressing support for high academic standards and
promoting family and community involvement in providing
a quality education for every child.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-fourth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 99-22777
Filed 8-30-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P