[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26989-26990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10660]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 86 / Wednesday, May 4, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 26989]]


                Proclamation 9439 of April 29, 2016

                
National Teacher Appreciation Day and National 
                Teacher Appreciation Week, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our country's story, written over more than two 
                centuries, is one of challenges, chances, and progress. 
                As our Nation has advanced on our journey toward 
                ensuring rights and opportunities are extended fully 
                and equally to all people, America's teachers--from the 
                front lines of our civil rights movement to the front 
                lines of our education system--have helped steer our 
                country's course. They witness the incredible potential 
                of our youth, and they know firsthand the impact of a 
                caring leader at the front of the classroom.

                As our national narrative has progressed, we have 
                become a more equal society, cleared paths to 
                opportunity, and affirmed the extraordinary potential 
                of all our people--regardless of their race, their 
                gender, their sexual orientation, their religion, or 
                the zip code they were born into. But there is still 
                work to be done. If our country's story is going to 
                reflect the diversity we draw strength from, it needs 
                to be written by people that represent the wide range 
                of backgrounds and origins that comprise our national 
                mosaic, and as the next generation rises and prepares 
                to shape that narrative, our teachers will be with them 
                every step of the way--imparting critical knowledge and 
                opening their minds to the possibilities tomorrow 
                holds. In working to ensure all our daughters and sons 
                have the chance to add their voice and perspective to 
                America's story, our teachers help shape a Nation that 
                better reflects the values we were founded upon.

                When I took office, I did so with a bold vision to 
                foster innovation and drive change within our education 
                system, and to expand educational opportunities and 
                outcomes for all America's learners. Central to that 
                goal is our work to build and strengthen the teaching 
                profession so our teachers are enabled and equipped to 
                inspire rising generations. I have worked hard 
                throughout my Presidency to make sure my Administration 
                does its part to support our educators and our 
                education system, but the incredible progress our 
                country has seen--from achieving record high graduation 
                rates to holding more students to high standards that 
                prepare them for success in college and future 
                careers--is thanks to the dedicated teachers, families, 
                and school leaders who work tirelessly on behalf of our 
                young people.

                Just as we know a student's circumstances do not 
                dictate his or her potential, we know that having an 
                effective teacher is the most important in-school 
                factor for student success. That is why my 
                Administration has been committed to better recruiting, 
                preparing, retraining, and rewarding America's 
                teachers. Following the worst economic crisis our 
                country has seen since the Great Depression, my 
                Administration supported significant investments in 
                education through the Recovery Act to keep more than 
                300,000 educators in the classroom. We have invested 
                more than $2.7 billion through competitive grants to 
                better recruit, train, support, and reward talented 
                teachers and educators, and we have worked to make sure 
                teachers have a strong voice and a seat at the table in 
                the policymaking process. At the urging of the 
                Department of Education, all fifty States are advancing 
                teacher equity plans to ensure that districts can 
                support and retain educators in schools

[[Page 26990]]

                that need them most. In my State of the Union address 
                in 2011, I announced a national goal to prepare 100,000 
                public school STEM teachers by 2021 to help ensure more 
                of our young innovators can seize the opportunities of 
                tomorrow--and I am proud that we are on track to meet 
                that goal.

                I recently signed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds 
                Act (ESSA), which ensures students are held to high 
                standards that will better prepare them for college and 
                careers. And because cookie-cutter solutions are not 
                always effective considering the diversity of our 
                communities and of the students in our classrooms, ESSA 
                reflects my Administration's approach to education 
                reform by empowering States and local decision makers, 
                who know what their students need best, to shape their 
                own progress with accountability. ESSA also aligns with 
                the Testing Action Plan I announced last fall to help 
                reduce the burden of standardized testing so educators 
                can spend less time testing and more time teaching. 
                This law will also allow more States and districts to 
                support teachers and expand access to computer science, 
                a critical skill our students need in the innovation 
                economy.

                Our future is written in schools across our country. It 
                is likely that the first person who will go to Mars is 
                in a classroom today. Our students are our future 
                teachers, scientists, politicians, public servants, and 
                parents--a generation that will steer the course we 
                will take as a people and make possible things we have 
                not even imagined yet. We look to the women and men 
                standing in front of classrooms in all corners of our 
                country--from cities to reservations to rural towns--to 
                vest America's daughters and sons with the hard skills 
                they will need to put their dreams within reach and to 
                inspire them to dream even bigger. On National Teacher 
                Appreciation Day and during National Teacher 
                Appreciation Week, let us ensure our educators know how 
                much we value their service in the classroom, how much 
                we appreciate all they do for our students and 
                families, and how thankful we are for their 
                contributions to our national progress.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim May 3, 2016, as 
                National Teacher Appreciation Day and May 1 through May 
                7, 2016, as National Teacher Appreciation Week. I call 
                upon students, parents, and all Americans to recognize 
                the hard work and dedication of our Nation's teachers 
                and to observe this day and this week by supporting 
                teachers through appropriate activities, events, and 
                programs.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-10660
Filed 5-3-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P