[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 6, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 15953-15954]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04877]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 6, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 15953]]


                Proclamation 10708 of March 1, 2024

                
Read Across America Day, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On Read Across America Day, we celebrate the power of 
                literacy to expand our minds and our understanding of 
                the world around us. We salute all the parents, 
                educators, authors, librarians, and mentors who 
                encourage our children to read, and we appreciate the 
                literature that dares them to think big.

                For so many children, their dreams begin with a book. 
                Whether it is through the stories they listen to at bed 
                time or a trip to the local library, books introduce 
                children to new ideas, cultures, and perspectives. They 
                feed the imagination and stoke the fires of innovation 
                that help them understand our world as it is and 
                pioneer ways to make it better. I know firsthand how 
                reading can change lives: the First Lady, a lifelong 
                book lover, pursued a career as an educator because she 
                wanted to share the gift of reading with people who 
                ``didn't know that joy.'' As a community college 
                professor, she continues to share that gift and remains 
                committed to supporting all the teachers who do the 
                same for their students.

                The First Lady and I recognize there is still more work 
                to do to improve literacy across the country. For more 
                than a decade, studies show that reading competency of 
                American students has been on the decline--and the 
                impact of the COVID-19 pandemic only made things worse. 
                That is why, since day one of my Administration, we 
                have been committed to supporting educators and 
                improving literacy--from our youngest readers to 
                adults.

                To get our schools back open and running during the 
                pandemic, my American Rescue Plan secured $130 billion, 
                putting more teachers in our classrooms and more 
                counselors in our schools. This funding is providing 
                high-quality tutoring, expanding summer and after-
                school programming, and increasing student engagement. 
                Over the past 3 years, school districts have added more 
                than 610,000 educators and staff. Our National 
                Partnership for Student Success is working to add 
                another 250,000 caring adults in tutoring, mentoring, 
                and other critical support roles. That equals hundreds 
                of thousands of additional professionals who are giving 
                students the support they deserve.

                We also know that early education is a powerful 
                stepping stone for academic success. Research shows 
                that children who start school at 3 and 4 years old are 
                more likely to graduate from high school and further 
                their education. It is a big reason why I am working to 
                ensure that every child in America has access to high-
                quality preschool.

                We are also supporting adults in their efforts to 
                become better readers through my Administration's Adult 
                Education State Grants. These grants support adult 
                literacy programs and provide the skills and resources 
                needed to gain employment--from obtaining a secondary 
                school diploma to transitioning to a postsecondary 
                school.

                This Read Across America Day, we must also acknowledge 
                a difficult truth--that our children are growing up in 
                a country where some extremist politicians are banning 
                books in grade schools and high schools. In America,

[[Page 15954]]

                we do not ban books. Rather, we celebrate the full 
                diversity of stories and perspectives--and their 
                potential to expand our horizons.

                Dr. Seuss once wrote, ``The more that you read, the 
                more things you will know. The more that you learn, the 
                more places you'll go.'' Today, may we celebrate the 
                power that is unleashed by reading--discovering the 
                comfort of words in times of sorrow, finding 
                inspiration to fuel our imagination, or having a clear-
                eyed understanding of our past so we can forge a future 
                of limitless possibilities.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 March 2, 2024, 
                as Read Across America Day. I call upon children, 
                families, educators, librarians, public officials, and 
                all the people of the United States to observe this day 
                with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-04877
Filed 3-5-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P