    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [September 12, 1996]
    [Pages 1555-1556]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on Promoting Excellence and Accountability in Teaching
    September 12, 1996

    Memorandum for the Secretary of Education

    Subject: Promoting Excellence and Accountability in Teaching

        Every child needs--and deserves--dedicated, outstanding teachers,
    who know their subject matter, are effectively trained, and know how to
    teach to high standards and to make learning come alive for students.
        In order to make sure every child has the teachers he or she
    deserves, as a Nation we must:

         Recruit and retain the most talented people into teaching;
         Require tougher licensing and certification standards for
            teachers, invest in high-quality preparation and ongoing
            training to help teachers meet these standards, and increase
            dramatically the number of teachers who meet the demanding
            standards set by the National Board for Professional Teaching
            Standards;
         Remove incompetent teachers quickly, fairly, and at less
            cost than at present and for those teachers who need such
            assistance, try to restore their enthusiasm or counsel them out
            of the profession; and
         Create systems for identifying and rewarding good teachers
            for achieving outstanding levels of knowledge and skills,
            especially as reflected in National Board Standards or other
            standards of quality adopted by States or local school
            districts.

        I hereby direct you to assist States and local communities in
    meeting these challenges by:

        (1) Notifying State and local education officials within 90 days of
    the date of this memorandum of the Federal resources available to
    address these challenges; and

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        (2) Identifying and disseminating within 6 months promising State
    and local practices responding to each of these challenges.
        Please report annually to me on how States and local communities are
    responding to these challenges.

                                                          William J. Clinton