    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [December 21, 1996]
    [Pages 2231-2232]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    December 21, 1996

        In just a few days we celebrate the miracle of Christmas, the gift
    of light and hope that has lasted for nearly 2,000 years. I'd like to
    talk about how we can share that gift by shining the light of literacy
    on millions of precious children and families.
        Literacy is about reading, but it's about much more, too. It's about
    opportunity, giving people the tools to make the most of their God-given
    potential. It's about preparing people for the 21st century, when a
    fully literate work force will be crucial to our strength as a nation.
    Without literacy, the history books and job manuals are closed, the
    Internet is turned off, and the promise of America is much harder to
    reach.
        To achieve our full potential as a nation, we must make sure
    everyone can read, adults as well as children. I'm proud that we're
    increasing the assistance we give to States for adult education and
    literacy by more than 50 percent, the largest increase in more than 30
    years. This will help hundreds of thousands of adults to rise to the
    obligations of family and community and to make the most of their own
    lives.
        When it comes to children, the first teachers must always be their
    parents. Hillary and I still talk about the books we read to Chelsea
    when we were so tired we could hardly stay awake. I urge all of
    America's parents, make sure there are books beneath your Christmas
    tree. Share the joy of reading as a family.
        Of course, parents can't do it alone. Our country has outstanding
    teachers and educators on the frontlines of the literacy crusade, but
    all the rest of us must work with them to make sure that every child and
    every adult can read.
        This summer in Wyandotte, Michigan, I announced a national literacy
    campaign called America Reads that begins with a clear national goal:
    Every American child should be able to read on his or her own by the
    third grade. I proposed to meet that goal by using 30,000 reading
    specialists and volunteer coordinators to mobilize a million volunteer
    reading tutors all across America. This week I announced that my
    Domestic Policy Adviser, Carol Rasco, will move to the Education
    Department with Secretary Riley to head this effort, to make absolutely
    sure we have the highest level attention to get the job done.
        We know that individualized tutoring works. Here in the Nation's
    Capital there are many remarkable tutoring programs, such as the St.
    Ann's Infant Home; Growing Together, which helps public school children
    to double their rate of learning; and the Academy of Hope, which teaches
    adults to read.
        Yesterday some of these students joined me for my annual reading of
    `` 'Twas the night before Christmas,'' and they're here with me now. If
    more Americans could see their joy in reading and learning, we'd have
    our one million volunteers overnight.

    [[Page 2232]]

        Today we're taking the next major step in our America Reads
    campaign, to build our army of reading tutors on college campuses all
    across America. This fall, at my request, Congress created over 200,000
    new work-study jobs on America's college campuses. Work-study helps
    young people to work their way through college, often by serving their
    school. I want a large portion of work-study to be devoted to community
    service and especially to teaching our children to read.
        Today I'm happy to announce that 20 of our Nation's leading college
    presidents, from San Francisco to Texas to southern Illinois, are
    unleashing the energy and enthusiasm of their students to help every 8-
    year-old learn to read. As members of a new America Reads college
    presidents steering committee, they will each dedicate half of their new
    work-study slots to students who work as reading tutors. Right away this
    should give us thousands of new tutors, a downpayment toward our goal of
    enlisting 100,000 work-study students to help America read.
        The steering committee members will also recruit at least five more
    college presidents to join the effort. To help them I am making an
    important change in the work-study program. If a student works as a
    reading tutor, colleges will no longer be required to pay one-quarter of
    that student's work-study costs. With today's actions by these college
    presidents and with the steps we are taking to help them, college
    students can now work their way through school by teaching our children
    to read. That is how we will take more responsibility, create more
    opportunity, and build a stronger, more united community for all
    Americans.
        These students will create a whole new culture of service, working
    alongside our AmeriCorps volunteers who will be doing the same,
    inspiring hundreds of thousands of Americans to tutor not just children
    but adult learners as well.
        There is simply no better way to serve your country and your
    community than by helping children and adults to read. And there is no
    better time to start than Christmas, the season of enlightenment. By
    reading to your own children, by giving your time so that others might
    learn to read, you can light a spark that keeps the spirit of Christmas
    burning every day of the year.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 5:36 p.m. on December 20 in the
    Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    December 21.