    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [April 18, 1997]
    [Pages 460-461]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on Expanding Access to Internet-based Educational Resources
    for Children, Teachers, and Parents
    April 18, 1997

    Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

    Subject: Expanding Access to Internet-based Educational Resources for
    Children, Teachers, and Parents

        My number one priority for the next 4 years is to make sure that all
    Americans have the best education in the world.
        One of the goals of my Call to Action for American Education is to
    bring the power of the Information Age into all of our schools. This
    will require connecting every classroom and library to the Internet by
    the year 2000; making sure that every child has access to modern,
    multimedia computers; giving teachers the training they need to be as
    comfortable with the computer as they are with the chalkboard; and
    increasing the availability of high-quality educational content. When
    America meets the challenge of making every child technologically
    literate, children in rural towns, the suburbs, and inner city schools
    will have the same access to the same universe of knowledge.
        I believe that Federal agencies can make a significant contribution
    to expanding this universe of knowledge. Some agencies have already
    launched a number of exciting projects in this area. The White House has
    a special ``White House for Kids'' home page with information on the
    history of the White House. NASA's K-12 initiative allows students to
    interact with astronauts and to share in the excitement of scientific
    pursuits such as the exploration of Mars and Jupiter and with
    experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle. The AskERIC service
    (Education Resources Information Center), supported by the Department of
    Education, has a virtual library of more than 900 lesson plans for K-12
    teachers, and provides answers to questions from educators within 48
    hours--using a nationwide network of experts and databases of the latest
    research. Students participating in the Vice President's GLOBE project
    (Global Learning and Observation for a Better Environment) collect
    actual atmospheric, aquatic, and biological data and use the Internet to
    share, analyze, and discuss the data with scientists and students all
    over the world. With support from the National Science Foundation, the
    Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense's CAETI program
    (Computer-Aided Education and Training Initiative), the Lawrence
    Berkeley Laboratory has developed a program that allows high school
    students to request and download their own observations of the universe
    from professional telescopes.
        We can and should do more, however. Over the next 3 months, you
    should determine what resources you can make available that would enrich
    the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning, and produce and make
    available a new or expanded version of your service within 6 months.
        You should use the following guidelines to support this initiative:
        Consider a broad range of educational resources, including
                multimedia publications, archives of primary documents,
                networked scientific instruments such as telescopes and
                supercomputers, and employees willing to serve as tele-
                mentors or answer student and teacher questions.
        Expand access not only to the information and other
                resources generated internally, but by the broader community
                of people and institutions that your agency works with and
                supports. For example, science agencies should pursue
                partnerships with professional societies, universities, and
                researchers to expand K-12 access to scientific resources.
        Update and improve your services in response to comments
                from teachers and students, and encourage educators to
                submit curricula and lesson plans that they have developed
                using agency material.
        Focus on the identification and development of high-quality
                educational resources that promote high standards of
                teaching and learning in core subjects. Of particular
                importance are resources that will help students read well
                and independently by 4th grade, and master challenging
                mathematics, including algebra and geometry, by 8th grade.

    [[Page 461]]

        Make sure the material you develop is accessible to people
                with disabilities. Earlier this month, I announced my
                support for the Web Accessibility Initiative, a public-
                private partnership that will make it easier for people with
                disabilities to use the World Wide Web.
        I am also directing the Department of Education to develop a
    ``Parents Guide to the Internet,'' that will explain the educational
    benefits of this exciting resource, as well as steps that parents can
    take to minimize the risks associated with the Internet, such as access
    to material that is inappropriate for children.
        The Department of Education will also be responsible for chairing an
    interagency working group to coordinate this initiative to ensure that
    the agency-created material is of high quality, is easily accessible,
    and promotes awareness of Internet-based educational resources among
    teachers, parents, and students.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: This memorandum was released by the Office of the Press Secretary
    on April 19.