    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [November 7, 1997]
    [Page 1513]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on House of Representatives Action on Voluntary National
    Testing for Basic Education Skills
    November 7, 1997

        Legislation passed by the House of Representatives this evening
    provides an impressive victory for American education. It moves us down
    the road to high national standards and voluntary national tests in the
    basic skills, and it invests in providing our country with better
    schools and increased educational opportunities.
        I am very pleased that we have reached an agreement on one of my top
    priorities for this year and for my Presidency: making sure that
    America's schoolchildren can master the basics and achieve higher
    academic standards. America's parents, teachers, and principals can now
    be sure that we are going to hold children's educational skills up to
    the same high standard whether they live in Michigan, Maine, or Montana.
        The educational agenda I have established for the Nation--from high
    standards and testing to making a college education possible for every
    young American--is designed to give our children the tools they need to
    succeed in a changing global economy. Today's agreement fulfills a
    critical part of that agenda, and I appreciate that politics indeed
    stopped at the schoolhouse door.
        The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which includes the
    agreement on national standards and tests, also helps meet our national
    commitment to expand educational opportunities for all students. It
    provides a $1.5 billion increase in Pell grants to help an additional
    210,000 young people attend college, and increases the maximum Pell
    grant to $3,000, the highest level in history. Special education funding
    is increased by $800 million, funding for technology for our schools is
    almost doubled, and there is $7.4 billion to help our most disadvantaged
    students master the basic skills. Goals 2000 is funded at $491 million,
    to continue to support school reform in every State, and funding for
    after-school programs is increased from $1 million to $40 million.
        I am also pleased to see the House pass bipartisan charter school
    legislation to promote choice and accountability in the public schools
    and help achieve my goal of 3,000 charter schools.