    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [November 22, 1997]
    [Pages 1630-1631]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    November 22, 1997

        Good morning. Today I'd like to speak to you about a breakthrough
    for education, our agreement to move forward with national tests to make
    sure every schoolchild masters the basics. The best way to give our
    children the world-class education they need to thrive in the 21st
    century is by setting high standards of academic achievement. When we
    fail to encourage our children and expect a lot of them, we in fact
    encourage them to fail. That's why I've called upon America to join me
    in raising educational standards and adopting national exams to measure
    our progress at meeting the standards.
        We've now taken a significant step forward in this effort. Last week
    I signed an education bill that supports the high national standards and
    the development of the first-ever voluntary tests of fourth graders in
    reading and eighth graders in math. And as I had recommended to
    Congress, we put control of the tests in the hands of the independent,
    bipartisan National Assessment Governing Board, often called NAGB.
    Congress created NAGB a decade ago; it includes Governors and
    legislators of both parties, business leaders, parents, and teachers.
        I'm pleased to be joined in the White House by the NAGB board
    members, who have just convened for the first time since taking on their
    new responsibilities, and they've just presented me with their plan for
    developing the national tests, including a pilot test next fall. Several
    new members have been appointed to help, including Diane Ravitch, an
    Assistant Secretary of Education under President Bush; Lynn Marmer, the
    president of the Cincinnati school board; and Jo Ann Pottorff, a member
    of the Kansas Legislature. I'm grateful they've agreed to take on this
    important role.
        I'm confident the board will ensure that the new tests measure what
    they should, the basics--nothing more, nothing less. These tests will be
    national, not Federal. And as Diane Ravitch has said, they'll be a
    yardstick, not a harness. They're a vital measuring tool to help
    parents, teachers, and school officials demand accountability and
    excellence.
        This is a landmark step toward putting high standards in the
    classroom and keeping politics

    [[Page 1631]]

    out. It builds on what is clearly the best year for American education
    in more than a generation.
        This year, we have made great progress on our pledge to ensure that
    every 8-year-old can read, every 12-year-old can log on to the Internet,
    every 18-year-old can go on to college. In the bill I signed last week,
    we helped to build a citizen army of reading tutors; nearly doubled our
    investment in education technology; we expanded public school choice and
    competition; and we provided the largest increase in Pell grant
    scholarships in two decades.
        As we raise standards for our children, we're also providing them
    with the tools they need to meet the challenge and seize the
    opportunities of the 21st century. Working together, we're lifting our
    children's sights, raising their hopes, and honoring our obligation to
    improve education today so that they can meet the challenges of
    tomorrow.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:30 p.m. on November 21 in the
    Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    November 22.