    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [February 28, 1998]
    [Page 303]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 303]]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 28, 1998

        Good morning. This morning I want to talk to you about one of the
    most important ways we can help all children live up to their God-given
    potential: giving them the tools they need to master the fundamentals of
    reading.
        This week America got a wakeup call on education. We learned that
    our high school seniors are lagging behind those in most other
    industrialized nations in math and science. In a global economy that is
    increasingly powered by information and technology, this is a very
    sobering fact. It tells me we can have no higher priority than to
    transform our K-through-12 classrooms in every community. We need
    smaller classes, better teaching, higher standards, more discipline,
    greater accountability.
        And clearly, we must give our children more help with reading.
    Currently, 40 percent of our Nation's 8-year-olds are not reading even
    at the basic level. And those students are far more likely to get
    discouraged and drop out of school or never to learn what they need to
    know while they're in school. Failing to read early on is a burden that
    can bog down a child for life. That's why I launched the America Reads
    challenge, to make sure all our children can read on their own by the
    end of the third grade.
        Thanks to an amazing outpouring of support, tens of thousands of
    volunteer tutors are already at work in our communities, giving our
    children the intensive reading help they need. More than 900 colleges
    have committed to give their students work study credit for devoting
    after-school hours to tutoring children. And this year 3,000 new
    AmeriCorps members and thousands of new senior volunteers will recruit
    more than 100,000 volunteer reading tutors for our children. We are on
    track to give extra reading help to 3 million children at risk of
    falling behind.
        But we need Congress' help to meet this goal. This past November,
    the House of Representatives voted with bipartisan support to promote
    literacy efforts in the home, the school, the community. Legislation
    with these goals is now awaiting action in the Senate, which means $210
    million in targeted assistance is now on hold in Washington, not at work
    in our communities. So today I call on the Senate to pass this
    legislation without delay. We need it. Our children need it.
        This coming Monday, reading out loud to children will be the talk of
    the Nation. To celebrate the birthday of the late Dr. Seuss, whose much
    beloved books have sparked the imaginations of children and parents
    alike for generations, the National Education Association and many other
    groups are sponsoring the first Read Across America Day. Thousands of
    people, from baseball star Cal Ripken to the
    leaders of the Cherokee Nation to the sailors of the U.S.S. Austin, will
    read favorite books and share the joy of reading with children in every
    part of our country. I encourage parents and grandparents to get
    involved. Read with your child on Read Across America Day and every day.
        Scientists have now shown reading to your children every night
    before bed can help lay the foundation for his or her life and, in turn,
    for our Nation's future. Literacy is the key to all learning. Without
    it, history is a haze, math is a muddle, the Internet is indecipherable,
    the promise of America is a closed book. But we can change all that.
    With an army of reading tutors, well-trained teachers, and involved
    parents, we can make sure every child can read by the third grade. And
    if we do that, there is no limit, in the words of Dr. Seuss, on the
    places our children will go.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 3:22 p.m. on February 26 at the
    Spanish Rights Center in Oakland, CA, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    February 28.