    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [May 21, 1999]
    [Pages 828-830]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress Transmitting Proposed Legislation To Reauthorize
    the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
    May 21, 1999

    To the Congress of the United States:
        I am pleased to transmit for your immediate consideration the
    ``Educational Excellence for All Children Act of 1999,'' my
    Administration's proposal for reauthorization of the Elementary and
    Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and other elementary and
    secondary education programs.
        My proposal builds on the positive trends achieved under current
    law. The ``Improving America's Schools Act of 1994,'' which reauthorized
    the ESEA 5 years ago, and the ``Goals 2000: Educate America Act'' gave
    States and school districts a framework for integrating Federal
    resources in support of State and local reforms based on high academic
    standards. In response, 48 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto
    Rico have adopted State-level standards. Recent results of the National
    Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show improved performance for
    the economically disadvantaged and other at-risk students who are the
    primary focus of ESEA programs. NAEP reading scores for 9-year olds in
    high-poverty schools have improved significantly since 1992, while
    mathematics achievement has also increased nationally.

    [[Page 829]]

    Students in high-poverty schools and the lowest-performing students--the
    specific target populations for the ESEA Title I program--have
    registered gains in both reading and math achievement.
        I am encouraged by these positive trends, but educational results
    for many children remain far below what they should be. My proposal to
    reauthorize the ESEA is based on four themes reflecting lessons from
    research and the experience of implementing the 1994 Act.
        First, we would continue to focus on high academic standards for all
    children. The underlying purpose of every program within the ESEA is to
    help all children reach challenging State and local academic standards.
    States have largely completed the first stage of standards-based reform
    by developing content standards for all children. My bill would support
    the next stage of reform by helping States, school districts, schools,
    and teachers use these standards to guide classroom instruction and
    assessment.
        My proposal for reauthorizing Title I, for example, would require
    States to hold school districts and schools accountable for student
    performance against State standards, including helping the lowest-
    performing students continually to improve. The bill also would continue
    to target Federal elementary and secondary education resources on those
    students furthest from meeting State and local standards, with a
    particular emphasis on narrowing the gap in achievement between
    disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. In this regard, my
    proposal would phase in equal treatment of Puerto Rico in ESEA funding
    formulas, so that poor children in Puerto Rico are treated similarly to
    those in the rest of the country for the purpose of formula allocations.
        Second, my proposal responds to research showing that while
    qualified teachers are critical to improving student achievement, far
    too many teachers are not prepared to teach to high standards. Teacher
    quality is a particular problem in high-poverty schools, and the problem
    is often exacerbated by the use of paraprofessionals in instructional
    roles.
        My bill addresses teacher quality by holding States accountable for
    stronger enforcement of their own certification and licensure
    requirements, while at the same time providing substantial support for
    State and local professional development efforts. The Teaching to High
    Standards initiative in Title II would help move challenging educational
    standards into every classroom by providing teachers with sustained and
    intensive high-quality professional development in core academic
    subjects, supporting new teachers during their first 3 years in the
    classroom, and ensuring that all teachers are proficient in relevant
    content knowledge and teaching skills.
        The Technology for Education initiative under Title III would expand
    the availability of educational technology as a tool to help teachers
    implement high standards in the classroom, particularly in high-poverty
    schools. My bill also would extend, over the next 7 years, the Class-
    Size Reduction initiative, which aims to reduce class sizes in the early
    grades by helping districts to hire and train 100,000 teachers. And the
    Title VII Bilingual Education proposal would help ensure that all
    teachers are well trained to teach students with limited English
    proficiency, who are found in more and more classrooms with each passing
    year.
        Third, my bill would increase support for safe, healthy,
    disciplined, and drug-free learning environments where all children feel
    connected, motivated, and challenged to learn and where parents are
    welcomed and involved. The recent tragedy at Columbine High School in
    Littleton, Colorado, reminds us that we must be ever vigilant against
    the risks of violence and other dangerous behaviors in our schools. Our
    reauthorization bill includes several measures to help mitigate these
    risks.
        We would strengthen the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
    Act by concentrating funds on districts with the greatest need for drug-
    and violence-prevention programs, and by emphasizing the use of
    research-based programs of proven effectiveness. Moreover, with respect
    to students who bring weapons to school, this proposal would require
    schools to refer such students to a mental health professional for
    assessment and require counseling for those who pose an imminent threat
    to themselves or others; allow funding for programs that educate
    students about the risks associated with guns; expand character
    education programs; and promote alternative schools and second chance
    programs. A new School Emergency Response to Violence program would
    provide rapid assistance to school districts that have experienced
    violence or other trauma that disrupts the learning environment.

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        My High School Reform initiative would support innovative reforms to
    improve student achievement in high schools, such as expanding the
    connections between adults and students that are necessary for effective
    learning and healthy personal development. This new initiative would
    provide resources to help transform 5,000 high schools into places where
    students receive individual attention, are motivated to learn, are
    provided with challenging courses, and are encouraged to develop and
    pursue long-term educational and career goals.
        Fourth, in response to clear evidence that standards-based reforms
    work best when States have strong accountability systems in place, my
    proposal would encourage each State to establish a single, rigorous
    accountability system for all schools. The bill also would require
    States to end social promotion and traditional retention practices;
    phase out the use of teachers with emergency certificates and the
    practice of assigning teachers ``out-of-field;'' and implement sound
    discipline policies in every school. Finally, the bill would give
    parents an important new accountability tool by requiring State,
    district, and school-level report cards that will help them evaluate the
    quality of the schools their children attend.
        Based on high standards for all students, high-quality professional
    development for teachers, safe and disciplined learning environments,
    and accountability to parents and taxpayers, the Educational Excellence
    for All Children Act of 1999 provides a solid foundation for raising
    student achievement and narrowing the achievement gap between
    disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers. More important,
    it will help prepare all of our children, and thus the Nation, for the
    challenges of the 21st century. I urge the Congress to take prompt and
    favorable action on this proposal.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    May 21, 1999.