[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.

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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.