[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9540 of November 10, 2016

American Education Week, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

With great potential to prepare our young people for the world they will
inherit and lead, education provides one of the most essential
foundations for prosperity and opportunity, strengthening our democracy
and civic life and serving as a pathway to economic success. It helps
cultivate passion and inspire young people to build and create; analyze
and discover; understand and empathize with the people around them, and
through education, students can form a deeper understanding of history
and society, literature and languages, and how things work and why they
do. During American Education Week, we recognize the importance of
education and renew our commitment to bringing a better education within
reach for all our people.

America's high school graduation rate is now the highest ever recorded,
and the hard work people across our country have put in is paying off.
States have set higher, better standards to help us out-teach and out-
compete other nations. Teachers are going that extra mile to create
meaningful and memorable lessons, rather than merely teaching to a test,
and we have given them more flexibility to do so through the Every
Student Succeeds Act--a bipartisan bill I signed last year to improve
schools, give State and local lawmakers more control, and target
resources to where they are needed most. But across our country, there
are unfortunately still too many places where we can do far better for
our students. Too many schools are underfunded and lack the resources or
structures they need to prepare students for success, and for far too
many students, their zip codes still determine how far they can go.
From strengthening high-quality early education and preschool to
bolstering access to higher education, my Administration has made
improving our education system a priority for our students from their
first days of school to the days they start their careers. Nobody should
be priced out of a higher education, so we are striving to make college
more affordable and provide 2 years of free community college for any
student willing to work for it. We also reformed the student loan system
and expanded Pell grants to more students. The demands of our global
economy and changing technology require students to learn real-world
skills such as computer science in the classroom, so we are bringing new
technology and digital tools, including high-speed internet, into
classrooms to modernize education. And because too many girls, young
people of color, and low-income students are not encouraged and
underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
courses and careers, we are investing in ways to broaden STEM
participation as well as working to train more STEM teachers.
Empowering students of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs to challenge
themselves to reach higher, education can lift up a generation, allowing
them to carry the torch of progress forward and make our world a better
place. This week, let us recommit to the important work that remains and
ensure every student in America can access the support, resources, and
opportunities they need to thrive.

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NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 13 through
November 19, 2016, as American Education Week. I call upon all Americans
to observe this week by supporting their local schools and educators
through appropriate activities, events, and programs designed to help
create opportunities for every school and student in America.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.
BARACK OBAMA