[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9966 of November 15, 2019

American Education Week, 2019

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Every child in America deserves equal access to an education that meets
their individual needs and prepares them for success. In America, the
responsibility for education policy decisions is reserved mainly to the
States and to the local officials who know their students best, and we
recognize the countless teachers and administrators who con

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tribute every day to innovative solutions at the State and local level.
During American Education Week, we celebrate the boundless potential of
America's students, honor the teachers, parents, and guardians who help
to develop their talents, and commit to expanding educational freedom
across the country.
A child begins to learn long before the first day of kindergarten and
continues to learn well past high school graduation. Education is not
confined to a single method, location, or timeframe, but instead is a
process that lasts a lifetime. Our education system should inspire
students to become lifelong learners, and it should preserve the rights
of parents to play an active role in educating their children,
facilitate dynamic teaching styles that fit individual students, and
free students to pursue their passions.
Because students have their own unique learning styles, teachers should
be free from burdensome regulations and constraints that inhibit their
ability to teach students according to their needs. This type of
teaching and learning paves the way to rewarding careers and fulfilling
lives for young Americans, promoting healthy families, vibrant
communities, and continued economic prosperity across our Nation. To
create the type of environments where learning can flourish and to seize
the opportunities of tomorrow, we must ensure students are able to learn
in ways and places that work for them.
My Administration supports educational freedom by opposing one-size-
fits-all Federal regulations, restoring decision-making authority to
State and local leaders, and empowering families and students. This
year, we proposed a transformative new tool for students to access the
right education for them: Education Freedom Scholarships. These
scholarships will provide up to $5 billion annually in Federal tax
credits for voluntary donations to State-based scholarship programs.
This program is a bold and necessary step to ensure every family has the
freedom to pursue the educational options that are best for them,
regardless of zip code. We look forward to the Congress taking action to
approve these privately-funded scholarships and to free millions of
students of all ages to learn in new and innovative educational
settings, without taking a penny from public schools.
In order to successfully prepare students for the jobs and economy of
the future, education must be dynamic and forward-thinking in its scope
and focus. This September, my Administration announced $123 million in
new funding to dozens of school districts, nonprofit organizations, and
State educational agencies across the country as part of the Department
of Education's Education Innovation and Research (EIR) competitive grant
program. These grants will create new, innovative, and personalized ways
for students to learn. To help the next generation maintain America's
leading role in the global marketplace, more than $78 million will fund
projects focused on innovations in science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM) education.
This week, we recognize the power of education and pay tribute to the
educators and role models who shape the students of today into the
leaders of tomorrow. Their efforts help provide a high-quality education
to millions of students, build strong communities, and ensure that
America maintains its standing in an increasingly competitive world.
Education in America is as important today as it ever has been,

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and we remain committed to providing teachers and students with the
freedom and resources they need to be successful.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 17 through
November 23, 2019, as American Education Week. I commend our Nation's
schools, their teachers and leaders, and the parents of students across
this land. And I call on States and communities to support high-quality
education to meet the needs of all students.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP