[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 46 (Monday, November 17, 1997)]
[Page 1755]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on House of Representatives Action on Voluntary National 
Testing for Basic Education Skills

November 7, 1997

    Legislation passed by the House of Representatives this evening 
provides an impressive victory for American education. It moves us down 
the road to high national standards and voluntary national tests in the 
basic skills, and it invests in providing our country with better 
schools and increased educational opportunities.
    I am very pleased that we have reached an agreement on one of my top 
priorities for this year and for my Presidency: making sure that 
America's schoolchildren can master the basics and achieve higher 
academic standards. America's parents, teachers, and principals can now 
be sure that we are going to hold children's educational skills up to 
the same high standard whether they live in Michigan, Maine, or Montana.
    The educational agenda I have established for the Nation--from high 
standards and testing to making a college education possible for every 
young American--is designed to give our children the tools they need to 
succeed in a changing global economy. Today's agreement fulfills a 
critical part of that agenda, and I appreciate that politics indeed 
stopped at the schoolhouse door.
    The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which includes the 
agreement on national standards and tests, also helps meet our national 
commitment to expand educational opportunities for all students. It 
provides a $1.5 billion increase in Pell grants to help an additional 
210,000 young people attend college, and increases the maximum Pell 
grant to $3,000, the highest level in history. Special education funding 
is increased by $800 million, funding for technology for our schools is 
almost doubled, and there is $7.4 billion to help our most disadvantaged 
students master the basic skills. Goals 2000 is funded at $491 million, 
to continue to support school reform in every State, and funding for 
after-school programs is increased from $1 million to $40 million.
    I am also pleased to see the House pass bipartisan charter school 
legislation to promote choice and accountability in the public schools 
and help achieve my goal of 3,000 charter schools.

Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.