[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 9 (Monday, March 8, 1999)]
[Page 334]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Proposed ``Education Accountability Act''

March 1, 1999

    Today's news of improvement in achievement for students in high-
poverty schools is welcome, but we must not rest until all students meet 
the challenging standards we set for them. That is why I urge Senators 
in both parties not only to support this week's vote to put 100,000 new, 
well-prepared teachers in the classroom but also to enact my ``Education 
Accountability Act.'' This act will help move our education system 
forward by ensuring that States and school districts end social 
promotion, phase out the use of unqualified teachers, turn around low-
performing schools, provide parents with report cards on schools, and 
implement effective discipline policies. While our education reform 
efforts are clearly headed in the right direction, we must take these 
important steps to close the gap between students and increase the pace 
of reform.