THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK
Thursday, May 4,
2000
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
ANNOUNCING NEW STEPS TO SUPPORT CHARTER
SCHOOLS
"The charter school movement, if it works, can help to save
public education in this country, by proving that excellence can be provided to
all children from all backgrounds, no matter what experiences they bring to the
school in the first place."
President Bill Clinton
Thursday, May 4, 2000
Today, on the final day of his School Reform Tour, President
Clinton visited City Academy public charter school in St.Paul, Minnesota, to
draw attention to the success of the charter school movement and to unveil new
steps to help charter schools. The President concluded his tour at Eastgate
Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio, where he participated in a roundtable
discussion on proven methods for raising student achievement. The President
called on Congress to pass an education budget and education accountability
bill that invest in our nation's schools and demand more from them.
HIGHLIGHTING THE SUCCESS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS. Charter schools
are public schools that are granted some freedom from regulations governing
other public schools in exchange for a commitment to meet or exceed a state's
academic standards. City Academy is the nation's first charter school and was
the only charter school in operation when President Clinton was first elected
in 1992. Thanks in part to the Clinton-Gore Administration's leadership, there
are now over 1,700 charter schools. During his visit to City Academy, the
President:
- Released an Executive Memorandum directing the Secretary of
Education to develop guidelines for businesses and faith-based organizations to
help charter schools succeed;
- Announced the release of $16 million in new grants and $121
million in continuation grants for charter schools;
- Participated in an online webside chat with students from around
the country; and
- Commemorated National Charter Schools Week (May 1-5) by
challenging communities to create more high-quality public charter schools to
increase choice and competition in public education.
The President's FY 2001 budget includes a $30 million increase in
funding for charters, bringing total funding to $175 million annually.
CONDUCTING A ROUNDTABLE ON WHAT WORKS. At Eastgate
Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio, proven strategies of improving teacher
quality, reducing class size, expanding after-school and summer school
programs, and raising standards have boosted student achievement. By demanding
more through high standards and real accountability, and by investing more in
smaller classes, reading, and teacher quality, the Columbus Public Schools are
achieving measurable results in some of their lowest-performing schools. On his
visit to Eastgate, President Clinton:
- Held a roundtable discussion with educators, parents, and
students on successful strategies for increasing student performance;
- Highlighted the positive impact of his initiative to hire
100,000 new teachers to reduce class size in the early grades;
- Called on Congress to follow Columbus's lead by passing an
education budget and education accountability bill that invest in our nation's
schools and demand more from them.
WORKING TO SUPPORT SCHOOL REFORMS. The President has sent a
plan to Congress that would invest in successful strategies such as reducing
class size, expanding after-school and summer school programs, modernizing
schools, and improving teacher quality. The President has also sent Congress
strong accountability legislation that would continue the work of identifying
low-performing schools, require states to end out-of-field teaching, ensure
that all students can meet high standards, and require school report cards for
parents. The President's budget includes a $4.5 billion increase in education
funding - up 12 percent from last year. |
