Presidential Documents

78217 

Federal Register 

Vol. 88, No. 219 

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 10671 of November 9, 2023 

American Education Week, 2023 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

The promise of America has always been tied to the promise of our public 

education. This American Education Week, we celebrate our schools as 

beacons of hope and possibility, pillars of our communities, and cornerstones 

of our democracy. We recommit to investing in all the schools, educators, 

and staff—the kite strings that keep our national ambitions aloft. 

A great education opens doors and changes lives. From our astronauts, 

artists, scientists, and software developers to our engineers, entrepreneurs, 

manufacturers, and medical professionals, countless Americans first discovered their potential in our public schools. Many further honed their talents 

in our universities, community colleges, Registered Apprenticeship programs, 

and career and technical education programs. That is what makes our Nation 

one of possibilities: Here in the United States everyone has the chance 

to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams, no matter who they are or where 

they grew up. But there is more we can still do to ensure every child 

has a fair shot. Despite heroic efforts by our Nation’s teachers, the pandemic 

further deepened existing achievement gaps after years of flat or declining 

achievement in math and reading nationwide. 

That is why my Administration has secured a historic $130 billion for 

America’s K–12 schools. This funding has put more teachers in our classrooms and more counselors, social workers, and other staff in our schools. 

Additionally, this funding is providing high-quality tutoring, supporting 

record expansions of summer and after-school programming, improving air 

quality in schools, addressing environmental and safety needs in aging school 

buildings, and creating other critical initiatives designed to support our 

students. We also recognize that our students cannot thrive at school unless 

they are healthy and safe. The American Rescue Plan also made our country’s 

biggest-ever investment in mental health and substance use programs, supplying the resources to recruit, train, and support more providers at the 

State and local levels—including in our schools. I also signed the Bipartisan 

Safer Communities Act into law—the first major Federal gun safety legislation 

passed in nearly 30 years, getting us closer to a world where every school 

in America is free from the threat of gun violence. This legislation also 

included historic levels of funding to address youth mental health, including 

$2 billion to create safe, inclusive learning environments for students and 

hire and train more mental health professionals for schools, which is where 

students are most likely to receive these crucial services. My Administration 

also released a national strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases in America by 2030—including by advancing a pathway to provide 

free, healthy school meals for all children. 

We are fighting for our youngest learners too. We know that if we start 

early in both reading and math and make kindergarten a sturdy bridge 

between the early years and early grades, we set the stage for their lasting 

academic success. In fact, providing America’s children with a strong foundation during their first 5 years can form the basis for lifelong health and 

well-being as well as achievement in education and their future careers. 


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78218 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2023 / Presidential Documents 

I will continue to press for high-quality, free preschool for all three- and 

four-year-olds. 

My Administration also secured nearly $40 billion for colleges and universities in the American Rescue Plan. Importantly, we have invested billions 

of dollars in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges 

and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions, such as Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions. I have made it a priority to make college more affordable 

for Americans, and have worked with the Congress to increase the maximum 

Pell Grant by $900 since the beginning of my Administration, helping over 

6 million eligible students pay for school. Further, my Administration has 

approved $127 billion in student loan debt relief for nearly 3.6 million 

borrowers—more than any President in history. We have also fixed the 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that borrowers who go into 

public service, including public school teachers, get the debt relief they 

have earned. Borrowers who work in public service can apply for the Public 

Service Loan Forgiveness program at www.studentaid.gov/pslf. Our SAVE 

plan, once fully implemented, will make student loan repayment more affordable than ever before, slashing payments to $0 for borrowers who earn 

less than about $15 an hour, saving them over $1,000 a year, and ending 

the runaway student loan interest responsible for ballooning balances. Enrolling in SAVE takes less than 10 minutes. 

While we are making historic investments in colleges and universities, we 

also believe that every person in our Nation deserves access to the American 

Dream, whether they have a college degree or not. That is why we have 

invested more in Registered Apprenticeships and technical career training 

programs than any administration in history. These programs empower workers to earn while they learn and offer them a path toward good-paying 

jobs. In addition, the Departments of Education and Labor are collaborating 

to expand Registered Apprenticeships for educators. To help raise a new 

generation of talented educators from underrepresented backgrounds, we 

are working to increase high-quality teacher preparation programs and 

strengthen and diversify the teacher pipeline. 

During American Education Week, we recognize the critical role education 

plays in realizing the defining creed of our Nation—that we are a land 

of possibilities. We celebrate all the dedicated educators, school counselors, 

nurses, bus drivers, security guards, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other 

school staff, who keep our schools running and support our students’ health, 

safety, and success. Together, we will ensure that every student has the 

resources and opportunities they need to thrive. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 12 through 

November 18, 2023, as American Education Week. I call upon all Americans 

to mark this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities 

honoring those who devote their talents and energies to helping our children 

reach their full potential and to building school communities where all 

students feel they belong. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2023 / Presidential Documents 78219 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of 

November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the 

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortyeighth. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25338 

Filed 11–14–23; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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