Presidential Documents

47911

Federal Register

Vol. 62, No. 176

Thursday, September 11, 1997

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7018 of September 8, 1997

America Goes Back to School, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Americans want the best for our children. We want them to live out their

dreams, empowered with the tools they need to make the most of their

lives and to build a future where America remains the world’s beacon

of hope and freedom and opportunity. To do this, we must all make improving the quality of education in America one of our highest priorities.

In my State of the Union Address earlier this year, I issued a call to

action for American education to prepare our Nation for the 21st century.

Working together, we must make our schools strong and safe, with clear

standards of achievement and discipline and talented, dedicated teachers

in every classroom. Every school and every State should adopt rigorous

national standards, with national tests in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade

math to make sure our children master the basics. We must ensure that

every student can read independently and well by the end of the 3rd

grade. We must connect every classroom and library to the Internet by

the year 2000 and help all students become technologically literate. We

must modernize school buildings and expand school choice and accountability in public education. And we must encourage lifelong learning for all

our citizens, from expanding Head Start programs to helping adults improve

their education and skills.

These goals are ambitious, but they are crucial if we are to prepare for

the challenges and possibilities of life in the 21st century. With the 1997

balanced budget agreement, we will begin to meet these goals by providing

new resources to help children learn to read, the means to help connect

every school to the Internet, and tens of billions of dollars in tax cuts

to help families pay for college.

I urge all Americans to become actively involved in their local schools

and colleges and to make a real commitment to support education improvement and give our children the kind of support they need to succeed.

The Partnership for Family Involvement in Education is setting a powerful

example in this endeavor. These partners—including the Department of Education and more than 3,000 schools, families, colleges and universities,

community, cultural, and religious groups, businesses, elected officials and

policymakers, and the men and women of our Armed Forces—have pledged

their support for our initiative, ‘‘America Goes Back to School: Answering

the President’s Call to Action.’’ Through their dedication to our children,

they are helping America’s young people grow into responsible and productive citizens. They are proving that when communities unite, every student

can achieve.
47912 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 176 / Thursday, September 11, 1997 / Presidential Documents

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution

and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 8 through

September 14, 1997, as a time when America Goes Back to School. I encourage parents, schools, community and State leaders, businesses, civic and

religious organizations, and the people of the United States to observe this

week with appropriate ceremonies and activities expressing support for high

academic standards and meaningful involvement in schools and colleges

and the students and families they serve.

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

of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven,

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

[FR Doc. 97–24329

Filed 9–10–97; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-second.

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