This budget includes 20 new proposals and terminates 19 other programs. Reducing class size makes a powerful difference. Parents are very tuned into the success of this effort. We also know that extending the learning day is very helpful and that there is an enormous demand for quality after-school opportunities. With this new support we will be able to reach nearly 2.5 million children.
Teacher quality is always high on our agenda.
There is no one way to get the job done and that is why we are coming at this issue from many angles. We propose to reward high-poverty school districts that make the effort to get more fully certified teachers into the classroom. That's a critical step to raising achievement. All the research tells us that if we do a better job at the pre-K level, many more children will come to school ready to learn. You are also going to hear me talk a lot this year about preparing the next generation of principals.