THE WHITE HOUSE                      Office of the Press Secretary  ______________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release                             April 20, 1993                              REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT            DURING PRESENTATION OF TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 	                                 The Rose Garden    1:25 P.M. EDT   	     THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Please be seated.  I  want to say, first, how delighted I am to be here with Secretary  Riley and with Senator Graham.  The three of us served as governors  together during the 1980s when we worked constantly on strategies to  improve our schools, when we led often difficult and long efforts to  upgrade the standards in American education and to improve the  quality of instruction our children were receiving.   	      	     There were no two governors whom I admired more during  that period than the two who now stand on this stage with the Teacher  of the Year.  And I think both of them would join me in saying that,  after all the testimony has been heard and all the bills have been  passed and the funds have been raised and allocated, it all comes  down to what happens between the teacher and the students in the  classroom. 	      	     That's why today's ceremony honoring the National  Teacher of the Year is so important.  Tracey Leon Bailey is one  recognition all across our country for highly advanced and innovative  science programs.  He's developed and introduced into Florida's  classrooms cutting-edge programs in molecular biology and DNA  fingerprinting -- subjects usually taught only in college and, I  might add, probably only dimly understood here in the Nation's  Capital.  (Laughter.) 	      	     Within three years of being hired by a satellite high  school, Mr. Bailey's institution had one of the strongest science  programs in the entire state of Florida, and it won numerous national  and international awards.  These advanced programs aren't just for a  favored few.  Tracey Bailey has inspired all kinds of students,  including those previously known as low-achieving or at-risk to reach  for excellence and to attain it.  This is what our students need and  what our country needs.  	      	     Today, we know that a good future with high wages and  rich opportunities rests on the foundation of quality education for a  lifetime.  The basics aren't enough anymore.  All our kids need  competence in math and science and advanced problem-solving.  That's  why Tracey Bailey's accomplishments are so important and why I am so  pleased and proud to participate in recognizing and honoring these  accomplishments.  	      	     Tracey, you represent the best in the United States.   I'm glad to recognize you today and to formally present you with this  Apple Award as the Teacher of the Year for 1993.  (Applause.)   	      	     MR. BAILEY:  Thank you, Mr. President.  It is indeed a  great honor and a tremendous responsibility to represent the nation's  2.5 million teachers.  And we appreciate the support that you have  shown for education, and we're looking forward to working with you to  help redesign and improve our nation's schools.   	      	     We know that the quality of our children's education  will directly impact the future of our economic and social landscape  in the years to come.  And we thank you so much for your continued  support and commitment to our children's education.  Thank you again.   (Applause.)  	     THE PRESIDENT:  In closing, I would like to also welcome  the education leaders in Florida who are here, those representing the  national education groups who have also come.  I'd like to recognize  Tracey's congressman, Representative Jim Bacchus in the back, himself  a great advocate of education.  And I'd like to remind all of you  that the ultimate purpose of the National Teacher of the Year Award  is to find a way for the rest of us to express our appreciation to  people all across this country who give their lives to our children,  all of the teachers of this country who get up every day and do their  best to try to advance the cause of learning for all the children of  America.  They are, in so many ways, our most important public  servants. 	      	     Thank you very much.  (Applause.)