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so hard to get it passed. So we will do that biggest telephone companies, John and have an appropriate opportunity to have Clendenin came. And I saw the chief execu- everyone thanked in person. But I thank you tive officer of the Boeing Corporation, our for being—— Nation’s biggest exporter, Mr. Frank Speaker Foley. We’ll look forward to it, Shrontz, is here. And I was told that Joe Mr. President. Gorman is here, the chairman of TRW, but The President. Thank you. I didn’t see him back there. Anyway, all these people have come here NOTE: The teleconference began at 9:20 a.m. The President spoke from the Zamorano Fine Arts because they care about you and your future. Academy. I want to especially thank my good friend Dick Riley, who just spoke, for the work he did on this legislation, and many of his staff Remarks on Signing the Goals 2000: members, but especially Mike Cohen, who Educate America Act in worked on this whole issue with me as a Gov- March 31, 1994 ernor, with Secretary Riley, and Bill Galston in the White House. I want to thank the Gov- Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you ernors and the State legislators who worked very much, ladies and gentlemen, and to the with us, as well as the fine Members of Con- boys and girls here. Let me say first of all, gress of both parties. We have so much par- I’ve got a lot of people I want to recognize, tisan wrangling in Congress, but this bill but first I think we ought to give the students passed with over 300 votes in the House of a big hand for being so well-behaved and so Representatives, and only 120 voted no; 63 quiet and so receptive. [Applause] I know votes in the Senate, only 22 that a lot of you may not understand every- voting no. thing that’s being said here today, but it’s I want to say, too, that it is very appropriate all being said for your future, and the people for me to be here with all of you to sign who came here today came because they care about your future. this bill. The San Diego School District is I want to recognize, in addition to Con- well known for being on the leading edge gresswoman and Congressman of school reform and giving our children a who are here with me today— better future. Your former superintendent, and I thank them for coming; they’re up Tom Payzant, now serves as our Assistant here. They voted for the bill. If they hadn’t, Secretary for Elementary and Secondary it wouldn’t have passed. I want to thank your Education. Give him a hand there. [Ap- Mayor, Susan Golding, for being here; your plause] And I know Bertha Pendleton is con- superintendent of schools, Dr. Bertha Pen- tinuing her outstanding work. I also want to dleton; John de Beck, the president of the say a special word of thanks to your principal, San Diego School Board; Mary Bergen, rep- Dr. Jeannie Steeg. resenting the Federation of I have been told that your school is one Teachers; Dr. Lois Tinson, representing the of the very best schools in this whole school California Teachers Association; Ken Melley, district and in this State. And I want to thank the associate director of the National Edu- you for striving to achieve excellence in every cation Association; Sandy McBrayer, who’s area with a student body that is very diverse, the Teacher of the Year in California—I racially and ethnically and economically. You think you’re here somewhere. Stand up. Give look like America will look in the 21st cen- her a hand—[applause]—bless you, ma’am. tury, and we have to win with you. I also want you to know that there are a I also want to thank you for what you put lot of people who are leaders in the business up on the basketball goal; that was very nice. community all over America who work for [Laughter] And I’d like to thank the students this program, and some of them have come here who are wearing their D.A.R.E. T- from a long way away. I saw two, I think shirts, all of you. I love the D.A.R.E. pro- three are here all the way from . The gram, and I’m glad you’re active in it and president of Bell South, one of our country’s support it.

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Let me tell you why this bill is important in Alaska that works, people in San Diego to the future of the young people here today, shouldn’t know about it and have access to and those like you all across America. You it immediately. And finally, it says that our know you’re growing up into a world that schools have to be safe and disciplined and is increasingly smaller, where people are con- free of drugs and crime, and we have to work nected financially and by communications to make them so. networks that were unheard of when I was Besides these academic standards, this bill your age. The average young person will will set national skill standards to ensure that change work seven or eight times in a life- our workers are better trained for the high- time. The only real ticket to these kids’ future skill, high-wage jobs we want for America is good jobs that come from good skills, and better able to compete in the world. learning a lot in school, and being able to This bill provides funds—modest amounts learn for a lifetime. this year, much more in the years to come— What this Goals 2000 bill does, believe it funds to make our schools safer and freer or not, for the first time in the entire history of crime and drugs, funds for those who need of the United States of America, is to set the most. It provides funds to support the world-class education standards for what innovations of local communities. I am proud every child in every American school should of the fact that this bill contains not one sin- know in order to win when he or she be- gle mandate or order to any State or any local comes an adult. We have never done it be- school district. Instead, it sets standards. It fore; we are going to do it now because of says we know you want to meet them, and this bill. we are prepared to help you if you will be Why do we do that? Because we believe innovative and try some new things and make every child can and must learn at world-class them work. standards of excellence. And those of us who are older believe we have a practical and a I guess I’ve spent more time in schools moral obligation to see that you have the than any person who was ever elected Presi- chance to do it. This Goals 2000 legislation dent—that makes it sound like I didn’t pass sets into law the national education goals from grade to grade—[laughter]—but what that, as Secretary Riley said, I worked very I mean by that is I’ve spent a lot of time hard to write back in 1989. It says that every visiting schools and listening to teachers and student, every student, should enter school watching teaching take place, and I know that ready and able to learn. It says that 90 per- learning does not occur in Washington, DC, cent of our young people should graduate it does not occur in Sacramento, or even here from high school on time, just the way our at the local school board office. The magic competitors do. It says that we must meet of education occurs in the classroom, sup- world-class standards in reading and writing, ported by whatever happens in the home. math and science, history, geography, foreign That’s where it happens. language, civics and economics, and the arts. So, in addition to providing funds to try It says that we have to take care of our teach- to help make schools safer, this bill says we’re ers better. We have to prepare them better, going to try something new. We’re going to enable them to continue to learn. It says that have world-class standards implemented with in a world in which families are under in- grassroots reforms. We’re going to give more creasing stress, we can’t succeed in our waivers and cut the redtape to districts who schools unless parents are more involved, and want to try new and different and innovative we have to find ways to help them do it. It things. We’re going to support schools that acknowledges that most of the problems in let the teachers and the principals try things American education have been solved some- that innovate, that do things to involve par- where by somebody, and we need more re- ents, that are succeeding. We’re going to en- search and innovation to make available the courage people to experiment with new and successes everywhere to people who don’t different things all across this country. Peo- have them yet. There is no reason in the ple are trying things that work, that are dif- world that if somebody is doing something ferent, that have never been tried before: dif-

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ferent ways of managing schools, different up to the fullest of your God-given capac- people organizing schools in different ways. ities.’’ But we know in the end what has to hap- Thank you all very much, and bless you pen is that the children have to learn. So we all. want world-class standards. We want a way Now, I’m going to sign this little bill here. of measuring whether the children learn And then when I sign the real little bill, I’m them or not, and then we want to say to peo- going to sign this copy of the big bill, and ple all across the country, ‘‘Here are the all of them are going to help me since it’s standards. Here’s how we’ll know whether really their bill and their ticket to the future, you’ll make it or not. Now, you figure out all the students who are up here. how to do it. Use your mind, use your energy, NOTE: The President spoke at 10:05 a.m. at the and we will support you. We’ll try to make Zamorano Fine Arts Academy. H.R. 1804, ap- your schools safe havens if you will take the proved March 31, was assigned Public Law No. leadership to do it, and we’ll try to encourage 103–227. all your best ideas, all your energy.’’ This is a new and different approach for the National Government, but it’s how learn- Exchange With Reporters in San ing really happens in the schools. You know Diego it, and it’s time now that your country recog- March 31, 1994 nizes it. This is a remarkable departure. First, Stock Market there have never been any national stand- ards. Second, there’s never been any way to Q. Mr. President, can you tell us what’s measure them. Third, there’s never been any happening on the stock market? The President. Well, I’ve talked to Mr. national skills standards for our workers. But Rubin this morning at some length, and he’s fourth, we never thought we could do it with obviously been making calls around the grassroots reforms. We’re telling you we country. know you have the answers. You go find I’d just like to make two observations. One them, and we’ll tell you how you’re doing is that we have conducted, since the stock along the way, and we’ll support you when market began to fall, another exhaustive re- you win for our children. view of all the evidence we have and the Now, ladies and gentlemen, this is just the opinions of everybody we can talk to around beginning of this process. It will only work the country. No one believes that there is if, year-in and year-out, the Congress contin- any serious reason to doubt, that there is any ues to support the effort; only work if we inflation in this economy, or that we won’t continue to provide good preschool opportu- have good growth this year. In other words, nities until every child is in a good Head Start there is no underlying economic justification program or another program like it. It will for any cause of concern or any increase in only work when we provide an opportunity long-term interest rates. for every child who doesn’t go to college to There are a lot of people who have be- get the kind of skills training they need. lieved for some time—and it’s been in the Every child who wants to go to college will press a lot—that the stock market had a very never have to worry about how to pay for rapid run-up last year. It might have been it again. And every adult will have the oppor- a little bit too high, and maybe a lot of this tunity to get lifetime training. That’s what we is people just kind of working that out. But have to do. again, I say, I think it’s very important that But this is the beginning. It is the founda- the American people remain confident that tion, and as the Secretary said, ‘‘Today we there’s no inflation in the economy, that can say, America is serious about education. there’s no reason that the economy shouldn’t America cares about the future of every grow, that there’s no reason we shouldn’t child, and America will lead the world in the have 2 million more jobs. 21st century because we’re going to make The stock market, like any kind of market, sure you will be there on the frontlines, living is subject to movements which may some-

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