Clinton Begins Push For School Reform

Following a State of the Union address he said dealt more with education than any in the nation’s history, President Clinton on Wednesday flew to Georgia to push for the educational initiatives that were the centerpiece of his speech before Congress Tuesday night.

Clinton’s proposed “Call to Action for American Education” focused on an ambitious national agenda of educational initiatives based around rasing standards, improving the quality of the nation’s teachers, improving reading, enhancing early learning, and offering more choices - particularly largely autonomous charter schools - within the context of public education.

He also called for more character education within schools, $5 billion to repair and rebuild crumbling school buildings, added financial aid to college students, improved adult education opportunities and an effort to hook all schools up to the Internet by the year 2000.