"Our challenge is to provide Americans with the educational opportunities we'll all need to for this new century. In our schools, every classroom in America must be connected to the information superhighway with computers and good software and well-trained teachers."

-- President Clinton,
State of the Union Address, January 23, 1996

Teaching the old basics, learning the new basics. In remarks today to more than 250 of the nation's Blue Ribbon schools, President Clinton will emphasize the value of teaching the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, while stressing the need for teachers to learn, share and teach the new technologies that are shaping the world around us. These awards honor schools and the communities that sustain them.

Today, President ClintonL Announces A New Volunteer Initiative: "21st Century Teachers": Today, the President will announce that the nation's education leaders are joining him in the creation of a new voluntary corps -- 21st Century Teachers -- to help all teachers learn to how to use new technology to improve teaching and learning in every school, classroom, and home in America.

• An Integral Part of President Clinton's Technology Literacy Challenge. The President has challenged the private sector, states and localities, schools and communities and the Congress to transform teaching and learning in America's schools through new information-age technologies so that every child can become technologically literate.

• A National Partnership to Train Teachers. Today, following several months of planning and work with the White House, the nation's leading parent, teacher, and school board organizations are stepping forward together to meet a vital component of the President's challenge: Assuring that all teachers will be trained to use the new educational technologies. This national volunteer partnership has made a commitment to the President to reach the following goals:
  • 100,000 teachers, already familiar with the new technology, will be signed up on the Internet this summer (similar to California Net Day sign-ups) to lead a kick-off event as school begins this fall to introduce their colleagues to the potential of education technology
  • The 21st Century Teachers will train more than 500,000 other teachers beginning in October and continuing throughout the school year in using computers, educational software, and the Internet.
  • Parents, school boards, business groups, colleges and universities have volunteered to provide new resources and support to help technologically literate teachers help other teachers use new and more powerful learning tools to help all students learn the new basic skills essential for the 21st century.

A Challenge to Business Leaders: In recent meetings with the President, business leaders have been unanimous in recognizing the importance of training teachers to teach new technologies. In acknowledging the commitment made by the education community today, President Clinton will call on the business community to join in this national partnership and provide essential support, expertise, information, and resources for 21st Century Teachers to succeed.

Supporting America's Technology Literacy Challenge: President Clinton urges Congress to join in meeting our national challenge to make all students technologically literate by the 21st century. The President urges bipartisan support for the $2 billion, 5-year Technology Literacy Challenge Fund -- funded in the President's balanced budget -- which will leverage funds to encourage states to develop strategies with the private sector and local communities to ensure that all American schools make effective use of technology. The fund would play a vital role in providing states and local communities with the focus, the incentives, and the resources needed to help teachers get the training they need.