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Netday
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�PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE
PARTICIPATEINNETDAY
April19, 1997
A
V~
"4~
.
A CHALLENGE TO CONNECT EVERY CLASSROOM TO THE INTERNET. Last year, ')'
President Clinton challenged America to connect every classroom and library to the Internet by the year
2000, with modem computers, educational software, and teachers that are as comfortable with a
computer as they are with a chalkboard. This effort will ensure that, for the first time in our history,
children from rural, suburban, and inner city schools will have the same access to the same universe of
knowledge.
AMERICA HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES. To help achieve this goal, the President and Vice
President launched a $2 billion, five-year Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, with $200 million in
funding approved in 1996. In the last two years, the percentage of classrooms connected to the Internet
has jumped from 3% to over 14%, and the percentage of schools connected to the Internet has jumped
from 35% to 65%.
TODAY, PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCE NEW
ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS TO MAKE EVERY CHILD TECHNOLOGICALLY
LITERATE. Following today's announcement, the President and Vice President will conduct a videoconference from the Oval Office with children in Connecticut and NetDay volunteers in Los Angeles.
t/
President Issues Directive to Federal Agencies on "Educational Content" on the Internet.
The President today will issue a Presidential Memorandum directing agencies to expand the
availability of federal resources on the Internet that have educational value. For example, NASA
currently allows students to share in scientific pursuits such as exploration of Mars and
experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle, and interact in real-time with astronauts.
President Awards New Technology Grants for States. The President and Vice President are
announcing that ten states and territories have been awarded $11.8 million in grants under the
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund. These include Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Northern Mariana, American Samoa, and the Bureau of
Indian Affairs schools. The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund is designed to catalyze state,
local, and private sector efforts to make every child technologically literate. These states and
territories join 14 other states that have been awarded a total of $57 million earlier this year.
President Calls on FCC to Approve Plan for "E-rate." On May 6, the FCC will vote on a
plan to provide discounts to connect schools and libraries to the Internet. This plan would
provide up tq $2.25 billion in discounts for schools and libraries per year. Based on this
figure, California would receive up to $195 million worth of disc~unts per year.
TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS SINCE THE FIRST NETDAY IN
1996. Since last year, NetDay has spread across the country like wildfire, ensuring that thousands of
schools are wired for the Internet. In 1996, an estimated 250,000 volunteers wired 50,000 schools as a
first step towards Internet access. AmeriCorps has also played an important role in this effort. And
organizers report that -- today alone -- NetDay activities are occurring in more than 40 states. In
Florida, for example, NetDay volunteers are expected to wire 500 schools, putting Florida half-way to
its goal of wiring 100% of its public and private schools.
�THE TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND
PRESIDENT AWARDS NEW TECHNOLOGY GRANTS TODAY. Today, President
Clinton will announce that 10 states and territories had been awarded $11.8 million in grants
under the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, administered by the Department of Education.
These states and territories join 14 other states that have been awarded a total of$57 million
earlier this year. Today's grants to new states and territories include:
Alaska
Connecticut
Kansas
Nebraska.
Nevada
$1.0 million
$1.5 million
$1.5 million
$1.0 million
$1.0 million
South Dakota
Tennessee
Northern Mariana
America Samoa
Bureau oflndian Affairs
$1.0 million
$3.5 million
$0.1 million
$.24 million
$1.0 million
FOUR GOALS FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY. President Clinton and Vice
President Gore have challenged the nation to assure that all children are technologically literate
by the dawn of the 21st century, equipped with the communication, math, science, reading, and
critical thinking skills essential for a life-time oflearning and the workplace of the 21st century..
They have asked the private sector, schools, teachers, parents, students, and communities to work
together to achieve the President's four goals for educational technology:
•
•
•
•
Provide all teachers the training and support they need to help students learn using
computers and the Internet~
Develop effective and engaging software and on-line learning resources as an
integral part of the school curriculum~
Provide access to modern computers for all teachers and students~ and
Connect every school and classroom in America to the Internet by the year 2000.
THE TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND DIRECTLY SERVES THESE
GOALS. To help achieve these four national goals, President Clinton launched a $2 billion, five·year Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, with $200 million in funding approved by the Congress
in 1996. The President has requested $425 million in funding in his FY98 budget. The
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund is designed to catalyze state, local and private sector efforts
to reach the goals for education technology.
•
States Play a Large Role. States are given a great deal of flexibility in their use
of the funds. They are asked to develop a strategy that meets the four national
goals, pursue collaboration with the private sector, target assistance to poor
schools, and report annually to the public on the progress that has been made.
�NETDAY GOES NATIONAL:
COMMUNITIES ACROSS AMERICA GET WIRED
FROM A FIRST STEP IN 1996 ••• On March 9, 1996, President Clinton and Vice President
Gore participated in California's NetDay, the first ever "electronic barnraising." The President
and Vice President helped to elevate NetDay by convening a group of high-tech industry leaders
who agreed to back it. They joined tens of thousands of parents, teachers, engineers, union
members and other volunteers to install more than 6 million feet of cable in California's schools in
a single day. Companies donated wiring kits, Internet access, hardware and software .
. . . TO GREAT STRIDES IN 1997. Since then, NetDay has spread across the country like
wildfire, with major national NetDays occurring on October 19, 1996 and April19, 1997. Today,
communities in more than 40 states are participating in NetDay. Many communities are now
beginning to look at issues beyond wiring, such as teacher training.
Below are just a few of the states and local communities that have gotten involved in NetDay:
Alabama: Alabama plans to wire all classrooms, media centers and administrative offices in all
K-12 public schools by June I, 1997. ·
California: On April 19, volunteers from AFL-CIO member unions will be helping to wire
schools in the Los Angeles Empowerment Zone, part of the AFL-CIO's commitment to help wire
500 Empowerment Zone schools by the end of 1997. Organizers of Silicon Valley's
· SmartSchools NetDay estimate that 80 percent of the 496local public K-12 schools will have
installed a high-speed network by April26, 1997, with the help of 10,000 volunteers. In addition,
local businesses have donated 3,000 personal computers to schools.
Connecticut: In Connecticut, 4,000 volunteers have helped wire 600-700 of 1,600 schools and
libraries, with support from 100 small businesses, large corporations, and non-profit
organizations. Connecticut will be using April19 to begin organizing a Youth TechCorps, an
initiative to identify and recognize Connecticut children with technology skills, and provide them
with mentoring, service, scholarship and business opportunities.
Delaware: During last year's NetDay, Delaware volunteers wired 70 out of300 schools.
District of Columbia: 40 ofD.C.'s 150 schools were wired in the fall of I996, and another 30,
have signed up to participate in April and May. Companies have donated laptop computers,
WebTVs, extensive teacher training, and wiring kits~
Florida: Organizers expect 500 schools to participate in NetDay on April 19, putting Florida
more than half-way to its goal of wiring 100% of its public and private K-12 schools:
Louisiana: Organizers estimate that more than I 00 schools will hold NetDay wiring events on
April I9,
�Massachusetts: Massachusetts had a very successful NetDay on April 5, with 450 schools
participating. During this school year, nearly 40 percent of the schools have participated, with
14,000 volunteers and $14 million worth of support from companies. AmeriCorps members will
be involved in this ongoing effort.
Michigan: The Detroit Public School District has a very aggressive.NetDay plan in place for
their 263 schools. Ofthis number, 70 are already wired, and about 100 plan to wire on April19.
New Jersey: New Jersey organizers will be holding a NetDay every Saturday in April, and are
planning on wiring 1, 000 schools by the end of 1997. Trenton has launched an effort to become
the first "wired city" by connecting every school, public library and community center.
North Carolina: An estimated 26,000 volunteers wired 900 public and private schools on
October 26, 1996, something that would have cost taxpayers. $13.5 million. CharlotteMecklenburg, the state's largest system, is wiring 110 of its 130 schools beginning this spring.
Texas: The Houston Independent School District will wire libraries in 80 schools this month,
twenty each Saturday in April. For schools already wired, the NetDay concept will be expanded
to include "Phase II" NetDay events focusing on teacher training and curriculum development.
Wisconsin: Organizers expect 300-500 schools to participate in NetDay on April 19.
�- - - - - - -
ONf.Pts.
Pa
Draft April 15, 1997
Memorandum for Cabinet Secretaries, Agency Heads
Subject:
Expanding access to Internet-based educational resources for children, teachers,
and parents
My number one priority for the next four years is to make sure that all Americans have the
best education in the world.
One of the goals of my Call to Action for American Education is to bring the power of the
Information Age into all of our schools. This will require connecting every classroom and library
to the Internet by the year 2000; making sure that every child has access to modem, multimedia
computers; giving teachers the training they need to be as comfortable with the computer as they
are with the chalkboard; and increasing the availability of high-quality educational content. When
America meets the challenge of making every child technologically literate, children in the most
isolated rural towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the
poorest inner city schools will have the same access to the same universe of knowledge .
. I believe that federal agencies can make a significant contribution to expanding this
universe of knowledge. Some agencies have already launche"d a number of exciting projects in
this area. The White House has a special "White House for Kids" home page, with information
on the history of the White House. NASA's K-12 initiative allows students to interact with
astronauts, and to share in the excitement of scientific pursuits such as the exploration of Mars
and Jupiter, and experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle. The AskERIC service, supported
by the Department of Education, has a virtual library of more than 900 lesson plans for K -12
teachers, and provides answers to questions from educators within 48 hours -- using a
nation-wide network of experts and databases of the latest research. Students participating in the
Vice President's GLOBE project (Global Learning and Observation for a Better Environment)
collect actual atmospheric, aquatic, and biological data and use the Internet to share, analyze, and
discuss the data with scientists and students all over the world. With support from NSF, the
Department ofEnergy, and the Department ofDefense's CAETI program, the Lawrence
Berkeley Laboratory has developed a program that allows high school students to request and
download their own observations of the universe from professional telescopes.
We can and should do more, however. Over the next three months, agencies should
determine what resources they can make available that would enrich the Internet as a tool for
teaching and learning, and produce a first version of their service for students and teachers within
in six months.
Agencies should use the following guidelines to support this initiative:
•
Agencies should consider a broad range of educational resources, including multimedia
publications, archives of primary documents, networked scientific instruments such as
�··ocor\Jf.PTs·
Pa
telescopes and supercomputers, and employees willing to serve as tete-mentors or answer
student and teacher questions.
•
Agencies should expand access not only to the information and other resources generated
internally, but by the broader community of people and institutions that it works with and
supports. For example, science agencies should pursue partnerships with professional
societies, universities and researchers to expand K-12 access to scientific resources.
•
Agencies should update and improve their services in response to comments from teachers
and students, and encourage educators to submit curricula and lesson plans that they have
developed using agency material.
•
Agencies should focus on the identification and development of high quality educational
resources that promote high standards of teaching and learning in core subjects. Of
particular importance are resources that will help students read well and independently by
4th grade, and master challenging mathematics, including algebra and geometry, by 8th
grade.
•
Agencies should make sure the material they develop is accessible to people with
.disabilities. Earlier this month, I announced my support for the Web Accessibility
Initiative, a public-private partnership that will make it easier for people with disabilities to
use the World Wide Web.
I am also directing the Department ofEducation to develop a "Parents Guide to the
Internet," that will explain the educational benefits of this exciting new resource, as well as steps
that parents can take to minimize the risks associated with the Internet, such as access to material
that is inappropriate for children. The Department of Education will also be responsible for
chairing an inter-agency working group to coordinate this initiative, involving teachers and others
to ensure that the material is of high-quality and is easily accessible, and promoting awareness
among teachers, parents and the public.
ei
�------------------------------------
DRAfT
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
NET DAY 1997
APRIL 18, 1997
Good morning. Vice President Gore and I are here in the Oval Office to tell you what we
are doing to connect every classroom and library in the United States to the Internet by the Year
2000. And we are here on NetDay, when citizens in communities across America come together
to help us meet that goal. With us today are three AmeriCorps members, two local high school
students and two Communication Workers of America volunteers, who all are contributing to this
effort.
NetDay is a great example of how America works best when we all work together. Like
an old-fashioned barn-raising, neighbor joins with neighbor to do something for the good of the
entire community. Students, teachers, parents, community groups, government, business and
unions -- all pulling together to pull cable, hook up our schools and put the future at the fingertips
of all our young people.
Once we reach our goal of linking our schools to the Internet, for the first time in history,
children in the most isolated rural towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city
schools will have the same access to the same universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake
Charles, Louisiana can visit a museum half-way around the world and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can
visit the Library of Congress on line.
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired
50,000 classrooms all around the country. And today, NetDay activities are occurring in more
than 40 states. In a: few minutes, the Vice President and I will have a chance to use new video
and computer technology set up for the first time right in the Oval Office to meet with volunteers
in South Central, Los Angeles and children in Hartford, Connecticut. And I want thank them and
all the NetDay volunteers for their service to our country.
We have to do everything we can to make technology literacy a reality for every
child in America. That is why I have asked the FCC to give our schools and libraries a
discount-- a special "E-rate," or education rate-- to help them connect to the Internet and
stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide more than $2 billion in
yearly E-rate discounts for schools and libraries. This can make all the difference for
communities that are struggling make sure their students are ready for the 21st century.
So, today I call on the FCC to app•·ove this plan and give our children access to this new
world of knowledge. Now, more than eve•·, we cannot aff01·d for our children to be priced
out of cyberspace.
But, connecting young people to the Internet is not enough. We must make sure that
when they log on they have access to the information that will prepare them for the world of the
future. Government has a vital role to play in all this. For instance, NASA lets students talk to
astronauts on the Internet. And the Vice President's GLOBE project gives tomorrow's
�environmental scientists a chance to interact with the scientists of today.
And today I am directing every department and agency in our national govern.ment
to develop educational Internet sel"vices targeted to our young people. With this action, we
are one step closer to giving our young people the tools they need to be the best they can be in the
21st century.
We owe much of our progress thus far to the efforts of the Vice President. He has led our
national campaign for technological literacy and he will now say a few words ....
VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President.
One of the steps we're taking to connect America's schoolchildren to the future is to
provide local communities with the resources they need. Today, we're awarding $11.8 million in
Technology Literacy Challenge grants to seven states-- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, and my home state ofTennessee. We're also making awards to two
territories and to the schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
These grants are seed money states can use to connect all our children to the 21st century.
Some states will train teachers how to incorporate the Internet into their lesson plans. Others willinvest in cutting-edge software. Still others will purchase PCs, modems, and all sorts of computer
hardware. Already this year, our technology literacy initiative has awarded states $57 million -which is helping thousands more students to research school assignments and communicate with
young people around the world.
I'd also like to say a special thanks to all the Americans participating in NetDay '97.
President Clinton and I participated in California's NetDay last year, and we had a great time-pulling cable, drilling holes, and helping to connect Ygnacio ["eeg-NAH-see-oh"] Valley High
School in Concord, California to the Internet.
By the way, anyone interested in learning more about NetDay, or what the President and
I are doing to connect classrooms, can visit our Web site. With your home computer, or the
computer at your local library, just point your web browser to this address: www.whitehouse.gov
Let me say it again ... w ... w ... w ... dot ... whitehouse ... that's one word ... dot ...
gov ... g ... o ... v.
THE PRESIDENT: I join with the Vice President in encouraging all of you to visit the White
House home page, and once again, I thank all the NetDay volunteers. Have a great day and
thanks for listening.
�DRAfT
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
NET DAY 1997
APRIL 18, 1997
Good morning. , Vice President Gore and l are here in the Oval Office to tell you what we
are doing to connect every classroom and library in the United States to the Internet by the Year
2000. And we are here on NetDay, when citizens in communities across America come together
to help us meet that goal. With us today are three AmeriCorps members, two local high school
students and two Communication Workers of America volunteers, who all are contributing to this
effort.
NetDay is a great example of how America works best when we all work together. Like
an old-fashioned barn-raising, neighbor joins with neighbor to do something for the good of the
entire community. Students, teachers, parents, community groups, government, business and
unions -- all pulling together to pull cable, hook up our schools and put the future at the fingertips
of all our young people.
Once we reach our goal oflinking our schools to the Internet, for the first time in history,
children in the most isolated rural towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city
schools will have the same access to the ~ame universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake
Charles, Louisiana can visit a museum half-way around the world and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can
visit the Library of Congress on line.
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired
50,000 classrooms all around the country. And today, NetDay activities are occurring in more
than 40 states. In a few minutes, the Vice President and 1 will have a chance to use new video
and computer technology set up for the first time right in the Oval Office to meet with volunteers
in South Central, Los Angeles and children in Hartford, Corinecticut. And I want thank them and
all the NetDay volunteers for their service to our country.
We have to do everything we can to make technology literacy a reality for every
child in America. That is why I have asked the FCC to give our schools and libraries a
discount-- a speci~tl "E-rate," 01· education rate-- to help them connect to the Internet and
stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide more than $2 billion in
yearly E-rate discounts for schools and libraa·ies. This can make all the difference for
communities that are struggling make sure their students are ready for the 21st century.
So, today I call on the FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to this new
world of knowledge. Now, more than ever, we cannot afford for our children to be priced
out of cyberspace.
But, connecting young people to the Internet is not enough. We must make sure that
when they log on they have access to the information that will prepare them for the world of the
future. Government has a vital role to play in all this. For instance, NASA lets students talk to
astronauts on the Internet. And the Vice President's GLOBE project gives tomorrow's
�environmental scientists a chance to interact with the scientists of today.
And today I am directing every department and agency in our national government
to develop educational [nternet services targeted to our young people. With this action, we
are one step closer to giving our young people the tools they need to be the best they can be in the
21st century.
We owe much of our progress thus far to the efforts of the Vice President. He has led our
national campaign for technological literacy and he will now say a few words ....
VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. ·President.
One of the steps we're taking to connect America's schoolchildren to the future is to
provide local communities with the. resources they need. Today, we're awarding $11.8 million in
Technology Literacy Challenge grants to seven states-- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, and my home state ofTennessee. We're also making awards to two
territories and to the schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
These grants are seed money states can use to connect all our children to the 21st century.
Some states will train teachers how to incorporate the Internet into their lesson plans. Others will
invest in cutting-edge software. Still others will purchase PCs, modems, and all sorts of computer
hardware. Already this year, our technology literacy initiative has awarded states $57 million -which is helping thousands more students to research school assignments and communicate with
young people around the world.
l' d also like to say a special thanks to all the Americans participating in NetDay '97.
President Clinton and 1 participated in California's NetDay last year, and we had a great time--
pulling cable, drilling holes, and helping to connect Ygnacio ["eeg-NAH-see-oh"] Valley High
School in Concord, California to the Internet.
By the way, anyone interested in learning more about NetDay, or what the President and
l are doing to connect classrooms, can visit our Web site. With your home computer, or the
computer at your local library, just point your web browser to this address: www.whitehouse.gov
Let me say it again ... w ... w ... w ... dot ... whitehouse ... that's one word ... dot ...
gov ... g ... o ... v.
THE PRESIDENT: I join with the Vice President in encouraging all of you to visit the White
House home page, and once again, 1 thank all the NetDay volunteers. Have a great day and
thanks for listening.
�-----------------------------------------------
DRAfT
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
NET DAY 1997
APRIL 18, 1997
Good morning. Vice President Gore and I are here in the Oval Office to tell you what we
are doing to connect every classroom and library in the United States to the Internet by the Year
2000. And we are here on NetDay, when citizens in communities across America come together
to help us meet that goal. With us today are three AmeriCorps members, two local high school
students and two Communication ~orkers of America volunteers, who all are contributing to this
effort.
NetDay is a great example of how America works best when we all work together. Like
an old-fashioned barn-raising, neighbor joins with neighbor to do something for the good of the
entire community. Students, teachers, parents, community groups, government, business and
unions -- all pulling together to pull cable, hook up our schools and put the future at the fingertips
of all our young people.
Once we reach our goal of linking our schools to the Internet, for the first time in history,
children in the most isolated rural towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city
schools will have the same access to the same universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake
Charles, Louisiana can visit a museum half-way around the world and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can
visit the Library of Congress on line.
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired
50,000 classrooms all around the country. And today, NetDay activities are occurring in more
than 40 states. In a few minutes, the Vice President and I will have a chance to use new video
and computer technology set up for the first time right in the Oval Office to meet with volunteers
in South Central, Los Angeles and children in Hartford, Connecticut. And I want thank them and
all the NetDa:y volunteers for their service to our country.
We have to do everything we can to make technology literacy a reality for every
child in America. That is why I have asked the FCC to give our schools and libraries a
discount-- a special "E-rate," or education rate-- to help them connect to the Internet and
stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide more than $2 billion in
yearly E-rate discounts for schools and librar·ies. This can make all the difference for
communities that are struggling make sure their students are ready for the 21st century.
So, today I call on the FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to this new
world of knowledge. Now, more than ever, we cannot afford for our children to be priced
out of cyberspace.
But, connecting young people to the Internet is not enough. We must make sure that
when they log on they have access to the information that will prepare them for the world of the
future. Government has a vital role to play in all this. For instance, NASA lets students talk to
astronauts on the Internet. And the Vice President's GLOBE project gives tomorrow's
�environmental scientists a chance to interact with the scientists of today.
And today I am directing every department and agency in our national government
to develop educational Internet services targeted to our young people. With this action, we
are one step closer to giving our young people the tools they need to be the best they can be in the
21st century.
We owe much of our progress thus far to the efforts of the Vice President. He has led our
national campaign for technological literacy and he will now say a few words ....
VICE PRESIDENT:
Thank you, Mr. President.
One of the steps we're taking to connect America's schoolchildren to the future is to
provide local communities with the resources they need. Today, we're awarding $11.8 million in
Technology Literacy Challenge grants to seven states -- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, and my home state of Tennessee. ·We're also making awards to two
territories and to the schools ofthe Bureau of indian Affairs.
These grants are seed money states can use to connect all our children to the 21st century.
Some states will train teachers how to incorporate the Internet into their lesson plans. Others willinvest in cutting-edge software. Still others will purchase PCs, modems, and all sorts of computer
hardware. Already this year, our technology literacy initiative has awarded states $57 million :._
which is helping thousands more students to research school assignments and communicate with
young people around the world.
I'd also like to say a special thanks to all the Americans participating in NetDay '97.
President Clinton and I participated in California's NetDay last year, and we had a great time-pulling cable, drilling holes, and helping to connect Ygnacio ["eeg-NAH-see-oh"] Valley High
School in Concord, California to the Internet.
By the way, anyone interested in learning more about NetDay, or what the President and
I are doing to connect classrooms, can visit our Web site. With your home computer, or the
computer at your local library, just point your web browser to this address: www. whitehouse.gov
Let me say it again ... w ... w ... w ... dot ... whitehouse ... that's one word ... dot ...
gov ... g ... o ... v.
THE PRESIDENT: I join with the Vice President in encouraging all of you to visit the White
House home page, and once again, I thank all the NetDay volunteers. Have a great day and
thanks for listening.
�'
ti~f;' ~ ~""'
·:.t"T'~,
l .. '
}~
.A."''
James T. Edmonds@ EOP
04/18/97 03:50PM
~
To:
Dan Pink/OVP
cc:
Subject: Re: VP insert @:]
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
f1 !J . A lrJ NET DAY ll997
~ '- APRIL 18, 1997
,
Good morning. Vic President Gore and I are here o et ~ , in the Oval Office to tell
you what we are doing to co ect every classroom and librar ~ ~m
nited States to the
· Net Day-- a day when citizens in communities across
Internet by the Year 2000.
America are joining together to help us meet that goal.
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have
wired 50,000 schools all around the country. And today, Net Day activities are occurring in
. more Jihan 40 states. In a few minutes, the Vice President and I will have a chance to talk with
some of these volunteers in South Central, Los Angeles and Hartford, Connecticut, via the
tr;t~~i_l(-=fo{n:omputed~ver.to:Sit:in--the~:®var--office.
And I want thank them and all the
_---:::----=...-·
- ______,_______
NetDay volunte·ers-for·-their-ser-vice to our country.
'·
~ay-is a great exampl~qf'how~1\merica works best when we all work together .
. ,I<ik~~~a=f~~hi?ned.-b~~n-rai~ink ·~ ...:~}.~~~~~)pins_~ith_nei~h.~~~~~~-~om~th~ng _for the __ood
Lo
. ntl~~~mty/. \Each
s lias-a-role to play. Stude.nts, teachers·;parents';. _. · ::-:.__~
,--comrtfuiiify groups, vernment, business and unions-- all pulling together to pull cable, hook
up our schools and put the future at the fingertips of all our young people.
Once we reach our goal, for the first time in history, children in the most isolated rural
towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city schools will have the same
access to the same universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake Charles, Louisiana can
read the Congressional Record on his computer and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can visit the
Library of Congress on line.
We have to do everything we can to make this a reality for every child in America.
}hat is why I have asked the FCC to ¥_ive our schools and libraries a discount -- a special
~E-rate --to help them.conne.£t-_to-th'e.:.Ihternet-and· stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote
\bn a plan that wiil pro
up 2-allii:'1Ritiarter billion-dollars in E-rate discounts for schools
!Jnd libraries. Today, I call on the FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to
this new world of knowledge.
'! '
!
viae to-
v
10,
connecting young peo e to the Internet j~. not em:mgh. We must make sure that
4:~-:='-':-' =~~~
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�0
(
�.·
·
. PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE A,
. PARTICIPATEINNETDAY
Vh
Aprill9, 1997
<r~~
?
A CHALLENGE TO CONNECT EVERY CLASSROOM TO THE INTERNET. Last year,
President Clinton challenged America to connect every classroom and library to the Internet by the year
2000, with modern computers, educational software, and teachers that are as comfortable with a
computer as they are with a chalkboard. This effort will ensure that, for the first time in our history, ·
children from rural, suburban, and inner city schools will have the same access to the same universe of
knowledge ..
AMERICA HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES. To help achieve this goal, the President and Vice
President launched a $2 billion, five-year Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, with $200 million in
funding approved in 1996. In the last two years, the percentage of classrooms connected to the Internet
has jumped from 3% to over 14%, and the percentage of schools connected to the Internet has jumped
from 35% to 65%.
TODAY, PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCE NEW
ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS TO MAKE EVERY CHILD TECHNOLOGICALLY
LITERATE. Following today's announcement, the President and Vice President will conduct a videoconference from the Oval Office with children in Connecticut and NetDay volun.teers in Los Angeles.
V'
President Issues Directive to Federal Agencies on "Educational Content" on the Internet
The President today will issue a Presidential Memorandum directing agencies to expand the
availability of federal resources on the Internet that have educational value. For example, NASA
currently allows students to share in scientific pursuits such as exploration of Mars and
experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle, and interact in real-time with astronauts.
President Awards New Technology Grants for States. The President and Vice President are
announcing that ten states and territories have been awarded $11.8 million in grants under the
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund. These include Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Northern Mariana, American Samoa, and the Bureau of
Indian Affairs schools. The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund is designed to catalyze state,
local, and private sector efforts to make every child technologically literate. These states and
territories join 14 other states that have been awarded a total of $57 million earlier this year.
0
President Calls on FCC to Approve Plan for "E-rate." On May 6, the FCC will vote on a
plan to provide discounts to connect schools and libraries to the Internet. This plan would
provide up to $2.25 billion in discounts for schools and libraries per year. Based on this
figure, California would receive up to $195 million worth of discounts per year.
·'
TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS SINCE THE Fm,ST NETDAY IN .
1996. Since last year, NetDay has spread across the country like wildfire, ensuring that thousands of
schools are wired for the Internet. In 1996, an estimated 250,000 volunteers wired 50,000 schools as a
first step towards Internet access. AmeriCorps has also played an important role in this effort. And
organizers report that -- today alone -- NetDay activities are occurring in more than 40 states. In
Florida, for example, NetDay volunteers are expected to wire 500 schools, putting Florida half-way to
its goal of wiring 100% of its public and private schools.
0
�THETECHNOLOGYLITERACYCHALLENGEFUND
PRESIDENT AWARDS NEW TECHNOLOGY GRANTS TODAY. Today, President
Clinton will announce that 10 states and territories had been awarded $11.8 million in grants
under the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, administered by the Department of Education.
These states and territories join 14 other states that have been awarded a total of$57 million
earlier this year. Today's grants to new states and territories include:
Alaska
Connecticut
Kansas
Nebraska
Nevada
$1.0 million
$1.5 million
$1.5 million
$1.0 million
$1.0 million
South Dakota
Tennessee
Northern Mariana
America Samoa
Bureau oflndian Affairs
$1.0 million
$3.5 million
$0.1 million
$.24 million
$1.0 million
FOUR GOALS FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY. President Clinton and Vice
President Gore have challenged the nation to assure that all children are technologically literate
by the dawn ofthe 21st century, equipped with the communication, math, science, reading, and
critical thinking skills essential for a life-time of learning and the workplace of the 21st century.
They have asked the private sector, schools, teachers, parents, students, and communities to work
together to achieve the President's four goals for educational technology:
•
•
•
•
Provide all teachers the training and support they need to help students learn using
computers and the Internet~
Develop effective and engaging software and on-line learning resources as an
integral part of the school curriculum;
Provide access to. modem computers for all teachers and students; and
Connect every school and classroom in America to the Internet by the year 2000.
THE TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND DIRECTLY SERVES THESE
GOALS. To help achieve these four national goals, President Clinton launched a $2 billion, fiveyear Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, with $200 million in funding approved by the Congress
in 1996. The President has requested $425 million in funding in his FY98 budget. The
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund is designed to catalyze state, local and private sector efforts
to reach the goals for education technology.
•
States Play a Large Role. States are given a great deal of flexibility in their use
of the funds. They are asked to develop a strategy that meets the four national
goals, pursue collaboration with the private sector, target assistance to poor
schools, and report annually to the public on the progress that has been made.
�NETDAY GOES NATIONAL:
COMMUNITIES ACROSS AMERICA GET WIRED
FROM A FIRST STEP IN 1996 ••. On March 9, 1996, President Clinton and Vice President
Gore participated in California's NetDay, the first ever "electronic barnraising." The President
and Vice President helped to elevate NetDay by convening a group of high-tech industry leaders
who agreed to back it. They joined tens of thousands of parents, teachers, engineers, union
members and other volunteers to install more than 6 million feet of cable in California's schools in
a single day. Companies donated wiring kits, Internet access, hardware and software.
. • . TO GREAT STRIDES IN 1997. Since then, NetDay has spread across the country like
wildfire, with major national NetDays occurring on October 19, 1996 and April19, 1997. Today,
communities in more than 40 states are participating in NetDay. Many communities are now
beginning to look at issues beyond wiring, such as teacher training.
Below are just a few of the states and local communities that have gotten involved in NetDay:
Alabama: Alabama plans to wire all classrooms, media centers and administrative offices in all
K-12 public schools by June 1, 1997.
California: On April19, volunteers from AFL-CIO member unions will be helping to wire
schools in the Los Angeles Empowerment Zone, part of the AFL-CIO's commitment to help wire
500 Empowerment Zone schools by the end of 1997. Organizers of Silicon Valley's
SmartSchools NetDay estimate that 80 percent of the 496local public K-12 schools will have
installed a high-speed network by April26, 1997, with the help of 10,000 volunteers. In addition,
local businesses have donated 3,000 personal computers to schools.
Connecticut: In Connecticut, 4,000 volunteers have helped wire 600-700 of 1,600 schools and
libraries, with support from 100 small businesses, large corporations, and non-prqfit
organizations. Connecticut will be using April 19 to begin organizing a Youth TechCorps, an
initiative to identify and recognize Connecticut children with technology skills, and provide them
with mentoring, service, scholarship and business opportunities.
Delaware: During last year's NetDay, Delaware volunteers wired 70 out of300 schools.
District of Columbia: 40 of D.C.'s 150 schools were wired in the fall of 1996, and another 30
have signed up to participate in April and May. Companies have donated laptop computers,
WebTVs, extensive teacher training, and wiring kits.
Florida: Organizers expect 500 schools to participate in NetDay on April19, putting Florida
more than half-way to its goal of wiring IOo%·ofits public and private K-12 schools.
Louisiana: Organizers estimate that more than 100 schools will hold NetDay wiring events on
April19.
�Massachusetts: Massachusetts had a very successful NetDay on April 5, with 450 schools
participating. During this school year, nearly 40 percent of the schools have participated, with
14,000 volunteers and $14 million worth of support from companies. AmeriCorps members will
be involved in this ongoing effort.
Michigan: The Detroit Public School District has a very aggressive NetDay plan in place for
their 263 schools. Of this number, 70 are already wired, and about 100 plan to wire on April19.
New Jersey: New Jersey organizers will be holding a NetDay every Saturday in April, and are
planning on wiring 1, 000 schools by the end of 1997. Trenton has launched an effort to become
the first "wired city" by connecting every school, public library and community center.
North Carolina: An estimated 26,000 volunteers wired 900 public and private schools on
October 26, 1996, something that would have cost taxpayers $13.5 million. CharlotteMecklenburg, the state's largest system, is wiring 110 of its 130 schools beginning this spring.
Texas: The Houston Independent School District will wire libraries in 80 schools this month,
twenty each Saturday in April. For schools already wired, the NetDay concept will be expanded
to include "Phase II" NetDay events focusing on teacher training and curriculum development.
Wisconsin: Organizers expect 300-500 schools to participate in NetDay on April19.
�EDCONT.PTS.
Draft April15, 1997
Memorandum for Cabinet Secretaries, Agency Heads
Subject:
Expanding access to Internet-based educational resources for children, teachers,
and parents
My number one priority for the next four years is to make sure that all Americans have the
best education in the world.
One of the goals of my Call to Action for American Education is to bring the power of the
Information Age into all of our schools. This will require connecting every classroom and library
to the Internet by the year 2000; making sure that every child has access to modem, multimedia
computers; giving teachers the training they need to be as comfortable with the computer as they
are with the chalkboard; and increasing the availability of high-quality educational content. When
America meets the challenge of making every child technologically literate, children in the most
isolated rural toWils, the most comfortable suburbs, and the
poorest inner city schools will have the same access to the same universe of knowledge;
I believe that federal agencies can make a significant contribution to expanding this
universe of knowledge. Some agencies have already launched a number of exciting projects in
this area. The White House has a special "White House for Kids" home page, with information
on the history of the White House. NASA's K-12 initiative allows students to interact with
astronauts, and to share in the excitement of scientific pursuits such as the exploration of Mars
and Jupiter, and experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle. The AskERIC service, supported
by the Department of Education, has a virtual library of more than 900 lesson plans for K -12
teachers, and provides answers to questions from educators within 48 hours -- using a
nation-wide network of experts and databases of the latest research. Students participating in the
Vice President's GLOBE project (Global Learning and Observation for a Better Environment)
collect actual atmospheric, aquatic, and biological data and use the Internet to share, analyze, and
discuss the data with scientists and students all over the world. With support from NSF, the
Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense's CAETI program, the Lawrence
Berkeley Laboratory has developed a program that allows high school students to request and
download their own observations of the universe from professional telescopes.
We can and should do more, however. Over the next three months, agencies should
determine what resources they can make available that would enrich the Internet as a tool for
teaching and learning, and produce a first version of their service for students and teachers within
in six months.
Agencies should use the following guidelines to support this initiative:
•
Agencies should consider a broad range of educational resources, including multimedia
publications; archives of primary documents, networked scientific instruments such as
�T.PTS
telescopes and supercomputers, and employees willing to serve as tele-mentors or answer
student and teacher questions.
•
Agencies should expand access not only to the information and other resources generated
internally, but by the broader community of people and institutions that it works with and
supports. For example, science agencies should pursue partnerships with professional
societies, universities and researchers to expand K-12 access to scientific resources.
•
Agencies should update and improve their services in response to comments from teachers
and students, and encourage educators to submit curricula and lesson plans that they have
developed using agency material.
•
Agencies should focus on the identification and development of high quality educational
resources that promote high standards of teaching and learning in core subjects. Of
particular importance are resources that will help students read well and independently by
4th grade, and master challenging mathematics, including algebra and geometry, by 8th
grade.
•
Agencies should make sure the material they develop is accessible to people with
disabilities. Earlier this month, I announced my support for the Web Accessibility
Initiative, a public-private partnership that will make it easier for people with disabilities to
use the World Wide Web.
I am also directing the Department ofEducation to develop a "Parents Guide to the
Internet," that will explain the educational benefits of this exciting new resource, as well as steps
that parents can take to minimize the risks associated with the Internet, such as access to material
that is inappropriate for children. The Department of Education will also be responsible for
chairing an inter-agency working group to coordinate this initiative, involving teachers and others
to ensure that the material is of high-quality and is easily accessible, and promoting awareness
among teachers, parents and the public.
�·. 7:1,
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
NET DAY 1997 ·
APRIL 18, 1997
Good morning. Vice President Gore and I are here in the Oval Office to tell you what we
are doing to connect every classroom and library in the United States to the Internet by the Year
2000. Today is NetDay -- day when citizens in communities across America join together to
help us meet that goal.
a
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired
50,000 schools all around the country. And today, NetDay activities are occurring in more than
40 states. In a few minutes, the Vice President and I will have a chance to talk with some of
these volunteers in South Central, Los Angeles and Hartford, Connecticut, via the first
desktop computer ever to sit in the Oval Office. And I want than·k them and all the NetDay
volunteers -- from AmeriCorps and from some of our labor union~ -- for their service to our
country.
NetDay is a great example of how America works best when we all work together. Like
an old-fashioned barn-raising, neighbor joins with neighbor to do something for the good of the
entire community. Students, teachers, parents, community groups, government, business and
unions -- all pulling together to pull cable, hook up our schools and put the future at the fingertips
of all our young people.
Once we reach our goal, .for the first time in history, children in the most isolated rural
towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city schools will have the same access
to the same universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake Charles, Louisiana can read the
Congressional Record on his computer and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can visit the Library of
Congress on line.
We have to do everything we can to make this a reality for every child in America. That is
why I have asked the FCC to give our schools and libraries a discount -- a special E-rate -- to help
them connect to the Internet and stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide
more than $2 billion in yearly E-rate discounts for schools and libraries. Today, I call on the
FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to this new world of knowledge.
But, connecting young people to the Internet is not enough. We must make sure that
when they log on they have access to the information that will prepare them for the world of the
future. Government has a vital role to play in all this.· For instance, the White House has its own
home page with special information for kids. NASA gives students to the opportunity to talk to
astronauts on the Internet. And the Vice President's GLOBE project gives tomorrow's
environmental scientists a chance to interact with the scientists oftoday.
There's a world of information out there for our children to explore. And today I am
directing every department and agency in our national government to develop educational
�. _--7~1;
Internet services ta-:geted to our young people. With this action, we are one step closer to
giving our young people the tools they need to be the best they can be in the 21st century.
We owe much of our progress thus far to the efforts of the Vice President. He has led our
national campaign for technological literacy and he will now say a few words ....
VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President.
One of the steps we're taking to connect America's schoolchildren to the future is to
provide local communities with the resources they need. Today, we're awarding $11.8 million in
Technology Literacy Challenge grants to seven states -- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, and my home state ofTennessee ... as well as to two territories and to
the schools of the Bureau oflndian Affairs.
These grants are seed money states can use to connect all our children to the 21st century.
Some.states will train teachers how to incorporate the Internet into their lesson plans. Others will
invest in cutting-edge software. Still others will purchase PCS, modems, and all sorts of
computer hardware. Already this year, our technology literacy initiative has awarded states $57
million -- which is helping thousands more students to research school assignments and
communicate with young people around the world.
I'd also like to say a special thanks to all the Americans participating in NetDay '97.
President Clinton and I participated in California's NetDay last year, and we had a great time-pulling cable, drilling holes, and helping to connect Ygnacio ["eeg-NAH-see-oh"] Valley High
School in Concord, California to the Internet.
By the way, anyone interested in learning more about NetDay, or what the President and
I are doing to connect classrooms, cati visit our Web site. With your home computer, or the
computer at your local library, just point your web browser to this address: www.whitehouse.gov
Let me say it again ... w ... w ... w ... dot ... whitehouse ... that's one word ... dot ...
gov ... g ... o ... v.
THE PRESIDENT: I join with the Vice President in encouraging all ofyou to visit the White
House home page, and once again, l thank all the NetDay volunteers. Have a great day and
thanks for listening.
�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
NET DAY 1997
APRIL 18, 1997
Good morning. Vice President Gore and l are here in the Oval Office to tell you what we
are doing to connect every classroom and library in the United States to the Internet by the Year
2000. Today is NetDay -- a day when citizens in communities across America join together to
help us meet that goal.
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired
50,000 schools all around the country. And today, NetDay activities are occurring in more than
40 states. In a few minutes, the Vice President and I will have a chance to talkwith some of
these vohniteers in South Central, Los Angeles and Hartford, Connecticut, via the first
desktop computer ever to sit in the Oval Office. And I want thank them and all the NetDay
volunteers -- from AmeriCorps and from some of our labor unionsI -- for their service to our
country.
NetDay is a great example of how America works best when we all work together. Like
ai1 old-fashioned barn-raising, neighbor joins with neighbor to do something for the good ofthe
entire community. Students, teachers, parents, community groups, government, business and
unions -- all pulling together to pull cable, hook up our schools and put the future at the fingertips
of all our young people.
· Once we reach our goal, for the first time in history, children in the most isolated rural
towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city schools will have the same access
to the same universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake Charles, Louisiana can read the
Congressional Record on his computer and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can visit the Library of
Congress on line.
We have to do everything we can to make this a reality for every child in America. That is
why I have asked the FCC to give our schools and libraries a discount -- a special E-rate -- to help
them connect to the Internet and stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide
more than $2 billion in yearly E-rate discounts for schools and libraries. Today, I call on the
FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to this new world of knowledge.
But, connecting young people to the Internet is not enough. We must make sure that
when they log on they have access to the information that will prepare them for the world of the
future. Government has a vital role to play in all this. For instance, the White House has its own
home page with special information for kids. NASA gives students to the opportunity to talk to
astronauts on the Internet. And the Vice President's GLOBE project gives tomorrow's
environmental scientists a chance to interact with the scientists oftoday.
There's a world of information out there for our children to explore. And today I am
directing eve1-y dep:u-tment and agency in our national government to develop educational
�Internet services targeted to our young people. With this action, we are one step closer to
giving our young people the tools they need to be the best they can be in the 21st century.
We owe much of our progress thus far to the efforts of the Vice President. He has led our
national campaign for technological literacy and he will now say a few words ....
VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President.
One of the steps we're taking to connect America's schoolchildren to the future is to
provide local communities with the resources they need. Today, we're awarding $11.8 million in
Technology Literacy Challenge grants. to seven states-- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, and my home state of Tennessee ... as well as to two territories and to
the schools of the Bureau oflndian Affairs.
These grants are seed money states can use to connect all our children to the 21st century.
Some states will train teachers how to incorporate the Internet into their lesson plans. Others will
invest in cutting-edge software. Still others will purchase PCS, modems, and all sorts of
computer hardware. Already this year, our technology literacy initiative has awarded states $57
million -- which is helping thousands more students to research school assignments and
communicate with young people around the world.
I'd also like to say a special thanks to all the Americans participating in NetDay '97.
President Clinton and I participated in California's NetDay last year, and we had a great time-pulling cable, drilling holes, and helping to connect Ygnacio ["eeg-NAH-see-oh"] Valley High
School in Concord, California to the Internet.
By the way, anyone interested in learning more about NetDay, or what the President and
l are doing to connect classrooms, can visit our Web site. With your home computer, or the
computer at your local library, just point your web browser to this address: www.whitehouse.gov
Let me say it again ... w ... w ... w ... dot ... whitehouse ... that's one word ... dot ...
gov ... g ... o ... v.
THE PRESIDENT: I join with the Vice President in encouraging all of you to visit the White
House home page, and once again, I thank all the NetDay volunteers. Have a great day and
thanks for listening.
�PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION.
. NET DAY 1997
r
APRIL 18, 1997
~
A_tJJ. -LJ
~. ~~~
(}
•4Jj, AC/CJ(}¢''
Y.:
..-
Good morning. Vice President Gore and I are here-in the Oval Office to tell you what we
are doing to connect every classroom and library in the United States to the Internet by the Year
2000. Today is NetDay --a day when citizens in communities across America join together to
help us meet that goal.
Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired
50,000 schools all around the country .. And today, NetDay activities are occurring in more than~
40 states. In a fe~minutes, !!u;,..,1[,ice President and I will have a chance to talk with some of
these volunteers~n S~Cenfi-3~ Los Angeles and Hartford, Connecticut, via the first rv1
·
desktop computer ever to sit in the Oval Office. And I want thank them and all the NetDay
volunteers,~ f~. }m
.teriCorps and from some of our labor union~ -- for their service to our
~~ _ .~
country.
·~·
~
/~
NetDay is a great example of how America works best when we all work together. Like
an old-fashioned barn-raising, neighbor joins with neighbor to do something for the good of the .
entire community. Students, teachers, parents, community groups, government, business and
unions -- all pulling together to pull cable, hook up our schools and put the future at the fingertips
of all our young people.
,
Once we reach our goal, for the first time in history, children in the most isolated rural
towns, the most comfortable suburbs, and the poorest inner-city schools will have the same access
to the same universe of knowledge. That means a boy in Lake Charles, Louisiana can read the
Congressional Record on his computer and a girl in Juneau, Alaska can visit the Library of
Congress on line.
We have to do everything we can to make this a reality for every child in America. That is
why I have asked the FCC to give our schools and libraries a discount -- a special E-rate -- to help
them connect to the Internet and stay on line. On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide
more than $2 billion in yearly E-rate discounts for schools and libraries. Today, I call on the
FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to this new world of knowledge.
But, connecting young people to the Internet is not enough. We must make sure that
when they log on they have access to the information that will prepare them for the world of the ·
future. Government has a vital role to play in all this. For instance, the White House has its own
home page with special information for kids. NASA gives students to the opportunity to talk to
astronauts on the Internet. And the Vice President's GLOBE project gives tomorrow's
environmental scientists a chance to interact with the scientists oftoday.
There's a world of information out there for 0ur children to explore. And today I am
directing every department and agency in our national government to develop educational
�Internet services targeted to our young people. With this action, we are one step closer to
giving our young people the tools they need to be the best they can be in the 21st century.
We owe much of our progress thus far to the efforts of the Vice President. He has led our
national campaign for technological literacy and he will now say a few words ....
VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President.
One of the steps we're taking to connect Americ~'s schoolchildren to the future is to
provide local communities with the resources they need. Today, we're awarding $11.8 million in
Technology Literacy Challenge grants to seven states-- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, South Dakota, and my home state of Tennessee ... as well as to two territories and to
the schools of the Bureau oflndian Affairs.
These grants are seed money states can use to connect all our children to the 21st century.
Some states will train teachers how to incorporate the Internet into their lesson plans. Others will
invest in cutting-edge software. Still others will purchase PCS, modems, and all sorts of
computer hardware. Already this year, our technology literacy initiative has awarded states $57
million -- which is helping thousands more students to research school assignments and
communicate with young people around the world.
I'd also like to say a special thanks to all the Americans participating in NetDay '97.
President Clinton and I participated in California's NetDay last year, and we had a great time-pulling cable, drilling holes, and helping to connect Ygnacio ["eeg-NAH-see-oh"] Valley High
School in Concord, California to the Internet.
By the way, anyone interested in learning more about NetDay, or what the President and
I are doing to connect classrooms, can visit our Web site .. With your home computer, or the
computer at your local library, just point your web browser to this address: www.whitehouse.gov
Let me say it again ... w ... w ... w ... dot ... whitehouse ... that's one word ... dot ...
gov ... g ... o ... v.
THE PRESIDENT: I join with the Vice President in encouraging all of you to visit the White
House home page, and once again, I thank all the NetDay volunteers. Have a great day and
thanks for listening.
�tez=-wsev
Draft 5/15/97 9:00am
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS FOR PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL
THE CAPITOL
·WASHINGTON, DC
MAY 15,1997
Acknowledgments: Attorney General Reno; Sec. Rubin; Sen.'s Biden, Leahy, Thurmond;
Rep. Stupak; Gil Gallegos [gah-YAY -goess], Pres. FOP; Karen Lippe [lip], Pres., FOP
Auxiliary; Craig Floyd, Chairman, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund; Sharon
Felton, Pres. COPS [Concerns of Police Survivors]; Adolph South, Chaplin; Gloria Estefan [essSTEFF-fahn]; Tommy Motolla [mo-TOLL-uh], Pres. Sony Music.
In just two weeks, on Memorial Day, all Americans will pause to pay tribute to the fallen
heroes who died to preserve the liberties upon which our nation was founded. Today, I am proud
to stand with you on Peace Officers Memorial Day to pay tribute to a sacrifice no less great. The
police officers whose names are carved on the memorial you visited Monday night at your vigil
are no less brave. The ideals they gave their lives to preserve are the very same. They, too, are
our fallen heroes. We do not often hear their stories-- the way they walked their beats, the
courage they displayed, and the confidence they inspired with their every act. Even today, we
gather to commemorate their collective sacrifice. But in the hearts of their families and the
people whose lives they touched, their individual heroism still shines.
Officer Lauretha [lore-EE-thuh] Vaird was a nine-year veteran on the Philadelphia Police
Department. A single working mother, she often said that her two greatest loves were her boys
and her badge, and she dedicated her life to both. She was a community police officer who
walked the streets of her beat with pride. One day, she responded to a silent alarm at a local
bank. As she tried to prevent an armed robbery, a gunman's bullet took her life and left her
children with only the memory of their heroic mother.
Officer Brian Gibson was a community police officer who grew up on the streets he
would later patrol. A native of Washington, DC, he served his country as a U.S. Marine in the
Persian Gulf War before joining the DC force. A decorated officer, he pounded the pavement of
his beat to fight drugs and the people who sell them. One night, he was killed at point blank
range by a raging gang member as he sat in his police car just a short ride from the memorial
where his name will be carved next year. He, too, left behind a grieving family and friends, and
a legacy of courage.
There are many more names to remember and many more stories to tell of the 116 men
and women who woke up every morning and risked their lives to protect our safety. That mission
was their purpose and their passion, and they gave their lives to see it through. While we can
1
�never repay them for that ultimate sacrifice, we can honor their memories, not only in words, but
in action that does justice to their lives, and to the great loss their families have suffered.
For too many years, crime in this country seemed destined to rise, and no national
commitment or citizen outrage could change it. We all felt helpless in this rushing tide, but the
law enforcement community felt it more bitterly than most. For years, you struggled alone, and
you began the hard process of turning back that tide. Four years ago, we joined you as a nation
to reclaim our streets, our schools and our society. And we committed ourselves to put in place a
comprehensive anti-crime approach that implements the community policing model you worked
so hard to build.
You told us that we needed more police on the street, tougher penalties and better
prevention, and we listened. Today, we are putting 100,000 more community police on the street
to join your ranks. You told us that illegal handguns and deadly assault weapons were
undermining your efforts to fight gangs, and we banned them. Now the Brady Bill and the
Assault Weapons Ban will always be the law of the land, and we will never go back.
Today we take another step to protect our communities from gun violence and dangerous
drifters who threaten our safety. Two months ago, after the terrible tragedy on the Empire State
Building, I directed the ATF to require people who buys guns from federally licensed dealers to
prove that they are not just passing through. And today, we are releasing new application forms
to make that certification of residency an unavoidable step for gun purchasers. And if they can't
prove residency, they can't purchase a gun.
Our anti-crime efforts are working. Crime is dropping and hope for a safer future is
slowly but surely being restored all over our country. It is bittersweet then, that we still must
gather to carve new names into the hard stone of the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial. In 1996, we added 116 names to that honor roll. While the loss of even one of those
officers' lives is too many, that number represents the fewest police officers to lose their lives in
the line of duty since 1959. Today, let us pledge to redouble our efforts so that we carve fewer
names on that wall of heroes every year.
You and I both know that our most pressing priority must be to take on the street gangs
that turn our communities into violent ghost towns where no family or child can grow in peace.
And once again, you know the strategy we must adopt to make our communities thrive again.
You know that it can work because it is already working in cities like Boston, where youth
murders have dropped by 80% in five years, and not one child has been killed with a gun in over
a year and a half. And it can work in every community in America.
In February I sent legislation to Congress that follows Boston's lead and declares war on
gangs and youth violence with more prosecutors, tougher penalties and better prevention
programs for at-risk youths. For as tough as we must be on violent juvenile crime, we must also
·ensure a safe environment for children in our most vulnerable communities. Statistics show that
2
�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
----------
at least half of the juvenile crime in America occurs in the 3 hours after school is closed and
before parents come home. My bill will help launch 1,000 after-school initiatives all over the
country. Who can be against allowing a child to stay in school instead of on a street comer?
Who can be against teachers as our children's role models instead of toughened thugs? And who
can be against adults to supervise our children instead of a lawless world of gangs to guide them?
Finally, you and Iknow that we must cut off young people's access to guns that can cut
off their lives. Someone who commits a violent crime at age 17 should never be able to buy a
gun for their birthday at age 21. I want a juvenile crime bill that extends the Brady Bill to yiolent
juvenile offenders. And we must make sure that guns sold in America are sold with child safety
locks. In March, I directed federal agencies to provide their federal agents with such child safety
devices. I am pleased to say that every FBI and ATF agent now has a child safety lock. And by
October 15, every agent from the DEA to the U.S. Marshall to the border patrol to the Park
Police will have one as well. If a child safety lock is good enough for law enforcement, it
should be good enough for the public.
In the last four years, we have proven that by working together and learning from
each other, we can restore hope to our communities. Now we have a chance to build on our
progress by passing a smart, balanced juvenile crime bill that does more than talk tough.
The American people deserve that security. But a juvenile crime bill that doesn't crack
down on guns and gangs, that does not guarantee more prosecutors, probation officers and
after school hours, is a juvenile crime bill in name only.
Today, I ask members of Congress of both parties to work with me to pass a real
juvenile crime bill. If we fail to do this now, then we will have failed the memory ofthe
officers we honor today, and the families who stood beside them.
My fellow Americans, we lost too many wonderful men and women last year, and we
will grieve that loss every day. Nothing we can do will bring them back or ease the sorrow of
those of you who loved them. Only God and time and the comfort you give to each other can do
that. Know that the cause your loved ones died for -- right against wrong, law against
lawlessness, hope against fear-- is not defeated, but lives on in their memory. And we will
honor that memory best by taking up their cause, and building a future where such tragedies are a
stunning exception, not a numbing statistic of despair.
As we go forward into that future, let that be our most solemn pledge. Thank you, and
God bless you all.
3
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Terry Edmonds
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
James (Terry) Edmonds
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1995-2001
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36090" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763294" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
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2006-0462-F
Description
An account of the resource
Terry Edmonds worked as a speechwriter from 1995-2001. He became the Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting in 1999. His speechwriting focused on domestic topics such as race relations, veterans issues, education, paralympics, gun control, youth, and senior citizens. He also contributed to the President’s State of the Union speeches, radio addresses, commencement speeches, and special dinners and events. The records include speeches, letters, memorandum, schedules, reports, articles, and clippings.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Extent
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635 folders in 52 boxes
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Netday
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
James (Terry) Edmonds
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0462-F
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 36
<a href="http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/2006/2006-0462-F.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763294" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
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Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
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12/9/2014
Source
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42-t-7763294-20060462F-036-005-2014
7763294