THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President ________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release February 2, 1998
Vice President Gore today (2/2) announced the Administration's $600 million Hispanic education action plan. In his State of the Union address, President Clinton reinforced his commitment to excellence in education for all Americans. America cannot prosper as a nation unless educational opportunity is made available to all of our children. Today, about 14 percent of the school-age population is Latino; by 2020, the proportion will grow to about 22 percent. Hispanic students are among the nation's most educationally disadvantaged. To address this educational disparity, the Clinton Administration's FY99 Budget includes more than $600 million dollars for a comprehensive action plan based on high standards and research-based school reform:
I. $393 Million to Strengthen Basic Reading and Math Skills: Students, including those with limited English skills, must be held to challenging academic standards, with a firm foundation in reading and math. President Clinton proposes to increase funding for Title I -- the largest elementary and secondary program -- by 5.3 percent -- a $393 million increase -- to meet these critical needs for all disadvantaged students. Thirty-two percent of those served are Latino.
II. $66 Million to Train 20,000 Teachers to Teach Students English, and Help Adults Learn English: A 17 percent increase -- $33 million -- in the Federal program for children with limited English skills would help train 20,000 teachers over five years to more effectively teach English in the context of high academic standards. A $33 million increase in adult education will provide more parents and other adults with English training, including the first year of a five-year, $100 million effort to promote model approaches to adult English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) programs.
III. $30 Million to Transform Schools with High Dropout Rates: The President is calling for a 25% expansion of a new effort to reform failing schools, specifically targeting schools with high-dropout rates. This increase will allow low-achieving schools to receive expert advice to adopt research-based models to improve teaching and learning.
IV. $69 Million to Prepare Disadvantaged Youth for Success in College: The federal TRIO programs fund outreach and support programs to help disadvantaged students prepare for and successfully complete college through counseling and academic assistance. One of the programs -- Upward Bound, which helps high school students with academic preparation for college -- has been found to be especially helpful to Hispanic youth. The President has proposed a $40 million (20 percent) increase in funding for Upward Bound. All other TRIO programs will receive a total increase of $13 million. In addition, the Federal program to strengthen colleges with large Latino populations is slated for a $16 million -- 133 percent -- increase.
V. $60 Million to Improve Education Programs for Migrant Youth and Adults: Migrant families face particularly difficult obstacles to gaining the education and training they would need to improve their standard of living. President Clinton seeks significant increases in the Migrant Education Program (16 percent increase of $50 million), High School Equivalency Program (HEP: 31 percent increase of $2.4 million), College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP: 138 percent increase of $2.9 million) and Migrant Youth Job Training Demonstration (a new $5 million).
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