A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

THE WHITE HOUSE  Office of the Vice President _______________________________________________________________________  For Immediate Release                                 November 12, 1998 	 

VICE PRESIDENT GORE UNVEILS AMERICA COUNTS;
EFFORT TO MOBILIZE FOR MATH ACHIEVEMENT

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Vice President Gore called on the nation's college students and other adults today to commit time and energy to working on mathematics with school children under a new America Counts challenge.

"There is nothing more important than investing in the education of our children, and this must start with a focus on the basics, especially reading and math," the Vice President said. "Our initiative will help our young people master the fundamentals of algebra and geometry by the 8th grade to get on track to college and a good job."

In a related matter, the Vice President announced that California will receive over $40 million more this year, compared to last year's $528 million, for Head Start under the budget President Clinton signed into law. The increase will go to improve the quality of state Head Start programs and expand the number of participating children.

Gore listed several new initiatives that he said will contribute to mobilizing a cadre of math tutors with a goal of helping all children master challenging math, including algebra and geometry, by the end of the 8th grade.

Among them:

• A federal work-study waiver will encourage colleges to sign up students to tutor in math. A similar waiver is already available for college students who tutor young students in reading under the America Reads initiative.

• The National Science Foundation will help develop training programs and materials to enhance the impact of the tutoring effort.

• A new guide, "Yes, You Can," is now available to help schools and other organizations set up mentoring programs. The guide emphasizes math and science, considered gateway courses for later college attendance. The Education Department prepared the guide, which is available for free at 1-877-4ED-PUBS .

• The America Reads steering committee is expanding to embrace the America Counts initiative, and it will include several college presidents who have committed to launch math tutoring programs.

"America Counts is sorely needed," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "Today's students must master high-level mathematical concepts and complex approaches to solving problems to be prepared for college, careers of the 21st century, and the demands of everyday life. Not enough young people perform at that level."

Student performance in mathematics begins to fall short of most of our international competitors between 4th and 8th grade. By 8th grade, 38 percent of students perform below the basic level. Only 25 percent of students take algebra by the end of 8th grade -- considered critical for getting on track for college preparatory math and science courses.

Gore was joined by U.S. Reps. Maxine Waters and Loretta Sanchez, both D-Calif., as he made the announcement at Dana Middle School in South-Central Los Angeles.

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