E C O N O M I C R E P O R T O F T H E P R E S I D E N T

Box 4-3.The Administration’s Education GoalsIn his 1998 State of the Union Address, the President stated that“[t]he Information Age is, first and foremost, an education age, inwhich education must start at birth and continue throughout alifetime.” To meet the challenges of the information-based, skillsintensiveeconomy, the President has set ambitious goals for theNation’s education system:• All students will read independently and well by the end of thirdgrade.• All students will master challenging mathematics, including thefoundations of algebra and geometry, by the end of eighth grade.• By 18 years of age, all students will be prepared for and able toafford college.• All States and schools will have challenging and clear standards ofachievement and accountability for all children, as well as effectivestrategies for reaching those standards.• There will be a talented, dedicated, and well-prepared teacher inevery classroom.• Every classroom will be connected to the Internet, and all studentswill be technologically literate.• Every school will be strong, safe, drug-free, and disciplined.To achieve these goals, the President has proposed and implementeda broad agenda of education policies that extend frompreschool to college.increasing test scores and school attainment and in reducing grade repetition forwhites. However, the large and significant gains in test scores for AfricanAmericans were found to be quickly lost after they left the program, perhapsbecause of lower quality in the schools that so many of them attend after leavingthe program. Another study using the same methodology found large positiveeffects on test scores and schooling attainment for Hispanic children, althoughlong-term follow-up was unavailable.Improving Elementary and Secondary EducationIt is important to ensure that all students have access to good-quality educationalresources once they enter school. As was stated at the beginning of thischapter, students need society’s help as they prepare themselves for a changingwork force and the demands of a technology-driven labor market. The Presidenthas therefore laid out a three-part agenda to help State and local governmentsChapter 4 | 149