L.A. Learning Exchange - Clinton Details Federal Education Plan

Get the details of Gov. Davis' education plan for California in articles from the LA Times and The Sacramento Bee

Clinton Details Federal Education Plan

IN HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS Tuesday night, President Clinton called on all states to require new teachers to pass performance exams, and said instructors should have at least minored in the area they teach. Right now, 38 states require teachers to take tests to measure their knowledge before they can receive a teaching certificate. Clinton has also proposed the following:

A $200 million increase over this year's spending on Clinton's initiative to fund the hiring of 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size in grades one to three.

$35 million for scholarships for outstanding students who pledge to become teachers in impoverished school districts -- up from $7.5 million in fiscal 1999.

$18 million to extend the Troops-to-Teachers program, which trains retired military personnel to teach in public schools

Many states already are spending millions on their own plans to achieve similar results, and it's unclear how the federal effort, if approved by Congress, would fit into that. Forty-eight states test their students, but only 19 link graduation from high school with test scores. Also, 36 states issue report cards on schools, but just 16 give themselves the power to close, take over or even rectify the failures.

Education Department officials said Wednesday they were busy preparing proposals that would tie the $15 billion that states get from the federal education budget to Clinton's accountability goals.