Class-size program on track

President Clinton's class-size reduction initiative has helped nearly two-thirds of the nation's elementary schools hire an estimated 29,000 new teachers, according to a report released by Education Secretary Richard Riley.

Riley unveiled the report during his annual back-to-school speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. According to the report, some 87 percent of the estimated 23,000 schools that received aid under the federal program used the money to hire new teachers, and the average class size in 90,000 classrooms dropped from 23 students to 18. Most schools hired teachers for the early grades. Some 1.7 million children have received the additional help they need because of the class-size reduction initiative, Riley said. A number of districts used the federal aid for teacher professional development.

Secretary Riley also called for better preschool reading instruction. He urged Congress to support increased funds for Head Start and universal preschool for all four-year-olds. Studies suggest that "a concentrated effort in the early years may provide us with the richest opportunity we have to close the achievement gap that already exists when children enter kindergarten," he said.

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001