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Clinton Urges Governors On National Tests

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LAS VEGAS (AllPolitics, July 28) -- At a meeting of the nation's governors, President Bill Clinton urged his former colleagues to embrace his education program of national standards and testing.

"I do not believe that we will be the leading economy in the world 50 years from now unless we can do a more uniform job of getting people out of high school with excellent world-class educations," Clinton said at the gathering of the National Governors Association.

Only six states and 15 urban school districts have signed onto the president's education program, which includes a commitment to a national set of education standards and tests, and last week Clinton said governors were "dragging their feet." Today, he softened his stance, while assuring the governors his plan wasn't a Washington "power grab."

"We have made a lot of progress since ... 1983 and governors have led the way, but we have a lot more work to do," the former Arkansas governor told the group.

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States that have so far committed to Clinton's program include Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and West Virginia. Education officials in Alaska, New Mexico and Tennessee have indicated a willingness to administer the national tests. And another 12 states are reportedly planning to participate as well.

One year after welfare reform

Turning to welfare reform, the president praised the governors on their "success up to now" putting into effect the welfare reform law enacted last August, though he urged them to expand child care aid to help welfare recipients make the transition to jobs. And he said new workers should not be denied the Earned Income Tax Credit or the minimum wage.

"I feel very strongly about that. ... I don't think we ought to do anything that would undermine that incentive," Clinton said.





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