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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release
November 23, 1998
VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCES UP TO 47,000
SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES TO RECEIVE FUNDS
TO CONNECT CHILDREN TO THE INTERNET
Washington, DC -- Vice President Gore announced today that, over
the next two months, up to 40,000 public schools and 7,000 libraries
will get nearly $2 billion under the "E-rate" program to connect to the
Internet.
In addition, the Vice President announced that states and
communities will begin receiving part of the $425 million in grants from
the Administration's Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, which
complements the E-rate by allowing communities to buy modern computers,
train teachers to use technology, and buy high-quality educational
software.
"Today, we are moving toward our goal of providing every American
access to the information age so they can learn, explore, and prepare
for the future," Vice President Gore said. "The E-rate and the
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund will allow our nation to take this
giant step forward, improving the education we provide our children.
Together, we are using our newest tools to support our oldest goals --
helping our students learn by giving them the best education we can."
The E-rate, created under the Telecommunications Act of 1996,
provides over $1.9 billion in discounts for schools and libraries to buy
high-speed Internet access, internal wiring, and telecommunications
services. The program will help bridge the "digital divide" by giving
the deepest discounts to the poor and rural schools that need it most.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore believe that progress in
all four areas -- Internet access, computers, educational software, and
teacher training -- is essential to prepare our children for the 21st
Century. As a result of this initiative, 30 million children will be
connected to the Internet.
"Today, we are taking steps that will forever change the lives of
millions of children and change the way teachers teach and children
learn," the Vice President said. "For the first time in our history,
these new tools are making it possible for a child in the most isolated
inner-city neighborhood or rural community to have access to the same
world of knowledge at the same instant as a child in the most affluent
suburb."
Research shows that technology can be a powerful tool for teaching
and learning. Specifically, as a result of new technology, test scores
in math are higher, attendance rates have improved, students writing has
improved, teachers have better training, and parents have become more
involved in their children's education.
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