American Education Week, 2015

Proclamation 9366 of November 13, 2015

American Education Week, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Education has the power to put aspirations within reach
and help make real the promise of opportunity that
defines America. That promise begins with making sure
all who work hard have an equal shot. By supporting our
students, educators, and schools, we can ensure the
wellbeing of our Nation, earn back our status as having
the highest proportion of college graduates in the
world, and safeguard our legacy as a participatory and
informed democracy. During American Education Week, we
reaffirm our dedication to providing the finest tools,
resources, and opportunities to our Nation's students
and we recommit to making America a place where
individuals are limited by nothing but the scope of
their dreams.

In an increasingly competitive and interconnected
global economy, nothing is more important than
preparing rising generations for success from their
earliest days of school. My Administration has made
early childhood education a priority and we are working
to expand access to high-quality preschool--one of the
smartest investments we can make--and to improve the
quality of child care in America. We have also offered
critical incentives to States for boosting teaching and
learning standards, expanded broadband and wireless
connectivity in classrooms, and partnered with States
and local communities to help close the school
readiness gap in efforts to ensure all children's
prospects are equal on their very first day in the
classroom. I have also pushed to redesign American high
schools to make them more innovative and responsive to
student needs and more focused on extending science,
technology, engineering, and math opportunities to our
Nation's youth. And this year, my Administration
announced new principles for assessing student
learning, taking up less classroom time while still
giving educators and parents the timely, actionable
information they need to know children are learning.

Every American willing to work hard deserves a chance
to pursue a higher education--no matter where they come
from, what they look like, or what their circumstances
are. That is why I have put forward a plan to make 2
years of community college as free and universal as
high school is today. In addition, we have increased
Pell Grant funding, expanded income-driven repayment
options, and capped student loan repayments at 10
percent of a borrower's income while keeping interest
rates low. To help more students obtain Federal
financial aid and enroll in schools that are right for
them, we have streamlined the FAFSA application process
and released a new College Scorecard, which provides
the most reliable national data on school costs,
graduation rates, student loan debt, and post-college
earnings. And just as our students require proper
material support, they also need the support of those
who guide their educational journeys--from preschool
through high school and beyond. America's teachers and
school communities make extraordinary sacrifices to
cultivate a new generation of dreamers and change-
makers, and as they do the important work of nurturing
our Nation's students day in and day out, we must do
our part to support them and ensure they have the tools
and resources needed to perform their jobs effectively.

We have a responsibility to ensure every child has a
pathway to success, and when we invest in the education
and the future of our children and grandchildren, we
place our bets on an America where dreams know no
bounds. This week, let us pledge our support for our
Nation's students by reaffirming the ideals that nobody
should be priced out of an education, and everyone
should have the chance to use their talents and
abilities to contribute to our country's success.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 15 through
November 21, 2015, as American Education Week. I call
upon all Americans to observe this week by supporting
their local schools and educators through appropriate
activities, events, and programs designed to help
create opportunities for every school and student in
America.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.