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Skriven 2005-07-14 23:33:20 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050714) for Thu, 2005 Jul 14
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Fact Sheet: Ensuring the Promise of America Reaches All Americans
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 14, 2005

Fact Sheet: Ensuring the Promise of America Reaches All Americans



Nation's Report Card Shows Progress In Educating Our Children, Achievement
Gap Is Narrowing

Today's Presidential Action

Today, President Bush Delivered Remarks In Indianapolis At The Indiana
Black Expo Where He Discussed The Administration's Policies To Ensure The
Promise Of Opportunity And Prosperity Reaches All Americans. The President
believes every child should receive a quality education, every citizen
should have the opportunity to participate in an ownership society, and
every person should have the opportunity to strive for a better future.

Ensuring America's Promise Through Education Reform
  þ New National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results Show
    Students Have Made Significant Gains Since President Bush Signed The No
    Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Into Law. Known as the "Nation's Report
    Card," the test measures student achievement nationwide against the
    same standards. These results mark the first time this test has been
    administered since the passage of NCLB.
  þ NAEP Results Show NCLB Is Contributing To Progress In Education.
    President Bush signed NCLB into law to ensure all students become
    proficient at reading and math and to close the achievement gap that
    exists between students of different socio-economic backgrounds. When
    performance is measured and schools are held accountable, every child
    can succeed.
      þ America's nine-year-olds are posting the best scores in reading and
        math in the history of this report.
      þ Thirteen-year-olds earned the highest math scores the test has ever
        recorded.
  þ African-American Achievement Is On The Rise. Reading and math scores
    for African-American nine-year-olds reached their highest levels in the
    history of the test, with reading scores up 14 points and math scores
    up 13 points in the past five years.
  þ The Achievement Gap Is Closing. The gap in reading between white and
    African-American nine-year-olds is the smallest it has been since
    testing began.
  þ The President's New High School Initiative Will Increase The Quality Of
    Secondary Education And Ensure Students Graduate With The Skills Needed
    To Succeed. To build on the progress of NCLB, the President has
    proposed a new High School Initiative to help ensure excellence for
    every student. Through this initiative we will provide early
    intervention for students falling behind, and measure the progress of
    our high school students with tests in reading and math in the ninth,
    tenth, and eleventh grades.
  þ Making Higher Education More Affordable And Accessible For All
    Americans. The President is working to reform the student aid system
    and increase college assistance for low-income students. To help ensure
    more African-American students have access to higher education, the
    Administration is funding historically black colleges and universities
    at record levels.

Ensuring America's Promise Through An Ownership Society
  þ African-American Business Ownership Is At An All Time High. President
    Bush cut taxes on small businesses, and last year increased Small
    Business Administration loans to African-American businesses by more
    than 28 percent. The Administration is working to give minority-owned
    businesses better access to compete for Federal contracts, and has
    provided $8 billion in New Market Tax credits to boost investment and
    community development in low-income areas.
  þ President Bush Wants To Help More African-Americans Become Small
    Business Owners. The Bush Administration is working with national
    groups to create the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership to develop economic
    empowerment centers in America's poorest communities to provide
    minority entrepreneurs with training and access to business
    opportunities.
  þ Nearly Half Of All African-Americans Now Own Their Own Home. Three
    years ago, President Bush set a goal of creating 5.5 million new
    minority homeowners by the end of the decade. More than 2.3 million
    have been added, and to help complete the goal, the Bush administration
    is providing down-payment assistance, counseling for new home buyers,
    and tax credits to encourage construction in low-income areas.
  þ The President's Plan To Fix Social Security Will Help Put Ownership In
    The Hands Of Every American. The President has proposed allowing
    younger workers to put some of their Social Security contributions in a
    voluntary personal retirement account, because the investor class
    should not be limited to only a certain kind of person. It makes sense
    to trust people with their own money when it comes time for their
    retirement.

Ensuring America's Promise Through Community Development
  þ Violent Crime Is At A 30-Year Low. It is difficult for young people to
    study, learn, and grow in the midst of violence, addiction, and
    despair. By aggressively prosecuting drug dealers and gun criminals,
    America is making progress towards the day when all Americans can feel
    safe in their homes and neighborhoods.
  þ Americans Of All Races And Backgrounds Must Be Able To Trust Our Legal
    System. By expanding the use of DNA analysis, law enforcement can solve
    more crimes, lock up more criminals, and prevent wrongful convictions
    while fully protecting civil rights and equality before the law.
  þ Faith-Based Groups Are Providing Vital Services In African-American
    Communities. The Bush Administration has awarded $2 billion in
    competitive grants to faith-based institutions that are working to
    transform their neighborhoods with faith and compassion.

Ensuring America's Promise By Spreading Freedom Abroad
  þ By Staying On The Offensive Against Terrorism, We Are Spreading Freedom
    And Security. Because America acted, 50 million people in Iraq and
    Afghanistan now live in freedom - and millions across the broader
    Middle East are claiming their liberty as well. By spreading freedom in
    a troubled region, we are making America more secure - and laying the
    foundation of peace for people around the world.
  þ America Is Delivering Historic Support To Help Fight Hunger, Malaria,
    And HIV/AIDS In Africa. Since President Bush took office, the United
    States has tripled international development aid to Africa, bringing it
    to the highest level of any presidency. And last year, America provided
    nearly 60 percent of global food aid to the continent of Africa to help
    prevent famine. We are supporting an aggressive $15 billion campaign to
    cut the mortality rate of malaria in half. And since 2003, the United
    States has undertaken a historic $15 billion initiative to help the
    nations of Africa combat HIV/AIDS. The program is already delivering
    life-saving treatment to more than 230,000 people.

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