Bill Clinton: “I thank you for saying that. I want to emphasize, because there's been a little bit of controversy about Goals 2000…”

“I thank you for saying that. I want to emphasize, because there's been a little bit of controversy about Goals 2000, that I think the genius of the program is that, under Secretary Riley's leadership, we have done more to give more flexibility to local school districts and individual schools to creatively pursue their own solutions for excellence while trying to develop national standards so that parents could know what their children should know and whether they're learning it. And it seems to me that was a very good bargain for the American people and one we ought not to back off of now. Mr. Bierwirth. And it's beginning to pay off very well out here.”