This section of the U.S. Department of Educations's Website offers clarification for those who have been hearing about government efforts to reduce elementary school class sizes. In his 1998 State of the Union address, President Clinton proposed an initiative which would provide federal funding for states to train, certify, and hire teachers. The initiative is designed to help local public schools reduce class sizes and better prepare teachers in first through third grades. More specifically, the goals are to achieve a nationwide average of eighteen students per class, to provide personal attention for each child, to improve training and evaluation of teachers, and to ensure that all students can read independently by the end of third grade. The site provides the text of the initiative and research reports synthesizing recent studies on the benefits of smaller class sizes. Visitors can also obtain information about specific state programs to implement the federal initiative.