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For Immediate Release
May 18, 1994

For further information contact
Rick Thompson
1-800-T0-PLEDGE


"E-MAIL THE WHITE HOUSE:
SAVE AMERICA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS"

ST. LOUIS - The Internet has been ringing with the message "E-MAIL THE WHITE
HOUSE:  SAVE AMERICA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS" for the last week.  The National
Campaign for Public School Improvement, Project Appleseed, is sending this
message to over 100,000 parents, educators, librarians, and other education
activists in the nation's electronic community over the next three weeks.
Project Appleseed organizers want to demonstrate to the Administration and
the news media that the Internet is a powerful means of networking public
expression for school reform in  America.  The e-mail systems at the White
House, National Public Radio, NBC News, and Time magazine have received a
flood of messages in support of the Parental Involvement Pledge over the last
several days.

Project Appleseed is promoting parental responsibility by organizing one
million parents to sign the Parental  Involvement  Pledge by November. The
organization is also raising $5 million to fund local parental involvement
efforts in communities all across America in 1995.  The pledge calls on
parents to actively participate in their children's education by spending at
least 15 minutes each night helping with homework.  The pledge also demands
that parents take personal responsibility by volunteering at least 5 hours
per semester to the school system.  Parents and educators in 40 states and
the District of Columbia have signed and distributed the pledge since
January.

Kevin Walker, National Director of Project Appleseed, says that America's
parents must speak up and demand school improvement. One way of doing this is
through the Internet.  The Internet is an extordinary  communications vehicle
that allows Project Appleseed to reach parent and education activists at the
grass roots level at very little cost.

At  the  invitation  of  the  Administration,  Walker recently  met with the
President's domestic policy advisor  on  education  at the  White House.  "I
 asked the Administration to support  our campaign which is designed to
organize and fund parental involvement initiatives in local communities all
across America.  As the father of four public school children, I  believe
that parents are responsible for improving our Nation's public schools," says
Walker.

President Clinton signed the Administration's Educate America Act also known
as 'Goals 2000' into law on Mar 31. Appleseed believes that Goals 2000 cannot
succeed without an effective parent constituency.  Walker says, "If we don't
start making some systematic efforts to address how we get parents back into
the picture, we are clearly fighting an uphill battle with some very
unpleasant long-term consequences."

A recent national survey of 1000 people conducted by the Mellman-Lazarus-Lake
polling firm found that 63 percent of those surveyed advocated major school
reform and 46 percent strongly favor a requirement that each parent volunteer
for at least one day each school year.  The survey was sponsored by the
American Association of School Administrators.

On-line users can e-mail President Clinton at president@whitehouse.gov and
Project Appleseed can be reached at Applese212@aol.com or by calling
1-800-TO-PLEDGE.  Contributions for Project Appleseed can be made payable to
Project Appleseed/ 7511 Delmar Blvd. Suite A/St. Louis, MO 63130-3930.

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Please feel free to fax this release to your local newspaper, radio, and
television stations.