In Defending Teachers, Clinton Calls for Help in Improving Quality

President Clinton last week took on the issue of improving education and asked Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley to send schools a list of ideas.

Over the past couple of months, Mr. Clinton's Republican challenger, Bob Dole, has accused teachers' unions of being barriers to school improvement and to school reform. In response, Democrats have positioned themselves as the protectors of public education spending and the defenders of the nation's teachers.

Mr. Clinton's remarks came during a campaign swing in Fresno, Calif., and were tied to the release of a major study on teaching quality. ( "Teaching Focus Called the Key in Reform Push," ...