What memorandum did President William J. Clinton issue?

In January 1998, President William J. Clinton issued an Executive memorandum on enhancing learning and education through technology in which he directed Federal programs that provide financial support for lifelong learning to adapt to the new opportunities that technology provides. He also called for a Federal government wide effort to explore how Federal programs can better support the use of technologies for lifelong learning. A few weeks later, in his state of the Union address, the president commended the Congress for passing a lifelong learning tuition tax credit which he had proposed, and he offered new initiatives to enable Americans to continue their education. In November 1997, Vice President Albert Gore, Jr. addressed a national conference on "Creating a Nation of Lifelong Learners", where he spoke of the importance of lifelong learning as a key to success in America’s new economy. The Vice President announced that in 1998 the White House will convene a Summit on lifelong learning — a conference where leaders from business, labor, higher education, government and philanthropy will address ways to help all Americans gain access to quality lifelong learning.
    Both the President and Vice President of the United States recognize the importance of lifelong learning for the nation’s success, and they are working to make lifelong learning opportunities more widely available to all Americans.
    Today increasing numbers of Americans are engaged in lifelong learning. A 1995 survey of participation in adult education found that during the 12 months preceding the study, approximately 40 percent of adults aged 17 years and older had participated in a program of adult education (excluding full-time enrollment in higher education credential programs). Adults are also going to college in larger numbers. Of the 14.3 million students enrolled in post-secondary institutions in the fall of 1995, nearly 6 million, or 42 percent, were between the ages of 25 and 64. Between 1985 and 1995, the enrollment of students over 25 increased nearly twice as fast as the enrollment of students under 25. According to the Commission for a Nation of Lifelong Learners, "the emergence of adult learners as a major constituency in American higher education has been one of the most dramatic changes in the United States in the past 25 years."
    Although more adults are engaged in lifelong learning and educational opportunities have grown, not all individuals seek or benefit from these opportunities. In 1996, over 4 million adults enrolled in adult basic, secondary, and English as a second language programs. However, this total represents a participation rate of only 9 percent of the adult target population of 44 million individuals aged 16 years and older who have not earned a high school diploma or equivalent and are not currently enrolled in school. Furthermore, in 1992 approximately 40 to 44 million of the 191 million adults in the US scored in the lowest of five levels of literacy. The United States has far to go to ensure that all Americans recognize the importance and take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities.