CRANSTON, RI – In an effort to boost student achievement in the classroom, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Bob Casey (D-PA) have introduced the Educator Preparation Reform Act, aimed at better preparing teachers, principals, librarians, and other school leaders by developing the skills and knowledge they need to be effective and profession-ready on day one.

The Educator Preparation Reform Act would overhaul federal laws governing teacher preparation, including reporting requirements, accountability provisions, and the TEACH Grant scholarship program.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that many high poverty schools struggle to fill their teaching positions and rely on a “rotating cast of substitutes.”  The report went on to explain that inner-city schools tend to employ teachers who are more inexperienced than the hires at affluent schools, and “the teachers often are not adequately trained for the intense environments they will face.”

“We need to help motivated teachers and principals so they hit the ground running, especially in our highest need schools.  We know that quality teachers and principals make a real positive difference for kids and help raise student achievement in the classroom.  If we want to improve our schools, it is essential that teachers, principals, and other educators have a comprehensive system that supports their preparation, professional growth, and development, before the first day of school and continuing throughout their careers.  There is a looming shortage of fully-prepared teachers and we must do better by our students and our schools.  The legislation we’re introducing today encourages an increased level of investment in our teachers for the sake of our students,” said Senator Reed.

“When children learn more at an early age they earn more later in life.  One of the keys to helping our children learn more at a young age is a teacher who is ready to enrich students from day one,” Senator Casey said.  “Giving our nation’s teachers the tools to succeed is an essential part of helping students get off to a strong and smart start to their lives. This legislation will help teachers grow their skills and ultimately help students achieve.”

Reed and Casey teamed up earlier this year on the Better Educator Support & Training (BEST) Act, an effort to equip educators with the necessary resources through additional, targeted funding.  The Senators worked behind the scenes to include the BEST Act language in the Every Student Succeeds Act, signed into law this month.  The Educator Preparation Reform Act will build on that reform, and the success of the Teacher Quality Partnership Program, which Reed helped author in the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

The Educator Preparation Reform Act places specific attention and emphasis on principals with the addition of a residency program for new principals.  The bill better connects teacher preparation with principal preparation, and the legislation would also allow partnerships to develop preparation programs for other areas of instructional need, such as for school librarians, counselors, or other academic support professionals. 

The bill streamlines the accountability and reporting requirements for teacher preparation programs to provide greater transparency on key quality measures such as admissions standards, requirements for clinical practice, placement of graduates, retention in the field of teaching, and teacher performance, including student learning outcomes.  All programs – whether traditional or alternative routes to certification – will be asked to report on the same measures. Under the legislation, states will be required to identify at-risk and low-performing programs and provide them with technical assistance and a timeline for improvement, and states would be encouraged to close programs that do not improve.

The Educator Preparation Reform Act is supported by: Alliance for Excellent Education; American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; American Association of State Colleges and Universities; American Council on Education; Association of American Universities; Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; First Focus Campaign for Children; Higher Education Consortium for Special Education; Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Association of State Directors of Special Education; National Center for Learning Disabilities; National Disability Rights Network; National Education Association; Public Advocacy for Kids; Rural School and Community Trust; and Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children.

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