WASHINGTON, DC -In an effort to help ensure that Rhode Island public schools have well prepared and highly effective teachers, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education is awarding the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education $1,095,228 in federal funding for teacher recruitment.

"Improving teacher quality is the single most important measure we can take to increase student achievement. Highly effective teachers are essential to providing students with a strong, quality education," said Reed, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "This federal funding will go a long way to help ensure that Rhode Island is able to recruit and hire the best teachers available to ensure that our young people are prepared for success."

Funding will be provided through the Teacher Recruitment Grants Program and will be used for the RI Department of Elementary and Secondary's Project RECRUIT program. This initiative will work to reduce the immediate and projected shortages of qualified teachers in Rhode Island through the recruitment and preparation of skilled teachers to work in high-need school districts throughout the state.

In addition to helping the state attract and hire effective teachers, Project RECRUIT will help improve cultural diversity among Rhode Island's teachers to better meet the needs of its students by combining the efforts of community groups, schools, teacher preparation programs, and other organizations to identify and recruit minority teachers, assist them with obtaining certification, and support them through their early years of teaching.

By establishing a two-year non-traditional route to certification, the project will also help provide teacher recruitment and preparation in areas of need such as chemistry, mathematics, physics, and secondary special education. Additionally, the program will partner school districts with colleges to help support students interested becoming teachers through the establishment of two school-based Teacher Academies.

In the U.S. Senate, Reed has been a strong supporter of programs to help increase teacher recruitment. In April, he introduced the Preparing, Recruiting, and Retaining Education Professionals (PRREP) Act, a $500 million initiative that strengthens the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants program of the Higher Education Act and uses proven strategies to provide teachers with effective teaching skills, high-quality mentoring and support, and enhanced opportunities for professional development.

Reed is working to include the PRREP Act in the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).