[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 4 (Monday, January 9, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S609-S610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ATTRACTING GOOD TEACHERS TO OUR CLASSROOMS

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, this past Saturday I read in the New York 
Times an interesting editorial dealing with the challenge of attracting 
good teachers into the Nation's classrooms, and the importance of 
having well-qualified, well-trained, and excellent teachers. 
[[Page S610]] 
  There can be no greater challenge to us today than improving our 
education system throughout the country. It struck me as I read the 
editorial that this calls the attention of all of us to the fact that 
no matter what kind of programs we have, how much money we spend, what 
kind of national goals we adopt and try to implement, if we do not have 
good, qualified, conscientious, and committed teachers in the 
classrooms of the schools of America, we are not going to have a good 
education system. They are the cornerstone of our education system in 
America.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the New York 
Times editorial of Saturday to which I refer be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the New York Times, Jan. 7, 1995]

                  A National Reward for Good Teachers

       Ever since the mid-1980's, when a series of landmark 
     studies called for drastic changes in the nation's schools, 
     American educators have been seeking ways to raise teaching 
     standards. That effort bore its first fruit this week when 81 
     gifted teachers were awarded national teaching certification 
     at a ceremony in Washington.
       The ceremony may turn out to be a pivotal moment in the 
     history of American education. Many educators hope that the 
     81 recipients will be the first small vanguard of a new 
     generation of highly qualified teachers who, in turn, will 
     nourish better schools and better students.
       Until Thursday, no teacher possessed a national 
     certificate. Public school teachers are certified by states 
     and localities. One hope is that recipients will be able to 
     move from state to state without facing recertification. 
     Another is that states and localities will reward 
     certificate-holders with higher pay, thus offering an 
     incentive to other teachers.
       But the real value of the certificate may have been 
     identified by Arthur Levine, the president of Teachers 
     College at Columbia University. These first awards, he said, 
     ``provide some sense that around the country there is some 
     agreement on what makes for a good teacher.''
       The certificates grew out of a report called ``A Nation 
     Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century,'' which led to the 
     creation of a National Board for Professional Teaching 
     Standards in 1987. The idea was to raise standards for 
     teachers and elevate their status, treating them more like 
     doctors and other professionals.
       The board then set about creating a licensing system. The 
     heart of the system is an exhaustive series of tests aimed at 
     finding out how teachers teach and evaluating their 
     effectiveness.
       A group of 539 volunteers has now completed tests for 
     English-language specialists and generalists who teach early 
     adolescents. The 81 winners came from the generally/early 
     adolescent category, and more are scheduled to follow among 
     the English teachers.
       The volunteers submitted portfolios of their work--
     videotapes of classroom techniques, examples of their 
     students' work, references from colleagues and written self-
     assessments. They were also tested on subject matter and 
     teaching techniques. Participants found that the rigorous 
     assessment process was itself an exercise in professional 
     growth.
       Preparing for the test costs money. At least eight states 
     have already taken action to support or reward teachers who 
     seek national board certification. Others should follow suit. 
     If stronger teaching is the most important element in 
     improving schools--and most educators believe it is--then the 
     certification process is certain to give a huge boost to the 
     effort to give American schoolchildren a better deal than 
     they now receive.

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