[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 25 (Wednesday, March 11, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1772-S1774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE:
  S. 1741. A bill to provide for teacher training facilities; to the 
Committee on Labor and Human Resources.


                    the teacher quality act of 1998

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to express some serious 
concerns about what I believe amounts to a crisis in teacher education 
in the United States. This year, we will consider the reauthorization 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Therefore, it is appropriate that 
we not focus on the issue of improving teacher training in the United 
States.
  We have to look to new ideas and programs--programs that will help 
restore America as an academic power. I believe that we must act 
immediately to find solutions for this crisis, because our children are 
suffering very serious consequences. Today, I will be offering two 
pieces of legislation that will serve as the first steps in addressing 
the future of teacher training and teacher certification.
  Before I offer a description of the new legislation, Mr. President, I 
call my colleagues attention to these alarming statistics: 36% of those 
now teaching core subjects (English, math, science, social studies, 
foreign languages) neither majored nor minored in those subjects. A 
study conducted by the National Commission on Teaching and America's 
Future revealed, and I'm quoting from a summary of the report:

       More than one-quarter of newly hired public school teachers 
     in 1991 lacked the qualifications for their jobs, and nearly 
     one-fourth of all secondary teachers did not even have a 
     minor in their main teaching field.

  The Commission also found that, quote:

       56% percent of high school students taking physical science 
     were being taught by out-of-field teachers, as were 27% of 
     those taking mathematics and 21% of those taking English. The 
     least qualified teachers were most likely to be found in 
     high-poverty and predominantly minority schools and in lower-
     track classes. In fact, in schools with the highest minority 
     enrollments, students had less than a 50% chance of getting a 
     science or mathematics teacher who held a license and a 
     degree in the field he or she taught.

  Mr. President, this is a travesty--on a truly national scale. No 
wonder students are doing so poorly on standardized tests. If the 
teacher does not understand the subject he or she is teaching, then 
certainly the students will not learn what they need to know. It is 
inexcusable that in a country as powerful and wealthy as the United 
States, that we do not give our children the best academic resources 
available. The United States will not remain a world leader unless we 
turn this around, and start preparing our children for the future.
  The process by which we train our teachers needs to be reformed--and 
I believe that there is a strong bipartisan consensus to support an 
effort for reform. Recently, I received a memorandum that was signed by 
members of

[[Page S1773]]

the Center for Education Reform, Empower America, the Education Leaders 
Council, Hudson Institute, Progressive Policy Institute, Brookings 
Institution, and Heritage Foundation that expressed bipartisan interest 
in strengthening the Federal role in teacher recruitment and 
preparation. I was impressed that members of each of these diverse 
groups can all agree that there must be some serious change in the 
current teacher education system.
  The Progressive Policy Institute has urged:

     * * * that the President and his advisors remain faithful to 
     the most important achievement in education policy: 
     redefining the goal of school reform as results, not 
     regulation. The Progressive Policy Institute also wrote that 
     instead of spending federal dollars to hire more teachers and 
     support schools of education under the existing system, the 
     Administration should encourage states to open up the 
     teaching profession to talented individuals who can 
     demonstrate mastery of the subject that they intend to teach; 
     implement innovative means of recruiting and training 
     teachers; provide incentives to teach in high-poverty 
     schools; and ensure that institutions, administrators, and 
     teachers are rewarded for high performance and held 
     responsible for failure.

  Mr. President, I could not agree more. Clearly, we must have more 
accountability and autonomy in the education system. We can no longer 
tolerate a system that allows unqualified teachers in the classroom. As 
schools are held more accountable for their results, the schools must 
have the autonomy to hire and fire whomever they want, and decide how 
best to compensate their faculty. Unquestionably, we must support all 
of the hard-working, dedicated teachers we now have in our classrooms. 
they deserve our utmost support and respect.
  Mr. President, I am encouraged that President Clinton has taken an 
interest in reforming the education system. I do not, however, believe 
that merely reducing class size and hiring 100,000 new teachers would 
be a solution for our academic problems.
  The answer is to only certify quality teachers--and to get quality 
teachers to teach our neediest kids. All children deserve well-educated 
teachers, and we need to make that proposition a reality.
  Now you might ask what the Federal role should be in teacher 
training. Unquestionably, states are, and should remain, the primary 
actors in public education. Any new Federal programs should be 
voluntary for states, which should not be burdened by new Federal 
mandates. However, the Federal government can have a role--by helping 
the states focus on hiring quality teachers.

  The Federal government needs to break the education school monopoly 
on teacher preparation. Too often, these education schools have weak 
academic standards--and focus on teaching methods over knowledge of 
subject matter. The students who enroll in teacher education programs 
in U.S. colleges tend to have lower scores on SAT and ACT exams than 
those in virtually all other programs of study.
  Federal funds that are set aside for teacher training should be made 
available to any program that trains teachers--as long as the program 
is held accountable for producing students that can demonstrate subject 
matter competence in the classes that they plan to teach. All teacher-
training programs should be held accountable for results: producing 
teachers who know their subject well and know how to teach it. Their 
results are what matter, not their intentions or their resources or 
their requirements, or their accreditation.
  The Federal government can assist the states by forgiving student 
loans or offering other financial incentives for well-educated people 
who teach in hard-to staff schools.
  For example, I introduced legislation last year that would provide 
loan forgiveness to individuals who obtain a college degree in early 
childhood education who then go on to teach in accredited child-care 
centers. The Quality Child Care Loan Forgiveness Act is a great example 
of how the Federal government can provide incentives to students to 
become teachers. All children, from pre-K to 12th grade, deserve the 
chance to have a qualified teacher that will help them reach their 
academic potential.
  Today, Mr. President, I am proposing legislation that addresses the 
need for better teacher training programs. While it is important to 
stem the tide of unqualified teachers reaching the classroom, we must 
also focus on helping teachers that are already in the classroom and 
need assistance in becoming the best teachers that they can be. Today, 
therefore, I am introducing the Teacher Quality Act of 1998.
  This legislation calls for the creation of teacher training programs 
across the United States that will help train teachers that are already 
in the classroom or about to enter the teaching profession.
  This bill is common-sense legislation that will assist school 
districts in their struggle to maintain the highest possible academic 
standards for their children. My idea for this legislation developed 
out of my admiration for the Mayerson Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 
Mayerson Academy was established in 1992 as a partnership between the 
Cincinnati business community and its schools. The mission of the 
Mayerson Academy is to provide the highest quality training and 
professional development opportunities to the men and women responsible 
for educating the children of Cincinnati. Its motto is ``All Children 
Can Learn.''
  The doors of the academy are open for business from 8:00 am to 9:00 
pm, Monday through Saturday, fifty weeks per year. The non-profit 
Mayerson Academy has a 10-year contract with Cincinnati Public Schools 
and also has training agreements with Princeton City Schools, Lakota 
Local School District, and the Oak Hills School District. The Mayerson 
Academy has advanced labs on how to learn math. Classes on how to use 
computers. Socratic discussions on how to organize and manage. Teachers 
can take advantage of core courses, through which they can earn 
graduate-level equivalency credits, or take one-time special-topic 
``action labs.'' The Mayerson Academy also utilizes all the latest 
breakthroughs in technology to get their message out across the country 
through the use of distance learning instruction. Teachers in 
Cincinnati Public Schools are eligible for a $750 raise after 100 hours 
of training--and it counts toward Ohio's mandatory continuing education 
requirement for a teaching license.
  The Mayerson Academy raised its start-up funds from generous private 
contributions from local banks, private foundations, and businesses 
such as Federated Department Stores, General Electric, and Procter and 
Gamble. Cincinnati's school district pays $1.6 million a year to 
purchase 66,000 hours of training from Mayerson--and the teachers 
attend for free. However, the program is such a great success that this 
school year, the Academy will provide 160,000 hours of staff training, 
far exceeding the 66,000 hours of annual staff training time called for 
by the academy's agreement with the district. The Mayerson Academy is 
separate from the school system, in order to ensure independent 
evaluation of its results and a consistent base of support. This status 
also allows it to benefit from the perspectives and experience of the 
business leadership.
  My legislation will establish a competitive grant program that will 
ask school districts to form public-private partnerships to establish 
teacher training programs. I believe that this legislation will assist 
in establishing teacher training centers like Mayerson--facilities that 
will help teachers gain subject matter mastery and give our children 
the best training teachers in the world.
  The second piece of legislation that I am introducing today will 
expand and improve the supply of well-qualified elementary and 
secondary school teachers. This goal can be accomplished by encouraging 
and assisting States to develop and implement programs for alternative 
routes toward alternative certification or licensure. The Alternative 
Certification and Licensure of Teachers Act will give individuals who 
would like to teach the chance to do so. We're talking about teachers 
who can serve not just as mentors to these children, but also as role 
models to show them how a good education can make a huge positive 
difference in their future.
  Through these programs, individuals who have a sense of what goals 
they wish to accomplish can bring their knowledge and experience into 
the classroom--and make a difference in children's lives.

[[Page S1774]]

  There are many talented professionals with a high level of subject 
area competence outside the education profession who may wish to pursue 
careers in education, but could not meet the current requirements to be 
certified or licensed as teachers. For example, a former engineer could 
explain to his students the importance of geometry, algebra, and 
calculus. A doctor can show his students how hard courses in biology 
can put young people on the path to saving lives. If students can see 
that what they are learning in school really does prepare them for the 
future, they will be more willing to learn and grasp new concepts.
  Mr. President, individuals on both sides of the aisle realize that 
alternative certification is an effective method to attract more 
qualified teachers into the classroom. The Progressive Policy Institute 
has written that ``states should be eligible to use federal funds to 
establish meaningful alternative certification programs that have more 
than a marginal effect on teacher supply.'' There is also a study that 
shows that individuals who become certified through alternative 
certification programs are more likely to be minorities, specialize in 
science and mathematics, and teach in hard-to-staff inner-city 
districts than traditionally certified teachers.
  Mr. President, both pieces of legislation that I am introducing today 
are targeted on improving American teaching. The Teacher Quality Act is 
solid legislation that answers the question, ``How do we train teachers 
that are already in the field?'' The Alternative Certification and 
Licensure of Teachers Act answers the question, ``How are we going to 
attract qualified individuals into the teaching field?'' I strongly 
believe that both of these initiatives can serve as the bedrock on 
which to enact real reforms in the teacher education system in America.
  To conclude, Mr. President, I believe that improving educational 
opportunities for children has to be a top priority for this Congress. 
I ask my colleagues in the House and Senate to work together to forge a 
bipartisan approach that will ensure that our children are being taught 
by the most qualified teachers in the world. There is no question that 
we must develop a system that will draw students into the teaching 
profession. The Federal government and the States need to work together 
to provide incentives for people to become teachers, and build a sense 
of pride to this profession. We can no longer tolerate failure if we 
wish to keep America strong. Now is the time to address this issue--and 
I ask that members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, 
and the Senate Labor Committee, work diligently to come up with the 
best answer for our children.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1741

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Teacher Quality Act of 
     1998''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) there is a teacher quality crisis, not a teacher 
     quantity crisis, in the United States;
       (2) individuals entering a classroom should have a sound 
     grasp of the subject the individuals intend to teach, and the 
     individuals should know how to teach;
       (3) the quality of teachers impacts student achievement;
       (4) people who enter the teaching profession through 
     alternative certification programs can benefit from having 
     the opportunity to attend a teacher training facility;
       (5) teachers need to increase their subject matter 
     knowledge;
       (6) less than 40 percent of the individuals teaching the 
     core subjects (English, mathematics, science, social studies, 
     and foreign languages) majored or minored in the core 
     subjects; and
       (7) according to the Third International Mathematics and 
     Science Study, American high school seniors finished near the 
     bottom of the study in both science and mathematics.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to strengthen 
     teacher training programs by establishing a private and 
     public partnership to create the best teacher training 
     facilities in the world to ensure that teachers receive 
     unlimited access to the most updated technology and skills 
     training in education, so that students can benefit from the 
     teachers' knowledge and experience.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
     agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 14101 of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     8801).
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Education.

     SEC. 4. GRANTS.

       (a) In General.--From amounts appropriated under section 5 
     for a fiscal year the Secretary shall award grants to local 
     educational agencies to enable the local educational agencies 
     to establish teacher training facilities for elementary and 
     secondary school teachers.
       (b) Competitive Basis.--The Secretary shall award grants 
     under this Act on a competitive basis.
       (c) Partnership Contract Required.--In order to receive a 
     grant under this Act, a local educational agency shall enter 
     into a contract with a nongovernmental organization to 
     establish a teacher training facility.
       (d) Applications.--Each local educational agency desiring a 
     grant under this Act shall submit to the Secretary an 
     application at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
     such information as the Secretary may require. Each such 
     application shall contain an assurance that the local 
     educational agency--
       (1) has raised $4,000,000 in matching funds, from public or 
     private sources, for the support of the teacher training 
     facility;
       (2) will train the teachers employed by the local 
     educational agency at the teacher training facility for a 
     period of 10 years after the date the agency enters into the 
     contract described in subsection (c); and
       (3) will spend 0.5 percent of the local educational 
     agency's total school budget for each fiscal year to support 
     the teacher training facility.
       (e) Amount.--The Secretary shall award each grant under 
     this section in the amount of $4,000,000.
       (f) Number.--The Secretary shall award 2 grants under this 
     title for fiscal year 1999, 3 such grants for fiscal year 
     2000, 3 such grants for fiscal year 2001, and 4 such grants 
     for fiscal year 2002.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     Act $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, $12,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2000, $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and $16,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2002.
                                 ______