[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 8 (Wednesday, February 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E95]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E95]]



                 NO SUBSTITUTE FOR QUALITY TEACHING ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2002

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a very 
important issue to my district and communities across the country--
increasing access to professional development for our teachers and to 
introduce the No Substitute for Quality Teaching Act, legislation I 
have drafted to address this issue. We all understand the importance of 
training opportunities for our teachers. When we passed H.R. 1 by an 
overwhelming margin, we included significant new investments for 
teacher quality programs and new measures to hold teachers accountable 
for the education they provide. We even required school to devote 10 
percent of their Title I funds to professional development activities. 
Unfortunately, these resources and requirements will be meaningless if 
teachers do not have time to take advantage of the training 
opportunities.
  Throughout the fall I conducted a survey of teachers and principals 
in all the schools in my congressional district. I found that teachers 
and administrators alike want to pursue more professional development, 
to improve their skills and use the most innovative and effective 
teaching strategies available, but they simply do not have the time. 
Many teachers are already overburdened with the daily duties of 
teaching, coaching or leading other after-school activities, and 
preparing future lesson plans. When they need a substitute to fill in 
while they attend a training class, there often isn't one available. In 
fact, the substitute teacher shortage in Rhode Island--and in many 
states across the country--is so acute that many teachers are being 
forced to give up their planning periods to cover for sick colleagues. 
Some states have even placed moratoriums on leaves of absence for 
professional development.
  To alleviate the shortage, districts have been forced to dramatically 
lower their hiring standards for substitute teachers. Twenty-eight 
states allow principals to hire anyone with a high school diploma or 
GED who is 18 or older, and over half of all states do not check 
references or even conduct face-to-face interviews with potential 
substitutes. Yet, our students spend an inordinate amount of time with 
them--an average of 365 days over the course of their elementary and 
secondary education. Alarmingly, minimal qualification requirements for 
substitutes have been linked to lower educational achievement among 
students.
  So, today, along with 14 of my colleagues, I am introducing the ``No 
Substitute for Quality Teaching Act.'' This bill will create a 
demonstration grant program for school districts to experiment with 
creative ways to address the substitute teacher shortage. The funds 
will go directly to local education agencies, which may tackle the 
problem alone or in conjunction with neighboring districts.
  States across the country are already dealing with this issue in a 
myriad of ways. Wisconsin, Florida, California, New Mexico, Washington, 
Pennslyvania and Minnesota, to name a few, have created permanent 
substitute teacher pools, implemented training programs to equip 
substitutes with the skills they need to be effective at their jobs, 
conducted recruitment campaigns, and raised substitute compensation. 
Let's provide the necessary resources to disseminate the lessons these 
states have already learned, and to find new ways to solve this problem 
by passing the No Substitute for Quality Teaching Act.

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