[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 156 (Thursday, December 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S7680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TROOPS TO TEACHERS

  Mr. BENNET. Madam President, as you know, I have been to the floor 
many times in the last several years to talk about the dysfunction that 
reigns in this place too often. But today I am here on a happier 
occasion because I want to celebrate an accomplishment, a bipartisan 
accomplishment that I think is very important. We were able to work 
together earlier this week to improve and expand something called 
Troops to Teachers. Nothing makes a greater difference to student 
learning than great teaching. Our teachers are critical to our kids' 
success and, to a greater extent, our country's competitiveness in the 
economy.
  America's future depends on our ability to recruit and retain great 
teachers. And by the way, we are falling down on the job. Fifty percent 
of the people who go into teaching leave the profession in the first 5 
years, which means we don't have the benefit of the experience they 
have gained over that period of time. And I will save for another day 
what we need to do about this, but for today's purposes let me observe 
we have done almost nothing--virtually nothing--as a country to change 
the way we think about recruiting teachers, retaining teachers, 
inspiring teachers in this country since we had a labor market that 
discriminated against women and gave them two professional choices, one 
being a teacher, or a nurse.
  Thank goodness, those days are long gone. But we have not modernized 
our system to make it as attractive to people as it needs to be if we 
are serious about educating the next generation of Americans. I believe 
it is our duty in that context to ensure we support new and existing 
pathways to the teaching profession. We should be making it easier, not 
harder, for those who want to serve our country in America's 
classrooms. Troops to Teachers is one of those undertakings. It has 
been recruiting and placing veterans and service men and women in 
classrooms around the country since 1994. It brings veterans and 
servicemembers into some of the hardest-to-serve areas in our country.
  But in Colorado and across the United States we have school districts 
near military installations that have not been eligible to participate 
in Troops to Teachers. These barriers send exactly the wrong message. 
If veterans want to make a difference in a student's life, they should 
be able to teach where they are needed most. That is why in 2009 I 
worked with Senator McCain and his staff to introduce legislation to 
make it easier for veterans to participate and continue their service 
in our classrooms.
  These changes to the program will increase the number of schools 
eligible to participate by 49 percent. In Colorado alone, that means it 
will open over 1,000 of our schools to veterans and servicemembers who 
want to participate. As someone who has spent a lot of time in the 
classrooms as a former superintendent of the Denver Public Schools, the 
benefits of Troops to Teachers for our students are crystal clear to 
me.
  When he talks about this program, Senator McCain often mentions his 
English teacher--Mr. William B. Ravenel--an Army veteran who served 
with General Patton in World War II. Because there is no way I could 
say it better, I wish to quote my friend from Arizona.

       Every child should be blessed with a teacher like I had, 
     and to learn at institutions with high academic standards and 
     codes of conduct that reinforce the values their parents try 
     to impart to them. Many students do have that opportunity. 
     But too many do not. And government should be concerned with 
     their fate.

  I could not agree more with Senator John McCain. Our military is the 
strongest in the world not because of our weapons or our tanks but 
because of the men and women who choose to serve. Troops to Teachers 
enlists their talents, their drive, their commitment to help make 
America's system of public education once again the driver of the 
American dream.
  I am glad to have done this bipartisan work with Senator McCain to 
pass this amendment, and I wish to thank Senator McCain and his staff 
who worked so hard to get this over the finish line.
  Finally, I would like to thank Senator Webb for his leadership on 
this initiative, as well as Chairman Levin and the staff of the Armed 
Services Committee.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blumenthal). The Senator from New Mexico.

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