[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 74 (Thursday, May 23, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3857-S3858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED:
  S. 1063. A bill to improve teacher quality, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am reintroducing the Effective 
Teaching and Leading Act to foster the development of highly skilled 
and effective educators.
  In the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act, ESEA, building the capacity of our Nation's schools to 
enhance the effectiveness of teachers, principals, school librarians, 
and other school leaders must be among our top priorities.
  Decades of research have demonstrated that improving educator and 
principal quality as well as greater family involvement are the keys to 
raising student achievement and turning around struggling schools. To 
strengthen teaching and school leadership, the Effective Teaching and 
Leading Act would amend Title II of ESEA to provide targeted assistance 
to

[[Page S3858]]

schools to develop and support effective teachers, principals, school 
librarians, and school leaders through implementation of comprehensive 
induction, professional development, and evaluation systems.
  Every year across the country thousands of teachers leave the 
profession--many within their first years of teaching. An estimate by 
the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future of the 
nationwide cost of replacing public school teachers who have dropped 
out of the profession is $7.3 billion annually.
  There are proven and well-documented strategies to support teachers 
that will keep them in our schools. Evidence has shown that providing 
teachers with comprehensive mentoring and support during their first 
two years of teaching reduces attrition by as much as half and 
increases student learning gains. The Effective Teaching and Leading 
Act would help schools implement the key elements of effective multi-
year mentoring and induction for beginning teachers.
  The bill also significantly revises the definition of ``professional 
development'' in current law to foster an ongoing culture of teacher, 
principal, school librarian, and staff collaboration throughout 
schools. All too often the available professional development still 
consists of isolated, check-the-box activities instead of helping 
educators engage in sustained professional learning that is regularly 
evaluated for its impact on classroom practice and student achievement. 
Effective professional development is collaborative, job-embedded, and 
informed by data.
  It is also clear that evaluation systems have an important role to 
play in educator development. Through Race to the Top, ESEA waivers, 
and other initiatives many states and school systems are focusing on 
reforming their evaluation systems. When evaluation is done right, it 
provides educators with individualized ongoing feedback on their 
strengths and weaknesses and offers a path to improvement. The 
Effective Teaching and Leading Act would require school districts to 
establish rigorous, fair, and transparent evaluation systems that use 
multiple measures, including growth in student achievement.
  Principals and school leaders also play a leading role in school 
improvement efforts and managing a collaborative culture of ongoing 
professional learning and development. Research has shown that 
leadership is second only to classroom instruction among school-related 
factors that influence student outcomes. As such, this bill would 
provide ongoing high-quality professional development to principals and 
school leaders, including multi-year induction and mentoring for new 
administrators.
  Recognizing the importance of creating career advancement and 
leadership opportunities for teachers, the Effective Teaching and 
Leading Act supports opportunities for teachers to serve as mentors, 
instructional coaches, or master teachers, or take on increased 
responsibility for professional development, curriculum, or school 
improvement activities. It also calls for significant and sustainable 
stipends for educators that take on these new roles and 
responsibilities.
  The bill also requires school districts to conduct surveys of the 
working and learning conditions educators face so this data could be 
used to better target investments and professional development support.
  Improving teaching and school leadership is not simply a matter of 
sorting the good teachers and principals from the bad. What is needed 
is a comprehensive and integrated approach that supports new teachers 
and leaders as they enter the profession; provides on-going 
professional development that helps them improve and their students 
achieve; and that fairly assesses performance and provides feedback for 
improvement. This is the approach taken by the Effective Teaching and 
Leading Act.
  I worked with a range of education organizations in developing this 
bill, including the Alliance for Excellent Education, American 
Federation of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers; 
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Association for 
Supervision and Curriculum Development; National Association of 
Elementary School Principals; National Association of Secondary School 
Principals; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; 
Learning Forward; the National Commission for Teaching and America's 
Future, and the New Teacher Center. I thank them for their input and 
support for the bill.
  I thank Congressman Mike Honda of California for introducing the 
companion bill in the House. I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor the 
Effective Teaching and Leading Act and work for its inclusion in the 
upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
                                 ______