[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 130 (Tuesday, August 1, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4671-S4672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Coons):
  S. 1694. A bill to improve quality and accountability for educator 
preparation programs; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, we know that the quality of teachers and 
principals are two of the most important in-school factors related to 
student achievement. Yet the pipeline into the profession has been 
neglected. If we want to improve our schools, it is essential that we 
invest in the professional preparation of teachers, principals, and 
other educators. As such, today, I am reintroducing the Educator 
Preparation Reform Act with my colleagues Senators Casey and Coons to 
ensure that the Federal government continues to be a partner in 
addressing this critical national need.
  Today, we are facing a crisis in education. According to a research 
brief from the Learning Policy Institute, we have seen dramatic 
declines in enrollment in teacher preparation programs--an estimated 35 
percent decline between 2009 and 2014. We also continue to see high 
rates of attrition among educators. If these trends continue, there 
will be an estimated gap of more than 100,000 between the number of 
teaching positions open and the number of teachers available to be 
hired annually through 2025.
  The impact of these shortages falls the hardest on our most 
vulnerable students in our highest need communities. Rhode Island is no 
exception. Providence, our largest school district, is facing an acute 
shortage of teachers certified to teach English language learners. My 
home State has also reported shortages in special education, science, 
math, and school nurses.
  We cannot solve this problem without improving both teacher and 
principal preparation. We need to make sure that our educator 
preparation programs are worthy of the professionals entering the field 
and the students they will serve. That is why it is more urgent than 
ever that we enact the Educator Preparation Reform Act.
  Our legislation builds on the success of the Teacher Quality 
Partnership Program, which I helped author in the 1998 reauthorization 
of the Higher Education Act. It continues the partnership between high 
need school districts, institutions of higher education, and educator 
preparation programs to reform pre-service programs based on the unique 
needs of the partners. Among the key changes are specific attention and 
emphasis on principals and the addition of a residency program for new 
principals. Improving instruction is a team effort, with principals at 
the helm. This bill better connects teacher preparation with principal 
preparation. The Educator Preparation Reform Act will also allow 
partnerships to develop preparation programs for other areas of 
instructional need, such as for school librarians, counselors, or other 
academic support professionals.
  The bill streamlines the accountability and reporting requirements 
for

[[Page S4672]]

teacher preparation programs to provide greater transparency on key 
quality measures such as admissions standards, requirements for 
clinical practice, placement of graduates, retention in the field of 
teaching, and teacher performance, including student-learning outcomes. 
All programs--whether traditional or alternative routes to 
certification--will report on the same measures.
  Under our legislation, States will be required to identify at-risk 
and low-performing programs and provide them with technical assistance 
and a timeline for improvement. States would be encouraged to close 
programs that do not improve.
  We have been fortunate to work with many stakeholders on this 
legislation. Organizations that have endorsed the Educator Preparation 
Reform Act include: the American Association of Colleges for Teacher 
Education, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Council for Christian 
Colleges and Universities, Higher Education Consortium for Special 
Education, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National 
Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of 
Secondary School Principals, National Association of State Directors of 
Special Education, National Disability Rights Network, National Network 
of State Teachers of the Year, Public Advocacy for Kids, Rural School 
and Community Trust, and the Teacher Education Division of the Council 
for Exceptional Children.
  I look forward to working to incorporate this legislation into the 
upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. I urge my 
colleagues to join us in this effort and support this legislation.

                          ____________________