[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 752. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 
for teacher and school leader quality enhancement and to enhance 
institutional aid; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. As career opportunities and the requisite 
skills for success adapt to the demands of the 21st century, so too 
must the instruction and preparation students receive. Educators are 
tasked with designing educational experiences that rise to the rigorous 
State academic standards and reflect the needs and interests of our 
Nation's diverse student population. We have become accustomed to 
welcoming the start of the school year with news headlines describing 
overfilled classrooms and districts struggling to fill teacher 
vacancies. Though the challenge of teacher and principal shortages is 
felt broadly across the country, with a particularly acute impact on 
our rural communities, it is an issue we can remedy.
  The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is an opportunity to 
strengthen the preparation and leaders and to further support State 
efforts to successfully implement the Every Student Succeeds Act. It is 
also an opportunity to address the fact that schools in high-need 
communities are often staffed by a revolving door of underprepared and 
inexperienced teachers who are unable to meet students' needs. This in 
part due to State teacher shortages.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce today with my colleague Senator 
Collins, the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act, or 
PREP Act. As schools across our Nation continue to face growing class 
sizes, many are struggling with a shortage of qualified teachers. Rural 
communities in particular are experiencing a dearth of teachers 
equipped to meet their growing needs. The PREP Act aims to create high-
quality teacher residency programs to develop a diverse workforce that 
is well-prepared to provide the educational opportunities students need 
to be successful in the 21st century.
  More specifically, this legislation would expand the definition of 
``high need'' districts under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to 
include those experiencing teacher shortages in rural communities and 
in areas such as special education, English language, science, 
technology, engineering, math, and CTE, to allow for access to 
additional support and improvement. It would also encourage school 
districts to establish partnerships with local community colleges and 
universities to ensure their education programs are developing future 
teachers in content areas where there is currently a shortage of 
educators. It would increase access to teacher and school leader 
residency programs and preparation training while requiring States to 
identify areas of teacher or leader shortages by subject across public 
schools and use that data to target their efforts. Additionally, the 
PREP Act bolsters support for teacher preparation programs at Minority 
Serving Institutions (MSIs) or Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities (HBCUs) to invest in a diverse and well-prepared educator 
workforce.
  Improving our Nation's educational system is contingent on our 
ability to prepare, support, and retain quality educators. Research 
shows that better prepared teachers stay longer in the profession and 
are more likely to remain in their roles and positively impact young 
people and their communities. As we look to reauthorize the Higher 
Education Act, I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle see 
the PREP Act as a commonsense opportunity to help ensure that students 
in every zip code across the country have the well-prepared teachers 
and school leaders they deserve.
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