[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1181-E1182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ELEVATION OF THE EDUCATION PROFESSION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2019

  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Elevation of the 
Education Profession Act. This legislation sets up within the U.S. 
Department of Education an advisory committee of teachers and other 
stakeholders. Their job: to make recommendations on how we can improve 
recruitment and retention of teachers and school leaders for the 
benefit of America's children.
  Every child in the United States deserves quality instruction from 
quality teachers. Unfortunately for our children, however, far too many 
of their most qualified teachers are leaving the profession. As a 
nation, we need to understand why. Because these departures are having 
a serious, negative impact on the quality of education, especially on 
the education of children from low-income families and on children of 
color. In fact, the Learning Policy Institute reports teacher turnover 
rates are 50 percent higher in Title I schools, which serve low-income 
children, than in non-Title I schools.
  Testimony from teachers at an Education and Labor subcommittee 
hearing I chaired in July cited various reasons that lead teachers to 
leave their profession. We heard teachers are not being well prepared, 
especially when it comes to serving students whose backgrounds and 
experience with trauma and poverty may differ from the teachers' own. 
We learned school systems are not giving teachers the support they 
need. And, of course, we were told teachers are underpaid.
  It is important to raise these issues in a congressional hearing. 
More important is that we provide a forum for teachers and other 
education stakeholders to come together to take a deep dive in the 
issues our hearing could only glancingly examine. Most important is to 
find solutions.
  That is what the Elevation of the Education Profession Act does. The 
Act brings together teachers and the unions that represent them; state, 
territory and local education agencies; school administrators; parents; 
civil rights organizations; teacher colleges; and others who can 
comprehensively assess the concerns raised in our hearing. How can we 
increase the value of pre-service and in-service training for teachers? 
Are certification and credentialing practices setting an adequate 
standard? And are these quality controls sufficiently uniform across 
our nation? These are the kinds of questions we want answered.
  Having made these assessments, the advisory committee is charged with 
recommending rigorous standards and compiling evidence-based best 
practices for educating and training profession-ready teachers and 
school leaders and supporting them once they are at

[[Page E1182]]

work with our children. The bill also requires the U.S. Department of 
Education to make these recommended standards and best practices 
electronically accessible, so schools, teachers, and policymakers 
around the country can put them to use improving our schools.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to help improve the 
quality of American educators by bringing stakeholders together to 
evaluate what is working, where we are deficient, and to recommend the 
actions necessary to elevate the education profession in the United 
States to a standard that serves our children best.

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