[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 213 (Thursday, December 9, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                       EDUCATORS FOR AMERICA ACT

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                           HON. ALMA S. ADAMS

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 9, 2021

  Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, today, I am proudly introducing the 
bicameral EDUCATORS for America Act, along with my colleagues, 
Representatives Axne, Hayes, and Gallego, and my partners Senators Reed 
and Casey.
  Education is perhaps the most precious gift we have, the sharing of 
information about our world as we currently understand it to the next 
generation. Being an outstanding educator requires a generosity of 
spirit, a will of steel, and a heart full of empathy.
  I understand the value of education. As an educator for forty years, 
l had the opportunity to see bright young minds in my classrooms hard 
at work. I always hoped that some of these bright young minds would go 
on to become educators themselves.
  Unfortunately, I saw that students aspiring to become educators were 
sometimes discouraged--by the student debt they would face, by the 
salaries they would earn, and by the lack of support they would 
confront.
  Educators are struggling, particularly as we continue to grapple with 
the pandemic. We cannot afford to neglect the educator pipeline any 
longer. We simply cannot wait for the next generation of educators to 
appear. We must act intentionally to urgently recruit educators into 
the classroom, and more importantly, retain educators in the classroom. 
As such, educators should be given the opportunities and support they 
need. This bill does just that: it addresses educator preparation, 
support for educators, financial assistance, and mobilization of states 
and local communities in improving the educator pipeline.
  I will close with this quotation from a titan in American history, 
W.E.B. Du Bois: ``Of all the Civil Rights for which the world has 
struggled, and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is 
undoubtedly the most fundamental.''

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