[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 152 (Thursday, September 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5003-S5004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 5549. A bill to support educators; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, it is time for a national investment in 
building a strong and resilient educator workforce to ensure that all 
schools have the diverse, profession-ready teachers, principals, 
librarians, counselors, and other specialized instructional support 
personnel they need to support student development and academic 
achievement. Today, along with Senators Van Hollen and Wyden, I am 
introducing the Quality Educator Partnership Act to invest in a 
national strategy to support the educator workforce now and into the 
future. I am pleased that Representative Alma Adams is introducing a 
companion bill in the other body with Representatives Jahana Hayes and 
Suzanne Bonamici.
  We are facing a national crisis in the education profession. A 2024 
report from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University found that 
across multiple measures, regard for the teaching profession is at its 
lowest levels in 50 years--from prestige to interest in the field to 
job satisfaction. Since 2010, the decline has accelerate, with 
perceptions of teacher prestige falling between 20 percent and 47 
percent and interest in teaching careers among high school seniors and 
college freshman declining nearly 50 percent. Between 2006 and 2021, 
the number of prospective

[[Page S5004]]

teachers earning licenses has fallen by over 100,000. We cannot afford 
to neglect the educator workforce any longer.
  History shows that the Nation can rise to this challenge. Following 
the launch of Sputnik in 1957, Congress enacted the National Defense 
Education Act of 1958 that invested in math, science, and foreign 
language instruction and the teaching workforce to deliver it. With the 
rise of new technologies and artificial intelligence, we need that kind 
of effort today to ensure American students have professional educators 
that can teach the skills students will need to thrive in a changing 
environment. In February, a coalition of education organizations came 
together with a call to action to change the trajectory of the 
education profession through Federal leadership and systemic 
accountability, investing in innovation and sustainability, making the 
education profession an affordable career path, and advancing research 
and evidence to guide the future of learning.
  The Quality Educator Partnership Act is the legislative plan to 
answer the call to action. Our legislation calls for a comprehensive 
national strategy to recruit, prepare, retain, and advance high-quality 
educators from early childhood through secondary education led by a 
dedicated Office of Educator Workforce at the U.S. Department of 
Education. It calls for $500 million annual investment in partnerships 
between school districts and educator preparation programs to address 
local workforce needs. It includes $500 million for grants to States to 
design and implement educator workforce strategies. Our bill creates a 
new National Educator Service Corps that will cover the cost of tuition 
and living expenses for prospective teachers who agree to teach in 
high-need areas. Additionally, the Quality Educator Partnership Act 
calls for new investments in data collection and accountability to 
track the state of the educator workforce and equitable access to 
profession-ready educators. It also calls for new investments in 
research and development to prepare for the future of teaching.
  The Quality Educator Partnership Act reflects input from stakeholders 
across the field about what is needed to recruit, prepare, and support 
educators. To date, more than two dozen organizations have endorsed it, 
including the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 
American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, City 
Teaching Alliance, Center for Reaching and Teaching the Whole Child, 
International Society for Transforming Education, National Association 
for School-University Partnerships, National Center for Teacher 
Residencies, InnovateEDU, National Principals Association, Council for 
Academic Deans of Research Education Institutions, National Association 
for Family, School and Community Engagement, Deans for Impact, National 
Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs, 1890 
Universities Foundation, ETS, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Teacher 
Education Council of State Colleges and Universities, National 
Association for Music Education, ACTFL, National Center for Learning 
Disabilities, AILACTE, AMLE, National Association of Elementary School 
Principals, National Council of Teachers of English, UNCF, Teach Plus, 
and American Library Association.
  The Nation's outlook for the future is tied to the strength of the 
education profession. Our economic prosperity, the health of our 
democracy and civic society, and our ability to meet the challenges of 
climate change and the information age depend on our students having 
access to well-prepared and supported educators who reflect the 
diversity of the students they serve.
  Today, the profession is in crisis. It is time to act. I urge my 
colleagues to cosponsor the Quality Educator Partnership Act and work 
with me to see that it is enacted into law.
                                 ______