[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               GREAT TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS E. PETRI

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 2013

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, today Rep. Jared Polis and I are introducing 
the Growing Excellent Achievement Training Academies (GREAT) Teachers 
and Principals Act.
  The bill would implement reforms to encourage the growth of teacher 
and principal training academies that are held accountable for 
producing effective graduates in exchange for freedom from unnecessary 
regulations and bureaucracy.
  Research continues to confirm that effective teaching is a critical 
component of student success. However, despite these findings, many 
teachers report feeling ill-prepared for their work in the classroom. 
These reforms will harness the power of innovation to create teacher 
and principal preparation programs that are more effective and more 
responsive to the needs of educators.
  One leading study found that a majority of education school alumni 
(61 percent) reported that schools of education did not adequately 
prepare their graduates for the classroom. Principals surveyed as part 
of that study also gave schools of education low marks, with only 30 
percent reporting that such schools prepare teachers very well or 
moderately well to meet the needs of students with disabilities, and 
only 16 percent reporting at those levels for students with limited 
English proficiency. It is well known that nearly half of new teachers 
leave the profession in the first five years.
  In our bill, states would be given the flexibility to use a portion 
of the funds they receive for teacher and principal reforms to support 
the development of teacher or principal preparation academies. These 
academies, which may be traditional colleges of education but need not 
be, would be required to be selective in their admissions processes; 
emphasize clinical preparation by pairing their candidates with 
effective teachers or principals in the classroom; and produce a 
certain number of effective teachers or principals in order to maintain 
their authority to operate. In exchange for this accountability, they 
would be free of much of the red tape currently imposed on schools, 
much of which has no demonstrated tie to student achievement.
  The GREAT Act also has more than 80 endorsements from prominent 
education organizations, college of education deans, and state chief 
school officers, including Chiefs for Change, the Business Round Table, 
Teach For America, and the United Negro College Fund.
  I urge my colleagues to join me and Rep. Polis in supporting these 
important reforms.

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