Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the Securing Teacher Effectiveness, Leaders, Learning, And Results Act of 2011--the STELLAR Student Act, and I am honored to be joined in this bipartisan effort by my colleagues Senator Scott Brown and Senator Mary Landrieu. The STELLAR Student Act will ensure that all students are taught by effective teachers and that all teachers are supported by effective principals. Teacher and principal effectiveness are critical factors in improving student learning and achievement. Research shows that increasing teacher quality is one of the most effective and promising strategies for improving education in the United States. Some studies show that the differences in achievement gains for students who had the most effective teachers versus those who had the least effective teachers were greater than any single influence of class-size, race, socio- economic status, or parent education. Estimates suggest that the difference between having a highly effective teacher versus a highly ineffective teacher can be as much as a full year's learning growth. Imagine the dire situation for a student who has a highly ineffective teacher for multiple years in a row. It is a situation that many students experience and potentially never recover from. There are far too many ineffective teachers, especially in less affluent urban districts.…”