Ben Cardin: “as you know, teachers are the most valuable resource when it comes to educating our Nation's children. Under the No…”

“as you know, teachers are the most valuable resource when it comes to educating our Nation's children. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, (NCLB), States are required to recruit highly qualified teachers, yet schools in rural or high poverty areas have trouble attracting and retaining these teachers. It is for this reason that Senator Snowe and I have joined together to introduce The Master Teacher Act of 2007. We have an education problem in America. The schools that most need experienced educators simply do not have the resources to attract and keep the best teachers. We must give our schools the tools they need to prepare our students to succeed. As currently designated by NCLB, 100 percent of our Nation's schools must meet Adequate Yearly Progress, AYP, in reading/language arts and mathematics by the 2013/2014 school year. To date, almost 26 percent of schools in the U.S. are not making the grade. According to a report released by the National Education Association last year, fewer schools met AYP in the 2004/2005 school year than the prior school year. In my home State of Maryland, 311 out of 1,429 schools, or almost 22 percent, did not make Adequate Yearly Progress, as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act and the State targets.”