Steve Israel: “I rise in support of the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act (H.R. 438), which will help improve the education of…”

“I rise in support of the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act (H.R. 438), which will help improve the education of children attending public schools in high poverty areas. Research has demonstrated that highly qualified teachers and high retention rates improve the performance of our schools. This will require additional incentives for our nation's college students to enter the teaching profession. The Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act will increase the amount of student loans that can be forgiven from $5,000 to $17,000 for 'highly qualified' math, science or special education teachers serving in schools with special needs. For the past two years, Congress has been working to ensure that no child is left behind. We must also ensure that we do not leave minority teachers behind. Currently minority students account for 33 percent of American public school enrollment. But minorities only account for 13 percent of America's public school teachers. It is estimated that more than 40 percent of the nation's public schools have no minority teachers at all. This gap between the percentage of minority students and teachers will not close on its own. In fact, it will grow wider every day. By the year 2025, minority students will account for half of American public school enrollment. But one bleak estimate has minority teachers representing just 5 percent of the future teaching force.”