As research has repeatedly demonstrated, high quality teachers are the most reliable and powerful contributors to student academic achievement.

The Teacher Incentive Fund creates the opportunity for highly motivated and courageous school reformers to change tightly held traditions in education.

It is a national imperative that they want to get qualified teachers in their classrooms.

Unfortunately, we have relied for years on informal and anecdotal assessments of teachers and their classroom performance.

For the third Congress in a row Republicans, on this committee, are introducing the Teacher Incentive Fund Act.

Mr. Chairman, the thing I want to emphasize the most is that what we know in the research, without contradiction, is that if a kid gets a highly qualified teacher that there is no other circumstances that are going to have a, you know…

I sincerely believe that this is one of the areas where there is real opportunity for bipartisan work.

Such a framework creates rigidity in labor markets and puts up more hurdles and barricades.

The Teacher Incentive Fund does not operate through a series of mandates, but rather it relies on granting as much flexibility as possible to local school districts.

the real issue here and the benefit of this hearing is in our opportunity to impact national policy.

I think that Senator Specter has brought this to our attention in a way that will impact national policy.