Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we know that the quality of teachers and principals are two of the most important in-school factors related to student achievement. Yet the pipeline into the profession has been neglected. If we want to improve our schools, it is essential that we invest in the professional preparation of teachers, principals, and other educators. As such, today, I am reintroducing the Educator Preparation Reform Act with my colleagues Senators Casey and Coons to ensure that the Federal government continues to be a partner in addressing this critical national need. Today, we are facing a crisis in education. According to a research brief from the Learning Policy Institute, we have seen dramatic declines in enrollment in teacher preparation programs--an estimated 35 percent decline between 2009 and 2014. We also continue to see high rates of attrition among educators. If these trends continue, there will be an estimated gap of more than 100,000 between the number of teaching positions open and the number of teachers available to be hired annually through 2025. The impact of these shortages falls the hardest on our most vulnerable students in our highest need communities. Rhode Island is no exception. Providence, our largest school district, is facing an acute shortage of teachers certified to teach English language learners. My home State has also reported shortages in special education, science, math, and school nurses.…”