Tim Kaine: “As career opportunities and the requisite skills for success adapt to the demands of the 21st century, so too must the…”

“As career opportunities and the requisite skills for success adapt to the demands of the 21st century, so too must the instruction and preparation students receive. Educators are tasked with designing educational experiences that rise to the rigorous State academic standards and reflect the needs and interests of our Nation's diverse student population. We have become accustomed to welcoming the start of the school year with news headlines describing overfilled classrooms and districts struggling to fill teacher vacancies. Though the challenge of teacher and principal shortages is felt broadly across the country, with a particularly acute impact on our rural communities, it is an issue we can remedy. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is an opportunity to strengthen the preparation and leaders and to further support State efforts to successfully implement the Every Student Succeeds Act. It is also an opportunity to address the fact that schools in high-need communities are often staffed by a revolving door of underprepared and inexperienced teachers who are unable to meet students' needs. This in part due to State teacher shortages. This is why I am pleased to introduce today with my colleague Senator Collins, the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act, or PREP Act. As schools across our Nation continue to face growing class sizes, many are struggling with a shortage of qualified teachers.…”