In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week this week, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) today introduced H.R. 5218 – the Great Teachers for Great Schools Act – that would provide high-quality professional development to improve teacher quality and student achievement in our nation’s schools.
“When teachers take time to share their experiences and learn from each other they improve their teaching and raise student outcomes,” said Polis. “But study after study has found that American teachers are falling behind their foreign counter-parts in professional development and training, dragging down our international education rankings and reducing our children’s ability to find jobs and succeed in the global economy.”
The average US educator spends only 14-16 hours a year in professional development, where as in academically high achieving nations such as Singapore, Sweden, and the Netherlands, teachers have at least 100 hours of professional development each year. There is also little assurance that current professional development translates into improving student achievement.
“One of the keys to success in any field is to never stop learning,” said Polis. “The Great Teachers for Great Schools Act would help develop innovative and more effective professional development programs in our nation’s schools to support a lifetime of learning for both our educators and our students.”
To help teachers and principals engage in a cycle of continuous improvement, the Great Teachers for Great Schools Act:
- Advances a new definition of professional development in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that is based on research and best practices.
- Fosters collective responsibility, promotes job-embedded learning, provides classroom-based coaching, and seeks outside expertise when needed.
- rovides $500 million of targeted resources for high-need districts to improve teacher, principal, and other instructional staff quality through the development of a comprehensive system of professional development.
- Focuses resources on the schools with the greatest need of improvement by awarding grants with priority to districts with high shares of low-income students and high school graduation rates of less than 65%.
- Evaluates the impact of professional development on teachers’ instructional practice, retention and effectiveness, and on students’ learning gains, graduation and college readiness rates, and attendance rates.
“The Colorado Staff Development Council (CSDC) lauds Representative Polis for his support of professional development for teachers,” said Lois Easton, Co-President of CSDC. “Teachers across the nation, including those of us in Colorado, are met with tremendous challenges educating today’s children for tomorrow’s world." Chris Bryan, Co-President with Easton commented, "The Great Teachers in Great Schools Act will make a critical difference for all teachers and school administrators by providing effective professional development and giving us the support necessary to helping our students reach the highest levels of achievement.”
Polis, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, is a former chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education and has founded and served as the superintendent of charter schools serving at-risk student populations.
