PHX Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 9, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03), Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05) introduced the Teachers Leading, Educating, Advancing, and Designing (Teachers LEAD) Act to establish a competitive grant program through the Department of Education (ED) that would provide professional leadership and development opportunities for educators.

“Teachers need more than just an appreciation day or week - they need tangible resources that help them succeed,” said Rep. Gallego. “As Arizona deals with its seventh consecutive year of a teacher shortage, I’m proud to introduce this bill which invests in leadership, mentorship, and shared decision-making opportunities with the aim of empowering teachers and reducing burnout.”

“Teachers understand what children need to thrive socially, emotionally and academically, and it’s time we re-imagine ways to expand this expertise beyond the traditional lesson plan,” said Senator Luján. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation, a first of its kind investment to build out greater leadership opportunities for teachers in their schools, districts and communities. The Teachers LEAD Act will support the development of teacher leadership programs, which are shown to increase teacher retention. By providing opportunities for teachers to work hand-in-hand with administrators and community leaders to improve student outcomes, this legislation will help more teachers stay in the classroom while maximizing their impact on students.”

“Being a teacher is a profession. It is one that not only requires a degree, but consistent training and professional development. At a time when schools are facing rampant vacancies, it is imperative schools work with teachers to find solutions and build capacity,” saidCongresswoman Hayes. “Through leadership opportunities and peer to peer learning, we give teachers and their students the tools needed to succeed. This Teacher Appreciation Week, I join Rep. Gallego and Sen. Luján in recognizing these dedicated public servants by ensuring current and future educators are supported today, tomorrow, and beyond.”

The grant program established by the Teachers LEAD Act will: 

• Create a sustainable program plan that leverages classroom teachers as teacher leaders who will participate in shared decision-making with school and district officials, support teacher participants, and impact student success; 
• Provide opportunities for teacher leaders to take on instructional leadership and mentorship skills and program development; 
• Encourage collaborative, evidence-based, sustained professional peer-to-peer learning;
• Provide teacher leaders time away from the classroom and tangible compensation for their added responsibilities; and
• Report on the impact of the teacher leadership program on teacher retention and student outcomes

"The Teachers Lead Act, rooted in the work of Teach Plus teacher leaders and Teach Plus, elevates the expertise and voices of America’s most extraordinary educators to create systems change and benefit students and communities," said Teach Plus CEO Kira Orange Jones. "Senator Lujan and Representative Gallego have helped create a framework that will leverage the expertise of teachers to address teacher retention and improve learning conditions for children."

"The Teachers LEAD Act, created by teachers for teachers, recognizes educators as the experts in their field, whose voice and leadership transform the lives of students who deserve the consistency and the retention of a passionate and powerful teacher workforce," said Kristen Beland, Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Member.

"Teachers’ potential for improving educational outcomes goes beyond the classroom, and the Teachers LEAD Act can build opportunities for experienced teachers to positively impact everything from professional development to solutions-oriented system changes. This bill would work to address our nation’s need for growing the number of excellent teachers serving our students and communities of learners—now and into the future,” said Alisa Cooper De Uribe, New Mexico’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

"Teachers are the experts of their classrooms and they belong in every decision-making conversation that impacts the space they share with students,” said Sara Wyffels, 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year. “The TEACHERS Lead Act honors teachers as the professionals they are and elevates the profession by creating opportunities for teacher to step into leadership." 

The Teachers LEAD Act ensures that the Department of Education prioritizes grants for eligible entities that have high teacher turnover, high poverty rates, receive Impact Aid, are Tribes and Native Hawaiian educational organizations, have plans to intentionally serve teachers from historically underrepresented backgrounds, or have partnerships with entities that have a successful track record of promoting teacher leadership, including non-profits, public and private non-profit institutions of higher education and minority-serving institutions.

This legislation is endorsed by 40 organizations, including: Teach Plus, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, National Indian Education Association, Associations of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Center for American Progress, Center for Black Educator Development, Committee for Children, EDGE Consulting Partners, Education Resource Strategies, Educators For Excellence, EduColor, Higher Education Consortium for Special Education, ImmSchools, Latinos for Education, Leading Educators, Learning Disabilities Association of America, Learning Forward, Men of Color in Educational Leadership, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Center for Teacher Residencies, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, National Writing Project, New Leaders, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Parent Revolution, PDK International, Public Impact/Opportunity Culture, Teach for America, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, The Arc of the United States, The Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative, The Education Trust, The Hunt Institute, the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the Committee for Children (CFC), Hispanic Colleges and Universities Association, and The New Teacher Project.

Click here to read a one-pager of the legislation.

Click here to read the text of the legislation.

Issues: Education and Student Loans

Original source can be found here.