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NCTE Joins Call for Increased Investment in Educator Workforce

 

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), a member of the Coalition for Teaching Quality (CTQ), has cosigned a CTQ letter urging Congress to invest in research-based programs that will help ensure that all students have access to well-prepared, diverse, and experienced educators through the American Families Plan (AFP) and this year’s budget.

This effort is consistent with NCTE’s vision of actively pursuing justice and equity for all students and the educators who serve them, and advancing access, power, agency, affiliation, and impact for all learners.

In particular, the letter urges Congress to

• invest in comprehensive educator preparation by providing $500 million to the Teacher Quality Partnership in the FY22 appropriations bill and allocating $5 billion in mandatory funding to the program over ten years through the AFP; providing $300 million to the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence program in the FY22 appropriations bill and $3 billion in mandatory funding to the program over ten years through the AFP; and providing $400 million to the IDEA-D-PP in the FY22 appropriations bill and $4 billion in mandatory funding to the program over ten years through the AFP.
• make access to comprehensive educator preparation affordable by doubling the TEACH Grant program’s award, expanding the program to early educators, and reforming or eliminating the loan conversion penalty.
• support new teachers through mentoring and veteran teachers through leadership opportunities by investing $4 billion over ten years in legislation that will enact the AFP to support empowering teachers to serve as leaders.
• underwrite the cost of obtaining certain certifications by creating the “Answer the Call—Supporting In-Demand Credentials for Teachers” program and funding it at $3 billion this year.

CTQ represents a broad cross-section of over 100 local, state, and national organizations representing civil rights, disability, parent, student, community, and education groups, including NCTE.