Rep. Chu Reintroduces Legislation to Connect High-Need Schools with Quality Teachers

Source: Judy Chu (D-CA, 27th)

Washington, D.C. - October 13, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) reintroduced the Equal Access to Quality Education Act. This bill works to close the education inequality gap by helping high-need schools attract, train, and retain the best teachers. Rep. Chu released the following statement

“Ensuring our children receive quality education is one of our greatest responsibilities. And a good education begins with a good teacher. Yet high-need communities are also the ones that have the hardest time attracting and retaining profession-ready educators. The Department of Education found that schools with mostly African-American students are twice as likely to have teachers with only one or two years of experience, compared to predominately white schools in the very same district. Inexperienced teachers lead to lower academic achievement scores, and this maintains cycles of poverty that disproportionately affect people of color. It is unconscionable to allow these race- and class-based disparities to continue.

“That is why I am re-introducing the Equal Access to Quality Education Act. This bill creates a partnership between high-need schools and schools with teacher training programs to provide support for new teachers while decreasing future turnover. Together, the programs in this bill will ensure that all students, regardless of income or race, have access to teachers who are fully prepared to help them succeed.”

Original cosponsors of the Equal Access to Quality Education Act include Reps. Mark Takano (CA-41), Dina Titus (NV-1), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), and Madeleine Bordallo (GU).