Policy | News
ED Launches Excellent Educators for All Initiative
The United States Department of Education
(ED) has launched the Excellent Educators for All Initiative, which aims to
foster the recruitment and retention of high quality teachers in high-poverty,
high-minority school districts.
According to ED, "research indicates that students' race and family income
often predict their access to excellent educators. Low-income students and
high-need schools tend to have teachers who have less experience, credentials
and a track record of success." In an effort to correct these systemic
inequities, ED has developed this three-part initiative, which encourages and
supports educators and leaders to develop innovative solutions tailored to their
local needs.
The three components of the Excellent Educators for All Initiative include:
- Comprehensive Educator Equity Plans, which ask states to analyze their
local data and consult with constituents to develop new, comprehensive
educator equity plans by April 2015;
- Educator Equity Support Network, which is a new $4.2 million technical
assistance network to support states and districts develop and implement
their Comprehensive Educator Equity Plans; and
- Educator Equity Profiles, which will be published this fall to help
states identify gaps in access to quality teaching for low-income and
minority students and spotlight high-needs schools that are recruiting and
retaining effective educators.
Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National
Education Association (NEA) said he agrees that students in high-need schools need
fully prepared and effective educators, but he criticizes the administration for
failing to close what he describes as a loophole in current legislation that
describes "individuals still in teacher training as 'highly qualified,' which
only serves to shortchange our students. The Department of Education could take
a major step toward equity by closing this loophole," he said in a prepared
statement.
Van Roekel also called on the administration to address the need for high
quality educational opportunities for pre-school children. "We urge the
Department of Education and the Obama administration to take a comprehensive
approach to equity that includes access to high quality preschool and early
learning opportunities and access to high quality, rigorous curriculum, adequate
facilities and other learning conditions in schools and attention to
out-of-school needs so we are educating the whole child," he said in a prepared
statement.
Further information about the Excellent Educators for All Initiative can be
found on the Department of Education's site.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.