Fattah Statement on 'Excellent Educators for All Initiative'

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), the leading Congressional advocate for educational equity, released the following statement on the Excellent Educators for All Initiative introduced today by Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

In 2010, Fattah, together with Congressman Mike Honda, created the Equity and Excellence Commission to recommend appropriate policies across government in order to ensure all children have access to a high-quality education.  The 27-member Commission published their final report in February 2013. Fattah has also introduced H.R. 378, the Student Bill of Rights, requiring each public school system to meet standards relating to teacher effectiveness and equitable instruction.

"The Excellent Educators for All Initiative unveiled this afternoon by Secretary Duncan takes cues from the Equity and Excellence Commission's final report released last year, and is a strong step forward in fully addressing the longstanding teacher quality disparities across schools. Educational equity is dependent on equal access to highly effective teachers—no child should receive inferior instruction based on their zip code. Today's announcement is a commitment to ensuring that access to great teachers is not a privilege, but a right.

"Research has consistently demonstrated that the educational success of our students depends on highly effective teachers in the classrooms—teachers who have been trained, that are supported and encouraged by their districts and states, and are provided the resources and technical assistance to be effective educators. If teachers can succeed in the classroom, and if we are committed to ensuring we have high-performing teachers in all schools—from the highest-poverty schools to the lowest—we are one step closer to guaranteeing that our students can succeed as well."

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

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