Civil Rights Groups To Explore Teacher Quality

WASHINGTON - “Turning Around the Race to the Bottom: What ESEA Should Do to Improve Teacher Quality and Equity” will bring together elected officials and education and civil rights experts to discuss much-needed changes in federal education statutes to ensure greater equity and quality in teachers assigned to low-income classrooms. The briefing will take place Wedesday, March 30, from 1 pm to 3pm EST.

This briefing — the first co-sponsored by the Congressional Asian Pacific American, Black, and Hispanic Caucuses in the 112th Congress — will feature congressional leaders and education experts from a coalition of civil rights, parent, and education groups discussing how and why teacher quality and distribution practices must be strengthened in the reauthorization of the ESEA. Speakers will detail legislation to be introduced by lawmakers on teacher quality and policy recommendations on preparing and developing teachers to effectively teach all children, including the increasing population of English language learners. Recommendations will cover a broad range of issues, from what constitutes a qualified teacher and equitable distribution of teachers to how the federal government can help strengthen preparation and supervision of teacher candidates and ensure comparable spending across schools.

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Education Taskforce

Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Co-Chair, Congressional Black Caucus Education and Labor Taskforce

Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, Maryland House of Delegates and Board Member, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials

Linda Darling-Hammond, Professor of Education, Stanford University; Co-Director Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education

Tanya Clay House, Public Policy Director, National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law

Lindsay Jones, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy Issues, Council for Exceptional Children

Moderator: Beth Glenn, Education Director, NAACP, National Office

Moderator: Joseph Bishop, Deputy Director of Constituency Services, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund

This briefing is co-sponsored by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Supporting organizations include the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law, the NAACP, the National Council on Educating Black Children, and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.