WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced the Creating Quality Technical Educators Act to expand the Higher Education Act's teacher residency grant program to help schools recruit and train high-quality career and technical education (CTE) teachers.
The Creating Quality Technical Educators Act would foster partnerships between high-needs secondary schools and post-secondary institutions to create one-year teacher residencies for CTE teachers.
“As our state struggles with high unemployment, this legislation will empower our teachers and students to diversify and grow our economy,” said Senator Capito. “By promoting career and technical training for our teachers, we can better prepare our students and future workforce for the careers of tomorrow.”
CTE teacher residencies created through the Creating Quality Technical Educators Act would target mid-career professionals in related technical fields, as well as recent college graduates, veterans or currently licensed teachers with a desire to transition to a CTE focus.
The bill is supported by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Consortium (NASDCTEc) and Public Advocacy for Kids. Kaine, Portman and Baldwin introduced an earlier version of the Creating Quality Technical Educators Act in the 113th Congress.
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