`[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





                              

 
                    INNOVATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION:
                 PROPERLY EQUIPPING AMERICA'S EDUCATORS

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               Before The

  SUBCOMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

                                 of the

                COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________



           HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

                               __________

                           Serial No. 118-64

                               __________

  Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce
  
  
                            _______
   
                U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
    57-829 PDF             WASHINGTON : 2025

  
  
  
  
  


        Available via: edworkforce.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
                COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE

               VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina, Chairwoman

JOE WILSON, South Carolina           ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, 
GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania             Virginia,
TIM WALBERG, Michigan                  Ranking Member
GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin            RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona
ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York          JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia               GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,
JIM BANKS, Indiana                     Northern Mariana Islands
JAMES COMER, Kentucky                FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida
LLOYD SMUCKER, Pennsylvania          SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon
BURGESS OWENS, Utah                  MARK TAKANO, California
BOB GOOD, Virginia                   ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina
LISA McCLAIN, Michigan               MARK DeSAULNIER, California
MARY MILLER, Illinois                DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
MICHELLE STEEL, California           PRAMILA JAYAPAL, Washington
RON ESTES, Kansas                    SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania
JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana              LUCY McBATH, Georgia
KEVIN KILEY, California              JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut
AARON BEAN, Florida                  ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota
ERIC BURLISON, Missouri              HALEY M. STEVENS, Michigan
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas               TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ, New Mexico
LORI CHAVEZ-DeREMER, Oregon          KATHY E. MANNING, North Carolina
BRANDON WILLIAMS, New York           FRANK J. MRVAN, Indiana
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana                JAMAAL BOWMAN, New York
MICHAEL A. RULLI, Ohio

                    Carson Middleton, Staff Director
              Veronique Pluviose, Minority Staff Director
                                 ------                                

  SUBCOMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

                     AARON BEAN, Florida, Chairman

GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania         SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon,
BURGESS OWENS, Utah                    Ranking Member
LISA McCLAIN, Michigan               RAUL GRIJALVA, Arizona
MARY MILLER, Illinois                GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,
MICHELLE STEEL, California             Northern Mariana Islands
KEVIN KILEY, California              JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas               JAMAAL BOWMAN, New York
BRANDON WILLIAMS, New York           FREDERICA WILSON, Florida
MICHAEL RULLI, Ohio                  MARK DeSAULNIER, California
                                     DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
                         C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

Hearing held on September 25, 2024...............................     1

                           OPENING STATEMENTS

    Bean, Hon. Aaron, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, 
      Elementary, and Secondary Education........................     1
        Prepared statement of....................................     3
    Bonamici, Hon. Suzanne, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Early 
      Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.............     4
        Prepared statement of....................................     5

                               WITNESSES

    Basile, Dr. Carole, Dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, 
      Arizona State University...................................     8
        Prepared statement of....................................    10
    Spooner, Dr. Melba, Dean, Reich College of Education, 
      Appalachian State University...............................    12
        Prepared statement of....................................    14
    El-Mekki, Sharif, CEO, Center for Black Educator Development.    19
        Prepared statement of....................................    21
    Mendez, Dr. Greg, Principal, Skyline High School, Mesa Public 
      Schools....................................................    25
        Prepared statement of....................................    26


                    INNOVATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION:



                 PROPERLY EQUIPPING AMERICA'S EDUCATORS

                              ----------                              


                     Wednesday, September 25, 2024

                  House of Representatives,
  Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and 
                               Secondary Education,
                  Committee on Education and the Workforce,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:17, a.m., 
in Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Aaron Bean 
(Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
    Present: Representatives Bean, Owens, Kiley, Foxx, 
Bonamici, Hayes, Wilson, and DeSaulnier.
    Staff present: Annmarie Graham Barnes, Deputy 
Communications Director; Mindy Barry, General Counsel; Sheila 
Havenner, Director of Information Technology; Amy Raaf Jones, 
Director of Education and Human Services Policy; Andrew Kuzy, 
Press Assistant; Georgie Littlefair, Clerk; Hannah Matesic, 
Deputy Staff Director; Audra McGeorge, Communications Director; 
Carson Middleton, Staff Director; Eli Mitchell, Legislative 
Assistant; Jacob Pletcher, Staff Assistant; Brad Thomas, Deputy 
Director of Education and Human Services Policy; Maura 
Williams, Director of Operations; Ellie Berenson, Minority 
Press Secretary; Ilana Brunner, Minority General Counsel; 
Nikita Chellani, Minority Intern; Rashage Green, Minority 
Director of Education Policy & Counsel; Brandom Hernandez, 
Minority CHCI Fellow; Samantha Wilkerson, Minority Professional 
Staff, ; Stephanie Lalle, Minority Communications Director; 
Raiyana Malone, Minority Press Secretary; Brashanda McCoy, 
Minority CBCF Intern; Marie McGrew, Minority Press Assistant; 
Eleazar Padilla, Minority Staff Assistant; Veronique Pluviose, 
Minority Staff Director; Isabella Sanchez, Minority Intern; 
Banyon Vassar, Minority Director of IT.
    Chairman Bean. Ladies and gentlemen, a very good morning to 
you. Welcome to your nation's capital, to the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce, and specifically the Subcommittee 
on Early Learning, Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary 
Education.
    The Committee will come to order. I note that a quorum is 
present, and without objection, the Chair is authorized to call 
a recess at any time. Okay. We have all been there, we have all 
been there driving our car when the warning light comes on, 
some light, oh my gosh, how bad is it? Is it going to--is it 
really bad, or not? Is it a warning light that we can decipher, 
or not?
    It will come on at the worst possible time. It is going to 
be raining, or you are going to be in the middle of nowhere, 
and then you know that it is time to either to get it fixed, or 
to go forward. I had a friend in college who drove an older 
model car, and his warning light was flashing.
    He said, ``I can fix it.'' He took a roll of black duct 
tape, and just taped it over his dashboard, not recommended. 
His car collapsed soon thereafter, and so take care of your 
car. Take care of whatever is you have the responsibility to 
take care of.
    American has a responsibility to take care of our education 
system. It is key that we have leaders that we growth leaders 
for tomorrow. Right now, if we were looking at our education 
system the warning light would be on, and I say that because 
the numbers are indeed alarming. Here are some numbers. 86 
percent of public schools reported difficulties in hiring 
teachers for the 2023-2024 school year.
    Between 2020 and 2022, 16 percent of teachers say they have 
said I have had it. I am done. I am going somewhere else. 
Teachers often feel disheartened. 20 percent say they are 
satisfied with the jobs, meaning 80 percent are not saying 
that. 16 percent would recommend the profession to others.
    With that said, it is apparent that these are not just 
statistics, they are a flashing red light on the dashboard of 
our education system. Part of the solution perhaps, could be 
affordable, accessible pathways into the classroom. Traditional 
teacher preparations programs can take up to four, 5 years to 
complete, and come with a sticker price, sometimes upwards of 
tens of thousands of dollars.
    The costs are simply too high for many perspective teachers 
with evaluating how much it costs, what is the return on the 
investment. It does not take a math whiz to find out that you 
have to have a love of teaching. You are not doing it just for 
the money. The costs can send people running for the exits 
before they even enter the pipeline.
    That is why today we are going to discuss alternative 
certification programs. They have been gaining national 
attention. Today let us get to the bottom of it. Many say that 
there are efficient, cost-effective ways to get talented 
individuals, that is what we want, talented individuals into 
the classroom. Between 2018 and 2021, enrollment in these 
different types of programs has increased by 20 percent.
    The programs many times offer a faster path to 
certifications for individuals who have expertise in their 
fields, and I think passion for kids and learning, and jumping 
into the arena. It is not about getting teachers in the 
classroom. It is about keeping them there. The reality is that 
way too many teachers leave their profession because they do 
not feel supported and valued.
    We need to rethink the way we structure the teaching 
profession. We are going to hear from innovative programs like 
Arizona State's Next Education Workforce. They are doing just 
that by reimagining the traditional model for one teacher, one 
classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and students 
room to flourish.
    For example, third graders in ASU's team-based teaching 
schools experience an extra 1.4 months of reading growth each 
year and what about math? That is what you are asking me, Aaron 
tell us about math. Their algebra 1 students pass at rates 4 to 
7 percentage points higher than their peers in traditional 
classrooms.
    Teacher turnover and satisfaction also has greatly 
improved. These results show that we cannot treat teachers like 
revolving doors and still expect schools to thrive. We just 
want our kids to do well. Why are they not teaching them? We 
have got to give teachers everything, every tool we can to 
succeed.
    Other colleges, as Appalachian State have developed similar 
models. Yes, it is another ASU. Appalachian State presses 
harder to expand these ideas. They said it is time to think 
boldly and spotlight changes that will not only bring more 
people into their teaching profession, but ensure that they 
also want to stay that.
    With that, members, I have got great news. We once again, 
this Subcommittee is known to putting together all-star panels, 
and we have done that today. In just a moment, members, we are 
going to turn to you, our guests listen to the cutting edge, 
what is happening in the field of how we can do it.
    First, let me yield to the Ranking Member for her opening 
statement. Ranking Member.
    [The Statement of Chairman Bean follows:]

     Statement of Hon. Aaron Bean, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early 
             Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

    Have you ever been in your car when you get an alert notifying you 
something is wrong? Let us face it. There is no such thing as a good 
time for a warning light to signal a problem. Having your morning 
commute interrupted by a mechanical failure is an inconvenience at best 
and a downright emergency at worst. The warning lights are there to 
help signal that action should be taken.
    I like to consider myself to be a very optimistic person, but I 
will say this: When it comes to our K-12 education system, we are 
facing a giant ``WARNING!''
    America's teacher preparation pipeline is struggling.
    I will be blunt: the numbers are alarming. Eighty-six percent of 
public schools reported difficulties in hiring teachers for the 2023-
2024 school year. Between 2020 and 2022, 16 percent of teachers left 
their schools. Teachers are feelingdisheartened, and only 20 percent 
say they are very satisfied with their jobs. Just 16 percent would 
recommend the profession to others. With that said, it should be very 
apparent that these are not just statistics--they are a flashing red 
light on thedashboard of our education system.
    Part of the solution is more affordable, accessible pathways into 
the classroom. Traditional teacher preparation programs can take four 
to five years to complete and come with a sticker price of up to 
$100,000. These costs are simply too high for many prospective 
teachers. The upfront investment is enough to send teachers running for 
the exits before they even start.
    That is why alternative certification programs are gaining traction 
as a more efficient, cost-effective way to get talented individuals 
into the classroom. Between 2018 and 2021, enrollment in alternative 
programs increased by 20 percent. These programs offer a faster path to 
certification for individuals who already have expertise in other 
fields.It is not just about getting teachers into the classroom--it is 
about keeping them there. The reality is that too many teachers leave 
the profession because they do not feel supported and valued. We need 
to rethink the way we structure the teaching profession. Innovative 
programs like Arizona State University's (ASU) Next Education Workforce 
are doing just that. By reimagining the traditional model of one 
teacher, one classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and 
students room to flourish.
    For example, third graders in ASU's team-based teaching schools 
experience an extra 1.4 months of reading growth each year, and Algebra 
I students pass at rates four to seven percentage points higher than 
their peers in traditional classrooms. Teacher turnover and 
satisfaction also greatly improve. These results show that we cannot 
treat teachers like revolving doors and still expect our schools to 
thrive.
    Other colleges such as Appalachian State have developed similar 
models. We must continue to press harder and expand these ideas 
further. It is time to think boldly and spotlight changes that will not 
only bring more people into the teaching profession but will also 
ensure that they want to stay there.
                                 ______
                                 
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank 
you to the witnesses for being here today. We look forward to 
the conversation. I am optimistic that we can have a meaningful 
and bipartisan conversation about the importance of growing and 
supporting a diverse and dynamic educator workforce that meets 
the complex needs of our country's students, and provides 
them--all of them, with the opportunity for a world-class 
education.
    Ms. Pat Dorian was my high school English teacher, and 
changed my life, as well as the lives of many other students I 
went to school with. She instilled in me a love of language, 
and poetry, but more importantly, a love of learning. I expect 
that many of you in the room today have similar stories and 
remember a teacher or two who changed your lives.
    Teachers educate, mentor, inspire, nurture and guide 
students. They are role models, community buildings, and 
partners of knowledge and critical thinking. Unfortunately, the 
path to becoming a teacher presents many obstacles. It 
typically requires years of expensive schooling, testing and 
certification.
    The skyrocketing price of higher education, which is 
something I hope we can work on in this Committee, acts as a 
significant barrier to many who hope to become educators. 
Certification can be expensive and complicated to obtain with 
mountains of paperwork that deter perspective educators, 
sometimes even before they begin their careers.
    In many places teachers are notoriously underpaid, when 
adjusted for inflation, teachers' salaries have been stagnant 
since 1990, while the cost of living rises, and the cost of a 
4-year degree has nearly doubled since that time. Also, 
students do better when they see themselves reflected in their 
teachers.
    According to North Carolina State College of Education 
Associate Professor Dr. Egalite, sorry, as we will hear in 
testimony today students of color experience a variety of 
benefits when they are placed in a classroom with a teacher who 
shares their racial or ethnic background, and Mr. El-Mekki will 
be discussing that.
    Despite 50 percent of students identifying as persons of 
color, educators of color make up just 19 percent of teachers 
in this country. Research also shows that a diverse teacher 
workforce benefits all student achievement, regardless of race. 
Congress must do more to support perspective black and brown 
educators to better represent children of all demographics in 
our schools.
    When examining these challenges, it might seem tempting to 
bolster the teacher workforce by de-professionalizing the job, 
whether that be by removing, or reducing education or 
certification requirements, but that approach would only harm 
students who benefit from a well prepared teacher to guide them 
through their education.
    Instead of lowering the standards, we should be 
streamlining the process of becoming a teacher and recruiting 
more students to be educators through apprenticeship and 
mentoring programs for new teachers, through student loan 
forgiveness, and through competitive compensation.
    I am not one to complain about a problem without offering 
solutions. The Biden-Harris administration has encouraged using 
effective and innovative teacher preparation programs, 
including strategies that focus on recruiting and retaining 
diverse candidates. Congress can build on this initiative by 
providing resources to help support successful innovative 
teacher preparation models across the country.
    The Build Back Better Act provided more than 100 million 
dollars for grants to fund Grow Your Own programs, that 
supported high need schools in subject areas, as well as 
improving diversity within the teacher workforce. To address 
the teacher shortage in this country, we also must support 
Title I schools and expand loan forgiveness like the Public 
Service Loan Forgiveness Program to support those who dream of 
becoming teachers.
    The College Affordability Act, which advanced through this 
Committee in 2020, outlined several ways to give aspiring 
teachers a hand as they pursue their education. The College 
Affordability Act would improve programs that recruit 
perspective teachers, especially to address shortage areas, 
like STEM and special education.
    It would also improve and expand that public service loan 
forgiveness program to provide that all teachers loan payments 
count toward their eligibility for loan repayment, and keep in 
mind that these public service loan forgiveness borrowers do 
pay, according to income, during their time of teaching. It is 
the balance at the end that is forgiven.
    We should strengthen Title II, professional development 
programs and initiatives that support recruiting and retaining 
diverse educators. The Teacher Diversity and Retention Act, 
introduced by several members of this Committee, would also 
bolster teacher recruitment programs by establishing grant 
programs for education students at HBCUs, and other minority 
serving institutions.
    As well as providing dual certification in special 
education and behavior management, so teachers can meet the 
needs of every student. There are also wonderful mentoring and 
coaching programs that support educators and improve retention. 
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I encourage us all to encourage people 
to go into the teaching profession by recognizing the 
importance of our system, the public education, and not bashing 
it.
    I think bashing public education discourages people from 
wanting to go work there. Of course we can work together on 
improvements to the system, but let us lift up educators who 
choose to teach. I look forward to hearing from all of our 
witnesses, and to a productive discussion today, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
    [The Statement of Ranking Member Bonamici follows:]

  Statement of Hon. Suzanne Bonamici, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on 
          Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to our witnesses for being here 
today. I am optimistic that we can have a meaningful, bipartisan 
conversation about the importance of growing and supporting a diverse 
and dynamic educator workforce that meets the complex needs of our 
country's students and provides them--all of them--with the opportunity 
for a world class education.
    Ms. Pat Dorrian, my high school English teacher, changed my life. 
She instilled in me a love of language and poetry, but more importantly 
a love of learning. I expect that many of you in this room today have 
similar stories and remember a teacher or two who changed your lives. 
Teachers educate, mentor, inspire, nurture, and guide students. They 
are role models, community builders, and imparters of knowledge and 
critical thinking.
    Unfortunately, the path to becoming a teacher presents many 
obstacles. It typically requires years of expensive schooling, testing, 
and certification. The skyrocketing price of education acts as a 
significant barrier to many who hope to become educators. Certification 
can be expensive and complicated to obtain, with mountains of paperwork 
that deter prospective educators sometimes even before they begin their 
careers. In many places teachers are notoriously underpaid. When 
adjusted for inflation, teacher salaries have been stagnant since 1990, 
while the cost of living rises every year and the cost of a four-year 
degree has nearly doubled since that time.
    Students do better when they see themselves reflected in their 
teachers. According to NC State College of Education Associate 
Professor Dr. Anna Egalite, and as we will hear in testimony today, 
students of color experience a variety of benefits when they are placed 
in a classroom with a teacher who shares their racial or ethnic 
background.
    Despite 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color, 
educators of color make up just 19 percent of teachers in this country. 
Research also shows that a diverse teacher workforce benefits all 
student achievement regardless of race. Congress must do more to 
support prospective Black and Brown educators to better represent 
children of all demographics in schools.
    When examining these problems, it might seem tempting to bolster 
the teacher workforce by ``de-professionalizing'' the job, whether that 
be by removing certifications or reducing educational requirements. 
That approach, however, would only harm students, who rely on well-
trained teachers to guide them through their education. Instead of 
lowering the standards, we should streamline the process of becoming a 
teacher and recruit more students to be educators through 
apprenticeship and mentoring programs for new teachers, student loan 
forgiveness, and competitive compensation.
    I am not one to complain about a problem without offering a 
solution.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has encouraged using effective and 
innovative teacher preparation programs, including strategies that 
focus on recruiting and retaining diverse candidates. Congress can 
build on this initiative by providing resources to help support 
successful innovative teacher preparation models across the country. 
The Build Back Better Act provided more than $100 million for grants to 
fund ``Grow Your Own'' programs that support high-need schools and 
subject areas, as well as improve diversity within the teacher 
workforce.
    To address the teacher shortage in this country, we must support 
Title I schools and expand loan forgiveness to support those who dream 
of becoming teachers. The College Affordability Act, which advanced 
through this committee in 2020, outlined ways to give aspiring teachers 
a hand as they pursue their education. The CAA would improve programs 
that recruit prospective teachers to address shortage areas, like STEM 
and special education. It would also improve and expand the Public 
Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to ensure that all teachers' 
loan payments count toward their eligibility for loan repayment.
    We should also strengthen Title II programs and initiatives that 
support recruiting and retaining diverse educators in our communities. 
The Teacher Diversity and Retention Act, introduced by members of this 
committee, would also bolster teacher recruitment programs by 
establishing grant programs for education students at HBCUs and other 
Minority Serving Institutions, as well as providing dual certification 
in special education and behavioral management so that teachers can 
meet the need of every student. There are also mentoring and coaching 
programs that support educators and improve retention.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and to a productive 
discussion today. Thank you, and I yield back.
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Bean. Thank you very much, Ranking Member. 
Pursuant to Committee Rule 8(c), all Committee members who wish 
to insert written materials into the record may do so by 
submitting to the Committee Clerk electronically in Microsoft 
Word format by 5 p.m. after 14 days from the date of this 
hearing, which is October 9, 2024.
    Without objection, the hearing record will remain open for 
14 days after this date to allow such statement and other 
extraneous material referenced in the hearing to be submitted 
for the official hearing record.
    Now it is time to introduce our distinguished all-star 
panel of witnesses. Our first witness is Dr. Carole Basile, who 
is Dean of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona 
State University, located in Tempe, Arizona. Her work has 
centered on redesigning the education workforce and changing 
practices in teaching and leadership preparation.
    She is currently working with education organizations 
nationally, and internationally to design systems and enable 
organizational change in these areas. Prior to joining ASU, Dr. 
Basile was Dean and Professor of the College of Education at 
the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Welcome, Dr. Basile.
    Our second witness is Dr. Melba Spooner, who is Dean of the 
Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University in 
Boone, North Carolina. She began her higher education career at 
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she was a 
faculty member, and served in various roles in the College of 
Education, including Assistant Dean.
    Dr. Spooner earned her education doctorate in curriculum 
and teaching from the University of North Carolina in 
Greensboro, and her master's and bachelor's degrees in early 
childhood education from the University of North Carolina at 
Charlotte. Welcome, Dr. Spooner.
    Our third witness will be introduced by our Ranking Member. 
You are recognized.
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We welcome Mr. 
Sharif El-Mekki, the Founder and CEO of the Center for Black 
Educator Development, an organization dedicated to transforming 
the teaching profession and ensuring that black educators are 
supported and celebrated.
    Prior to establishing the Center, Mr. El-Mekki served at 
the U.S. Department of Education as Principal Ambassador Fellow 
under the Obama administration--previously had served as the 
Principal of Mastery Charter Shoemaker in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.
    In 2014, Mr. El-Mekki founded the Fellowship Black Male 
Educators for Social Justice, and it is an initiative aimed at 
recruiting, retaining and developing black male teachers. Mr. 
El-Mekki holds a BA in criminal justice from Indiana University 
at Pennsylvania, and a master's in elementary education and an 
administrative certification from Cheyney University. Welcome, 
Mr. El-Mekki.
    Chairman Bean. Welcome, Mr. El-Mekki. Our final witness is 
Dr. Greg Mendez, who is Principal of Skyline High School in 
Mesa Public Schools, located in Mesa, Arizona. In this role he 
is building a strategic school staffing model where educators 
work on teams to deliver rigorous teaching and learning 
experiences.
    Dr. Mendez has over 18 years of experience in education, 
and holds a doctorate of education and leadership and 
innovation from ASU, Arizona State University, in addition to a 
master's degree in education from ASU and another master's 
degree in athletic administration from Concordia University 
Irvine. Welcome, Dr., Principal Greg, we are glad to have you 
here.
    Thank everybody for being here. Members, I told you it was 
an all-star panel, and I am looking forward to their testimony. 
Under Committee Rules, I would ask that our witnesses, I have 
talked to most of you, it is 5 minutes because we like to talk, 
we limited everybody to 5 minutes, and so we have your written 
testimony, and if you want to submit more, we will take it.
    Your talk today, your oral presentation will be limited to 
5 minutes, and I do not have to tell you this, but I am 
supposed to tell you this, that we expect everybody, you have a 
responsibility to provide accurate information to the 
Subcommittee that we can make better choices with your accurate 
information.
    Dr. Basile, you won the toss, so you will be going first. 
It is my pleasure to recognize you for 5 minutes. Welcome to 
the Committee.

STATEMENT OF DR. CAROLE BASILE, DEAN, MARY LOU FULTON TEACHERS 
             COLLEGE, ARIZONA STATE, TEMPE, ARIZONA

    Ms. Basile. Thank you, Chairwoman Foxx, first let me thank 
you for making the trip to Arizona and taking the time to learn 
about our work. Chairman Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, and 
esteemed members of the Subcommittee. Allow me to start with 
two assertions.
    The first one may seem obvious, and the second one may seem 
at first contrarian, but bear with me. First, people are 
different. They look different. They have different tastes, and 
they learn in different ways. Second, the problem we are 
accustomed to calling teacher shortage is not really, or not 
only a teacher shortage.
    We do not have a shortage of credentialed teachers. We have 
a shortage of credentialed teachers who want to do the job. The 
reason for this is connected to the fact that people are 
different. The default model of schooling one teacher, one 
classroom, treats all learners as identical.
    It mistakes the statistics of an average learner for a real 
human being, and in assuming that all learners have the same 
educational needs, it assumes that all teachers need the same 
set of skills. Our teacher preparation programs have been 
designed essentially to mass produce identical educators.
    This tells us a lot about why so many credentialed 
educators would rather do something else than teach. One, the 
one teacher, one classroom models ask all teachers to be all 
things to all people at all times. That is a tough ask of an 
experience teacher, let alone a recent graduate of a teacher 
prep program.
    Second, most of the time the job looks the same on day 
3,000 as it does on day one, and there are few pathways for 
advancement that offer professional growth. Three, there are 
two few paths to specialization in areas that would effectively 
address learner variance.
    Teacher shortage is a downstream effect of a workforce 
design problem. It is bigger than pipeline building. A 
potential solution to that problem is an education workforce 
comprised of professionals with varying sets of skills, 
different areas of content knowledge, and multiple modes of 
pedagogical expertise, and we need them to work in coordinated 
teams.
    At Arizona State University we have a strategic staff 
initiative we call the Next Education Workforce. Through this 
initiative we partner with schools, and school systems, and 
inspire to, one, provide all students with deeper and 
personalized learning by building teams of educators, with 
distributed expertise, and empower educators by developing 
better ways to enter the profession, specialized and advanced.
    In 2024-25 school year, we anticipate working with more 
than 150 schools across 40 school systems, and in 15 states to 
implement these team based models. This work will impact 
upwards of 25,000 students, and 1,000 educators, and more than 
300 teams. This work has broad implications for teacher 
preparation.
    Teacher preparation programs in schools need to work 
together to accomplish three things that are not currently 
doing well enough. One, make work count. The work teacher 
candidates perform in schools is work. Work should be 
compensated. Many teacher candidates work other jobs to support 
themselves, and in many cases their families, as they complete 
coursework and their professional experiences.
    This is a major cause of stress and burnout. Right now, 
there are residencies, alternative certification pathways, and 
apprenticeship models that allow teacher candidates to be paid 
while they work toward certification. These are a start, but in 
every case, we need to get the professional experience right.
    The second is to get the professional experience right. In 
addressing the problem of paying teacher candidates, programs 
often create another problem by asking teacher candidates to 
perform the roles of experienced teachers. They are not 
experienced teachers, and it is not reasonable to expect to 
retain people that are hired to perform tasks they are not 
prepared to do.
    For their sake, and for the sake of the students they 
serve, teacher candidates should be given clearly defined 
responsibilities that allow them to learn in stages, gain 
competencies, and grow professionally. Put them on teams. Work 
with schools to create professional experiences that teacher 
candidates can perform successful and serve identified learning 
needs in schools.
    Our field, working with government at all levels, has no 
shortage of solutions to parts of the problem. While each of 
those solutions will measurably advance progress in addressing 
some part of the problem, they are not systemic solutions. 
ASU's model offers a systemic solution.
    We can make teacher preparation programs affordable through 
scholarships, but that does not mean we can retain educators in 
the field. We can implement residencies and paid 
apprenticeships, and other ways of making word count, but that 
does not address the isolation, and the lack of professional 
advancement pathways inherent in one teacher, one classroom 
models.
    We can also make it easier to become a teacher, but that 
does not guarantee the teacher retention or good learning 
incomes. If we have an ask of our government, it is this, 
support local innovations and workforce design in teacher 
preparation that make the profession both more accessible and 
more attractive. Reward school systems that manage their human 
capital in ways that lead to demonstrable improvement in 
learning outcomes.
    Catalyze partnerships between State agencies and teacher 
preparation programs and school systems. The challenge in 
teacher preparation is not merely labor shortage, but a 
workforce design challenge. Thank you.
    [The Statement of Ms. Basile follows:]

Statement of Dr. Carole Basile, Dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, 
                      Arizon State, Tempe, Arizona

    Chairwoman Foxx, let me thank you for making the trip to ASU and 
taking the time to learn about our work.
    Chairman Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, Ranking Member Scott, and 
esteemed members of the subcommittee:
    Allow me to start with two assertions. The first one may seem 
obvious. The second one may seem, at first, contrarian but bear with 
me.
    First: people are different. They look different, have different 
tastes. They learn in different ways.Second: The problem we are 
accustomed to calling a teacher shortage is not really--or not only--a 
teacher shortage. We do not have a shortage of credentialed teachers. 
We have a shortage of credentialed teachers who want to do the job.The 
reason for this is connected to the fact that people are different.
    The default model of schooling--one teacher, one classroom--treats 
all learners as identical. It mistakes the statistical abstraction of 
an average learner for a real human being. In assuming that all 
learners have the same educational needs, it assumes that all teachers 
need the same set of skills. Our teacher-preparation programs have been 
designed, essentially, to mass-produce identical educators.
    This tells us a lot about why so many credentialed educators would 
rather do something else than teach.

        1. The one-teacher, one-classroom model asks all teachers to be 
        all things to all people at all times. That is a tough ask for 
        an experienced teacher, let alone a recent graduate of a 
        teacher-prep program.
        2. Most of the time, the job looks the same on day 3,000 as it 
        does on day one. There are few pathways of advancement that 
        offer professional growth.
        3. There are too few paths to specialization in areas that 
        would effectively address learner variance.

    Teacher shortage is a downstream effect of a workforce design 
problem. It is bigger than pipeline building.
    A potential solution to that problem is an education workforce 
comprised of professionals with varying sets of skills, different areas 
of content knowledge, and multiple modes of pedagogical expertise. We 
need them to work in coordinated teams.
    At Arizona State University we have strategic staffing initiative 
we call The Next Education Workforce.
    Through this initiative we partner with schools and school systems 
and aspire to:

        1. provide all students with deeper and personalized learning 
        by building teams of educators with distributed expertise; and
        2. empower educators by developing better ways to enter the 
        profession, specialize and advance.In the 2024-25 school year, 
        we anticipate working with more than 120 schools across 40 
        school systems in 15 states to implement team-based models. 
        This work will impact upwards of 25,000 students and 1,000 
        educators on more than 300 teams.

    This work has broad implications for teacher preparation.
    Teacher-preparation programs and schools need to work together to 
accomplish three things they are not currently doing well enough.
        1. Make work count.
    The work teacher candidates perform in schools is work. Work should 
be compensated. Many teacher candidates work other jobs to support 
themselves and, in many cases, their families as they complete 
coursework and their professional experiences.
    This is a major cause of stress and burnout.
    Right now, there are residencies, alternative certification 
pathways, and apprenticeship models that allow teacher candidates to be 
paid while they work toward certification. These are a start but in 
every case we need to get the professional experience right.
        2. Get professional experience right.
    In addressing the problem of paying teacher candidates, programs 
often create another problem by asking teacher candidates to perform 
the roles of experienced teachers. They are not experienced teachers, 
and it is not reasonable to expect to retain people that are hired to 
perform tasks they are not prepared to do.
    For their sake--and for the sake of the students they serve--
teacher candidates should be given clearly defined responsibilities 
that allow them to learn in stages, gain competencies, and grow 
professionally.
        3. Put them on teams:
    Work with schools to create role-based professional experiences 
that teacher candidates can perform successfully--and that serve 
identified learning needs in schools.
    Our field, working with government at all levels, has no shortage 
of solutions to parts of the problem. While each of those solutions 
will measurably advance progress in addressing some part of the 
problem, they are part of the solution and not the whole solution. 
ASU's model offers the whole solution.
    We can make teacher-prep programs affordable through scholarships, 
but that does not mean we can retain educators in the field.
    We can implement residencies and paid apprenticeships and other 
ways of making work count, but that does not address the isolation and 
lack of professional advancement pathways inherent in the one-teacher-
one-classroom model.
    We can make it easier to become a teacher, but that does not 
guarantee teacher retention or good learning outcomes.
    If we have an ask of state and local government, it is this:

        1. Support local innovations in workforce design and teacher-
        preparation that make the profession both more accessible and 
        more attractive.
        2. Reward school systems that manage their human capital in 
        ways that lead to demonstrable improvement in learning outcomes 
        for students and professional outcomes for educators.
        3. Catalyze partnerships between State Education Agencies, 
        teacher-prep programs and school systems to create new kinds of 
        certification pathways for roles with meaningful professional 
        support and coaching.

    The challenge in teacher preparation is not merely labor shortage 
but a workforce design problem.

Links for Further Review

    Next Education Workforce Website: https://
workforce.education.asu.edu/
    Basile, C. G., Maddin, B. W., & Audrain, R. L. (2022). The next 
education workforce: How team-based staffing models can support equity 
and improve learning outcomes. Rowman & Littlefield.https://
www.amazon.com/Next-Education-Workforce-Carole-Basile/dp/1475867263
    American Enterprise Institute Report: This Initiative Seeks to 
Redesign How We Staff School https://www.aei.org/op-eds/this-
initiative-seeks-to-redesign-how-we-staff-schools/ (July 2024)
    American Enterprise Institute Report: Next Education Workforce: 
https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/the-next-education-
workforce-team-based-staffing-models-can-make-schools-work-better-for-
both-learners-and-educators/  (August 2022)
    Center on Reinventing Public Education: Early evidence of improved 
educator outcomes in Next Education Workforce modelshttps://crpe.org/
early-evidence-of-improved-educator-outcomes-in-next-education-
workforcetm-models/ (May 2024)
    Dean Carole Basile Blog: Teacher Retention Begins with Teacher 
Preparation: https://education.asu.edu/the-next-normal/teacher-
retention (May 2023)
    U.S. Department of Education Grant supports Next Education 
Workforce models in Arizona's largest School Districthttps://
education.asu.edu/projects-and-impact/transforming-district%E2%80%99s-
human-resources-strategy-benefit-both-earners-and
    Hechinger Report: https://hechingerreport.org/in-one-giant-
classroom-four-teachers-manage-135-kids-and-love-it/(November 2022)
    Survey of Teachers Working in Next Education Workforce models: 
https://workforce.education.asu.edu/resource/results-from-the-year-one-
survey-of-next-education-workforce-teachers
    ASU Thrive Magazine: ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College is 
helping school systems rethink the traditional classroom model(January 
2024)
    DC Journal: Innovative teaching models can solve teacher shortage 
(November 2023)
    Hechinger Report: In one giant classroom, four teachers manage 135 
kids--and love it (November 2022)
    Kappan Magazine: Empowering educators through team-based staffing 
models (September 2022)
    AZ Republic OpEd: ``Arizona needs great teachers, not just warm 
bodies, in classrooms. Here's how to get them'' (July 2022)
    EdWeek: ``It's Time to Rethink the `One Teacher, One Classroom' 
Model'' (July 2022)
    Ed Surge: ``Arizona Needs Teachers. Does the Answer Lie Beyond 
Recruitment?'' (July 2022)
Highlights and Results of Next Education Workforce models
    In the 2024-25 school year, we anticipate that the implementation 
of Next Education Workforce team-based models by schools and districts 
ASU partners with will include more than 120 schools across 40 school 
systems in 15 states. The launch of team-based models will impacting 
upwards of 25,000 students, support over 1,000 educators on 300+ teams.
    In addition to Arizona, our work is happening in Arkansas, 
California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, 
Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, 
D.C.
Results for Educators
      Are more satisfied (75% vs. 66%)
      Collaborate more (planning & implementation)
      Believe they have better teacher-student interactions
      Report that students are more likely to ask for support
      Request fewer substitutes (2 less/teacher)
      Are absent less frequently (1 fewer day/teacher)
      Feel more respected in their role as an educator
Results for Learners
      Observed higher levels of support and opportunities for 
collaboration
      Increase in 3rd grade reading growth (+1.5 months of 
growth)
      Increases in Algebra I passing rates
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Bean. Well done, thank you, Dr. Basile. You gave 
us 6 seconds back, so thank you very much. Up next is Dr. Melba 
Spooner, welcome to the Committee, and you are recognized for 5 
minutes.

    STATEMENT OF DR. MELBA SPOONER, DEAN, REICH COLLEGE OF 
 EDUCATION, APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY, BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA

    Ms. Spooner. Thank you, Chairman Bean, Ranking Member 
Bonamici, Dr. Foxx, esteemed Committee members. Good morning 
and thank you. It is an honor and a pleasure to be here with 
you today. I would like to also extend a very special 
appreciation to Dr. Foxx, who we are so proud that you 
represent App State, and we appreciate all the support you have 
provided to educators, schools and classrooms, not only in 
North Carolina, but across the Nation.
    I began my career in education as a teacher assistant and 
had opportunities to serve as the classroom teacher and 
Assistant Principal in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School 
District, transitioning to a career in higher education. I 
appreciate the opportunity to share some insights into the 
enduring legacy of how we are preparing educators at App State.
    That said, we are also constantly growing and changing how 
we do this important work of recruiting, retaining and 
supporting educators and schools across the country. We utilize 
research-based content and curriculum to prepare candidates for 
the classroom. For example, in recent years the examination of 
the teaching of reading has become more important. In response 
to the needs of the children, families and teachers in North 
Carolina, and beyond, we have engaged in an extensive 
curriculum redesign process.
    Our perspective teachers are immersed in a curriculum 
aligned with the science of reading. Before they graduate, 
candidates are required to be proficient in literacy 
instruction. To ensure their full preparation, they are also 
required to complete extensive coursework and supervised 
clinical experiences in schools, and in classrooms.
    To successfully recruit, prepare, graduate and support 
exemplary teaching professionals, we invest time in building 
partnerships with school district across the State. This allows 
us to provide a wide variety of experience for candidates and 
schools with students who are representative of North 
Carolina's population.
    A key component of our educator prep program is an emphasis 
on classroom management. Perspective teachers are involved in 
classroom instruction and clinical experiences that allow them 
to observe, learn and practice a variety of techniques. They 
graduate with the necessary expertise in planning, instruction 
and utilizing classroom management skills tailored to the 
developmental and behavioral needs of the students in their 
classrooms.
    Graduates do not just leave the university with a diploma, 
they leave ready for the workforce, with the necessary skills 
to take on one of the hardest, and most rewarding careers that 
exist today. Additionally, all perspective teachers are 
required to engage in a series of professional development 
activities before completing their programs of study.
    This requirement enhances their classroom learning, and 
clinical experiences, while ensuring they understand the value 
and commitment to lifelong learning, and continuous 
professional development. The pre-graduation requirements and 
post-graduation support that are provided have real 
significance nationwide.
    I am proud to share that for the eighth consecutive year 
App State has led the Nation in the number of alumni who hold 
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards 
Credentialed, currently 2,321 alumni have earned this 
outstanding credential. In our rural area of Northwestern North 
Carolina, there is, just as there is nationwide, a workforce 
deficit in high needs areas, such as special education and STEM 
education.
    Many schools and districts in the region face limitations 
and challenges as they work to meet the needs of their 
students. App State provides critical assistance, not only by 
graduating highly prepared and proficient teachers, but also by 
partnering with K-2 school district, and community colleges to 
develop initiatives and alternate pathways to fill workforce 
gaps, making teacher preparation programs more flexible, 
accessible and affordable is key to recruiting and retaining 
great teachers.
    We are constantly addressing the needs of the market, 
adapting and refining recruitment and retention efforts, and 
ensuring we offer the flexibility students need to graduate on 
time, and with some of the lowest college debt in the Nation. 
We highly regard our responsibility to develop programs that 
address educators' ongoing educational needs.
    Furthermore, we work to address the market demand for 
serving adult learners. Those who begin their education careers 
at community colleges, as well as those who enter the 
profession through an alternative pathway. I am immensely proud 
to be part of that space, continuing the legacy of preparing 
extraordinary teachers.
    Of course, none of our accomplishments would be possible 
without the support from the North Carolina General Assembly, 
and the USE Board of Governors, and I am grateful to our State 
Legislators and the taxpayers of North Carolina, who helped to 
ensure that the USE system remains the economic engine of our 
workforce and its exemplar for the Nation.
    Thank you for holding the hearing with us today, and for 
your commitment to supporting current teachers, and educators 
of tomorrow. I appreciate the discussion and look forward to 
your questions. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Spooner follows:]

   Statement of Dr. Melba Spooner, Dean, Reich College of Education, 
          Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina

    Chairman Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, esteemed committee members 
. . .
    It is an honor and a pleasure to be with you all today, and I 
certainly appreciate the opportunity to share the great work being done 
at Appalachian State University and in colleges of education as we 
recruit, retain, and equip educators to make meaningful contributions 
both inside and outside of the classroom.
    I would also like to extend a special appreciation to Dr. Virginia 
Foxx. We are so proud to have you represent App State, and we 
appreciate all the support you have provided to educators, schools, and 
classrooms not only in North Carolina, but across the nation.
    My name is Dr. Melba Spooner, and I have the honor of serving as 
the dean of Appalachian State University's Reich College of Education 
since 2016. I began my career in education as a teacher assistant and 
had opportunities to serve as a classroom teacher and assistant 
principal in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North 
Carolina. I transitioned to a career in higher education at the 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, serving in various roles 
including faculty member; assistant dean; chair of the Department of 
Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education; and senior associate dean of the 
Cato College of Education.
    As a nationwide leader in professional education accreditation 
efforts, I have served in leadership capacities at the national and 
state levels on issues related to accreditation and policy. I am active 
and engaged across the state in matters of policy and education 
initiatives. I provided service on the North Carolina Teaching Fellows 
Commission and am currently serving a second term on the North Carolina 
Principal Fellows Commission. In 2019, I also served on the State Board 
of Education Pre-K-12 Literacy Instruction and Teacher Preparation Task 
Force.
    It is important to note, at least for me, as I stand before you, 
how very grateful I am for this moment. As a product of the P-12 public 
education system and the public university system, I am proud to say 
that I am a North Carolina public school educator.
    I appreciate the opportunity to share some insights into the 
enduring legacy of how we are preparing educators at App State. That 
said, we are also constantly growing and changing how we do this 
important work of recruiting, retaining, and supporting educators and 
schools across the country.
    As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University 
prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 
campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national 
reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to high-quality, 
affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 
students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150 
undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses 
and through App State Online.
    For one hundred and twenty-five years, our university has been 
focused on ensuring that anyone who had the desire to learn, and the 
willingness to work hard, could have access to a great education. 
Access, student success, and a high-quality education have been our key 
pillars since our founders created a bold and ambitious vision for the 
future of our region, and we remain focused on these founding 
principles today.
    Preparing quality educators was App State's founding mission since 
its inception as a teacher's college and it is still in our DNA today. 
Our graduates become leaders in their fields and in their communities, 
inspiring the next generation of educators. One-third of App State 
students are from rural areas, and one-third are first-generation 
college students. A quarter of them graduate with absolutely no college 
debt. Given the regional and statewide needs within rural settings, 
high-need areas, and underrepresented populations, App State graduates 
are primed to serve schools throughout the region, state, and nation.
    With more than 10,000 graduates working in over 21 hundred schools 
in North Carolina, the influence of App State's educator preparation 
program is strong in every corner of the state. App State graduates 
work in nearly every one of North Carolina's 100 counties. We are proud 
that most of our alumni stay in North Carolina, contributing to their 
communities through their leadership and service well after graduation.
    App State is first and foremost attentive to the needs of the state 
in terms of the need for great teachers. Investing in the work and 
preparation of teachers is what we do, and we know that it takes strong 
and rigorous academic programming, and it takes an intentional focus on 
all aspects of what educators do for their growth and development as 
teachers and leaders. Let me share just a few key highlights about the 
university and things that set us apart so that you might have a better 
understanding of the work that we do . . . have done . . . and will 
continue to do:
    We utilize research-based content and curriculum to prepare 
candidates for the classroom. Coursework and aligned field experiences 
focus on the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards of 
Leadership, Content Knowledge, Classroom Environment, Facilitation of 
Learning, and Reflection. Candidates learn and apply these standards 
through a rigorous series of Professional Education courses. There are 
also multiple opportunities to develop and implement instructional 
practices while maintaining a safe and orderly environment, which 
translates into classroom management of time and behavior.
    Metrics are used to evaluate candidate effectiveness. These metrics 
include multiple assessment points and instruments, which are 
ultimately compared to graduate and employer survey data, as well as 
state effectiveness measures. Results from these intensive assessment 
protocols are used to set program goals for annual program planning and 
continuous improvement.
    In recent years, and more than ever, the examination of the 
teaching of reading has become more and more important. App State's 
teacher education students are immersed in a curriculum that is aligned 
with the Science of Reading, and before they graduate, they are 
required to be proficient in teaching literacy. To ensure their full 
preparation, they are required to complete extensive coursework with 
authentic field experiences. The fidelity of instruction of the Science 
of Reading is continuously reviewed and evaluated by a Literacy 
Framework Team consisting of literacy faculty and college leadership.
    Recently, App State was selected as one of five institutions across 
the UNC System to participate in a Literacy Innovation Leaders 
initiative, which aligned educator preparation, teacher professional 
development, and continuing education requirements with the Science of 
Reading. In this endeavor, students in the elementary and special 
education preparation programs were selected to participate as literacy 
scholars. They completed the state-adopted Language Essentials for 
Teachers of Reading and Spelling program, participated in literacy-
focused professional development alongside practicing in-service 
educators, participated in a mentoring program, and informed the 
college's redesign of literacy coursework and field experiences. These 
Literacy Innovation Leaders served as a model for the rest of the 
state.
    Additionally, literacy education faculty also completed the 
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling program, 
demonstrating how we engage together to make the ``student to 
educator'' transition more seamless. Participation in this program has 
also greatly informed our curriculum.
    Appalachian State teacher candidates are expected to be classroom 
and building-level leaders in the effective and ethical use of digital 
technologies. This is emphasized not only in coursework but in a wide 
range of opportunities for co-curricular professional development, 
including the inclusion of micro-credentials specific to digital 
learning. The college is engaged with other educator preparation 
programs at the national level on strategies to help candidates utilize 
technologies to these ends.
    Because we know that it is important to have a deep understanding 
of what the ``real world'' of teaching is all about, we provide 
intentional and authentic experiences that we know candidates will 
encounter when going into their schools and classrooms.
    To successfully recruit, prepare, graduate and support exemplary 
teaching professionals, we invest time in building partnerships and 
collaborations with public schools across the entire state we are so 
proud to serve. App State invests in partnerships with 71 public school 
units across North Carolina. This allows us to provide a wide variety 
of experiences for candidates in schools with student populations that 
are representative of the citizens of North Carolina.
    Teacher candidates have multiple field experiences throughout their 
program. This continuum ensures candidates have these experiences early 
and often. Throughout their early field experiences, approximately 
1,000 candidates are engaged in North Carolina public schools each 
semester.
    An important aspect of the curriculum and associated field 
experiences to note is the inclusion of a focus on classroom management 
throughout the educator preparation program. During the course of the 
candidates' preparation to become an educator, they are heavily 
involved in classroom instruction and field experiences that allow them 
to observe, learn, and practice a variety of classroom management 
techniques. Each program has a specific focus on selecting, planning, 
and utilizing materials, strategies, classroom management techniques, 
and experiences based on the developmental and behavioral needs of 
students.
    Additionally, we require all of our teacher education students to 
complete a series of 20 professional development activities, each 
building on the one prior to it. This requirement not only enhances 
their classroom learning and field experiences, it also ensures our 
students understand the value and commitment to lifelong learning and 
continuous professional development.
    The pre-graduation requirements and post-graduation support we 
provide have real significance nationwide. I am proud to report that, 
for the eighth consecutive year, App State leads the nation in the 
number of alumni who hold National Board for Professional Teaching 
Standards credentials. Currently, 2,321 App State alumni nationwide 
have earned this outstanding credential, which is the most respected 
professional certification available in education.
    By providing these authentic experiences and professional 
development opportunities, our candidates are not just sitting in the 
classroom and learning about teaching; they are going out and 
practicing it. As one of our alums noted, ``Why Appalachian? Because it 
provides rich academic experiences and preparation for all education 
majors early on in our programs.''
    At App State, we understand that making teacher preparation 
programs more flexible, accessible, and affordable is key to recruiting 
and retaining great teachers for North Carolina and beyond.
    Scholar programs, like the North Carolina Teaching Fellows and App 
State's Appalachian Community of Education Scholars, are another facet 
of our curriculum. Not only do these programs help offset the financial 
burden for students, they also help recruit educators in high-need and 
high-demand areas.
    The North Carolina Teaching Fellows program invests in North 
Carolina students, teachers, and communities by providing affordable 
and rigorous professional development alongside a teacher preparation 
program. This program is known for producing and supporting high-
quality teacher leaders without student debt, which we all know is an 
epidemic across our country and a massive concern among families across 
the state.
    App State has more than 150,000 alumni nationwide. Seventy-five 
percent of them live in and contribute to North Carolina's economy. Our 
most recent economic impact study shows that App State contributed more 
than two point-two billion dollars to the statewide economy, with $573 
million of that directly benefiting the economies of Watauga, Ashe, 
Avery, Caldwell and Wilkes counties. We continue to increase access to 
higher education by offering academic programs through traditional, 
hybrid and online delivery modes to meet the needs of today's learners. 
We have aligned our programs with the needs and critical workforce 
shortages of Western North Carolina with the creation of multiple 
pathways to enter the profession.
    Across the nation, there is a workforce deficit in the high-needs 
areas of special education and STEM education, and northwest North 
Carolina is no exception. The geographic limitations of the region in 
which App State sits have prompted schools and districts to regularly 
request STEM and special education graduates from App State; further, 
the deficit has resulted in a myriad of initiatives and articulations 
to fill the workforce gaps. The college collaborates with the 
Foundation for Public School Children's Teacher Cadet Program and the 
state's Department of Public Instruction's Teaching as a Profession 
Career and Technical Education Program to support partners in 
developing programs to fill the persistent teacher shortage throughout 
the state and region. Appalachian State has trained and partnered with 
almost 30 Teacher Cadet instructors in northwest North Carolina, and 
the college provides mentors, college access resources, and hosts 
Future Educator Days.
    We are constantly examining our recruitment efforts and ways of 
retaining individuals in our respective programs, as well as offering 
flexible, alternative (and traditional) pathways to meet the needs of 
individuals who are preparing to be educators and to keep them in the 
``pipeline'' and progressing toward a degree and/or teaching 
credential. We have and continue to develop programs to address 
educators' continuing education needs and non-traditional enrollment 
pathways, including partnerships with community colleges and P-12 
school districts.
    We are constantly responding to the needs of the market, adapting 
and refining our recruitment and retention efforts and ensuring we 
offer our students the flexibility they need to graduate on time, with 
some of the lowest college debt in the nation. One-third of App State 
students are from rural areas, and one-third are first-generation 
college students. A quarter of them graduate with absolutely no college 
debt.
    An example of this is a collaborative partnership with Caldwell 
County Schools and Caldwell Community College as part of the North 
Carolina Educator Pipeline Collaborative. The four main goals of the 
Collaborative are to (1) Identify and understand the work of successful 
partnerships and programs; (2) Develop a framework for effective 
teacher preparation partnerships across K-12, higher education, and 
workforce development that work to recruit, prepare, support and retain 
a diverse, high-quality educator pipeline; (3) Support a cohort of 
teacher preparation partnerships in developing programs that meet their 
context and community needs; and (4) Share findings and recommendations 
with school districts, institutions of higher education, and state 
leaders to promote best practices and advocate for policies and 
programs that will have a lasting impact on the teacher pipeline.
    This initiative can help to remove barriers and enhance and extend 
efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain highly qualified teachers. 
Additionally, they incentivize and support candidates to take advantage 
of the Associates Degree in Teacher Preparation at the community 
college and transfer to a four-year institution to complete their 
bachelor's degree with an initial teacher license credential. Further 
collaborations with districts and community colleges to develop similar 
pathways are ongoing.
    Through the Aspire Appalachian co-admission program, we provide a 
seamless pathway for students enrolled at partner community colleges to 
leverage their associate's degrees into bachelor's degrees at App 
State, receiving dedicated academic and financial aid advising 
assistance from both their community college and App State. We continue 
expanding this program and are on track to have agreements in place 
with nearly 30 community colleges by the end of this year.
    Also, College Access Partnerships, or CAP, enhances relationships 
with rural schools, including recruitment efforts and engagement with 
diverse and underserved communities. CAP is made up of several large 
federal and private grant programs which include: GEAR UP (Gaining 
Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), Upward 
Bound, Young Eisner Scholars, College Advising Corps, and Empowering 
Teacher Learning. Its core mission is to build strategic partnerships 
to strengthen local communities through college access and success. The 
support that CAP and the college's Public School Partnerships provide 
to western North Carolina works to reduce barriers and access to higher 
education. Thus, solidifying a pathway for future educators.
    Educator preparation programs are working diligently to respond to 
the recruitment and replacement needs of schools by increasing 
opportunities for non-traditional candidates through residency 
licensure and graduate certificate programs. For example, we offer 
seven programs for graduate certificate and residency licensure 
candidates that lead to an initial license, which include STEM areas, 
special education, and elementary education.
    Recently, the college expanded its undergraduate program at the new 
App State at Hickory campus to include an initial licensure program in 
elementary education. This will provide opportunities for first-year 
and transfer teacher education candidates. With six community college 
campuses within one hour of the Hickory campus, transfers in that 
region will have greater options to complete their bachelor's degrees 
and initial teaching license.
    Partnerships and collaboration are imperative in recruiting and 
ultimately supporting and graduating strong teachers to engage in the 
teaching and learning processes in classrooms. A very strong focal 
point and aspect of teacher development and support at App State is the 
intentionality of our partnerships at many levels and with multiple 
constituents--we cannot and do not just stay on the mountain.
    Candidates in educator preparation programs have the option to 
return to their home district in which there are MOUs for student 
teaching, allowing them to give back to their local communities. This 
also supports district partners' recruitment efforts, including ``grow 
your own'' initiatives.
    In 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law requiring 
the UNC Board of Governors to establish laboratory schools aimed at 
improving student performance in low-performing schools and to provide 
demonstration sites for the preparation of future teachers and school 
administrators.
    Universities within the UNC System that operate a laboratory school 
partner directly with local school districts to promote evidence-based 
teaching and school leadership, while offering real-world experience to 
the next generation of teachers and principals. UNC System Laboratory 
Schools serve every part of the UNC System mission--teaching, research, 
and public service.
    Currently, at App State, we are developing an apprenticeship 
program at the university's laboratory school, which will attract and 
support non-traditional students to the profession. By targeting 
transfer students from community colleges who have completed an 
associate's degree in Teacher Education, we will provide the 
opportunity for them to stay in their local communities to finish their 
bachelor's degree. The paid apprenticeship program will provide hands-
on experience to candidates in real classroom settings at the 
laboratory school. Apprentices will work alongside experienced 
educators to observe, assist, and gradually take on increasing 
responsibilities in teaching all while completing teacher preparation 
coursework. The goal is to provide flexible and accessible 
opportunities for transfer and non-traditional students.
    Equally important is leading the way to be innovators in 
reimagining education. One example in which we are doing this is 
through the work that is happening at the laboratory school, which is 
operated by App State. Our school, which is a public kindergarten 
through fifth-grade elementary school, has implemented a strategic 
staffing model that is reimagining the roles and responsibilities of 
educators. Moving away from the one-teacher, one-classroom model, the 
lab school is challenging the status quo and rethinking what school can 
and should look like for students and teachers. This has included 
restructuring teaching positions with a focus on workforce design and 
moving to a model that embraces co-teaching and team-based, distributed 
expertise.
    We have also redesigned the school's master schedule to protect and 
increase the amount of time for instructional blocks. This led the lab 
school to implement a four-day instructional week. Teachers and 
students report to school five days a week, but each Friday is an 
Enrichment Day for students. Students are engaged in tutoring, 
interventions, and personalized andexploration-based learning to 
support their academic needs and growth. They also attend clubs and 
choice activities allowing them to explore their curiosities and 
interests. The Enrichment Days are facilitated by App State and local 
community members. Teachers do not have instructional responsibilities 
on the Enrichment Days, but they are heavily engaged inco-planning, 
analyzing student learning data, and their own professional learning 
and growth.
    The laboratory schools are places where we can imagine 
possibilities and turn them into realities both in terms of curriculum 
development and enhancement for teacher education preparation and for 
practicing teachers and children. But we must not keep it to ourselves 
or limit it to just our laboratory school students and educators. We 
are in the process of establishing a Center for Re-Imagining Education. 
The work of this office will initially focus on scaling and replicating 
the innovative work that is currently happening in the App State 
laboratory school. This is hard work. We are asking teachers and school 
leaders to fundamentally think differently about what teaching and 
school should look like. This work is necessary if we want to meet the 
needs of today's students and their families. Serving as an incubator 
for making changes in schools and educator preparation programs alike, 
the Office for Reimagining Education will add value by fostering a 
culture of innovation, empowering educators, enhancing student learning 
experiences, and contributing to the overall advancement of education 
in a rapidly changing world. Laboratory schools inform the work of our 
educator preparation programs, and our educator preparation programs 
inform the work that is happening in laboratory schools. As we 
reimagine schools, we are also reimagining how we prepare future 
teachers and administrators at App State.
    Recruiting is important. Equally important is retaining teachers. 
This is accomplished through supporting individuals throughout their 
programs of study as well as upon their completion as they enter the 
classroom as beginning teachers. As you know, supporting and engaging 
with new and beginning teachers is essential. It is important to make 
the transition from pre-service to in-service as seamless as possible. 
An example of this is the New Teacher Support Program, which provides 
coaching and professional development for beginning teachers in their 
first three years. The goal of the program is to improve beginning 
teacher effectiveness and promote teacher retention, both of which 
contribute to student achievement.
    Through the work that has been described from the examples shared 
with you today, you can see App State is intentionally focused on 
eliminating barriers to preparing highly qualified and effective 
educators.
    From its start as a regional teacher's college to its present-day 
status as one of North Carolina and the nation's leading teacher 
education programs, App State is committed to recruiting, preparing, 
supporting, and placing highly qualified teachers in schools.
    Our alumni embody the spirit of determination. They strive to make 
every classroom not just better--but the best it can be for the 
students they teach and work with each day.
    As one alum noted, ``The Reich College of Education supported my 
academic growth and development as a pre-service teacher while 
nurturing a passion for teacher leadership through the plethora of 
student engagement opportunities. They provide the infrastructure for 
more than student success, but also for teacher success, which is the 
epitome of what a teacher preparation program should do.''
    As Dean of App State's College of Education, I am immensely proud 
to be part of continuing App State's legacy of preparing extraordinary 
teachers. Of course, none of our accomplishments would be possible 
without the support we receive from the North Carolina General Assembly 
and UNC System Board of Governors. I am grateful to our state 
legislators and the taxpayers of North Carolina who help ensure that 
the UNC System remains the crown jewel of our state, the economic 
engine of our workforce, and an exemplar for the nation.
    Thank you so much for allowing me to share with you today all the 
great work being done at App State (and specifically how to enhance and 
increase the number of teachers in today's schools and classrooms) as 
we prepare tomorrow's education leaders to make meaningful 
contributions inside and outside the classroom. Thank you!
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Bean. Dr. Spooner, you did great, thank you so 
much, and I appreciate the insight. Mr. El-Mekki, thank you so 
much. You are recognized. Welcome to the Committee.

    STATEMENT OF MR. SHARIF EL-MEKKI, CEO, CENTER FOR BLACK 
        EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT, ELKINS PARK, PENNSYLVANIA

    Mr. El-Mekki. Thank you so much, Chairman Bean, Ranking 
Member Hayes, and esteemed members of the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce. Thank you for the opportunity to 
address you on the critical need to increase educator diversity 
to better serve all students.
    My name is Sharif El-Mekki, I am the Founder and CEO of the 
Center for Black Educator Development, dedicated to rebuilding 
the national black teacher pipeline. As an educator and a 
principal, I realized that many students rarely encounter 
teachers who look like them. This disparity is a national 
crisis.
    Research consistently shows that all students benefit from 
a diverse teaching workforce. Teachers of color bring unique 
perspectives that enrich learning environment serve as role 
models, reduce stereotypes, and foster cross-culture 
understanding.
    For students of color, having teachers who share their 
backgrounds leads to improved student performance, higher 
graduation rates, and increased college enrollment.
    Studies show that black students who have one black teacher 
by third grade are 13 percent more likely to enroll in college, 
and if they have 2, that spikes up to 32 percent. For white 
students, exposure to diverse educators prepares them for a 
multi-cultural society and it enhances problem-solving and 
critical-thinking skills.
    Despite black students making up about 15 percent of the 
student population, black teachers comprise only about 7 
percent of the teaching workforce. This gap reflects systemic 
barriers that prevent black individuals from entering and 
remaining in the profession. Students with disabilities from 
marginalized communities face compounded challenges.
    Diverse educators are more likely to implement inclusive 
practices, and advocate for all students, fulfilling the 
promises of the Individuals with the Disabilities Education 
Act, IDEA, and unfortunately, there is a significant shortage 
of special education teachers exacerbating disparities for 
students with disabilities.
    Several barriers hinder the recruitment and retention of 
diverse educators, the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified 
teacher shortages, enrollment in teacher preparation programs 
have dropped significantly, disproportionately affecting 
educators of color in high need areas like special ed.
    The high cost of teacher preparation programs and unpaid 
student teaching, disproportionately impacts candidates from 
low-income communities. Lack of mentorship, professional 
development, and leadership pathways leads to higher attrition 
rates amongst educators of color.
    At the Center for Black Educator Development, we introduce 
teaching as a viable and esteemed career path early, through 
high school academies, pre-apprenticeship programs, and the We 
Need Black Teachers Campaign.
    We develop mentorship programs, offer professional 
development, and ensure educator programs equip teachers to 
support students with disabilities effectively.
    We advocate for scholarships, stipends and access to loan 
forgiveness programs to alleviate financial burdens, and 
importantly, we push for paid training opportunities, 
understanding that unpaid periods can be prohibitive for 
individuals from low-income backgrounds.
    Allow me to share the store of Amir Williams, a 2024 
graduate who participated in our programs, both in high school 
and in college. Upon graduation, he was hired to teach at his 
alma mater. As one of only two black men in his teacher prep 
program, our support provided him with the community, network 
and skills necessary for him to be successful.
    His journey, and many others, exemplifies how supportive 
rigorous pathways can lead to successful outcomes without 
lowering professional standards.
    We also host the annual Black Men in Education convening, 
the largest gathering of black male educators in the country, 
bringing together over 1,000 educators for professional 
development workshops, discussions and networking.
    I extend an invitation for each of you to attend our 
upcoming event in November. Educator diversity is essential for 
educational equity and excellence. By bringing diverse voices 
into our classrooms, we enrich the learning environment for all 
students, especially those from marginalized communities, and 
students with disabilities.
    I urge this Committee to support Federal programs like the 
Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence, that directly 
address educator diversity.
    Invest in innovative, rigorous, alternative pathways that 
offer accessible and paid routes into teaching, and systems 
that improve the working conditions once they get into the 
schools, and support organizations and coalitions like the 
Women and Teachers of Color, and National Board for 
Professional Teaching Standards.
    Enhanced IDEA implementation by preparing educators to meet 
the needs of students with disabilities, and addressing 
shortages in special education teachers, and address financial 
barriers by providing financial support during training 
periods, loan forgiveness and scholarships.
    Together, we can build an education system that reflects 
our country's rich diversity and upholds the promise of equal 
opportunity for every child. Thank you for your time and 
dedication to this critical issue. I look forward to your 
questions.
    [The Statement of Mr. El-Mekki follows:]

 Statement of Dr. Mr. Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Center for Black Educator 
                 Development, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

Introduction

    Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member Bobby Scott, and esteemed members 
of the Committee on Education and the Workforce:
    Thank you for the opportunity to address you today on a matter that 
is pivotal to the future of education in our nation--the imperative of 
increasing educator diversity to better serve all students. Imagine a 
young student stepping into a classroom and seeing a teacher who not 
only understands their cultural background but also reflects their own 
aspirations--a mentor who can guide them through shared experiences. 
This is the transformative power of educator diversity. My name is 
Sharif El-Mekki. I have more than 25 years of experience as an educator 
and advocate, I serve as the founder and CEO of the Center for Black 
Educator Development. Our mission is to rebuild the national Black 
teacher pipeline and, more broadly, to enhance educator diversity 
across the country.

The Critical Need for Educator Diversity

    I was lucky enough to have dozens of teachers of color throughout 
my PK--12th grade education. However, once I became a teacher, the 
parents of my students often told me I was the only Black man to ever 
teach their children. Later, as a principal, I realized that the lack 
of teacher applicants of color was not just a problem in Philadelphia, 
where I was a principal for 16 years, it was a national crisis. 
Research has consistently demonstrated that all students benefit from a 
diverse teaching workforce. Teachers of color bring unique 
perspectives, experiences, and cultural understandings that enrich the 
learning environment for all students. They serve as role models, 
reduce stereotypes, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
    For students of color, having teachers who share their racial or 
ethnic background can lead to improved academic performance, higher 
graduation rates, and increased college enrollment. Research shows that 
students of color who have at least one teacher of color may perform 
better on standardized tests and are less likely to face disciplinary 
actions. For white students, exposure to diverse educators helps 
prepare them for a multicultural society and global workforce. Studies 
also indicate that white students show improved problem-solving, 
critical thinking, and creativity when they have diverse teachers.
    At the Center for Black Educator Development, we are deeply focused 
on the need to increase the number of Black teachers in this country.
    Specifically, studies have shown that Black students benefit 
significantly from having Black teachers. Black students who have even 
one Black teacher by third grade are 13% more likely to enroll in 
college. With two Black teachers, that likelihood increases to 32%. 
Black teachers serve as role models, mentors, and advocates who 
understand the cultural and social contexts of their students, 
fostering a sense of belonging and boosting academic achievement.
    However, despite Black students comprising approximately 15% of the 
student population, Black teachers make up only about 7% of the 
teaching workforce. This disparity is not just a statistical concern 
but a reflection of systemic barriers that prevent Black individuals 
from entering and remaining in the teaching profession.

Impact on Students with Disabilities

    It is also crucial to recognize the intersectionality of race, 
ethnicity, and disability. Students with disabilities, particularly 
those from marginalized communities, face compounded challenges in 
accessing quality education. The Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with disabilities are 
entitled to a free appropriate public education tailored to their 
individual needs.
    Educator diversity plays a vital role in fulfilling the promises of 
IDEA. Diverse teachers are more likely to implement inclusive practices 
and advocate for the needs of all students. They bring cultural 
competencies that can enhance the educational experiences of students 
with disabilities, ensuring they receive equitable support and 
opportunities. Conversely, Black students with Black teachers are less 
likely to be erroneously referred to receive special education 
services.
    Moreover, there is a significant shortage of special education 
teachers, particularly among educators of color. According to recent 
studies, special education teachers of color are leaving the classroom 
at higher rates due to systemic challenges and a lack of support. This 
shortage exacerbates the disparities faced by students with 
disabilities in marginalized communities, highlighting the urgent need 
to address this issue.

Challenges in Building a Diverse Educator Workforce

    Despite the clear benefits, significant barriers hinder the 
recruitment and retention of diverse educators. The COVID-19 pandemic 
has exacerbated teacher shortages across the nation.
    According to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher 
Education (AACTE), enrollment in teacher preparation programs dropped 
by an additional 20% since 2020. This decline disproportionately 
affects educators of color and those in high-need areas like special 
education.
    Special education faces one of the highest teacher shortage areas. 
The U.S. Department of Education reported a 17% vacancy rate in special 
education teaching positions in 2022.
    Teachers of color in special education are leaving the classroom at 
higher rates due to systemic challenges and lack of support.
    The high cost of teacher preparation programs and certification 
exams disproportionately affects candidates from low-income 
communities. Teacher candidates are often required to complete unpaid 
student teaching experiences, which can last several months. For many, 
the inability to earn an income during this period creates an 
insurmountable barrier to entering the profession.
    Teacher candidates are often required to complete extensive unpaid 
student teaching assignments, sometimes lasting up to a year. For 
individuals from lower-income backgrounds, this loss of income is a 
significant barrier. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found 
that unpaid training periods contribute to the lack of diversity in the 
teaching profession.
    Many institutions express a commitment to diversity but lack 
effective strategies to attract candidates from underrepresented 
backgrounds. Recruitment efforts often fail to reach potential 
educators of color and those interested in special education.
    Once in the profession, educators of color frequently encounter 
environments lacking in mentorship, professional development, and 
pathways to leadership positions. This lack of support contributes to 
higher attrition rates.

Alternative Pathways to the Teaching Profession

    In towns and cities across the nation, schools face the pressing 
challenge of teacher shortages and a lack of diversity among educators. 
To address these issues, communities are turning to innovative, 
alternative pathways to bring passionate, qualified individuals into 
the classroom--pathways that maintain rigor and competitiveness without 
lowering the threshold of becoming an educator.
    Imagine a dedicated paraprofessional who has spent years assisting 
in classrooms, building relationships with students, and understanding 
the unique needs of their community. Programs like the collaboration 
between College UnBound and the Equity Institute are turning this 
scenario into reality by providing meaningful support for teaching 
assistants to earn their bachelor's degrees. This initiative has seen a 
staggering 400% increase in applications and boasts a 97% retention 
rate for participants. Such success stories highlight how investing in 
local talent not only fills teaching positions but also enriches 
schools with educators who are deeply rooted in the communities they 
serve.
    Similarly, the National Center for Grow Your Own is making 
significant strides by offering technical assistance to state and local 
education agencies interested in launching ``Grow Your Own'' (GYO) 
programs in partnership with educator preparation providers. These 
programs tackle staff shortages head-on and build long-term pipelines 
for future teachers and school leaders. By removing financial barriers 
and providing paid training opportunities, GYO programs attract 
aspiring educators who might otherwise be unable to pursue this career 
path, leading to higher retention rates and increased diversity among 
educators.
    Residents at the Alder Graduate School of Education dive into 
immersive, hands-on training by working directly in the schools where 
they will eventually teach. Guided by experienced mentors, these 
residents blend theory with practice, preparing them to become 
effective educators from day one. The program's impact is evident, with 
90% of residents expressing strong positive evaluations of their 
experience.
    Another inspiring example is the City Teaching Alliance, where 
teacher residents earn a master's degree from a higher education 
partner, receive dual certification, and benefit from personalized 
support. Importantly, these programs maintain high standards of rigor 
and competitiveness, ensuring that the quality of education is upheld. 
The results speak volumes: 91% of participants who complete the program 
continue to teach, and 90% report that the program equipped them with 
the necessary skills to be effective in the classroom.
    On a federal level, initiatives like the Augustus F. Hawkins 
Centers of Excellence Program play a crucial role in advancing educator 
diversity. By providing grants to strengthen teacher preparation 
programs at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions 
(MSIs), the Hawkins Program ensures that educators of color are well-
prepared to meet the demands of today's classrooms. Continuing to fund 
and support these programs is essential for cultivating a teaching 
workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our student populations.
    By embracing these alternative pathways, which are both rigorous 
and accessible, we are not only addressing immediate challenges but 
also laying the foundation for a more inclusive and effective 
educational system. It is a collective effort that recognizes and 
nurtures talent from within our communities, ensuring that every 
classroom is led by an educator who is both highly qualified and deeply 
connected to the students they teach.

What the Center for Black Educator Development Is Doing

    Of course, I would be remiss if I did not talk about what we are 
doing at the Center for Black Educator Development. Simply put, we are 
driving revolutionary approaches to rebuild the educator pipeline and 
increase diversity within the teaching profession.
    We introduce teaching as a viable and esteemed career path to 
students of all backgrounds early in their educational journeys. 
Through high school teaching academies, learning communities, and 
initiatives like our Teaching Academy pre-apprenticeship programming 
and our national #WeNeedBlackTeachers campaign, we ignite interest and 
provide foundational knowledge about the teaching profession. By 
engaging students from a young age, we cultivate a passion for 
education and empower them to envision themselves as future educators.
    We develop mentorship programs that connect new educators with 
experienced mentors who share similar backgrounds or experiences. Our 
professional development offerings focus on leadership skills, cultural 
competency, and inclusive practices. By fostering supportive 
relationships and a community of practice, we enhance retention and 
career advancement for educators of color.
    We ensure that our educator preparation programs equip all teachers 
with the skills to support students with disabilities effectively. Our 
training emphasizes inclusive practices and collaboration with special 
education professionals. By preparing educators to meet the diverse 
needs of all students, we uphold the principles of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and promote educational equity.
    Recognizing the financial barriers that often deter candidates from 
underrepresented groups, we advocate for scholarships, stipends, and 
access to loan forgiveness programs. Through partnerships with 
educational institutions and philanthropic organizations, we provide 
financial support to alleviate economic burdens, making the teaching 
profession more accessible to diverse candidates. Importantly, we also 
advocate for paid training opportunities for teacher candidates, 
understanding that unpaid training periods can be prohibitive for 
individuals from lower-income backgrounds.
    We actively advocate for policies that promote educator diversity 
and support programs like the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of 
Excellence. Through collaboration with policymakers, educational 
leaders, and community stakeholders, we seek legislative action that 
provides the necessary resources and framework for systemic change. Our 
advocacy efforts aim to create sustainable impact at local, state, and 
federal levels.

The Story of Imere Williams

    Allow me to illustrate the impact of our work with the story of 
Imere Williams, a 2024 graduate of West Chester University. Imere 
participated in our paid teacher pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship 
programs during high school and throughout his college years. Upon 
graduation, he was hired to teach at his alma mater.
    For students like Imere--one of only two Black men in his teacher 
preparation program--our ongoing engagement provided support and a 
network of other young Black men aspiring to lead their own classrooms. 
He navigated the challenges of a less diverse teacher college with the 
backing of a community that understood his experiences. Our programs 
offered him early exposure, clinical experiences, and financial support 
that encouraged him to join the critical profession of teaching.Imere's 
journey exemplifies how alternative pathways that are rigorous and 
supportive can lead to successful outcomes without lowering the 
standards of the profession. He is one of dozens of Black youths who, 
through our high school and college programming, received formal 
invitations to join this critical profession. Organizations like ours 
play a critical role in this ecosystem by not only rebuilding a Black 
Teacher Pipeline but also strengthening it and addressing its many 
leaks.

Black Men in Education Convening

    I also want to mention that we host the largest gathering of Black 
educators in the country annually--the Black Men in Education Convening 
(#BMEC2024). The event occurs in November each year and brings together 
more than 1,000 Black educators from across the country for workshops, 
panel discussions, and networking opportunities in Philadelphia. This 
conference, a platform for celebrating achievements, highlights best 
practices, and offers space for social-emotional well-being, 
reinforcing the importance of Black male educators in the teaching 
profession.
    I would be delighted to formally invite each of you to attend our 
upcoming event on [insert dates], at [location]. Your presence would 
underscore the importance of this issue and provide an opportunity to 
engage directly with educators who are making a difference in 
classrooms across the nation. We will send additional information 
following this testimony.

Conclusion

    The pursuit of educator diversity is not merely a matter of 
representation; it is a critical component of educational equity and 
excellence. By bringing a multitude of voices and experiences into our 
classrooms, we enrich the learning environment for all students--
especially those from marginalized communities and students with 
disabilities.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the challenges we face, 
leading to increased teacher shortages, particularly in special 
education. Financial barriers, such as unpaid training periods, 
continue to deter talented individuals from entering the profession. 
Through intentional efforts and innovative programs that maintain high 
standards, we can overcome these obstacles.
    Imere's story is a testament to what can be achieved when systemic 
barriers are dismantled and supportive pathways into the teaching 
profession are established. Organizations like ours play a vital role 
in rebuilding and strengthening the Black Teacher Pipeline, addressing 
leaks that often deter talented individuals from pursuing careers in 
education.

I urge the Committee to take decisive action by:

      Supporting Federal Programs: Expand funding and support 
for initiatives like the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence that 
directly address educator diversity.
      Investing in Alternative Pathways: Encourage the 
development of innovative programs that offer flexible, accessible, and 
paid routes into teaching, ensuring they remain rigorous and 
competitive without lowering professional standards.
      Enhancing IDEA Implementation: Ensure that the principles 
of IDEA are fully realized by preparing educators to meet the needs of 
students with disabilities and addressing the acute shortages in 
special education teachers.
      Addressing Financial Barriers: Implement policies that 
provide financial support for teacher candidates, including stipends 
during training periods, loan forgiveness, and scholarships, to make 
the profession accessible to individuals from lower-income backgrounds.

    Our collective commitment to these strategies will have a profound 
impact on the lives of students across the nation. Together, we can 
build an education system that reflects the rich diversity of our 
country and upholds the promise of equal opportunity for every child.
    Thank you for your time and dedication to this critical issue. I 
welcome any questions you may have and look forward to the possibility 
of your attendance at our upcoming Black Men in Education Convening in 
November.
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Bean. Nailed it. Thank you so much, Mr. El-Mekki, 
thank you very much. Our final witness is Dr. Greg Mendez, 
welcome to the Committee, and you are recognized for 5 minutes.

 STATEMENT OF DR. GREG MENDEZ, PRINCIPAL, SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL, 
               MESA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MESA, ARIZONA

    Mr. Mendez. Good morning. Thank you, Dr. Foxx, Chairman 
Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, and members of the Committee. 
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. As a 
high school principal, I have witnesses firsthand what the 
traditional methods of teacher prep programs are struggling to 
meet the evolving needs of not only our students, but the 
demands of educators as well.
    The current model of teaching where one teacher works 
individually with a group of learners in a classroom, or a 
small box inside of a larger box that we call school, promotes 
unrealistic expectations by assuming individual teachers 
working in isolation can meet the needs of all students.
    Unfortunately, the teacher prep programs not only promote 
this, but exacerbate it, by selling the idea that one person 
can do the job of many and meet the needs of all students. 
Today I will discuss my story about building team-based models 
in schools, and their benefits as well as some concerns 
associated with the current traditional teacher prep programs 
that limit our ability to hire a workforce to meet the needs of 
our students.
    Restructuring our learning environments is necessary to not 
only meet the demands of students, but the working conditions 
in which our teachers work as well. Developing team-based 
models was our entry point. This model emphasizes working in 
teams, a specialization in skills and pedagogy, and pathways 
for community members to contribute to a learning environment.
    When we began to think about team-based teaching in our 
school a few tenants were established. No. 1, a team will have 
multiple adults with distributed experience. No. 2, they will 
share a roster of students. During our first iteration of 
building teams, we noticed our teachers collaborating more, 
solving problems, working synergistically at deeper levels to 
improve the outcomes for not only students, but their own 
working conditions.
    We saw an increase in job satisfaction, innovation, and 
perhaps most important, on-the-job professional development. As 
we partnered with Arizona State University and their initiative 
called The Next Education Workforce, we were able to have a 
thought partner in what the design of our teacher workforce 
could be.
    To that end, we began to place student teachers on teams at 
our school. In short, our student teachers who were on teams, 
grew as professionals, and were more prepared to meet the 
demands of a 21st Century student body than teachers who were 
not on teams. This is a good start. However, there's a lot of 
work to be done. As I interview teachers year in and year out, 
it is evident that teacher prep programs are still producing 
teachers that are suited for a one teacher, one classroom 
model.
    A few areas that stand out to me. There is a focus on 
scripted one-size fits all lessons, and there is a focus on 
specific grade level and content area only. These constraints 
present problems when trying to hire educators, especially in a 
team-based model. Instead of being able to hire a specialized 
teacher in project-based learning, differentiated assessment, 
competency-based learning, and placing them on a team, I am 
confined to hiring simply a 9 through 12 math teacher.
    Because of this approach, teachers who are training in the 
traditional prep programs are expected to be all things to all 
kids. This simply is not possible. Teachers are often ill-
prepared and graduate from a program with a strong passion for 
content knowledge, but not a continuum of teaching skills.
    We are reaching to improve programs. No. 1, focus 
certifications on skills and pedagogy, rather than rigid grade 
level bands and content areas only. Specialization in critical 
areas such as literacy, numeracy, assessment design, real world 
application, relevancy, and designed thinking prepare student 
teachers to work collaboratively, reflecting the realities of 
the job today.
    By experiencing teaching in teams during their preparation, 
aspiring teachers can learn to leverage the strength and 
expertise of their colleagues, enhancing their own learning, 
and create more opportunities for working adults in our 
community to obtain specializations and contribute to the 
learning experience without undergoing an exhaustive 
preparation program.
    These are all transferrable across grade levels and content 
areas, broadening the impact, and expanding the pool of 
educators. By moving toward specialization, and creating 
pathways for our community members to contribute, the 
conditions to build a more robust and effective teacher 
workforce can begin.
    When school reform or redesign is on the table, school 
leaders often create and establish lofty goals. However, author 
James Clearwood states, ``You don't rise to the level of your 
goals, you fall to the level of your systems.'' As such, a more 
intentional focus should be placed on improving our teacher 
prep programs if you want to improve our outcomes for our 
students and teachers.
    In closing, I ask that you consider the potential of team-
based teaching models in schools and support the effort to 
transform teacher prep programs for the benefit of our 
educators, our students, and the future of our educational 
system. Thank you.
    [The Statement of Mr. Mendez follows:]

  Statement of Dr. Greg Mendez, Principal, Skyline High School, Mesa 
                     Public Schools, Mesa, Arizona

    Good morning, Chairwoman Foxx, Chairman Bean, Ranking Member 
Bonamici, and members of the committee:
    Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. As a high 
school principal, I have witnessed firsthand where the traditional 
methods of teacher prep programs are struggling to meet the evolving 
needs of not only our students, but the needs of educators as well. The 
current model of teaching, where one teacher works individually with a 
group of learners in a classroom, or a small box inside of a larger box 
that we call school, promotes unrealistic expectations by assuming 
individual teachers working in isolation can meet the needs of all 
students. Unfortunately, the teacher prep programs not only promote 
this, but exacerbate it as well by selling the idea that one person can 
do the job of many and meet the needs of all students.
    Today, I will discuss my story about building team-based models in 
schools and their benefits, as well as some concerns associated with 
the current traditional teacher preparation programs that limit our 
ability to hire a workforce to meet the needs of our students.
    Restructuring our learning environments is necessary to not only 
meet the needs of the students, but the working conditions in which our 
teachers work as well. Developing team-based models was our entry 
point. This model emphasizes working in teams, a specialization in 
skills and pedagogy, and pathways for community members to contribute 
to the learning environments.When we began to think about team-based 
teaching in our school, a few tenets were established:

        1. A team will have multiple adults with distributed expertise.
        2. Shared roster of students.

    During our first iteration of building teams, we noticed our 
teachers collaborating more, solving problems, and working 
synergistically at deeper levels to improve the outcomes for not only 
students, but their own working conditions. We saw an increase in job 
satisfaction, innovation, and perhaps most important, on the job 
professional development.
    As we partnered with Arizona State University and their initiative 
called the Next Education Workforce, we were able to have a thought 
partner in what the design of our teacher workforce could be. To that 
end, we began to place student teachers on teams at our school. In 
short, our student teachers who were on teams grew as professionals and 
were more prepared to meet the needs of a 21st century student body 
than teachers who were not on teams.
    This is a good start. However, there is work to be done. As I 
interview teachers year in and year out, it is evident that teacher 
prep programs are still producing teachers that are suited for a one 
teacher, one classroom model.
    A few areas that stand out:

        1. There is a focus on scripted, one-size fits all lessons.
        2. The focusing is on a specific grade level and content area 
        only.

    These constraints present problems when trying to hire educators, 
especially in a team-based model. Instead of being able to hire a 
specialized teacher in project-based learning, differentiated 
assessments, or competency based learning, and placing them on a team, 
I am confined to hiring a 9-12 general math teacher.
    Because of this approach, teachers who are prepared in the 
traditional teacher prep programs are expected to be all things to all 
students. This simply is not possible. Teachers are often ill-prepared 
and graduate from a program with a strong passion for content 
knowledge, but not a continuum of specialized teaching skills.
    Where can we improve teacher preparation programs?

        1. Focus certifications on skills and pedagogy rather than 
        rigid grade-level bands and content areas only
        2. Specialization in critical areas such as literacy, numeracy, 
        assessment design, real world application, relevancy, and 
        design thinking.
        3. Prepare student teachers to work collaboratively, reflecting 
        the realities of the job today. By experiencing teaching in 
        teams during their preparation, aspiring teachers can learn to 
        leverage the strengths and expertise of their colleagues, 
        enhancing their own learning.
        4. Create more opportunities for working adults in our 
        community to obtain specializations and contribute to the 
        learning experience without undergoing an exhaustive 
        preparation program.

    These are all transferable across grade levels and content areas, 
broadening the potential impact and expanding the pool of educators. By 
moving towards specialization, and creating pathways for community 
members to contribute, the conditions to build a more robust and 
effective teacher workforce can begin.
    When school reform or redesign is on the table, school leaders 
often create and establish lofty goals. However, author James Clear, 
states, ``you don't rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the 
level of your systems.'' As such, a more intentional focus should be 
placed on improving our teacher prep programs if we want to improve our 
outcomes for students and teachers.
    In closing, I ask you to consider the potential of team-based 
models in schools, and support the efforts to transform teacher 
preparation for the benefit of our educators, our students, and the 
future of our educational system.
    Thank you.
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Bean. Dr. Mendez, thank you very much. All our 
panelists, you did great, and under the Committee Rule 9, we 
will now give you some questions to further explore the 
discussion of the teacher shortage, is there a problem in 
America? We will talk about that. Under the 5-minute rule, I 
now recognize myself for 5 minutes.
    Toss up, is the warning light on? Do we have to do 
something different? Anybody want to jump in? Is that true? We 
have got to change.
    Dr. Basile.
    Ms. Basile. 100 percent.
    Chairman Bean. 100 percent, so the warning light on we have 
got to do something different because it is not working right, 
right now. Principal Greg, you are on the front line. Are you 
having a hard time hiring teachers and keeping them there?
    Mr. Mendez. Yes, every day. I think being able to find 
qualified teachers who wanted to do the job, and it is very 
challenging, how or when we do get them, we do get them into 
model, we do believe we are retaining them at a higher rate. 
They are enjoying their profession, but getting their foot in 
the door has been a definite challenge.
    Chairman Bean. Very good. Now, both you and Dr. Basile both 
have talked about teams. What does that mean? If I am a 
student, what will that mean? Does that mean there are two 
teachers coming in, or multiple teachers coming in? What will I 
notice the difference as a student? Anybody?
    Dr. Basile.
    Ms. Basile. We define teams as at least two teaches sharing 
a roster of students, right? A double roster. We talk about it 
like this. In what happens right now as you take a group of 
students, you say here are your 25 kids, your 25 kids, your 25, 
or maybe 30 or maybe 60, depending on where you live.
    We hope, right, that every one of those teachers are the 
same, and every kid is going to get the same kind of 
experience, and they are not, because one of those teachers 
might be a brand new teacher. One of them might be an emergency 
teacher. One might be somebody who came in, who was an engineer 
coming back, and somebody might have 15 years of experience.
    What we are saying in teams is how do all those people 
then, those four people because which one do you want for your 
kid? Do you want all of them? How do you look at kids, that 
same group of kids, look at the variance of those kids, the 
needs of those kids, and now build teams of adults around those 
kids that address the needs, teams of adults that have 
expertise that address the needs.
    Chairman Bean. If I am in the classroom it could be Ms. 
Jones 1 day. It could be Mr. Rogers the next day. They are 
interchangeable as heads of the teaching?
    Ms. Basile. You are in a classroom, and you have all four 
teachers.
    Chairman Bean. Right. There are four, yes, there are four, 
and they are coming, and when you are not teaching, and you are 
part of the team and you are not teaching, what are you doing?
    Ms. Basile. You are always teaching.
    Chairman Bean. You are always teaching.
    Ms. Basile. You are just grouping. You have a small group. 
You have a different small group. You are always teaching.
    Chairman Bean. Okay.
    Ms. Basile. Or you are planning, but you are always 
working.
    Chairman Bean. Your high school utilizes this method, Dr. 
Mendez. Is it working? Is that working, to have multiple 
teachers for each class?
    Mr. Mendez. Yes. I think the first impact that happens is 
by wrapping, like at our school, our teams are five teachers 
and a special education teacher, so six total, around 150 kids, 
180 kids maximum. If you are in that roster the first thing 
that happens is the students are known.
    One of our goals in our district is to know every kid by 
name, serve them by strength and graduate them ready for a 
college career community. With that, with having a team, a 
student getting known is No. 1. Meeting their needs is No. 2, 
but those teachers are collaborating, they are co-creating and 
co-designing lessons, and learning experience for students.
    At times there are multiple teachers in the room. At times 
there is not. It still is high school. Algebra, we taught at 
algebra, world history is world history, government is 
government, however, the impact is that teachers collectively 
can share their expertise to design better learning experiences 
to honestly meet the needs of all kids. When we say all kids, 
we do mean all kids, 10-4.
    Chairman Bean. No, 10-4. It is working. It is good. I would 
imagine when I am part of a team I think everybody does better, 
and I see that, and that is, I know, a complaint of teachers. I 
am not supported. I am by myself. I want to have somebody. No, 
this is something that we all need to explore the team 
approach.
    Dr. Spooner, we have been told, or at least it is hard for 
folks that are not--that are experts in their field, but are 
not coming to the educational path they want to teach. Like if 
you know Bill Gates wanted to teach computers, or Elon Musk 
wanted to teach science, that they would not--they just could 
not come in the classroom, the barriers are so high to people 
who have expertise and want to give back.
    Is that true? What can we do to welcome Elon Musk and Bill 
Gates to the teaching arena?
    Ms. Spooner. I would say that is true in many instances. We 
do have opportunities, and we are working through some 
possibilities, and again, strategically we need to think about 
what it for the children in the classrooms is that they need to 
know, before we begin looking at experts in disciplines.
    For example, we have built certificate programs where 
individuals can come into the profession, such as Bill Gates, 
or someone who may have a mathematic major.
    Chairman Bean. Is it too hard right now? Would you say it 
is too hard? Is that an area we need to look at to make it 
easier for?
    Ms. Spooner. It is an area, yes. It is an area that we all 
need to look at to make sure that we are doing--the word 
``streamlining'' was used, to make sure that we are 
streamlining, working with individuals to meet the needs of--
or, meet their experience needs, and what that looks like in 
the classroom, and develop more streamlined programs, so that a 
person comes into the profession not doing a 4-year, but doing 
maybe a----
    Chairman Bean. Noted. No, no, you made your point.
    Ms. Spooner. Yes.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you very much.
    Ms. Spooner. Thank you.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you all for questions. Let us go to 
the Ranking Member now from the great State of Connecticut, Ms. 
Hayes, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
    Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. Thank you to our witnesses for being 
here today. I would first like to note that I am a teacher, and 
teaching is a profession, not an arena, not something that 
people just show up and start to do the job. It takes a 
tremendous amount of training, of skill, of practice, of 
pedagogy in order to do it.
    I have read all of your testimony, and I have heard you 
today, and I agree with you all about the need to fully fund 
IDEA, about teacher shortages, about paying in some of these 
programs, but there was something that I did not hear that I 
would like to focus my attention on today.
    As I said, I am a teacher. I went through traditional 
teacher preparation programs. My undergraduate degree was in 
history and secondary education. In my State, a master's degree 
is required, so I went on to get a master's degree in 
curriculum instruction. Then went on to get an advanced degree 
in education, which is required in Connecticut to be a 
department head, an administrator or principal.
    I had 9 years of teacher preparation training at teacher 
preparation colleges, and one of the things that was lacking 
from all of that training, and I bring this up today because 
this is a hearing on equipping--properly equipping America's 
educators. That was trauma informed instructional practices.
    I could have never been prepared in all of those 9 years of 
training for the death of peers of my students, having to be a 
grief counselor for school shootings. I was in the classroom 
when Sandy Hook occurred just eight miles down the road from 
us. I was in the classroom on 9/11.
    Students coming in with families that are struggling with 
addiction, divorce, moving, all of those traumatic experiences 
gravely impacted students' ability to learn. Trauma has a 
significant impact on the ability of students to learn and 
behave in the classroom and interact socially. It can also lead 
to lower academic performances, more school absences, and an 
increased dropout rate.
    Too often I saw my colleagues referring students for 
discipline, as opposed to getting to the root cause of the 
trauma, and the environments that they were growing in that 
were prohibiting them from thriving. Trauma informed education 
can help schools identify, address and manage traumatic stress.
    It can also include examining the impacts of factors, such 
as racism, poverty and community violence. Mr. El-Mekki, thank 
you so much for being here. My question is for you. What 
measures can be taken to provide professional development for 
teachers, so that they can better support students who have 
faced traumatic experiences?
    Additionally, what are some of the barriers we see to 
providing those things? It has been my experience that many 
people enter the profession bright-eyed and optimistic, and are 
worn out after a few short years, not because of the academic 
rigor, but because of all of the other things that they have no 
control over.
    Mr. El-Mekki. Absolutely, and thank you for raising this 
very important point. My 26 years as a teacher and a principal 
were all in three Title I schools. The ability to provide 
support, both to the teachers, as well as the students, 
included social workers and counselors, and ongoing 
professional development, and while we were in the classroom.
    I was also in the school during 9/11, but it would also 
push that beforehand we need people who are aware of that in 
the educative prep programming. Many of them have not been in 
that space for a pretty long time and are ill-equipped at times 
to prepare teachers and other staff to enter schools that need 
this additional support.
    One of the ways that we look at this at the Center for 
Black Educator Development is we have high school students 
engaging in that already because it is a pre-apprenticeship, 
they are teaching first, second and third graders who may 
experience many of the things that you already have spoken 
about.
    Receiving the coaching, the mentoring and the professional 
development as early as 9th grade, to think about what does 
this mean, and how does it mean? They have also become stronger 
advocates for themselves about what they need as current 
students, but they are clear eyed, and focused, as they 
matriculate through not only high school, but then choosing 
college, and continuing to work with us as college students.
    This kind of professional development training and support 
bolsters the education, and children have to be well in order 
to learn at high rates.
    Mrs. Hayes. I appreciate that. I appreciate you talking 
about the full spectrum, and not just one class, or one 
training, but ongoing efforts. I introduced the Supporting 
Trauma Informed Instructional Practices Act, which authorizes 
grants designed to help schools improve how they address the 
complex needs of students coping with devastating adverse 
childhood experiences, such as parental addiction, abuse, or 
witnessing violence.
    The bill will develop or improve prevention, screening, 
referral, treatment and support services to students, while 
providing professional development to teachers, school leaders, 
specialized instruction support personnel, and mental health 
professionals.
    These are the types of things that have to be included in 
any teacher preparation program that is attempting to prepare 
student teachers for what they will experience in the 
classroom. My time is expired, with that I yield back.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you very much. Let us go to the great 
State of Utah, where Mr. Burgess Owens is recognized for 5 
minutes.
    Mr. Owens. Thank you. Thank you so much. First of all, I 
want to say how much I appreciate what you guys are doing. 
Innovation is a powerful concept if something is needed so well 
in this particular industry. I have been reminded that it was 
Horace Mann who was the father of public education, who passed 
away 20 years before Alexander Bell said the words, ``Hello, 
Watson.''
    That Hello, Watson has now, because of innovation, risk, 
and a free market, has now turned into our smart phone. 
Unfortunately, the public education is still doing what Horace 
Mann did in the old days. This is so important, and we realize 
this is a national security issue. What you guys are doing, you 
are leading out in terms of how our country will come back and 
be competitive in the end, in one of the areas we need to be 
very, very competitive.
    Thank you so much for that. Dr. Basile, your testimony, you 
recommend that State and local government rewards school 
systems whose innovation leads to demonstratable improvement in 
learning outcomes. What do you think rewards to the school 
systems should consist of?
    Ms. Basile. I think there are two things here. One is we 
are thinking about innovation. First of all, every part of 
government needs to give schools permission to be innovative. 
They cannot hold them back, they need to let them do the kids 
of things, the kind of structural and systemic changes we're 
talking about here.
    Two is that they need to support them financially to make 
sure that these things can happen, that change can happen, that 
innovation can happen. This is not without some financial 
support.
    Mr. Owens. Okay. One of the things that I meant to mention 
also in every industry, a free market rewards success, and it 
also gets rid of failure. We need to bring this to this 
industry. How can we--and I woud like to get this suggestion. 
How can we--or is there some system in which we could start 
rewarding those who truly are good at their occupation, that 
they can literally make enough money that income is not their 
issue, like every other industry we have out there. There is no 
cap.
    At the same time, find ways that those who are not doing 
their job find something else to do. Any suggestions, Dr. 
Basile, with that?
    Ms. Basile. It is a good question. I do not know that I 
have a good answer at this time.
    Mr. Owens. Can anybody address that? I know this is 
something that is so unique and different with this industry 
that we have not addressed yet. We talk innovation, this is the 
time to breakout of the old school way of thinking. How can we 
bring the best in the world, the best in our country to this 
industry if they love teaching, but they just cannot afford to 
do it?
    Any suggestions out there of how State and local government 
collaboration?
    Mr. El-Mekki. I hesitate to suggest that teachers and 
educators are going to make as much as people make in a free 
market, however I would say that salary is a tremendous issue. 
It should not cost money. You should not go into debt to lead a 
classroom. You should not go into debt to lead a school.
    This is absolutely critical. The other part I would say 
that we are talking about teachers, but one of the most 
important levers to ensure that teachers are effective, is 
highly effective principals. There are only 100,000 public 
school principals in this country. They could all fit in Penn 
States Football Stadium. If we cannot get that right, both with 
the salary, the training, the ongoing coaching and mentoring, 
it is going to be a lot harder to support the three and a half 
million teachers, and the 50 million students.
    I would say salaries and loan forgiveness, paid student 
teaching, all of these things, as well as just better designed 
working environments. That takes money, it takes investment to 
create. Teachers should not be isolated. They should be 
coached, mentored.
    When I first became a teacher, I was on my way to law 
school. I decided to become a teacher because some had pointed 
the impact that it could make. I had an instructional coach, 
and I had an in-house mentor. Those are two investments that 
allowed me to flourish.
    Mr. Owens. Okay. Okay. I understand because my dad was a 
college professor 40 years, my mom was a teacher. I know the 
excitement, the passion that those who have this in the 
profession. We need to start thinking differently. I do believe 
there has been ways, like every other industry in our country, 
that free market could be brought into this.
    We have to figure out a way to break out of this mindset. 
We have too many good people leaving the profession to do 
something where they could afford to have a life. We have 
people that would literally come out of different 
organizations, different corporations if they could afford to 
stay within this industry and do the very best for our kids.
    Again, it is a different way of thinking, but we have a 
chance. Now, we are talking innovation, let us kind of put 
everything on the plate. Let us think differently than we have 
the last 150 years. It is time to leave the Horace Mann era and 
come to where we are now looking at smart phone concepts and 
ideas, and breaking the system that has not been working for us 
for so long. With that, I want to yield back. Thank you. Thank 
you so much you, guys.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you very much. Let us go to the great 
State of California, Representative Kiley, you are recognized 
for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Kiley. I thank you, Mr. Chair, for holding this year, a 
very important topic. The reality is we need to be doing a lot 
more to support our teachers, and I say that not just because I 
was a high school teacher, my mom was a special ed teacher, but 
because any educator, or parent or student for that matter can 
tell you that the most important thing when it comes to driving 
educational success is having a highly effective teacher in the 
classroom.
    Right now, the system is not working the way it should, or 
at least it is not getting enough folks into the classroom and 
keeping them there. 86 percent of public schools have said they 
struggled to hire teachers for this school year, and 16 percent 
of teachers left their school between the 2021 and 1921-'22 
school year.
    In fact, enrollment in teacher education, teacher 
preparation programs is just 70 percent of what it was a decade 
ago, and you know, it is understandable why in some sense, 
often preparing to be a teacher, going through a certification 
program, requires years of expensive schooling, and then once 
you do ultimately get in the classroom, teachers often do not 
get paid what they should.
    We definitely need to have alternate pathways into the 
classroom, as several of the witnesses are making possible, but 
then the other side of it is retention. I mean I think that for 
all the years of prep that is often necessary to become a 
teacher, then once you are in the classroom all too often 
teachers are just left to fend for themselves. There is not the 
level of professional development that is needed.
    I think it is under appreciated what a challenging task 
being a teacher is, what a demanding form of leadership it is, 
where you are placed in front of 30-some young people who may 
have a lot of things on their mind on any given day, other than 
what you want to teach them, and so just the classroom 
management aspect of it, and then actually being able to impart 
knowledge when you have people at varying different levels of 
proficiency.
    It could also be isolating, since you are spending hours 
and hours a day without the collaboration of other adults, and 
then, even once the school day is over, teachers could spend 
hours grading papers, getting detailed feedback, and again, not 
necessarily getting the compensation they deserve.
    Then in addition to all of that, we are living in a rapidly 
changing world where the purposes of education were the nature 
of the economy, the demands of our workforce are changing quite 
rapidly. All of that serves to really put the challenges that 
we face or make the challenges that we face quite urgent.
    I am encouraged to see some of the ideas at this hearing. 
One other thing I will mention is that there are also 
opportunities. Just the last couple days, Open AI released its 
new advanced voice assistant, which you know, anybody now on 
their phone could effectively have a personal tutor with 
limitless knowledge that is specifically tailored to your level 
of proficiency.
    These tools--Khan Academy is also incorporating it into its 
offerings. They can also be used for things like grading, for a 
lot of the things that make teaching challenging, scaffolding, 
they can be of assistance. Now, none of that is to say, and to 
deny the teacher student relationship is absolutely 
fundamental.
    I think that the question for the folks here, maybe for the 
principal as well as for our witnesses who run teacher prep 
programs, if you want to weigh in as well, is how should we 
think about these tools when it comes to preparing the next 
generation of teachers?
    Ms. Spooner. Thank you so much. I am sorry--okay. Thank you 
so much for your question. You are absolutely on target in 
terms of the ever-changing landscape of which we find 
ourselves, and that is part of the need that we are looking at 
in terms of we run a kindergarten through fifth grade 
laboratory school, which means we have children in that 
building every day all the time.
    Immersing our candidates, No. 1, into that schooling, into 
other schools, so that they practice, and they see the work, 
but it starts with teacher preparation. In terms of our 
curriculum redesign, our constantly looking at how we look at 
that, and the technologies that we use, and utilizing those 
technologies to develop and help design the work that we do, 
but also to support that, not take it from the work of the 
teacher.
    Because as you have indicated, the teacher student ratio, 
or relationship is so critical. Thank you.
    Mr. Mendez. Just support to your point, working in a team, 
having that expertise spread out across a team of teachers, 
somebody who is well versed in AI, or the technology you are 
speaking of to improve the outcomes for students is very 
important. If we can get to a lot more kids, much more quickly 
if that's spread out across teams, and somebody has that 
experience within that group, or within that school to affect 
the outcome of kids.
    Ms. Basile. Let me just also add around the technology 
piece, because I think it is absolutely right on. We need 
technology, and we need it in the right ways. We need 
technology just to power learning. We need technology to 
actually power teams of teachers so they can work together. We 
need technology that can also power systems and change systems. 
Most data systems, H.R. systems are built around one teacher, 
one classroom models.
    Those systems also need to change, and I believe that AI 
can have a big part to play in all of that. It is broader than 
what is just happening in classrooms. It is the entire system 
and how AI can support the entire system in so many different 
ways, and help us do what we do so much better.
    Mr. Kiley. Thanks very much. I yield back.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you very much, and thank you. Let is 
go to the Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee from 
the great State of North Carolina, it is Dr. Virginia Foxx. You 
are recognized for 5 minutes.
    Mrs. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dean Spooner, thank you 
for your testimony about the work you are doing at the State 
and local level in North Carolina to equip great teachers. I 
have long believed the most important work in schools happens 
at the State and local level.
    You touched on this briefly in your testimony. Could you 
talk a little bit more and keeping in mind I have got two other 
questions to ask. Could you talk more about how you learn from 
local communities about their teacher workforce needs?
    Ms. Spooner. Absolutely, thank you. We have a very strong, 
and this is something that is deep in the DNA of our 
university, and also our program. Partnership, meaning that 
means you meet collaborative. You meet face to face. You go 
into the community, with the superintendents, with the 
partners, that is an advantage that I have at Appalachian to be 
able to sit with them at a minimum, a quarterly basis.
    We also have begun to pull in more of the community college 
partners, Presidents of community colleges to work, so it is an 
intentional purposeful work that we do to collaborate to learn 
from them so they can learn from us. We build it together.
    Mrs. Foxx. Thank you very much. Dr. Basile, I enjoyed my 
visit very much to Arizona State and am really excited about 
what you are doing as well as Appalachian State in terms of the 
teacher preparation programs. You have developed a number of 
connections with neighboring schools.
    There is a focus there also on working at the local level. 
How do you build trust with these districts, and convince them 
to move away from the one teacher, one classroom model?
    Ms. Basile. Change moves at the seed of trust. We say that 
all the time. We also encourage people to start small, all 
right, so we are not walking in, and we are not telling them 
what to do and saying here is how you change your entire school 
at one time. We say look, start with one team. Find a really 
good leader, find a really good team of teachers that are 
really interested in this, who understand what we are trying to 
do, and you start there.
    What happens after that is really pretty amazing, because 
what we have seen in schools, they start with one team, and by 
the end of the year everybody is in teams because people look 
in and say I want to work that way as well. It is helping us to 
retain teachers. It is helping right now that all of the data 
that we are getting back, teachers are more satisfied.
    We are seeing better retention numbers. We are seeing some 
early, early, early student return on student data that is 
positive. All the indicators are positive, and that is helping 
us to build that level of trust.
    Mrs. Foxx. Thank you. Dr. Mendez, as I mentioned to you 
before, we know that the key to a successful school is a good 
principal who hires good teachers, and parental involvement. 
Please tell us more about how you manage the relationships with 
your teachers. When you started to move away from the one 
teacher, one classroom model, how did you ensure teachers would 
buy into the changes?
    Mr. Mendez. Thank you. To kind of echo Dr. Basile there, we 
started with a small team, first and foremost. We spent a lot 
of time reading, discussing, looking at research around the 
power of proximity, the power of collaboration with teachers, 
and once we found a group to start working together, they 
become the marketing firm for the change that's happening on 
the campus, and those teachers begin to speak about their 
working conditions, helping other students more, how their 
students are more engaged.
    With that, we were able to expand our teams beyond where we 
were, and we are up to teamed 9th, 10th and 11th grade this 
school year. We are still working on 12th grade because each 
kid has their own path to graduation. That is where we started, 
and I think there is power when teachers start to work together 
and collaborate.
    I think I will say outside of when teachers work together, 
teachers are amazing people, and it is an amazing profession. 
When you allow them the agency to work together, and really 
hone in on their skills and their passions for education, you 
know, the possibilities are endless.
    Mrs. Foxx. Thank you. It is not a mystery to me it seems 
that we have had difficulty in the last few years recruiting 
people to go into teaching. I have often mentioned that we put 
an adult in a room with 30 kids, lock the door, and say you are 
in there all day long all by yourself handling these students.
    Again, it should not be a mystery. I do not know very many 
people who want to go into that kind of environment. What you 
all are doing, and you have all mentioned collaboration. You 
have all mentioned teams, and if you look around in the private 
sector, you see the word teams. You see the word associate. You 
see the word collaboration constantly.
    I think it is very exciting that we are seeing this new 
approach to preparing people to teach by doing the things you 
are doing. Really focusing on the real world, what is it going 
to be like to do classroom management in addition to exposing 
the students to the subject matter. I am very excited about 
what we are hearing today from the teacher preparation, from 
Dr. Mendez, in terms of what is going on.
    I think that we are learning a lot, and that the world is 
learning a lot, that what we need to be doing to have effective 
teachers, so thank you all very much, and thank you, Mr. 
Chairman, for your indulgence.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you, Dr. Foxx. Let us go back to the 
great State of California, where Representative DeSaulnier is 
standing by, and he is recognized for 5 minutes.
    Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for 
giving me an opportunity. It has been my privilege in the three 
decades or more that I have been in elected office, starting 
with city council to become friends and part of the disability 
community. I spent a lot of time with special needs, special 
education, teachers, young people in California.
    There was a time when I was in the State legislature where 
Governor Brown, and we developed a formula to help. It was 
called Local Control Formula. Billions of dollars reallocated 
to give school districts more discretion, rather than have the 
State overly manage very different communities in a large 
State.
    I had a superintendent I had great respect for in a medium-
sized district, tell me I can take all this extra money and put 
it into my special needs community, and it still would not be 
enough. My question, Mr. El-Mekki is the GAO just did a report 
that it has gotten worse to try to attract people to go into 
teaching in general, and retain people, particularly for this 
community that is grown with challenges around developmentally 
challenged students and population, autism, and other things.
    That GAO says it has 15 percent of the student population 
in the United States, is in this category, but we cannot get 
young people to go into teaching in general, but particularly 
into this community. Then we get these wonderful people that we 
all have had the good fortune to be able to work with, who want 
to go in this field, and they burn out.
    The retention is more challenging than actually getting 
people to go into the field. Given that, that it has been 
difficult all along, and IDEA was a wonderful idea by Congress 
many years ago. I have had administrators complain about how 
much time they spent doing the paperwork in IDEA, but would 
like more discretion just to solve the problem, along with the 
oversight that is completely reasonable for Congress to ask for 
in our role in this community.
    Could you just maybe enlighten us with the GAO report of 
the challenges that you see that have only seemed to be getting 
worse for this particular community, and the needs for this 
community, for both attracting good teachers, but retaining 
them, and what we need to do to accomplish that goal to attract 
many of these wonderful young people who go into the field, and 
then retain them, and give the support they need, so these kids 
can be successful, and we change the curve.
    Mr. El-Mekki. Yes, thank you for that question. Very 
important component of this ecosystem. I would echo what some 
of my colleagues mentioned, the pre-work is really the 
preparation. We encourage our apprentices to become dual 
certified. Whatever their content is, but then also adding 
special ed as a dual certification.
    Some are extremely interested but say they cannot afford 
the additional classes. The one thing is on the front end, to 
help and actually incentivize, more and more teachers to become 
dual certified. We know that the student population is becoming 
more and more diverse.
    That includes students of special needs. To be able to 
serve them well, as well as doing other work, not only requires 
them to be prepared, but also to have the support within 
schools. Again, as my colleagues have emphasized, having that 
one classroom, and one teacher, trying to not only think about 
the 30 students that were mentioned, but also 30 diverse needs 
within that classroom is extremely challenging for one person 
to do, no matter how gifted they are.
    On the front end, preparing them, but then also making sure 
that the support continues throughout, because the support for 
a teacher is also support for the student. We believe in 
student centered approaches, that are teacher supportive. 
Having aides and assistants, and other colleagues supporting 
that work. Having policies that support students with special 
needs as well, and making sure that they are not being 
marginalized, making sure that they are reaching their optimal 
levels of achievement.
    All of these things require investment on the front end, 
but then continuous. Too often the training, the professional 
development that our teachers receive is a one-shot deal.
    Mr. DeSaulnier. The current Superintendent of Public 
Instruction California, Tony Thurman, is a friend from the same 
community I represent. I have known him for a long time. His 
predecessor was one of my best friends. When we talk about this 
in a big State like California, with a lot of diversity, the 
bureaucracy of trying to get that--just what you described, and 
then the own sort of administrators' perceptions, given the 
shortfall in funding is a real challenge.
    Even though we--as you just described it, deploying those 
best practices is another big challenge in big areas. Any 
response to that?
    Mr. El-Mekki. I would say that there are places, I am sure, 
that are doing well, and those--the strategies at our goal 
level have to be magnified and exemplified, and used as 
exemplars, and then the incentives to replicate that can 
continue. I think too often there are bright spots, but those 
bright spots are often disconnected from the discourse around 
the country happening particularly in states like California, 
that are so large, so diverse.
    Mr. DeSaulnier. I appreciate that.
    Mr. El-Mekki. I would just also say just bringing in people 
from the community, they are often not invited into the 
profession.
    Mr. DeSaulnier. Um-hmm. I appreciate that. Mr. Chairman, 
thanks for indulging me. I yield back.
    Chairman Bean. Very good. Thank you so much. If you are 
just joining us, this is the Subcommittee on Early Childhood 
Elementary and Secondary Education. We are talking about the 
teacher shortage that America is facing. It is in every State. 
The teacher retention challenge is in every State.
    We are expecting our Ranking Member in just a few minutes, 
and as we wait on her coming, she is here. Breaking news. Yes. 
She is here, so Ranking Member, right on time, so Ranking 
Member, welcome back. You are recognized for any questions. 
Yes, ma'am.
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank 
you to the witnesses. I have not figured out how to be in more 
than one place at a time. I was talking about the very 
important issue of childcare. Thank you again, Chair Bean, and 
for accommodating me.
    I am really encouraged by some of the innovative policies 
and programs that exist to recruit and retain educators. One of 
those promising approaches is the Grow Your Own Program, in 
which young people from local high schools are recruited to 
become educators in their communities. It is especially 
valuable in high need and underserved districts.
    In Oregon, the Education Advancement Council has developed 
local and regional partnerships with districts and 
universities, and they provide grants for these Grow Your Own 
Programs, and in the most recent cycle 29 districts and 
universities received grants, and were able to support career 
pathways into education.
    Mr. El-Mekki, what role do Grow Your Own Programs play in 
reducing barriers to entering the teaching profession? How can 
these programs most effectively prepare aspiring teachers for 
the realities of the classroom?
    Mr. El-Mekki. Yes, absolutely. I think Grow Your Own is one 
of the inspiring innovations that can occur. We need to make 
sure that Grow Your Own also has a standard because 
unfortunately it is beginning to mean a lot of different things 
for a lot of different people. We celebrate the work that 
National Center for Grow Your Own is doing in helping with 
states and districts who work on figuring out how to build 
long-term pipelines for future teachers.
    Removing financial barriers, providing paid training, and 
ongoing support. I think for high schools that is the bulk of 
our work, and I think about the 17 black men educators who were 
highly effective. We were doing well, relatively good looking, 
and none of us had been invited into the profession until after 
we had graduated from college.
    Ms. Bonamici. Can I just ask if there are some key policy 
changes that could expand this and other innovative models to 
make them successful?
    Mr. El-Mekki. Absolutely. One is further investing in 
career and technical education for high school students. We 
have voc ed for every other career. U.S. Labor Department has 
started looking at teaching as a workforce. That is critical, 
and we have to continue to do that.
    To ignore, to have--we need the welders, we need the 
carpenters, we need all the other things, but we also need 
teachers----
    Ms. Bonamici. Absolutely.
    Mr. El-Mekki [continuing]. Who will eventually do that. To 
invite them into the profession early on, give them career 
technical credit, as well as doing enrollment credit, 
partnering with the IAGs to be able to have dual enrollment 
credit, as well as CTE. One of the biggest levers----
    Ms. Bonamici. A lot of conversations about those two issues 
in this Committee over the years.
    Mr. El-Mekki. Absolutely. That CTE investment.
    Ms. Bonamici. Appreciate that. I also want to bring up 
before my time expires, the issue of educator compensation. We 
want the best and the brightest to become educators, but 
research shows that compensation has had a pretty dramatic 
effect on whether individuals choose to become teachers, as 
well as how long they remain in the profession.
    Unfortunately, many teachers earn much less than similarly 
educated professionals, and many--some even need to rely on 
public assistance programs to make ends meet. According to the 
Learning Policy Institute, in 2023 in Oregon, the average 
annual teaching starting salary was about $40,000.00.
    When compared to similar educated professionals in the 
State, teachers earned significantly less, and that's 
unacceptable. Dr. Mendez, I understand that in Arizona you have 
a significant pay gap between teachers and other similarly 
educated professionals.
    How does low compensation for teachers affect your ability 
to recruit and retain high quality teachers? Then, Mr. El-
Mekki, if you could add how increased compensation might help 
improve teacher recruitment and retention, including for 
teachers of color.
    Mr. Mendez. Thank you for that. I think first and foremost 
for us I know in our community, and we want to make sure that 
we create an environment that teachers want to be in, first and 
foremost. If that does not exist, we are not going to attract 
anybody to come in and teach for us anyway.
    Now, in terms of compensation, I leave that to the people 
above my pay grade in my district, and in our State, and I 
think the people in those communities have the right to be 
represented, and consider what is best for their community, and 
their local context.
    For me, as far as teachers coming into the profession, you 
know I did it as well. I was a special education teacher, and I 
got in the profession. I knew what the salary scale was when I 
signed up, and I remember getting in because I wanted to help 
children.
    I wanted to help a community out, and so knowing that I 
think it is really about the environment we create for 
teachers, and we have noticed that with a better environment, 
teachers are sticking around, and over the long haul, a lot of 
them do pretty well.
    Ms. Bonamici. I do not doubt--I know educators are 
passionate, and often times they understand, and they are in 
the profession because they love teaching, because they want to 
make a difference in the students' lives. Then when you look at 
things like if they have their own kids, look at the cost of 
childcare, look at the costs, and if they have student loan 
payments.
    It is just not going to pencil out, and for a job that is 
this important, we really do need to focus on compensation, and 
Mr. El-Mekki, the clock has run out, but could you just say 
would increased compensation help recruit diverse teachers?
    Mr. El-Mekki. It would. It would support that tremendously. 
It is so important that we actually added that into our 
programming. Students who take our CTE course and then decide 
to become teachers, we provide a $40,000.00 investment in them. 
That is us, just a small nonprofit, $40,000.00. $20,000.00 
while they are matriculating through college, that will help 
reduce costs, but then when they get to their fifth year of 
teaching, we give them a $20,000.00 retention stipend, just to 
be able to augment the low starting salary that many of them 
will have.
    Ms. Bonamici. Understood. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you, do not go too far, Ranking Member 
because we are about to begin closing statements, and I yield 
to you for a closing statement, or thought.
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, once 
again, thank you to the witnesses for being here, and 
discussing this really important topic. I know we want students 
of all ages, from the youngest, I'm a big supporter of 
investments in early childhood education, so when students get 
to kindergarten and beyond, they are prepared.
    We want all students from the youngest, to those nearing 
graduation to get a high-quality, well rounded education that 
prepares them for whatever path they take in life. For many of 
them that path might be a passion for teaching, but we need to 
make sure that they have a good, smooth path to get there that 
is not going to burden them with significant debt or concerns.
    To accomplish that, we have to--we must recruit and retain 
and support educators. As we have discussed today, this country 
has struggled with teacher recruitment and retention for many 
years, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic did not help any.
    In fact, it created new and unforeseen problems in our 
education system, exacerbated existing challenges. Educators 
have been speaking about for decades. I remember talking with 
educators during that time, and how incredibly frustrated and 
concerned and worried they were for their students, the health 
of their students, the health of their students' families, and 
not knowing what to do, and wanting to do their best, but it 
was incredibly challenging navigating those tough years.
    I hope we can continue discussing innovative ways to 
improve teacher recruitment and preparation, so educators have 
the skills and the support they need, and students get the 
quality education they deserve. Thank you again for being here, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
    Chairman Bean. Thank you very much, Ranking Member. 
American, we have driven the education vehicle into the shop, 
and we have held our breath. What is the mechanic going to say? 
Is it a total rebuild, as you know, what is the outlook? How 
much is it going to cost? The mechanics of education are before 
us, America.
    The good news is they have not recommended that we need a 
rebuild, just a tune-up with a heavy dose of innovation. If you 
want a second opinion, we have got a second, a third and a 
fourth opinion that have all said America, your education 
system needs innovation. It sounds like, Dr. Basile, you have 
said early numbers are in, and it is making a difference.
    Teacher burn out, we did not even--I lost track of my time 
too. I wanted to talk about day 3,000 versus day 1. It is in 
your written testimony. Burn out is a big deal, and you feel 
like you are alone making it. You are not making a difference, 
and you are just tired. What you all recommended is something 
that America needs to take a look at.
    The Federal Government does not control education, it is 
local, it is states. If you are watching America, ASU--your 
choice. ASU, Arizona State, or Appalachian State has innovative 
ways that they are making a difference, the team approach.
    Dr. Mendez, Principal Greg, as I call him, you can attest 
that it is making a difference. Teachers feel empowered as well 
as know that they are supported, and so it is something to 
explore, something to explore, and I encourage school systems 
across America, let us take a look. Maybe this is our answer of 
handling the challenges coming before.
    Here are two great things to me, and I am a salesman. One 
is it does not pit winners and losers against each other. 
This--a team approach, everybody wins. Students win, but 
teachers win, and we are all on the same team of making big 
changes for our education system, so everybody is a win.
    The other thing is I know--I know it is always better to 
have more money than less money, but that was not the theme. 
You did not all say we need massive amounts of new money. This 
is existing money, but just using innovation, so that is 
something that is very exciting. America's education system, if 
you are listening, maybe this is something we need to explore 
without the massive price tag that many times that people come 
before us.
    Panelists, I had pretty high expectations for you. I said 
that you all were going to be all-stars in education reform, 
and you delivered, and in fact you exceeded expectations, so I 
am delighted for each of you to come. Many people do not know 
it is your own dime, and it is your own time to be here, and so 
thank you for coming forward.
    Hopefully, we've sparked the interest of America to call 
you and to learn more. You have given us great information that 
is part of our record, and people can Google that to learn more 
as well. With that, I am looking around. Am I able to--are we 
ready to hit this on that? Is that okay to do?
    Thank you so much for everybody tuning in here. We have got 
a great crowd here to do. I thank everybody for coming, and 
without objection, there being no further business, the 
Subcommittee stands, and this hearing is now adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 11:39 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]`