Supporting the designation of the week of May 5 through May 9, 2025, as "Teacher Appreciation Week".

Bill: 119-hres-380
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
Introduced: 2025-05-05
Policy area: Education
Latest action: action_date: 2025-05-05
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Summaries:

tv_txt: IV 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 380 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 5, 2025 Mrs. Hayes (for herself, Mr. Mannion , Ms. Adams , Mr. Olszewski , Mr. Takano , Mr. Quigley , Ms. Elfreth , Ms. Sewell , Mrs. McBath , Mr. Davis of Illinois , Ms. Wilson of Florida , Mr. Fields , Ms. Moore of Wisconsin , Ms. Tlaib , Ms. Norton , Mr. Mullin , Ms. Titus , Mr. Johnson of Georgia , Ms. Ansari , Ms. Craig , Mr. Larson of Connecticut , Mr. Bishop , Mr. Whitesides , Ms. Barragán , Mrs. McIver , Mr. Garamendi , Mr. Figures , and Ms. Budzinski ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of the week of May 5 through May 9, 2025, as Teacher Appreciation Week .

Whereas May 5 through May 9, 2025, is Teacher Appreciation Week , in recognition of the critical and selfless work the Nation’s 3,000,000 public school teachers do for their students; Whereas teachers are the cornerstone of the American education system, providing essential knowledge, skills, and guidance to the next generation; Whereas bipartisan efforts have previously recognized the value of teacher expertise, including initiatives to improve teacher recruitment, retention, evaluation, and professional development; Whereas teachers report that they feel unheard in key education decisions despite their direct impact on student learning and success; Whereas only 19 percent of teachers would recommend the profession to others, making clear that change is necessary; Whereas a large majority of teachers support maintaining— (1) Federal protections for students against discrimination based on gender and sexual identity (84 percent); (2) the guaranteed right of undocumented students to attend public school (74 percent); (3) funding for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq. ) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. ) (92 percent); (4) the public service loan forgiveness program under section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087e(m) ) (87 percent); (5) the use of culturally relevant teaching materials that consider the heritage, history, and knowledge of all students (88 percent); (6) the statewide collection of student achievement data to identify achievement gaps among schools and student subgroups and channel resources accordingly (79 percent); (7) the reservation of public tax dollars for public schools (84 percent); and (8) the existence of a fully staffed and functioning Department of Education (70 percent); and Whereas a large majority of teachers support reimagination of the profession through strategies such as— (1) safely leveraging artificial intelligence as a tool to support teaching and learning (88 percent); (2) exploring alternatives to the traditional one-teacher, one-classroom model such as team-teaching (85 percent); (3) differentiating compensation for teachers who work in hard-to-staff subject areas (87 percent) and schools (93 percent), teacher leaders (89 percent), and teachers who are highly effective (75 percent); and (4) proactively diversifying the profession so that school staff more often reflect the racial identity of the student population they teach (80 percent): Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the designation of Teacher Appreciation Week ; (2) recognizes the invaluable role of teachers in shaping the future of America’s students and communities; (3) respects the hard work of teachers in constantly improving their practice in search of effective strategies for their classes; (4) affirms that public school teachers should have a seat at the table in education policymaking at all levels, including Federal, State, and local decisionmaking; and (5) encourages Federal, State, and local leaders to engage directly with teachers, ensuring their voices and expertise are reflected in policies that impact the classroom.