New Dems Discuss the Future of Education in a Global Economy with Teacher Union President Randi Weingarten
Group discusses ideas to meet America’s education needs
Today, members of the New Democrat Coalition met with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), to discuss reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The meeting with Weingarten is part of an ongoing dialogue between the New Dems, education community leaders and stakeholders on the need to fix our education system to better prepare students for college and jobs in the global economy.
During today’s discussion, Weingarten and the New Dems collaborated on ways to best prepare and support educators, the need to fix the way teachers are evaluated, and the importance of enhancing educational achievement with community involvement such as parental engagement and health services. Under the leadership of the New Democrat Coalition Education Task Force Co-Chairs Representatives Susan Davis (CA-53) and Jared Polis (CO-2), the New Dems are committed to working on policy solutions to provide the first-rate education every student deserves.
“Reforming our education system is critical to ensuring that today’s students, as well as future generations, are equipped with the knowledge, skills and intuition that will prepare them to compete in the 21st century,” said Rep. Joe Crowley (NY-7), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition. “As part of the New Dems ongoing effort to find the best ideas for reform, we are meeting with leaders from all corners of the education world. As president of AFT, Randi Weingarten brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to the conversation and I am pleased she was able to join us for this very important discussion. We look forward to continuing to work with her and others on how best to advance and improve our nation’s education system.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “Today, we had a thoughtful discussion about what it takes to help all children succeed. We must prepare students for life, college and career; and that is hard work, made harder given the zeal with which silver-bullet solutions that ignore research or reality are embraced. A crucial component of education reform is teacher quality, and that means focusing on teacher performance and preparation as well as the tools, time and environment they need to succeed, while using evaluation as a means of helping educators improve their craft. It also means creating a shared sense of accountability, since teachers cannot do it alone. I look forward to working with the Education Task Force and with all of the New Democrats on using collective bargaining, teacher evaluation and the common core standards as vehicles for education reform as well as addressing the out-of-school issues that students face.”
"We had a useful discussion with President Weingarten. She's a passionate supporter of teachers and provided us with insight on how we can work together. The best approach to find ways to improve our schools is through collaborating and getting ideas from teachers," said Rep. Susan Davis, Co-Chair of the New Dem Education Task Force.
“Research shows that a good teacher is the most important factor in a child’s success in school, which is why education reform efforts must insist on increased accountability from all teachers and administrators while providing them the resources they require to be their best,” said Rep. Jared Polis (CO-2), the Co-Chair of the New Democrats Education Task Force. “Inspiring and supporting effective teachers and administrators means expanding meaningful professional learning, providing them with quality preparation, and including student outcomes in educators’ performance evaluations. We need great teachers to inspire our students to go as far as their talents will take them.”
The New Democrat Coalition is a Coalition of 42 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are dedicated to the prosperity and security of American families and business. Founded in 1997, the NDC provides Members of Congress with the opportunity to advance a common sense policy agenda focused on empowering the U.S. to grow economically and maintain a vibrant job market, preserving the U.S. standing as the world's leader in innovation and technological advancement, and strengthening our economic and national security. For more information, visit the New Dems website at https://ndc.crowley.house.gov.
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