As the leading organization for professional learning in the U.S., Learning Forward strongly believes that closing or significantly reducing the U.S. Education Department could disrupt valuable programs that improve teaching and learning nationwide.
Our focus remains on the essential programs that support educator coaching, new teacher mentoring, collaborative planning, and training teachers on best practices, technology-enabled teaching, and new curriculum materials. Without these key elements of professional learning, schools would struggle to meet the evolving, critical needs of educators and students.
This is particularly concerning for the hundreds of thousands of educators teaching with provisional licenses or in subjects they are not certified to teach. Professional learning programs are vital for ensuring these teachers develop the skills they need to guide student success. The closure or reassignment of the core functions of the Department could have profound consequences for these programs and harm students. Critical funding for programs like Title II under ESSA and Teacher Quality Partnership Grants that are currently administered by the Department are at risk of being eliminated or significantly reduced. Schools, especially in low-income and rural areas, rely on such programs to develop teachers and school leaders to ensure all students succeed.
Moreover, access to essential resources, research, and training tools for teachers could become inconsistent across states, as local agencies would be expected to shoulder more responsibility. This could result in students in some states receiving a higher quality education than others. Learning Forward advocates that every child deserves to be taught by excellent teachers every day, year after year. This doesn’t happen by accident. Just like doctors and athletes, teachers and school leaders must regularly advance and maintain their skills. Professional learning programs make this possible.
Call your members of Congress to voice your support for high-quality professional learning that leads to student success. Watch for Learning Forward advocacy alerts as we continue to monitor the changing federal policy landscape.
