Teach for America legislation advances

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 25, 2008) – Legislation allowing participants in the prestigious Teach For America program to be granted a temporary teaching license in Oklahoma passed the House today.

House Bill 3124, authored by House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Tad Jones, allows for the Teach for America Program to come to Oklahoma. The bill will get talented teachers into our most needy classrooms, said Jones, R-Claremore.

“Right now, this successful program cannot expand to Oklahoma because of barriers in our laws,” Jones said. “Teach for America has proven results in low-income, underperforming schools where we need talented teachers the most.“

Even with approval of this bill, each district would be able to choose to participate or not, Jones said.

“This is a chance to get some of the best, brightest and most ambitious teachers in the country here in Oklahoma,” Jones said.

Rep. Earl Sears, a former teacher and principal, praised the Teach for America program as one of the best in the country for training teachers.

“There is no question this state does a great job training our teachers, and no one is trying to take anything away from the procedure we have here in the state for our teachers,” said Sears, R-Bartlesville. “But as a principal, I would not have any hesitation in hiring a teacher from this program.”

Teach For America is a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic majors and career interests who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity.

Teach for America was founded with a goal to reduce the education inequity that exists among socioeconomic and racial lines. The organization targets the 13 million children growing up in poverty nationwide and focuses on the notion that when students in low-income communities are given the educational opportunities they deserve, they excel.

Since the organization was founded in 1990, 17,000 people have participated in the program, impacting the lives of more than 2.5 million students. This fall, more than 5,000 corps members will be teaching in over 1,000 schools in 26 regions across the country.

The bill passed the House with a vote of 91-10 and will now go to the Senate.

Source: Oklahoma House