Price bill aimed at teacher recruitment

Rep. David Price is making a second run with a bill that would create a national teaching scholarship program patterned after a successful North Carolina effort that has helped attract strong high school students to classroom careers.

The bill that the Chapel Hill Democrat re-introduced today in the House of Representatives is similarly aimed at enticing high school seniors to become teachers, but it would also be aimed at college sophomores, community college students and teacher assistants. Professional development would also be offered once they were in the classroom.

“The impending teacher shortage is the most critical education issue we will face in the next decade,” Price said in a prepared statement. “We can reform the education system and talk about standards and accountability all day long, but our efforts won't amount to anything without a qualified teaching force to fill our classrooms.”

“This initiative has been tried and proven in North Carolina, and I am confident Congress can help replicate its success 49 times over by passing my bill this year.”

North Carolina teaching fellows receive four years of generous scholarships in exchange for a commitment to teach at least four years in North Carolina public schools.

Provisions of Price’s bill were previously included in legislation related to teacher preparation. That bill, part of the reauthorization of the broader Higher Education Act, passed the House in 2003 but was not signed into law.

This year, both the House and Senate are expected to take up the Higher Education Act, and Price will push to ensure that the Teaching Fellows components are included in the final package.