2007.02.01: February 1, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Somalia: Politics: Congress: The Reporter: Tom Petri co-sponsors Troops to Teachers Improvement Act
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2007.02.01: February 1, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Somalia: Politics: Congress: The Reporter: Tom Petri co-sponsors Troops to Teachers Improvement Act
Tom Petri co-sponsors Troops to Teachers Improvement Act
The legislation would allow more schools across the nation to benefit from a program which helps retiring military personnel start second careers as school teacher. “The intention was to increase the pool of available teachers widely across the country to ‘high need’ schools, and that’s how the Pentagon implemented the program,” Petri said. Congressman Tom Petri of Wisconsin served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Somalia in the 1960's.
Tom Petri co-sponsors Troops to Teachers Improvement Act
Petri, Matsui introduce ‘Troops to Teachers’ reform
For The Reporter
U.S. Reps. Tom Petri, R-Wis., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif., on Wednesday introduced the Troops to Teachers Improvement Act.
The legislation would allow more schools across the nation to benefit from a program which helps retiring military personnel start second careers as school teachers.
“The intention was to increase the pool of available teachers widely across the country to ‘high need’ schools, and that’s how the Pentagon implemented the program,” Petri said.
Those schools need extra attention, Petri said, but only 3 percent of Wisconsin’s school districts qualify under the Education Department’s regulations.
Petri and Matsui term their bill a compromise between Congress’ original intent and the Education Department’s interpretation.
However, Petri said that when management of the program was moved to the Education Department a few years ago, that department interpreted the law to define “high need” much more narrowly, meaning that participants in the program would have to teach in schools with an exceptionally large percentage of students from low-income families.
Reforming the program, Petri said, would ensure that veterans teach in high-need schools first and foremost but are not locked out of the program based on the geographic makeup of their communities.
Troops to Teachers is a unique program that provides stipends to retiring military personnel to teach in school districts with large low-income populations and a shortage of teachers in math and science. Since its authorization in 1993, nearly 10,000 veterans have participated in the program — bringing important math, science and foreign language expertise to classrooms.
Unfortunately, because of a drafting error in the No Child Left Behind Act, the Department of Education restricted the number of school districts in which veterans can fulfill their teaching requirement and receive the stipend.
The Petri-Matsui legislation would correct that error and expand the program so that if no high-need school exists within 50 miles of a veteran’s home, veterans would be eligible to fulfill their obligations in schools that serve low-income students under the original definition of high-need.
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Headlines: February, 2007; RPCV Tom Petri (Somalia) ; Figures; Peace Corps Somalia; Directory of Somalia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Somalia RPCVs; Politics; Congress; Wisconsin
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Story Source: The Reporter
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Somalia; Politics; Congress
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