Statement by Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers,
On Bipartisan Higher Education Act Conference Bill

NOTE: The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008 (H.R. 4137) provides significant increases in Pell Grants of up to $8,000 by 2014, expands loan forgiveness, requires higher education institutions to disclose staffing information, and provides resources to schools of education to refine their teacher preparation programs. The House passed the bill today and the Senate is expected to vote later tonight.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—This legislation will be a lifeline for thousands of low- and middle-income students to help them realize their dream of a college education. The significant increases in Pell Grants and expanded loan forgiveness program for those who go into teaching, nursing and other public service jobs show a bona fide commitment to increasing access to colleges and universities and to helping students meet their educational goals.

The bill offers a real opportunity to boost K-12 teacher quality by providing resources to improve teacher preparation through mentoring and induction programs. The AFT has expressed its concern for many years that schools of education are not adequately preparing teachers for today’s classroom challenges. To implement mentoring and induction programs for new teachers, the legislation rightly states that where applicable, staffing and compensation issues must be collectively bargained.

The legislation also will give students and families a fuller picture of who is teaching our college students. The AFT has been disturbed by the decreasing number of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty in higher education and the growing number of poorly paid nontenured and part-time instructors who now teach over half of all college classes in this country.

We’re grateful that Congress made sure that the committee overseeing the higher education accreditation process would not be misused to dictate how to measure student learning—as Education Secretary Margaret Spellings had urged. Rather, the legislation affirms that colleges and universities and their faculties should have the primary role in curriculum development and measuring student achievement.

We hope President Bush signs this very significant piece of legislation, and we commend the bipartisan efforts led by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Sen. Barbara Mikulski, (D-Md.), Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.).

# # # #