Statement by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) on the Passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

CONTACT:
Alyssa Mangino,
amangino@aacte.org
or 202.478.4596 

Washington, D.C. (February 10, 2009) Today the U.S. Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by a vote of 61-37. AACTE congratulates the senators for passing a bill which recognizes that a long-term investment in education is needed to make sustainable improvements in our economy. AACTE is particularly pleased that both the House and Senate bills contain funding for the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants ($100 million in the House and $50 million in the Senate) and for the Education Human Resources Directorate at the National Science Foundation to improve math and science education ($100 million in the House and $50 million in the Senate). As the two bills enter the conferencing stage, AACTE urges Congress to adopt the funding levels passed by the House for these programs.