Rep. Judy Chu and Sen. Bernie Sanders Honored for Outstanding Support of Educator Preparation

(June 14, 2012, Washington, D.C.) – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) today named Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) the recipients of its Congressional Leadership Awards. The awards recognize Rep. Chu’s and Sen. Sanders’ longstanding commitment to teacher quality and exemplary support of educator preparation through bills each has recently introduced.

Energized by the passion that AACTE members brought to the 2011 Day on the Hill, AACTE’s signature advocacy event, Rep. Chu was inspired to introduce H.R. 2902, the “Equal Access to Quality Education Act” just months later. The bill, which is continuing to gain widespread support, would support close partnerships between higher education and local education agencies to develop educator pipelines that would serve high-need schools.