AACTE Applauds President Biden’s Budget Proposal

(May 28, 2021, Washington, D.C.) – On behalf of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone issued the following statement on President Joseph R. Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget:

“Today, President Biden let educators know that he has heard our voices loud and clear.  The unprecedented investments called for in his FY 22 budget proposal begin to redress the chronic inequities in our nation’s education system. With a new $20 billion Title I Equity grant, a $1 billion program to double mental health professionals in schools, and a significant increase in Pell grants, educators can envision a future where every student is on a pathway to success. The President’s budget reflects a full understanding of the crisis in our educator pipeline and recommends robust increases to address it. AACTE is thrilled to endorse President Biden’s vision and commitment to a fully equitable education system.  We are eager to work with Congress to make these requests a reality.”

In the area of educator preparation, President Biden’s budget calls for:

• Providing $132 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships (an $80 million increase), which provides grants to institutions of higher education in partnership with high need local education agencies, to prepare new educators in high need fields
• Investing $250 million for IDEA Personnel Preparation (an increase of $160 million) to support the preparation of special education personnel, a persistent and critical shortage area
• Providing $20 million for Hawkins Centers of Excellence, a program which has yet to be funded despite its creation in 2008. Hawkins Centers would address the tragic lack of diversity in education by supporting minority serving institutions to prepare educators of color
• Doubling the TEACH Grant to $8,000 per student for juniors, seniors, and graduate students who express interest in teaching in a high-need field and in a school that serves low-income students. It also proposes removing the GPA requirement and pursuing reforms to the TEACH Grants program to reduce the likelihood and harm of grant-to-loan conversions
• Investing $1.6 billion to support additional teacher certifications for 100,000 new teachers in high-demand fields, including in the STEM fields

###

AACTE: The Leading Voice on Educator Preparation 

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs and partners dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are profession-ready as they enter the classroom. Nearly 700 members include public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Through advocacy and capacity building, AACTE promotes innovation and effective practices that strengthen educator preparation. Learn more at www.aacte.org.