Adams, Bonamici, Hayes, Sykes, Reed, Van Hollen, and Wyden Introduce the Quality Educator Partnership Act to Address the National Teacher Shortage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, September 24, Congresswomen Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Jahana Hayes (CT-05),Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and Emilia Sykes (OH-13), alongside SenatorsJack Reed (RI), Chris Van Hollen (MD), and Ron Wyden (OR) introduced the QualityEducatorPartnership Act, H.R. 10530, comprehensive legislation that aims to address the national teacher shortage.

The Quality Educator Partnership Act (QEPA) responds to a call from educators and organizations like AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) across the country, who want to improve educator recruitment, preparation, retention, and career advancement, especially in high-need schools and high-need fields.

A summary of the bill is available here.

A section-by-section breakdown of the bill is available here.

The bill would establish an Office of Educator Workforce at the Department of Education to coordinate a national educator workforce policy, provide technical assistance, administer educator workforce grants, and serve as the federal focal point for collaboration among states, institutions of higher education, and school districts.

The legislation authorizes $600 million in fiscal year 2027 and $1 billion annually for the next four years for educator workforce development partnership grants and state workforce design grants. These grants would support teacher residencies, Grow Your Own programs, mentoring, induction, strategic staffing, compensation reform, school leader development, and stronger partnerships between educator preparation programs and high-need school districts.

Notably, the bill also creates the National Educator Service Corps to help make the teaching profession more affordable. The Corps would provide up to $15,000 per year in tuition assistance, monthly living stipends, and a $25,000 clinical residency stipend for eligible candidates who commit to teaching in high-need schools and high-need fields. The program is authorized at $500 million in fiscal year 2027 and would scale up to $1 billion annually by fiscal year 2032.

The Quality Educator Partnership Act will go further and strengthen civil rights enforcement by requiring the Secretary of Education to annually evaluate whether the Office of Civil Rights has the staffing and resources needed to enforce civil rights laws and ensure students have access to a high-quality education and access to profession-ready educators.

"As an educator for 40 years, a city school board member, and now as the Ranking Member of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, I've watched the national teacher shortage grow worse for decades," saidRepresentative Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. "According to the Department of Education, 69% of public schools reported struggling to fill vacant positions before the 2024-2025 school year. The Quality Educator Partnership Act gives the Department the tools and coordination it is missing, from new investment in recruitment to long-overdue standards for ed-tech integration. Educators, administrators, and students have waited long enough for this support."

"Strong schools start with strong educators, and that means building a pipeline of talented individuals to lead in our classrooms," said Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. "The Quality Educator Partnership Act invests in the strategic and creative pathways needed to recruit, prepare, and support the next generation of teachers. By exploring all opportunities to expand and develop the profession we can give every student access to the high-quality education they deserve."

"Current and prospective educators face many challenges, including the cost of college, attacks on public education, and limited federal funding for graduate programs. The investments in the teaching workforce in this important legislation will meaningfully address shortfalls in the educator pipeline and highlight the life-changing potential of a quality education. I'm pleased to join Rep. Adams and several other colleagues in this commitment to our nation's educators with this legislation," said Representative Suzanne Bonamici.

"Every child in Northeast Ohio, no matter their background or where they live, deserves a high-quality education. The QualityEducator Partnership Act will strengthen the educator pipeline to ensure all students and educators in Ohio's 13th Congressional District have the resources and the tools they need to succeed academically and professionally," said Representative Emilia Sykes. "I'm proud to co-lead this comprehensive legislative package which will invest in our children and support the recruitment and retention of diverse, well-qualified educators across the country."

"Our nation's future is directly tied to the strength of our educators. While the Trump Administration fails our students and schemes to dismantle the Department of Education, Congress must step up to ensure we have teachers who are ready and able to equip our students with the skills they need to thrive in a challenging environment. The QualityEducator Partnership Act would do just that by creating new federal infrastructure, boosting investments, and expanding our ability to prepare teachers now and in the future," said Senator Reed. "By creating a National Educator Service Corps, grant programs, and research capabilities through the Department of Education, this bill would significantly expand the pathway to the teaching profession; help schools recruit, support, and retain educators; and leverage, uplift, and enhance input from across the education profession to better prepare teachers and serve our students."

"Our students are our future, and our teachers play a central role in shaping and preparing them for success. That's why it's critical that we invest in supporting and developing the next generation of educators. With Donald Trump gutting the Department of Education, our communities need us to act now. This legislation marks an important step toward recruiting educators and ensuring our schools have the resources they need so that students across our country can receive a quality education," said Senator Van Hollen.

"Senator Reed and Representative Adams have shown exceptional leadership in translating AACTE's Call to Action into concrete federal policy," said Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D., AACTE President and CEO. "This bill reflects a shared understanding that America's students deserve the best possible education, and that starts with sustained federal investment in the educators who prepare them. It strengthens the partnerships between educator preparation programs, school districts, and communities that are essential to building and sustaining a strong, diverse educator workforce. We are deeply grateful to Senator Reed and Representative Adams for their continued championing of educators and the students they serve."

The bill has also been endorsed by the 1890s Universities Foundation, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Association of School Librarians and the American Library Association, Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child, City Teaching Alliance, Council for Academic Deans of Research Education Institutions (CADREI), Deans for Impact (DFI), Educational Testing Service (ETS), InnovateEDU, International Society for Transforming Education (ISTE+ASCD), National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP), National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE), National Association for Music Education, National Association for School-University Partnerships (NASUP), National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Center for Teacher Residencies, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), National Education Association (NEA), National Principals Association, Teach Plus, Teacher Education Council for State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

The text of the bill is available here.