The Center for American Progress endorses the Classrooms Reflecting Communities Act. This legislation would create a five-year competitive grant program to help rural, high-need districts establish Grow Your Own programs. By recruiting diverse, well-qualified teacher candidates from the community and supporting them through teacher licensure and certification, Grow Your Own programs are an effective part of a broader strategy to address teacher shortages and the lack of teacher diversity. In addition to providing funding, this bill outlines some key components of a successful Grow Your Own program, including by providing training on culturally responsive pedagogy as well as high-quality mentoring through the first two years of teaching.
Read the full letter here.
Status of legislation: The bill was introduced by Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) on November 18, 2019, during the 116th Congress. It was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.