U.S. Department of Education Approves the District of Columbia and 17 Additional States' Plans to Provide Equal Access to Excellent Educators

Press Release

As part of its Excellent Educators for All Initiative--designed to ensure that all students have equal access to a high-quality education--the U.S. Department of Education today announced the approval of the District of Columbia and 17 states' plans to ensure equitable access to excellent educators: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

"All parents understand that strong teaching is fundamental to strong opportunities for their children. We as a country should treat that opportunity as a right that every family has--regardless of race, ethnicity or national origin, zip code, wealth, or first language," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The 17 states and the District of Columbia receiving approval of their plans are taking promising steps to eliminate the gaps some students face in access to excellent educators by implementing strategies and innovative solutions to challenging problems that meet local needs. Each of these states and the District of Columbia engaged a variety of stakeholder groups to ensure that these plans not only include strategies that will be effective in eliminating identified equity gaps, but also to ensure that these strategies are meaningful for the students, teachers, and communities in which they will be implemented.

Source