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The PROSPER Act and Teacher Preparation
 
The U.S. House of Representative's Committee on Education and the Workforce approved the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity Through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act yesterday with a 23 - 17 vote. The bill reauthorizes the Higher Education Act (HEA). The PROSPER Act has serious implications for teacher preparation, largely due to its rollback of Title II “Teacher Quality Enhancement,” the resulting elimination of the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Grant Program, and the elimination of TEACH grants and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.  New America’s analysis of the PROSPER Act describes the elimination of Title II as one of the “greatest departures” from HEA.
 
TQP has been a significant funding source for the launch, expansion, and evaluation of teacher residency programs.  Education Week reports that TQP amounts to $41.3 million in grants being eliminated that support teacher preparation improvement. 
 
States’ teacher preparation data collection and reporting will also be impacted by the bill’s passage. “Dropping Title II means deleting all reporting requirements for teacher prep programs,” according to the Center for American Progress.  
 
The TEACH grant—Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education—program is also cut from the bill. TEACH Grants provide funding for “undergraduate and graduate students who agree to teach subjects like math and science in high-needs schools for a certain number of years,” Education Week reports. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) impacts teachers as well. PSLF forgives loans for higher education for applicants who have taught full time for 10 years.
 
Read the Committee on Education and the Workforce’s press release announcing the PROSPER Act, and find a fact sheet about the bill here.