U.S. Department
of Education Releases Blueprint to Elevate and Transform the Teaching
Profession, Calls Educators to Action
April
25, 2013
Today
the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will release the Obama Administration's
blueprint for elevating and transforming the teaching profession, also known as
the Blueprint for RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional
Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching).
RESPECT
was first launched in February of 2012 as a national conversation on the
teaching profession, shortly after the President committed to support the
development of a new, comprehensive teacher policy in his state of the union
address.
Since
then, the Department has engaged more than 5,700 educators nationwide to
develop and refine a vision of teaching and leading that will help both
teachers and students to meet the new, 21st century demands being placed on
them.
"Our
nation's educators are entrusted with a responsibility that's impossible to
overstate—which is nothing less than to prepare their students, and our
children, for the future," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
"We heard from thousands of teachers from across the country who contributed
their time and creative ideas to help the RESPECT blueprint reflect their own
vision for the teaching profession. With this blueprint, together we can work
to elevate the profession through competitive salaries, transforming
professional development and career opportunities, and relying on the expertise
of teachers to advance educational practice and improve outcomes for
students."
The
RESPECT Blueprint embraces seven critical components of a transformed teaching
profession jointly identified by ED and seven other national organizations,
including American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Association of School
Administrators (AASA), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Council
of the Great City Schools (CGCS), Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS),
National Education Association (NEA), and National School Board Association
(NSBA) last spring. It further identifies ways that this work will continue to
be integrated into the Department's existing policies and calls the field to
take action to work toward the RESPECT vision.
President
Obama is continuing to ask for a $5 billion investment from Congress to support
a RESPECT grant program outlined in the RESPECT blueprint, including salaries
for the teaching profession competitive with professions like architecture,
medicine and law, more support for novice teachers, and more career
opportunities for accomplished teachers.
In
tandem with the release of the blueprint, the Department has re-launched ED's
educator homepage to include new information about the RESPECT initiative,
including the blueprint document (both PDF and e-book formats), a description
of how educators provided input, and video of teachers describing their
connection with the RESPECT vision. The site also includes resources to help stakeholders
take action, including a self-inventory to assess one's own school or district
on the seven critical components of RESPECT.
