Congresswoman Lee Introduces Bipartisan PATHS to Tutor Act to Expand Tutoring Access for Underserved Students
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) and Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04) introduced the bipartisan Partnering Aspiring Teachers with High-Need Schools (PATHS) to Tutor Act, which would expand access to one-on-one and small group tutoring for students in underserved communities. The legislation also leverages our existing workforce pool and strengthens the pipeline and opportunities for future teachers by placing teacher-candidates in these tutoring roles. Bipartisan companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Cornyn (R-TX), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
The PATHS to Tutor Act is endorsed by Deans for Impact, Teach For America, Communities In Schools of Nevada, Clark County School District, InnovateEDU, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, and Saga Education.
Nevada currently has the fewest teachers per students in the country, with an average of 43 teachers per 1,000 students. Additionally, 1,300 teachers are needed across the Clark County School District. With this shortage already straining in-classroom demands, the supply of targeted after-school resources is especially affected, emphasizing the need to support workforce development for teachers as well as fill the gap in additional tutoring needs.
The bipartisan PATHS to Tutors Act helps students and teachers by:
- Placing teacher-candidates into tutoring roles, strengthening the pipeline of future teachers in the long run, while ensuring students in underserved communities receive targeted academic support in the short run.
- Reducing the economic burden on aspiring teachers by allowing the successful completion of a tutoring placement to qualify for loan forgiveness through national service educational awards granted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
- Expanding access to tutoring more broadly through a $500 million competitive grant program disbursed to local partnerships of educator-preparation programs, K-12 schools, and community organizations.
“I spent more than two decades working with Nevada schools and students to strengthen our public education system, so I know firsthand that student success goes well beyond the classroom,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “We need to be using all the resources we have to make tutoring and other support services available to our students. That means making it easier — not harder — for qualified future teachers to start their professional careers, which will help more students get the targeted help they need. The PATHS to Tutor Act is a win-win for education — supporting underserved students and strengthening opportunities for future teachers.”
“Teacher across the United States are tasked with the sacred duty of educating the next generation of American leaders, and I am committed to doing everything possible to provide these great educators with the tools they need to best serve their communities,” said Congressman Anthony D’Esposito. “The PATHS to Tutor Act is an innovative way to strengthen the American education system via targeted investments in high-quality tutoring programs for students while simultaneously creating affordable avenues for aspiring teachers to complete tutoring placement programs successfully. The PATHS to Tutor Act is bipartisan legislation that is good for students, good for educators, and good for this nation.”
“Every student deserves caring and knowledgeable educators who are capable of fostering rigorous and affirming learning experiences. The bipartisan PATHS to Tutor Act would ensure that more students, and particularly students of color and those in high-need communities, access such educators. By mobilizing aspiring teachers as tutors, this bill would expand students’ access to quality, evidence-based tutoring while also building the confidence and skills of tutors who are on the path to becoming excellent teachers. This is an effort that would bring together schools, teacher-preparation programs, and other community partners in a shared commitment to ensuring all students thrive,” said Valerie Sakimura, Executive Director, Deans for Impact.
“With almost half of the 6,000 students that Communities In Schools of Nevada case-managed in the 2022-23 school year setting course performance as their individual goal in the CIS program, we see the need for additional academic supports for our young people — particularly those living in poverty,” said Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO and State Director for Communities In Schools of Nevada. “Communities In Schools of Nevada is grateful for Congresswoman Susie Lee’s leadership in introducing the Partnering Aspiring Teachers with High-Need Schools to Tutor Act or PATHS to Tutor Act. The legislation addresses two urgent needs to support our students’ academic achievement while also creating new pipelines for the teaching profession.”
“I’ve seen in classrooms across the country the remarkable impact that high-dose, small-group tutoring has on students’ learning, engagement, and sense of belonging. The PATHS to Tutor Act will ensure wider access to this research-backed intervention, helping to set students up for long-term success and creating a powerful recruitment pipeline for the next generation of teachers. As we look toward the future of learning, expanding access to high-dose tutoring will move classrooms from remediation to acceleration, from isolation to community, and from a single educator to a broader concept of who supports student learning,” said Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO, Teach For America.
"The PATHS to Tutor Act marks a critical, bipartisan step in addressing educational disparities and enhancing academic achievement nationwide, through one of the most cost-effective approaches ever rigorously studied," said AJ Gutierrez, co-founder and Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer for Saga Education. "By ensuring access to high-impact, high quality tutoring for every child, which means small group tutoring that's part of the regular school day, we're investing in a brighter future for our students and strengthening the tutors to teachers pipeline."
"The Clark County School District supports the PATHS to Tutoring Act. This bipartisan effort is a welcomed acknowledgment of the importance of high-quality educational support services. The learning loss experienced since the pandemic will take years to overcome. However, efforts like the PATHS to Tutoring Act can go a long way toward supporting our students in making learning gains. The funding available in this Act ensures the availability of high-dose tutoring, and our pre-service teachers can support the students in our community. We commend the sponsors from both parties for their commitment to this vital cause and eagerly anticipate the positive outcomes this act will bring to our educational community."
“High quality instruction is absolutely essential for students to accelerate their learning. The PATHS to Tutor Act invests in strengthening the effectiveness of new teachers, enabling them to better meet students’ needs,” said Joshua H. Barnett, Chief Executive Officer, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.
“The introduction of the PATHS to Tutor ACT by Congresswoman Lee and Congressman D'Esposito recognizes what thousands of communities have recognized across the country - that meaningful connections with caring adults through tutoring is a powerful catalyst for spurring academic recovery, addressing chronic absenteeism and addressing youth mental health. This ACT directly supports communities nationwide to meaningfully invest in a diverse educator workforce,” said Erin Mote, Executive Director, InnovateEDU.
You can learn more about the Partnering Aspiring Teachers with High-Need Schools (PATHS) to Tutor Act here.
An education leader even before coming to Congress, Congresswoman Susie Lee now leads several bills to expand opportunities for students and educators. These include the Full-Service Community School Expansion Act to improve student outcomes by helping public schools and districts bring in wraparound services; the bicameral Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers Act to ensure full funding for federal programs to support disadvantaged students and children with disabilities; and the bipartisan Earn to Learn Act to establish a national matched-savings program to help students and families save money to pay for tuition, books, fees, and other education-related expenses. As Vice Chair of the Problem Solvers’ Caucus, Congresswoman Lee has been named the most bipartisan Member of Congress across the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and all state Governors.
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