Changes in Teacher Preparation and Licensure Bills Represent Excellent Progress

Hartford, Connecticut – Today, August 5th, Governor Malloy signed into law Public Act No. 15-108 and Public Act No. 15-243. Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), made the following statement after attending the bill signing ceremony:

“CCER applauds the Connecticut legislature and Governor Malloy for passing both of these bills into law. They truly have tremendous potential to expand the pool of highly qualified candidates for teaching and leadership positions in Connecticut’s public education system.

“P.A. 15-243 requires the State Department of Education to submit an annual report on the quality of teacher preparation programs, which will introduce a heightened level of accountability into the work of preparing future teachers in our state. The bill also mandates that a portion of the field experiences in teacher preparation programs will take place in some of our neediest districts. This is another important measure that appropriately acknowledges Connecticut’s increasing need for teachers who are specifically trained to support the students within these districts.

“While P.A. 15-243 does a lot to improve the way in which Connecticut prepares future teachers, P.A. 15-108 increases the means by which Connecticut can recruit highly qualified teachers who come from out-of-state. For example, this bill requires the Commissioner of Education to enter into agreements with neighboring states about what sort of certification credentials will be accepted here.

“The passage of both bills has the potential to increase the number of excellent teachers in Connecticut, and our students deserve nothing less.”

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