Washington, D.C., May 1, 2026—Teach Plus issued the following statement on the introduction of the Strengthening Educator Workforce Act in Congress, which would establish a permanent national mechanism to collect district-level educator data to bolster recruitment and retention:
“Legislators across the country are racing to solve an educator workforce crisis that is as complex as it is urgent. But in order to solve it, we must be able to see the full and clear picture,” said Kira Orange Jones, CEO of Teach Plus. “The Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act provides the catalyst we need for a proactive and systemic redesign of our schools. We applaud the efforts of Senator Durbin and Representative Sorensen in introducing a bill that builds a national data system that equips lawmakers with the data needed to ensure that every child is taught by a supported, expert teacher.”
“Our students, particularly students of color, perform better when taught and cared for by educators who reflect the communities they serve,” said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. “As our country faces educator workforce shortages, it is essential that we recruit and retain educators who share the background of their students. With the Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act, we can take a step forward in this process by examining the demographics of our current workforce so we can invest in effective recruitment and retention programs.”
“Great teachers change the trajectory of a child’s life, but we can’t fix what we can’t see,” said Representative Eric Sorensen of Illinois. “This bill gives us the clear, reliable data that we need to recruit, support, and retain strong, diverse educators in every community. It’s a simple step that will help us deliver better outcomes for students across the country.”
The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Cory Booker (D-NJ). Currently, solutions to address educator workforce shortages and representation gaps rely on incomplete, inaccessible data. Without a national dataset, legislators cannot identify high-need schools or evaluate federal investments like the Teacher Quality Partnership and the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence. Centralizing this data allows policymakers to track the impact of federal dollars, evaluate workforce efforts, and craft data-informed policies that ensure a robust, representative educator workforce for our students.
Supporting Organizations: Teach Plus, All4Ed, Center for Black Educator Development, Council of Administrators of Special Education, EDGE Consulting Partners, The Education Trust, Latinos for Education, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Council on Teacher Quality, Opportunity Culture®, Public Impact, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, The Sikh Coalition, TNTP, and UnidosUS
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: to act boldly and create the conditions where every student can imagine their future—and experience an education that delivers the opportunity to realize it. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. www.teachplus.org
